Real Crime/Paranormal/Conspiracy Theories Book III

Heinrich Muller

Heinrich Müller (28 April 1900;date of death unknown, but evidence points to May 1945) was ahigh-ranking German Schutzstaffel (SS) and police official during theNazi era. For the majority of World War II in Europe, he was thechief of the Gestapo, the secret state police of Nazi Germany. Müllerwas central in the planning and execution of the Holocaust andattended the January 1942 Wannsee Conference, which formalized plansfor deportation and genocide of all Jews in German-occupiedEurope—The "Final Solution to the Jewish Question". Hewas known as "Gestapo Müller" to distinguish himfrom another SS general named Heinrich Müller.

He was last seen in the Führerbunkerin Berlin on 1 May 1945 and remains the most senior figure of theNazi regime who was never captured or confirmed to have died.

Early life and career

Müller was born in Munich on 28 April1900 to Catholic parents. His father had been a rural policeofficial. Müller attended a Volksschule and completed anapprenticeship as an aircraft mechanic before the outbreak of theFirst World War. During the last year of the war, he served in theLuftstreitkräfte as a pilot for an artillery spotting unit. He wasdecorated several times for bravery (including the Iron Cross 1st and2nd class, Bavarian Military Merit Cross 2nd Class with Swords andBavarian Pilots Badge). After the war ended, he joined the BavarianPolice in 1919 as an auxiliary worker. Although not a member of theFreikorps, he was involved in the suppression of the communistrisings in the early post-war years. After witnessing the shooting ofhostages by the revolutionary "Red Army" in Munichduring the Bavarian Soviet Republic, he acquired a lifelong hatred ofcommunism. During the years of the Weimar Republic he was head ofthe Munich Political Police Department, having risen quickly throughthe ranks due to his spirited efforts.

SS career

It was under these auspices that hebecame acquainted with many members of the Nazi Party (NSDAP)including Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich, although Müller inthe Weimar period was generally seen as a supporter of the BavarianPeople's Party (which at that time ruled Bavaria). On 9 March 1933,during the Nazi putsch that deposed the Bavarian government ofMinister-President Heinrich Held, Müller advocated to his superiorsusing force against the Nazis. Ironically, these views aided Müller'srise as it guaranteed the hostility of the Nazis, thereby makingMüller very dependent upon the patronage of Reinhard Heydrich, whoin turn appreciated Müller's professionalism and skill as apoliceman, and was aware of Müller's past. Once the Nazis seizedpower, Müller's knowledge of communist activities placed him in highdemand; as a result he was promoted to Polizeiobersekretär in May1933 and again to Criminal Inspector in November 1933.

Historian Richard J. Evans wrote:"Müller was a stickler for duty and discipline, andapproached the tasks he was set as if they were military commands. Atrue workaholic who never took a vacation, Müller was determined toserve the German state, irrespective of what political form it took,and believed it was everyone's duty, including his own, to obey itsdictates without question." Evans also records Müller wasa regime functionary out of ambition, not out of a belief in NationalSocialism: An internal [Nazi] Party memorandum ... could notunderstand how "so odious an opponent of the movement"could become head of the Gestapo, especially since he had oncereferred to Hitler as "an immigrant unemployed house painter"and "an Austrian draft-dodger". Nazi jurist and formerpolice chief, SS-Obergruppenführer Werner Best opined Müllerrepresented one of the "finest examples" of thelimited connection between members of the NSDAP and the police before1933.