Heinrich Himmler: A Photo History of the Reichsfuhrer-SS by Max Williams

Author:Max Williams [Williams, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Published: 2014-12-16T08:00:00+00:00

The first Himmler diary entry for 1944 is on 3 January. It shows Himmler to be at Hochwald where his evening meal guests included Milch, Reichsminister Funk, Lammers and SS-Gruppenführer Franz Hayler. His daily routine of continual paperwork and meetings relentlessly controlled his activities. Nothing unusual appears in the diary until 8 January when he departed Hochwald for Gmund. He left Gmund on 10 January and flew to Berlin where he later boarded his special train towards Breslau. It appears he stayed aboard his train in Breslau on 11 January, holding meetings and taking his meals. In attendance were Wünnenberg and Kersten, among others.

On 13 January 1944, Himmler originally planned to visit Lina Heydrich at Panenske Brezany, but this whole afternoon is crossed through and replaced by work and an evening meeting with Hitler. He kept his engagement with Lina Heydrich the following day, arriving in Prague in the morning and driving out to visit the Heydrich family for lunch. He left at 3 p.m. and headed for Hochwald, arriving at Rastenburg just after lunch on 14 January. He used his train over the next few days and was in Königsberg on 20 January.

The entries are illegible until 23 January when he was back at Hochwald receiving treatment from Kersten and meeting Friedrich Jeckeln. In the evening he attended the Wolfsschanze and on 24 January he met with Jüttner and Kammler. Himmler departed from Hochwald on 30 January, but his destination is unreadable. However, he is shown as visiting Rost von Tonningen in Amsterdam in the early evening and on 31 January Himmler had a meeting with Anton Mussert, the Dutch National Socialist in Den Haag. [According to information from Himmler’s daughter via the late Stuart Russell, Himmler detested Mussert, but recognised that he had to deal with him for the sake of policy.] Himmler was accompanied by the Higher SS and Police Leader in Holland, SS-Obergruppenführer Hanns Albin Rauter and Gottlob Berger.

On 30 January 1944, Himmler introduced an award in recognition of the dangerous work in combating partisans in the occupied territories. Award of the Anti-Partisan War Badge was delegated to commanders of the army, navy, airforce and Higher SS and Police Leaders (HSSPF.) The previous summer had seen the introduction of another badge by Himmler and he personally presented the first of these Germanic Proficiency Runes Badges on 1 February 1944 during his visit to the Netherlands. His visit lasted several days and he met with Reichskommissar SS-Obergruppenführer Arthur Seyss-Inquart, SS-Brigadeführer Erich Naumann and SS-Gruppenführer Karl Maria Demelhuber, also inspecting the Dutch SS School at Avegoor.

During Himmler’s visit to Holland, more problems arose in Warsaw. Franz Kutschera had replaced Jürgen Stroop as SS and Police Leader (SSPF) in Warsaw in September 1943. Kutschera was a ruthless man, employing brutal methods against the civilian population of Warsaw to minimise resistance and sabotage. At 9.09 a.m. on the morning of 1 February 1944, Franz Kutschera was travelling in his car for the short journey between his residence and SS headquarters. At the gate of the SS headquarters, his car was blocked off and Kutschera was attacked with gunfire.

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