After the Night of the Long Knives, the SS-Totenkopfverbände was given the task of organizing and administering Germany's regime of concentration camps and, after 1941, the extermination camps in occupied Poland. The SS, through its intelligence arm the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), was charged with finding Jews, Roma, priests, homosexuals, communists and those persons of any other cultural, racial, political or religious affiliation deemed by the Nazis to be either Untermenschen (sub-human) or in opposition to the reg ...

See also:

Heinrich Himmler, Heinrich Himmler - Early life, Heinrich Himmler - Early Nazi Party activity, Heinrich Himmler - Rise in the SS, Heinrich Himmler - Consolidation of power, Heinrich Himmler - Himmler and the Holocaust, Heinrich Himmler - Poznań speech, Heinrich Himmler - The Second World War, Heinrich Himmler - Peace negotiations capture and death, Heinrich Himmler - Conspiracy theories, Heinrich Himmler - Historical view, Heinrich Himmler - Surviving family

Read more here: » Heinrich Himmler: Encyclopedia II - Heinrich Himmler - Himmler and the Holocaust

See also:

Heinrich Himmler, Heinrich Himmler - Early life, Heinrich Himmler - Early Nazi Party activity, Heinrich Himmler - Rise in the SS, Heinrich Himmler - Consolidation of power, Heinrich Himmler - Himmler and the Holocaust, Heinrich Himmler - The Second World War, Heinrich Himmler - Peace negotiations capture and death

Read more here: » Heinrich Himmler: Encyclopedia II - Heinrich Himmler - Rise in the SS

Between 1927 and 1929, Himmler devoted himself increasingly to his duties as Deputy Reichsführer-SS. Upon the resignation of SS Commander Erhard Heiden, Himmler was appointed as the new Reichsführer-SS in January 1929. At the time Himmler was appointed to lead the SS, it numbered only 280 members and was considered a mere battalion of the much larger SA. Himmler himself was considered only an SA-Oberführer, but after 1929 he si ...

See also:

Heinrich Himmler, Heinrich Himmler - Early life, Heinrich Himmler - Early Nazi Party activity, Heinrich Himmler - Rise in the SS, Heinrich Himmler - Consolidation of power, Heinrich Himmler - Himmler and the Holocaust, Heinrich Himmler - Poznań speech, Heinrich Himmler - The Second World War, Heinrich Himmler - Peace negotiations capture and death, Heinrich Himmler - Conspiracy theories, Heinrich Himmler - Historical view, Heinrich Himmler - Surviving family

Read more here: » Heinrich Himmler: Encyclopedia II - Heinrich Himmler - Rise in the SS

Born near Munich, Bavaria, Germany, into a middle-class family, he was the son of a Bavarian schoolmaster and attended Landshut High School. After leaving school, Himmler was appointed an Officer Cadet in 1918 and joined the 11th Bavarian Regiment for service in World War I. Shortly before he was due for commissioning as an officer the war ended, and he was discharged from the military without seeing combat. In 1919, a year after World War I had ended, Himmler began studying agronomy at the Technische Hochschule in Munich. During his ...

See also:

Heinrich Himmler, Heinrich Himmler - Early life, Heinrich Himmler - Early Nazi Party activity, Heinrich Himmler - Rise in the SS, Heinrich Himmler - Consolidation of power, Heinrich Himmler - Himmler and the Holocaust, Heinrich Himmler - The Second World War, Heinrich Himmler - Peace negotiations capture and death

Read more here: » Heinrich Himmler: Encyclopedia II - Heinrich Himmler - Early life

By 1945, Himmler's Waffen-SS numbered 800,000 members, with the Allgemeine-SS (at least on paper) hosting a membership of nearly two million. However, by the spring of 1945 Himmler had lost faith in German victory, probably partially due to his discussions with his masseur Felix Kersten and Walter Schellenberg2. He came to the realization that if the Nazi regime was to have any chance of survival, it would need to seek peace with Britain and the United States. Toward this end, h ...

See also:

Heinrich Himmler, Heinrich Himmler - Early life, Heinrich Himmler - Early Nazi Party activity, Heinrich Himmler - Rise in the SS, Heinrich Himmler - Consolidation of power, Heinrich Himmler - Himmler and the Holocaust, Heinrich Himmler - Poznań speech, Heinrich Himmler - The Second World War, Heinrich Himmler - Peace negotiations capture and death, Heinrich Himmler - Conspiracy theories, Heinrich Himmler - Historical view, Heinrich Himmler - Surviving family

Read more here: » Heinrich Himmler: Encyclopedia II - Heinrich Himmler - Peace negotiations capture and death

The Nazi Ahnenerbe Forschungs und Lehrgemeinschaft organization was founded by Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Wirth, and Walter Darré on July 1st 1935 as a research foundation. It was incorporated into the larger SS in January 1939. The name of the society literally means "ancestral heritage", and it was originally devoted to research concerning the anthropological and cultural history of the German ra ...

