Rudolf Diels
Rudolf Diels | |
---|---|
Director of the Gestapo | |
In office 26 April 1933 – 20 April 1934 | |
Appointed by | Hermann Göring |
President | Paul von Hindenburg |
Chancellor | Adolf Hitler |
Preceded by | None (office established) |
Succeeded by | Reinhard Heydrich |
Personal details | |
Born | Berghausen, Hesse-Nassau, Prussia, German Empire | 16 December 1900
Died | 18 November 1957 Katzenelnbogen, Rhineland-Palatinate, West Germany | (aged 56)
Cause of death | Gunshot wound |
Political party | Nazi Party |
Spouse(s) | Hildegard Mannesmann, Ilse Göring[1] |
Rudolf Diels (16 December 1900 – 18 November 1957) was a German civil servant and head of the Gestapo in 1933–34.[2] He obtained the rank of SS-Oberführer and was a protégé of Hermann Göring.
Early life
Diels was born in
Gestapo chief
He joined the
On 27 February 1933 the Reichstag fire occurred and Diels was the main interrogator of the principal accused, Marinus van der Lubbe.[3] He told Hitler he thought that the fire was set by this single man. However, Hitler was convinced it was the Communists.[3] Diels attracted the attention of political rivals, including SS chief Heinrich Himmler and his deputy, Reinhard Heydrich. In 1933 and 1934, Himmler and Heydrich took over the political police of state after state. Soon only Prussia was left outside their control.[1][10] Concerned that Diels was not ruthless enough to effectively counteract the power of the Sturmabteilung (SA), Göring handed over control of the Gestapo to Himmler on 20 April 1934. Also on that date, Hitler appointed Himmler chief of all German police outside Prussia. Heydrich, named chief of the Gestapo by Himmler on 22 April 1934, also continued as head of the SS Security Service, the Sicherheitsdienst (SD).[11] Effectively smeared, but with Göring's aid, Diels narrowly avoided execution during the Night of the Long Knives in the summer of 1934, fleeing his post for five weeks. Thereafter, he was briefly Deputy Police President of Berlin before being appointed Regierungspräsident (administrative president) of the local government of Cologne in 1934.[3][12] Diels was then appointed administrative president of Hannover in 1936.[12]
He maintained his association with Göring, marrying his cousin, Ilse Göring.
Post-war
Diels presented an affidavit for the prosecution at the Nuremberg trials, but was also summoned to testify by Göring's defense lawyer. He was interned until 1948. After 1950 he served in the post-war government of Lower Saxony[3] and then in the Ministry of the Interior, until his retirement in 1953.
Published works
Diels' memoirs, Lucifer Ante Portas: Von Severing bis Heydrich, were published in 1950. It was pre-released in the German weekly Der Spiegel between May and July 1949 in nine episodes.[13] A less cautious work was published after his retirement, Der Fall Otto John ("The Case of Otto John") (1954).
Death
Diels died on 18 November 1957 when his rifle accidentally discharged while he was
References
- ^ a b Larson 2011, p. 138.
- ^ Larson 2011, pp. 117–118, 138–140.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hamilton 1984, p. 258.
- ^ ISBN 978-3-631-59818-4.
- ^ Larson 2011, p. 64.
- ^ Larson 2011, p. 116.
- ^ Miller 2006, p. 433.
- ^ Miller 2006, p. 502.
- ^ "Gestapo Chief Thrilled U.S. Ambassador's Daughter: Lewis Lapham". Bloomberg.com. June 11, 2011 – via www.bloomberg.com.
- ^ Flaherty 2004, p. 66.
- ^ Williams 2001, p. 61.
- ^ a b Zentner & Bedürftig 1991, p. 195.
- S2CID 155040084.
- ^ Larson 2011, p. 362.
Sources
- Flaherty, T. H. (2004) [1988]. The Third Reich: The SS. Time-Life. ISBN 1-84447-073-3.
- Hamilton, Charles (1984). Leaders & Personalities of the Third Reich, Vol. 1. R. James Bender Publishing. ISBN 0-912138-27-0.
- ISBN 978-0-307-40884-6.
- Miller, Michael (2006). Leaders of the SS and German Police, Vol. 1. San Jose, CA: R. James Bender. ISBN 978-93-297-0037-2.
- Williams, Max (2001). Reinhard Heydrich: The Biography, Volume 1—Road to War. Church Stretton: Ulric Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9537577-5-6.
- Zentner, Christian; Bedürftig, Friedemann (1991). ISBN 978-0-02-897500-9.