Heinrich Himmler

**Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler** (1900 - 1965) was the former Reichsführer-SS and the de facto Fuhrer of the Greater Nazi Reich between 1963 and 1965. He is also the Chief of German Police in the Reich Ministry of the Interior.

Himmler assumed power over the Greater Nazi Reich in 1962, following the assassination of Adolf Hitler and the ousting of Acting Chancellor Martin Heusmann for treason. He supported the Nebenwelt project and intended to use it to invade and conquer alternate worlds. In the Fall of 1962, during the Jahr Null opening ceremony in New York City, he was shot and critically wounded by an American Resistance sniper. Himmler survived the shooting, but developed severe health issues as a result.

Ultimately, he was murdered in Berlin during a putsch staged by Reichsmarschall John Smith and Obergruppenführer-SS Wilhelm Goertzmann, with the latter taking Himmler's position as the new Reichsführer.

## Biography

### Background

Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was born in Munich on October 7th, 1900 into a conservative middle-class Roman Catholic family. He attended a grammar school in Landshut, where his father was deputy principal. In 1915, he began training with the Landshut Cadet Corps. His father used his connections with the royal family to get Himmler accepted as an officer candidate, and he enlisted with the reserve battalion of the 11th Bavarian Regiment in December 1917. In November 1918, while Himmler was still in training, the war ended with Germany's defeat, denying him the opportunity to become an officer or see combat. After his discharge on December 18th, he returned to Landshut to complete his grammar-school education.

Although many regulations that discriminated against non-Christians—including Jews and other minority groups—had been eliminated during the unification of Germany in 1871, antisemitism continued to thrive in Germany as well as other parts of Europe. Himmler maintained a polite demeanor with him and with other Jewish members of the fraternity, in spite of his growing antisemitism. During his second year at university, Himmler redoubled his attempts to pursue a military career. Although he was not successful, he was able to extend his involvement in the paramilitary scene in Munich. It was at this time that he first met Ernst Röhm, an early member of the Nazi Party and co-founder of the Sturmabteilung ("Storm Battalion"; SA). Himmler admired Röhm because he was a decorated combat soldier, and at his suggestion, Himmler joined his antisemitic nationalist group, the Bund Reichskriegsflagge (Imperial War Flag Society).

In 1922, Himmler became more interested in the "Jewish question", with his diary entries containing an increasing number of antisemitic remarks and recording a number of discussions about Jews with his classmates. His reading lists, as recorded in his diary, were dominated by antisemitic pamphlets, German myths, and occult tracts. After the murder of Foreign Minister Walther Rathenau on 24 June, Himmler's political views veered towards the radical right, and he took part in demonstrations against the Treaty of Versailles. Hyperinflation was raging, and his parents could no longer afford to educate all three sons. Disappointed by his failure to make a career in the military and his parents' inability to finance his doctoral studies, he was forced to take a low-paying office job after obtaining his agricultural diploma.

It was in 1923 that Himmler joined the National Socialist German Worker's Party, also known as the Nazi Party. He eventually developed a great deal of personal loyalty and admiration for the party's leader, Adolf Hitler. In 1929, Hitler appointed him commander of the small Schutzstaffel paramilitary organization. Over the next few years, Himmler drastically increased the size of the organization from a few hundred to several thousand. When the Nazis seized power in Germany in 1933, Himmler's SS grew even more powerful, even supplanting their former mother organization, the SA.

As chief of the SS, Himmler became one of the most powerful men in the Reich and one of Hitler's most valuable agents. He was charged with enforcing the party's will on the populace, conducting military/intelligence operations, and overseeing the Nazis' concentration and extermination camps.

### Season Two

He first appears at the end of "Land O' Smiles", where he personally calls Obergruppenführer Smith to inform him that Hitler had collapsed and that it was unknown if he would survive. He is then by Hitler's side when he dies and is part of the war preparations led by Acting Chancellor Martin Heusmann, where he shows both an understanding that the Japanese will continue to fight if they kill the Emperor in the first phase and no remorse for the fact that their proposed strategy will probably result in high American casualties.

When Smith shows the Nazi High Command newsreel of the hydrogen bomb, Himmler argues for standing down hostilities out of fear of this new weapon. Smith then shows him evidence of Heusmann's treason and Himmler has both Heusmann and his son Joe Blake arrested. He then addresses the entire nation in the Volkshalle, assuming control of the Reich, and rewards Smith with a promotion to Oberstgruppenfuhrer.

### Season Three

While still addressed as Reichsfuhrer, Himmler serves as the de facto successor of Adolf Hitler as Fuhrer of the Greater Nazi Reich. For his help in stopping Acting Chancellor Heusmann, Himmler promotes John Smith to Oberstgruppenfuhrer, making him the first American to hold the rank. He oversees Heusmann's execution and Joe Blake's re-education, which results in Joe joining an elite group of Lebensborn agents, trained in covert operations. He sends Joe to the Pacific States to hunt down the remaining members of Heusmann's conspiracy. These agents report directly to Himmler and get their targets from him.  When Reichsmarshall George Lincoln Rockwell gathers evidence against Smith, Himmler travels from Berlin to New York to see this evidence. But when ARBI Director J. Edgar Hoover denies the existence of the evidence, he has Rockwell exiled and stripped of his rank before once again promoting Smith to Reichsmarschall of Nazi America, though he notes that Smith was too careless and that his wife may be a liability.

