Erhard Heiden

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Erhard Heiden
Deputy
Heinrich Himmler
LeaderAdolf Hitler
Preceded byJoseph Berchtold
Succeeded byHeinrich Himmler
Personal details
Born(1901-02-23)23 February 1901
Weiler-Simmerberg, German Empire
DiedMarch 19, 1933(1933-03-19) (aged 32)
Nazi Germany
Cause of deathExecution by shooting
Political partyNazi Party

Erhard Heiden (23 February 1901 – 19 March 1933) was an early member of the

Nazis came to power
in 1933 and executed that same year.

Life

Heiden was born on 23 February 1901 in Weiler-Simmerberg, a city in Bavaria.[1] In 1917, he attended the NCO school in Fürstenfeldbruck.[2] Little is known about his early life.[3]

Following Germany's defeat in

National Socialist German Workers' Party (Nazi Party; NSDAP).[4][5] It rejected the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and advocated antisemitism and anti-Bolshevism.[6]

At party meetings in late 1919 and early 1920, hecklers and protesters tried to disrupt Adolf Hitler's speeches and fought with party members. It was decided that a permanent group of party members would serve to protect Nazi officials at rallies and disrupt the meetings of opposing parties. The basis for the Sturmabteilung ("Storm Detachment"; SA) had been formed.[7] Heiden became an early member of the Nazi Party and the SA.[8] In 1923, Heiden joined a small personal bodyguard unit for Adolf Hitler named Stoßtrupp-Hitler ("Shock Troop–Hitler").[8]

That same year, Hitler felt strong enough to try to seize power in Munich. Inspired by

high treason.[9] The Nazi Party and all associated formations, including the Stoßtrupp, were officially disbanded.[10]

Career in the SS

Berchtold, the predecessor to Heiden as head of the SS

After Hitler's release from prison in December 1924, the Nazi Party was officially refounded. In 1925, Hitler ordered the formation of a new bodyguard unit, the Schutzkommando ("Protection Command; SS").

William Shirer as "a former police stool-pigeon of unsavory reputation",[15] joined the SS in 1925 and was an early advocate of separating the unit from the SA, its parent organization.[16]

On 1 March 1927, Joseph Berchtold transferred leadership of the SS to Heiden, who was his acting deputy. Berchtold had become disillusioned by the SA's authority over the SS.[17][18] As head of the SS, Heiden also found it difficult to function under the larger and more powerful SA. Under Heiden's leadership a stricter code of discipline was enforced than would have been tolerated in the SA ranks. Heiden further demanded that the men under his command were not to be involved in party matters which were none of their concern. His intention was to create a small elite unit and obtain higher quality recruits.[18]

Except for the Munich area, the unit was unable to maintain any momentum. The membership of the SS declined from 1,000 to 280 as the SS continued to struggle under the SA.[19] As Heiden attempted to keep the small group from dissolving, Heinrich Himmler became his deputy in September 1927. Himmler had a great enthusiasm and vision for the SS and displayed good organisational abilities which Heiden used.[20] Himmler became the driving force within the SS and in time eclipsed Heiden.[21]

Upon the dismissal of Heiden, Himmler assumed the position of Reichsführer-SS with Hitler's approval in January 1929.[22][a] There are differing accounts of the reason for this dismissal. The party merely announced that it was for "family reasons".[23] It was also suggested at the time that the dismissal was due to Heiden associating with Jews.[16] Starting in 1928, Heiden was co-owner of a clothing supply business that sold uniforms to the SS. Another company in Munich supplied Heiden and his partner with the pants which were used for the SS uniforms. It was discovered that this other company was owned by a Jew. Further, it was alleged that Heiden had been making large profits on the clothing sales to the SS for uniforms. This led to Heiden having to resign as head of the SS.[2] Historian Adrian Weale believes the primary reason for his dismissal was due to him being ineffective in the job. There were also rumors that he was a police informer.[24] Himmler's biographer, Peter Longerich, says that beyond the official announcement, "we have no further clues to explain either Heiden's dismissal or Himmler's appointment".[25] Under Himmler, the SS greatly expanded over time, with his ultimate aim being the one to turn it into the most powerful organization in Germany.[26]

Death

In March 1933, after a visit to his friend Emil Maurice, Heiden was arrested by members of the Sicherheitsdienst ("Security Service"; SD) while he was having dinner in the Orlando coffee house in Munich. He was murdered sometime later, presumably by members of the SD.

