The Life and Times of Reinhard Heydrich

This book is a bit old, and I can't recommend paying $70 for it, but if you can find it in a library I would highly recommend it. Graber has written a compelling biography of the so-called Butcher of Prague, Reinhard Heydrich. A man who struck fear in friend and foe alike, and has been viewed by many as the poster boy for National Socialism. Graber gives a gripping account of Heydrich's life from his relatively humble beginnings in a Saxon town called Halle-an-der-Saale, to his role as Reichsprotektor of Czechoslovakia and assassination in Prague in 1942. In the process, Graber offers a fascinating analysis that shows how the conventional view of Heydrich is not exactly accurate. Since his childhood, Heydrich was plagued by rumors that he was part Jewish, which even in pre-Hitler times was enough to cause serious social problems. Graber concludes that the rumors were baseless, although Heydrich himself probably still had his doubts. On top of this, Heydrich tended to be somewhat socially inept, which caused him to be unpopular. He was paradoxical in the sense that he would roam the streets of his hometown looking for fights, yet when teased about being a Jew he would simply whine about how unfair this treatment was, to the point that his fellow Navy cadets nicknamed him the "nanny goat." He ended up being dishonorably discharged from the Navy for an incident with a girl which was found to be unbecoming of an officer. Heydrich eventually found his way into Nazi circles not because of any ideological convictions but simply because he needed a job. He managed to secure an interview directly with Himmler, whose SS organization was still in its infancy, and helped develop the group's dual secret intelligence agencies, the SD and the Gestapo. Although Himmler was the leader of the SS and officially Heydrich's superior, it is safe to say that Heydrich essentially ran the secret police services of Nazi Germany, with all the power and responsiblity that came therewith. This is the man who started the Einsatzgruppen murder squads and initiated the infamous Wannsee conference that would decide the fate of European Jewry. Much has been talked about Heydrich's rumored Jewish origins and how his self-hatred from this probably motivated him to do what he did. While this indeed seems logical, Graber explores this theory but finds it lacking. Heydrich is described as someone who had little use for ideology-one can picture him rolling his eyes during Himmler's lectures on Teutonic history and racial theory-but in fact was motivated by power, ambition, and perhaps a spirit of vindictiveness towards people in general. At one point in the book, Graber states that Heydrich simply "distrusted everybody." He was a man full of hatred, says Graber, and his unique position gave him the power to eliminate anyone who got in his way. All in all, this was a fascinating read. My only real complaint would be a complete lack of footnotes or bibliography.

What can I say? Graber's book is short, a fast read, but tremendously luminating. This was one of the first books that I read on Reinhard Heydrich, who needless to say was the so-called "reflection of National Socialism." After all, it was he that organized the infamous Wannsee Conference in which the cold-blooded murders of millions was meticulously planned. It was he who was feared by all Nazis except Hitler himself for his cold, manipulating personality that made him a vengeful anti-Semite and a tremendous organizer who used his gifts to take revenge on the tormenting--yet totally untrue--rumour that he was a Jew. Hats off to G. S. Graber for compelling a masterful biography of Reinhard Heydrich; a hangman from the word go.