Born in the German city of Halle, near Leipzig on March 7, 1904, Reinhard Eugen Tristian Heydrich was raised in a cultured musical environment.  His father founded the Halle Conservatory of Music, and a Wagnerian opera singer, while his mother was an accomplished pianist.

Heydrich trained seriously as a violinist, developing expert skill and a life-long passion for the violin. 

While growing up, Heydrich was made fun of his high-pitched voice, and his love for classical music.  Also bullies made fun of him because when Heydrichs’ Grandmother married for the second time, her Husband had a Jewish sounding name, so bullies thought he had Jewish ancestry.

To young to serve in World War One, young Heydrich teamed up with local Freikorps, a rightwing, and Anti-Semitic organization of Ex-Soldiers.  Heydrich also believed in the Aryan race, in which he so well represented.

In March 1922, when Reinhard was 18, he sought the free education, adventure, and prestige of a Naval career, and become a cadet in the small German Navy.  Once in the Navy, he was teased again for his high voice, and his possible Jewish ancestry.  But the intense driven Heydrich persevered, and rose to the rank of second Lieutenant in command.

Right away once he became a Lieutenant, he had ideas of becoming an Admiral.  Also when Heydrich was in the Navy, he developed a great interest in woman, and sex with the same self-driven commission, that would later end his Naval career in 1931. 

With his Naval career wrecked, he became an SS officer.  The SS already had 10,000 members.  In 1931, at age 27, Heydrich became a Black-Coat.

Heydrich met with Heinrich Himmler, who was looking for someone to build up his Intelligence Service.  Himmler was impressed.

Going into the SD, Heydrich sought out people who apposed Hitler and all of his ideas.  Later on he became major of the SD.  In January 1933, Heydrich, and Himmler oversaw the mass arrests of Communists, Trade Unionists, Catholic politicians, and Jews.  Once the arrests were made they received message that prison space was running low.

So with the idea, Dachau, near Munich was founded.  Another idea was to take the captives to the island of Madagascar, but the soviet union soon took over the island.

Once inside Dachau, prisoners were subjected to harsh military treatment, and beatings.  Two months after the mass arrests, Heydrich,” on Hitler's orders”, made sure that all of the SA members were murdered, for the assassination plot of Hitler, and it all happened on the night of long knives.

On September 10, 1938, Kristallnacht occured, with the widespread arrests, and attacks on Jews.  One year later, on September 1, 1939, Heydrich and his troops invaded Poland.  After the invasion, Heydrich became head of the Reich.

About three years later, Heydrich was killed while going out to his car, by a grenade thrown by Jan Kubis, June 4, 1942.  Over the years Heydrich murdered millions of people.

Justin Mullin

7^th Social Studies

Rossville Jr. High

Spring 2003

Bibliography