Heiden was officially listed as missing on 18 March 1933. On 28 March 1933, Paul Schulz wrote the following about Heiden's disappearance:

"Today I find out that some time ago (14 days) the former SS leader Hayden [sic] disappeared. In the evening he was visiting his friend Maurice and went from there to his apartment, which is only a few houses away. On the way he visited a pub nearby, drank his beer and ate alone. After a while, an SA man came and asked to speak to him, asking him to come outside. Since that time he has not returned. After half an hour this SA man came again and fetched Hayden's coat and hat. Hayden left without a coat or hat and without paying."[27]

Shortly after Heiden's disappearance, Heiden's mother asked his old friend Maurice to look for him. He turned to Josef Gerum for help, who finally went with August Schneidhuber to see Himmler about the disappearance. When Gerum and Schneidhuber asked him about Heiden's whereabouts, Himmler, Gerum later claimed, reacted "out of temper" and forbade any interference.[28] According to Schulz, at the end of March an SS-Sturmfuhrer told Maurice that if he said another word about the Heiden affair or made any further inquiries into his whereabouts, he was a "goner". When Maurice raised the incident with Hitler, Hitler recommended that he withdraw from Munich for a while.[27]

Heiden's body was discovered months later, on 13 August 1933, in the Neufinsing works canal near Erding (according to the Erding district court) and buried on 15 September.[16] According to Karl Ortner, his body had a gunshot wound to the head. The probable date of death was officially set as 19 March 1933.[29]

See also

References

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ At that time Reichsführer-SS was only a titled position, not an actual SS rank.McNab 2009, pp. 18, 29.

Citations

  1. ^ Kiekenap 2008, p. 233.
  2. ^ a b c Miller 2015, p. 52.
  3. ^ Kiekenap 2008, pp. 233–234.
  4. ^ a b Evans 2003, pp. 103–108.
  5. ^ Kershaw 2008, pp. 82, 87.
  6. ^ Goldhagen 1996, p. 85.
  7. ^ Toland 1976, pp. 94–98.
  8. ^ a b McNab 2009, pp. 11, 16.
  9. ^ Hamilton 1984, pp. 160, 172.
  10. ^ Wegner 1990, p. 62.
  11. ^ Weale 2010, p. 26.
  12. ^ Weale 2010, pp. 16, 26.
  13. ^ McNab 2009, pp. 10, 11.
  14. ^ Weale 2010, p. 29.
  15. ^ Shirer 1991, p. 121.
  16. ^ a b c McNab 2009, p. 11.
  17. ^ Cook & Russell 2000, pp. 21–22.
  18. ^ a b Weale 2010, p. 32.
  19. ^ Weale 2010, pp. 32, 33.
  20. ^ Weale 2010, pp. 45, 46.
  21. ^ Weale 2010, p. 46.
  22. ^ Weale 2010, p. 47.
  23. ^ Longerich 2012, p. 113.
  24. ^ Weale 2010, pp. 33, 47.
  25. ^ Longerich 2012, p. 114.
  26. ^ Weale 2010, pp. 300–305.
  27. ^ a b Dimitrios, Alexander (20 May 2009). Weimar und der Kampf gegen 'rechts': Nation ohne Grundkonsens [Weimar and the fight against 'rights': a nation without a basic consensus]. Vol. 2/II. Ulm: Schulz. p. 760.
  28. ISBN 9783453620018
    .
  29. ^ Andreas Schulz, Günter Wegmann und Dieter Zinke: Deutschlands Generale und Admirale – Teil V: Die Generale der Waffen-SS und der Polizei 1933–1945. Biblio-Verlag, p. 233 (footnote).

Bibliography

Government offices
Preceded by Reich Leader of the SS
1927–1929 		Succeeded by
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