Including:

• Ahnenerbe - History
• Ahnenerbe - Travels Operations and Expeditions
• Ahnenerbe - Medical Experiments
• Ahnenerbe - Involvement of German soldiers
• Ahnenerbe - End of the War
• Ahnenerbe - Fantasy vs. reality
• Ahnenerbe - Resources
• Ahnenerbe - Notes

Read more here: » Ahnenerbe: Encyclopedia - Ahnenerbe

The Waffen-SS ("Armed Protective Squadron") was the combat arm of the Schutzstaffel. Headed by Heinrich Himmler who was ranked Reichsführer-SS (National Leader of the SS), the Waffen-SS saw action throughout the Second World War. After humble beginnings as a protection unit for the NSDAP leadership, the Waffen-SS eventually grew into a force of thirty-eight combat divisions comprising over 950,000 men, and including a number of elite units. In the Nuremberg Trials, the Waffen-SS was condemned as part of a criminal organisation ...

Including:

• Waffen-SS - Early history; LSSAH SS-VT
• Waffen-SS - Concept training
• Waffen-SS - Trial by fire
• Waffen-SS - Classic SS divisions
• Waffen-SS - Foreign volunteers and conscripts
• Waffen-SS - War crimes and atrocities

Read more here: » Waffen-SS: Encyclopedia - Waffen-SS

The Schutzstaffel ▶ (help·info) ("defense squadron"), or SS, was a large paramilitary organization that was a principal component of the Nazi party. The SS was led by Heinrich Himmler from 1929 until it was disbanded in 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Nazis regarded the SS as an elite unit, the Party's "praetorian guard", with all SS personnel selected on racial and ideological grounds. The SS was distinguished from the ...

Including:

• Schutzstaffel - History
• Schutzstaffel - Origins
• Schutzstaffel - Development
• Schutzstaffel - Fall of the SS
• Schutzstaffel - Postwar activity
• Schutzstaffel - SS leaders
• Schutzstaffel - The SS before World War II
• Schutzstaffel - 1925–1928
• Schutzstaffel - 1929–1931
• Schutzstaffel - 1931–1933
• Schutzstaffel - 1933–1934
• Schutzstaffel - 1934–1936
• Schutzstaffel - 1936–1939
• Schutzstaffel - Austrian SS
• Schutzstaffel - The SS during World War II
• Schutzstaffel - SS and Police Leaders
• Schutzstaffel - Headquarters offices
• Schutzstaffel - General SS
• Schutzstaffel - Waffen-SS
• Schutzstaffel - Concentration camp service
• Schutzstaffel - Special action groups
• Schutzstaffel - Order Police
• Schutzstaffel - SS Medical Corps
• Schutzstaffel - SS and police courts
• Schutzstaffel - Helferin Corps
• Schutzstaffel - Future visions

Read more here: » Schutzstaffel: Encyclopedia - Schutzstaffel

Since deception is the whole purpose of employing a political decoy, there are many instances of alleged decoying which remain uncertain. Joe R. Reeder, an undersecretary for the U.S. Army from 1993 to 1997, has gone on record with claims that a number of figures around the world have or have had decoys, including Manuel Noriega, Raoul Cédras, Enver Hoxha, Fidel Castro and Osama bin Laden [9]. Of Noriega's alleged four decoys, Reeder said: "They were good. They practiced his gait, his manner of speech and hi ...

See also:

Political decoy, Political decoy - Decoying: theory and practice, Political decoy - Political decoys in history, Political decoy - Rudolf Hess/Unknown 1941?-1987, Political decoy - Bernard Montgomery/Clifton James and 'Tex' Banwell 1944, Political decoy - Adolf Hitler/Gustav Weler ?-1945, Political decoy - Heinrich Himmler/Unknown ?-1945, Political decoy - Josef Stalin/Rashid 1940s-50s, Political decoy - Sukarno/Unknown 1950s, Political decoy - Lee Harvey Oswald/Unknown 1950s-1963, Political decoy - Henry Kissinger/Unknown 1971, Political decoy - Peter Hain MP/Unknown 1975, Political decoy - Pope Paul VI/Unknown ?-1978, Political decoy - Uday Hussein/Latif Yahia 1970s-1991, Political decoy - Saddam Hussein/Several unknowns 1990s-2003, Political decoy - Julian Castro/Joaquin Castro 2005, Political decoy - Voice-only decoys, Political decoy - Winston Chuchill/Norman Shelley 1940's, Political decoy - Harry S. Truman/Unknown 1947, Political decoy - Indira Gandhi/RS Nagarwala 1971, Political decoy - Rahim Jaffer MP/Matthew Johnston 2001, Political decoy - Political decoys in fiction

