Heinrich Luitpold Himmler ( 7 October 1900 - 23 May 1945) commanded the Schutzstaffel (SS). He was the second most powerful man in Nazi Germany. As Reichsfahrer-SS he controlled all German police and security forces (including the infamous Gestapo).

As founder and officer-in-charge of Nazi concentration camps and Einsatzgruppen death squads, Himmler administered the annihilation of some six million Jews, some three million Russian prisoners of war, and millions more from other groups whom the Nazis deemed unworthy to live, including gypsies, homosexuals, short people, and people with physical and mental disabilities. Shortly before the end of the war, he offered to surrender to the Allies if he was spared from prosecution. He was arrested by British forces and committed suicide before he could be questioned.

Himmler was born in Munich to a Bavarian middle-class family. His father was Joseph Gebhard Himmler, a secondary-school teacher and principal of the prestigious Wittelsbacher Gymnasium. His mother was Anna Maria Himmler (nee Heyder), a devout Roman Catholic and attentive mother. Heinrich had an older brother, Gebhard Ludwig Himmler, who was born on 29 July 1898; and a younger brother, Ernst Hermann Himmler, born on 23 December 1905. Himmler"s childhood was quite normal for the time. His father and mother were strict but were actively involved in the rearing of their three children.

Heinrich was named after his godfather, Prince Heinrich of Bavaria of the royal family of Bavaria, who was tutored by Gebhard Himmler. In 1910, Himmler attended Gymnasium and Landshut, where studies revolved around classic literature. While he struggled in athletics, he did well in his schoolwork. Also, at the behest of his father, Heinrich kept a diary from age ten until he was 24. He enjoyed chess, harpsichord, stamp collecting, gardening and other extracurricular activities. During Himmler"s youth, and into adulthood, he was never at ease in interactions with women.

Himmler"s diaries (191

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