Reinhard Heydrich

Heydrich greeting Carl Oberg in Paris, France. May 1942

Reinhard Heydrich was a leading Nazi and perhaps the closest example of a pure Aryan superleader in their ranks. Hitler really liked him, but he had a reputation for being reckless. He rose to power within the SS, where he was second to Himmler. Heydrich played a leading role in planning the Holocaust.

Early in the war he was put in charge of subduing occupied Czechoslovakia. In 1942, he was assassinated by Czechs trained in Great Britain on the order of Benes, the President in exile. They had been parachuted in, and studied his movements before making their attack. When their submachine gun jammed, they threw a bomb at his car which exploded underneath, driving bits of the seat upholstery into his abdomen and spleen and causing an infection which killed him. Today they are national heros.

Heydrich's car following the assassination attempt.

Following his death Hitler ordered draconian reprisals. Entire villages were executed and burned to the ground, including Lidice, which is now a monument. Political prisoners were all executed, including the former prime minister.