Read more here: » Political decoy: Encyclopedia II - Political decoy - Political decoys in history

Reichsführer-SS was both a title and a rank. The title of Reichsführer was first created in 1926 by Joseph Berchtold. Berchtold's predecessor, Julius Schreck, never referred to himself as Reichsführer but the title was retroactively applied to him in later years. In 1929, Heinrich Himmler became Reichsführer-SS and referred to himself by his title instead of his regular SS rank. This set the precedent for the Commanding General of the SS to be called Reichsführer-SS. In 1934, Himmler's title became an ...

See also:

Reichsführer-SS, Reichsführer-SS - Definition, Reichsführer-SS - Office holders, Reichsführer-SS - Fiction references

Read more here: » Reichsführer-SS: Encyclopedia II - Reichsführer-SS - Definition

In 1925, the castle had been renovated into a museum, banquet hall and hostel - six years later the North Tower again proved to be the weak point of the architecture, and had to be supported by guy wires. In 1934, at the suggestion of Karl Maria Wiligut, Heinrich Himmler signed a 100-mark 100-year lease with the Paderborn district, initially intending to renovate and re-design the castle as a school for Nazi leadership (the so-called SS "Führerkorps"). In 1938, Siegfried Taubert was in charge of developing the castle, when Himmler enquired about the cost of installing a planetarium. he Ahnenerbe are also said to hav ...

See also:

Wewelsburg, Wewelsburg - Early History, Wewelsburg - SS History, Wewelsburg - Members, Wewelsburg - Post-War

Read more here: » Wewelsburg: Encyclopedia II - Wewelsburg - SS History

On July 25, 1937, Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler, by special order of the Oberabschnitt (SUD), created the SS Main Riding School in Munich and made Hermann Fegelein the School Commander. Only former royalty from the Hohenzollern and Kaiserzeit dynasties could send representatives, along with the top heads of German industry, who donated to Martin Bormann's German industry fund. Hermann requested his friend, Hauptmann Marten von Barnekow, be allowed to enter ...

See also:

Hermann Fegelein, Hermann Fegelein - Early career, Hermann Fegelein - Membership of the SS, Hermann Fegelein - Relationship with Himmler, Hermann Fegelein - Marriage, Hermann Fegelein - Death, Hermann Fegelein - Possible survival?, Hermann Fegelein - Portrayal in media

Read more here: » Hermann Fegelein: Encyclopedia II - Hermann Fegelein - Membership of the SS

These are generally exceptionally good impersonators, who are used to give the impression that their 'target' is conducting a radio interview, telephone call or other vocal assignment. Political decoy - Winston Chuchill/Norman Shelley 1940's. A recurring rumour holds that some of Winston Churchill's most famous speeches to Parliament during World War II were subsequently recorded for radio broadcast not by Churchill, but by Norman Shelley impersonating Churchill. Churchill is known to have commented that S ...

See also:

Political decoy, Political decoy - Decoying: theory and practice, Political decoy - Political decoys in history, Political decoy - Rudolf Hess/Unknown 1941?-1987, Political decoy - Bernard Montgomery/Clifton James and 'Tex' Banwell 1944, Political decoy - Adolf Hitler/Gustav Weler ?-1945, Political decoy - Heinrich Himmler/Unknown ?-1945, Political decoy - Josef Stalin/Rashid 1940s-50s, Political decoy - Sukarno/Unknown 1950s, Political decoy - Lee Harvey Oswald/Unknown 1950s-1963, Political decoy - Henry Kissinger/Unknown 1971, Political decoy - Peter Hain MP/Unknown 1975, Political decoy - Pope Paul VI/Unknown ?-1978, Political decoy - Uday Hussein/Latif Yahia 1970s-1991, Political decoy - Saddam Hussein/Several unknowns 1990s-2003, Political decoy - Julian Castro/Joaquin Castro 2005, Political decoy - Voice-only decoys, Political decoy - Winston Chuchill/Norman Shelley 1940's, Political decoy - Harry S. Truman/Unknown 1947, Political decoy - Indira Gandhi/RS Nagarwala 1971, Political decoy - Rahim Jaffer MP/Matthew Johnston 2001, Political decoy - Political decoys in fiction

Read more here: » Political decoy: Encyclopedia II - Political decoy - Voice-only decoys

The practice of decoying is essentially little different from the profession of celebrity lookalike, in which people mimic famous entertainers whom they resemble. The only difference is that the 'lookalike' presents an acknowledged artifice. The decoy must conceal his or her imposture from the 'audience'. There is little research available on the probabilities and other factors involved in finding a physical 'double' for any given person; however, there are only so many permutations of the human physiognomy and the growth in the field of professional 'lookalikes' suggests that the odds against finding a 'd ...

