Erhard Heiden
Encyclopedia
Erhard Heiden was an early member of the Nazi Party and the third commander of the Schutzstaffel
(SS). Heiden was a Nazi stormtrooper who, in 1925, joined a small stormtrooper bodyguard unit known as the Schutzstaffel. Heiden was an early advocate of separating the SS from its master organization, the Sturmabteilung
(SA), and in March 1927 he was appointed Reichsführer-SS
in an attempt to keep the SS from being disbanded under SA desires.
Under Heiden’s leadership the SS declined in membership from 1000 to 280, with SA desires made public that the SS should be disbanded. As Heiden attempted to keep the tiny group from going under, he hired Heinrich Himmler
to serve as his deputy. Heiden regarded Himmler as a "keen young clerk" but did not see him as leadership material. Heiden fell into disgrace after allegations surfaced that parts of his uniform were customized by a Jewish tailor. On January 5, 1929 he was dismissed by Adolf Hitler and succeeded by Heinrich Himmler as Reichsführer-SS
.
In April 1933 Erhard Heiden was arrested on orders of Heinrich Himmler by members of the SS-Sicherheitsdienst
(SD, Security Service). He was killed shortly after, presumably at SD Headquarters in Munich. His corpse was only found in September 1933 and he was buried on September 15, 1933.
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
(SS). Heiden was a Nazi stormtrooper who, in 1925, joined a small stormtrooper bodyguard unit known as the Schutzstaffel. Heiden was an early advocate of separating the SS from its master organization, the Sturmabteilung
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
(SA), and in March 1927 he was appointed Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
in an attempt to keep the SS from being disbanded under SA desires.
Under Heiden’s leadership the SS declined in membership from 1000 to 280, with SA desires made public that the SS should be disbanded. As Heiden attempted to keep the tiny group from going under, he hired Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
to serve as his deputy. Heiden regarded Himmler as a "keen young clerk" but did not see him as leadership material. Heiden fell into disgrace after allegations surfaced that parts of his uniform were customized by a Jewish tailor. On January 5, 1929 he was dismissed by Adolf Hitler and succeeded by Heinrich Himmler as Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
.
In April 1933 Erhard Heiden was arrested on orders of Heinrich Himmler by members of the SS-Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
(SD, Security Service). He was killed shortly after, presumably at SD Headquarters in Munich. His corpse was only found in September 1933 and he was buried on September 15, 1933.