See also:

Political decoy, Political decoy - Decoying: theory and practice, Political decoy - Political decoys in history, Political decoy - Rudolf Hess/Unknown 1941?-1987, Political decoy - Bernard Montgomery/Clifton James and 'Tex' Banwell 1944, Political decoy - Adolf Hitler/Gustav Weler ?-1945, Political decoy - Heinrich Himmler/Unknown ?-1945, Political decoy - Josef Stalin/Rashid 1940s-50s, Political decoy - Sukarno/Unknown 1950s, Political decoy - Lee Harvey Oswald/Unknown 1950s-1963, Political decoy - Henry Kissinger/Unknown 1971, Political decoy - Peter Hain MP/Unknown 1975, Political decoy - Pope Paul VI/Unknown ?-1978, Political decoy - Uday Hussein/Latif Yahia 1970s-1991, Political decoy - Saddam Hussein/Several unknowns 1990s-2003, Political decoy - Julian Castro/Joaquin Castro 2005, Political decoy - Voice-only decoys, Political decoy - Winston Chuchill/Norman Shelley 1940's, Political decoy - Harry S. Truman/Unknown 1947, Political decoy - Indira Gandhi/RS Nagarwala 1971, Political decoy - Rahim Jaffer MP/Matthew Johnston 2001, Political decoy - Political decoys in fiction

Read more here: » Political decoy: Encyclopedia II - Political decoy - Decoying: theory and practice

13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 1st Croatian - Formation and Training. In the fall of 1942, SS Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler and SS-General Gottlob Berger approached Hitler with the proposal to raise a Bosnian Moslem SS division. Himmler thought that Moslem men would make perfect SS soldiers, as Islam "promises them Heaven if they fight and are killed in action." According to Chris Bishop, "Himmler convinced himself that Balkan Muslims were neither Slavs nor Turks, but were really Aryans who had ...

See also:

13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 1st Croatian, 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 1st Croatian - History, 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 1st Croatian - Formation and Training, 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 1st Croatian - Service, 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 1st Croatian - Commanders, 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 1st Croatian - Order of Battle

Read more here: » 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 1st Croatian: Encyclopedia II - 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar 1st Croatian - History

Nazi mysticism - Origin. The founder of Esoteric Hitlerism was Heinrich Himmler, who, more than any other high official in the Third Reich (including Hitler) was fascinated by Aryan (and not just Germanic) racialism and Germanic Odinism. Himmler has been claimed to have considered himself the spiritual successor or even reincarnation of Heinrich the Fowler. Having set up special SS rituals for the old King & returning his bones to the crypt at Quedlinburg Cathedral. Himmler even had his personal quarters at Wewelsburg castle decorated in commemoration of him.

Nazi mysticism, Nazi mysticism - Overview, Nazi mysticism - Central beliefs, Nazi mysticism - Early influences, Nazi mysticism - Theozoology, Nazi mysticism - Ariosophy, Nazi mysticism - Armanism, Nazi mysticism - The Thule Society, Nazi mysticism - The Vril Society, Nazi mysticism - General Karl Haushofer, Nazi mysticism - Hitler's WWI Experience, Nazi mysticism - Hitler's Odinist Poem, Nazi mysticism - Esoteric Hitlerism, Nazi mysticism - Origin, Nazi mysticism - Prayer to Hitler, Nazi mysticism - Julius Evola, Nazi mysticism - Savitri Devi, Nazi mysticism - Miguel Serrano, Nazi mysticism - Ahnenerbe, Nazi mysticism - Research and expeditions, Nazi mysticism - Nazi German Moon Base, Nazi mysticism - Suppression of secret societies, Nazi mysticism - Artur Dinter, Nazi mysticism - Mysticism in modern Neo-Nazism, Nazi mysticism - Nazi mysticism and modern pseudoscience, Nazi mysticism - In fiction, Nazi mysticism - Quotes, Nazi mysticism - References, Nazi mysticism - External links

Read more here: » Nazi mysticism: Encyclopedia II - Nazi mysticism - Esoteric Hitlerism

Gestapo - Agents and officers of the Gestapo. Klaus Barbie Rudolf Diels Adolf Eichmann Gerhard Flesch Hans Bernd Gisevius Herbert Kappler Heinrich Himmler Reinhard Heydrich Henry Oliver Rinnan Walter Schellenberg Karl Eberhard Schongarth Franz Stangl (Austrian Gestapo) Max Wielen Hermann GÃ ...

See also:

Gestapo, Gestapo - History, Gestapo - Increasing power under the SS, Gestapo - Keeping Hitler in power, Gestapo - Opposition from within Germany, Gestapo - Nuremberg Trials, Gestapo - Today, Gestapo - Organization, Gestapo - Referat N: Central Intelligence Office, Gestapo - Department A Enemies, Gestapo - Department B Sects and Churches, Gestapo - Department C Administration and Party Affairs, Gestapo - Department D Occupied Territories, Gestapo - Department E Counter-Intelligence, Gestapo - Department F Frontier and Border Police, Gestapo - Local Offices, Gestapo - Auxiliary Duties, Gestapo - The Daily Operations of the Gestapo, Gestapo - Gestapo counterintelligence, Gestapo - Notable individuals, Gestapo - Agents and officers of the Gestapo, Gestapo - People executed by the Gestapo, Gestapo - Other

Read more here: » Gestapo: Encyclopedia II - Gestapo - Notable individuals

The Orpo was commanded by SS-Oberstgruppenführer Kurt Daluege, who reported directly to Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler. As part of his duties as commander of the SS, which now controlled the Orpo, Himmler was also named as Chef der Deutschen Polizei. By 1941, the Orpo had been divided into the following offices, covering every aspect of German law enforcement. Ordnungspolizei - Hauptamt Ordungspolizei. The Hauptamt Ordungspolizei was the central command office of the entire Ordnungspolizei and was considered a full SS-Headquarters command < ...

See also:

Ordnungspolizei, Ordnungspolizei - History, Ordnungspolizei - Organization, Ordnungspolizei - Hauptamt Ordungspolizei, Ordnungspolizei - Schutzpolizei, Ordnungspolizei - Gendarmerie, Ordnungspolizei - Verwaltungspolizei, Ordnungspolizei - Verkehrspolizei, Ordnungspolizei - Wasserschutzpolizei, Ordnungspolizei - Bahnschutzpolizei, Ordnungspolizei - Postschutz, Ordnungspolizei - Feuerschutzpolizei, Ordnungspolizei - Luftschutzpolizei, Ordnungspolizei - Technische Nothilfe, Ordnungspolizei - Funkschutz, Ordnungspolizei - Werkschutzpolizei, Ordnungspolizei - Police Battalions, Ordnungspolizei - Waffen-SS Police Division, Ordnungspolizei - Orpo and SS Unity, Ordnungspolizei - Orpo legacy

Read more here: » Ordnungspolizei: Encyclopedia II - Ordnungspolizei - Organization

On 13 October 1941, Heinrich Himmler gave SS and Police Leader Lublin, SS Brigadefuehrer Odilo Globocnik, two orders in a conference, which were closely connected with each other: to start Germanizing the area around Zamosc and to start work on the first extermination camp in the General Government near Belzec. The site was chosen for three reasons: it was situated at the border between the districts Lublin and Galicia, thus indicating its purpose to serve as a killing site for the Jews of both districts; for reasons of transport it lay next ...

See also:

Belzec extermination camp, Belzec extermination camp - Operation of the camp, Belzec extermination camp - Kurt Gerstein's testimony, Belzec extermination camp - Remains of the camp, Belzec extermination camp - Bibliography

Read more here: » Belzec extermination camp: Encyclopedia II - Belzec extermination camp - Operation of the camp

From January to April, 1945, Fegelein and Martin Bormann controlled access to Hitler's office. After Fegelein's boss, Heinrich Himmler, tried to negotiate a backdoor surrender to the Allies via Count Bernadotte in April 1945, Fegelein left the Reichs Chancellery bunker and was caught in his Berlin apartment apparently preparing to escape to Sweden with cash and forged passports in civilian clothes with a mistress. He was also, according to all accounts, high ...

See also:

Hermann Fegelein, Hermann Fegelein - Early career, Hermann Fegelein - Membership of the SS, Hermann Fegelein - Relationship with Himmler, Hermann Fegelein - Marriage, Hermann Fegelein - Death, Hermann Fegelein - Possible survival?, Hermann Fegelein - Portrayal in media

Read more here: » Hermann Fegelein: Encyclopedia II - Hermann Fegelein - Death