When Himmler learns that Joe Blake was K.I.A., he is visibly furious and even accuses the Japanese of murdering him in retaliation for the unofficial oil embargo on Japan. He then sends a new Lebensborn agent to continue on Joe Blake's mission; the assassination of Trade Minister Tagomi. When that agent is killed in his attempt and left on the street in front of the Nazi Embassy, Himmler is not only furious but willing to crush Japan when war is threatened again.

Despite this, when Reichsmarschall Smith reports that the Japanese (alas Tagomi) are aware of the Die Nebenwelt project, Himmler is worried enough that he orders Smith to travel to the Neutral Zone to meet with Tagomi and he's later pleased when Smith reports that he was also able to capture the notorious "Man in the High Castle".

Later, Himmler and Smith witness a test of Die Neberwelt, in which 1 of 4 test subjects is transported to another world while the other 3 are incinerated. Despite the failure to transport the other 3 subjects, Himmler is overjoyed to see a 25% success rate. He orders more tests and that the success rate be raised to 100% so that the Nazis can begin to deploy troops across into parallel worlds, thus he also orders Smith to reopen the oil trade with Japan, saying that Die Neberwelt is now "their only priority".

Afterwards, Himmler gives a speech at the opening ceremony of Jahr Null and oversees the demolition of the Statue of Liberty. During the reception, he confronted Lebensborn filmmaker Nicole Dörmer about her time in New York, referring to her homosexual relationship and revealing that he sent a raid to a lesbian bar she was at before ordering her to be taken back to Berlin for re-education. Afterwards, he is taken to see the demonstrations in the streets of New York by passionate Hitler Youth, which reminds him of Kristallnacht. Moments later, he is shot by a sniper and critically wounded and last seen being taken to the hospital by ambulance and is mentioned to be in surgery.

### Season Four

A year after surviving his assassination attempt, Himmler visits Smith and his family along with his wife and Wilhelm Goertzmann, an Obergruppenführer of the German SS. Himmler's health was rapidly deteriorating, as he had numerous coughing fits during the dinner with Smith.

Himmler begins to lose his faith in Smith, as the main operative of the American Resistance, Wyatt Price is still at large, and the Die Nebenwelt project didn't yield any results worth considering.

After the Japanese withdrawal from the Pacific States, Himmler sends Goertzmann to New York City to summon Smith to a meeting in Berlin. The Nazis plan on a full-scale invasion of the remnants of the Pacific States to crush the Resistance and the BCR, and the German war command is in favor of appointing SS Oberst-gruppenführer Adolf Eichmann to lead the operations, potentially replacing Smith as the Reichsmarschall. When asked for his opinion, Smith says that it'd be best for an American to lead the American Reich in order to keep up the troop morale, but Eichmann questions Smith's loyalty towards Himmler and the Nazi cause by having J. Edgar Hoover play a series of voice recordings of John Smith, his wife Helen and his eldest daughter Jennifer Smith; the latter two of which say a variety of things against National Socialism.

Infuriated, Himmler orders Smith to be sent to his office within an hour. When Smith arrives, Himmler questions him about his inaction over Wyatt Price. Himmler demanded an answer from Smith, who simply replied that he couldn't do anything. Himmler proceeds to say that he saw Smith as his own son, and if he were in the place of Smith, he would have immediately arrested and executed the rebels. Smith coldly replies that he never saw Himmler as a father, and proceeds to call him a 'failed chicken farmer', prompting the old leader to go into a coughing fit. Himmler goes to his chair, and puts his gas mask on, but finds out that the canister contains Zyklon B instead of oxygen, and tries to remove it, but Smith forces it onto him, and ironically gases Himmler to death.

It is revealed that it was jointly planned between Smith and Goertzmann. The latter eliminates all senior War Command members and becomes the new leader of the German Reich. As per their agreement, Nazi America gains more autonomy, and Smith gets appointed as the Reichsführer of North America.

## Appearance & Personality

A quintessential Nazi, Himmler is cunning, charismatic, and willing to stop at nothing to achieve his aims. He demands loyalty from his subordinates repeatedly, leveraging knowledge about John Smith's familial state against him and forcing Joe Blake to execute his father to ensure Joe's loyalty. Despite seemingly becoming more understanding of strategy, he retains a somewhat superstitious belief in the supernatural as referenced by Helen Smith and by Himmler himself when he recalls a prediction by a 'wise woman'.

Notably, prior to his death, it is revealed that Himmler saw John Smith as his own son as noted "When a man gets to be my age he needs a son. I thought of you as that son, John. I saw myself in you. If anyone had hurt you, shot you, as those assassins did me, I would have hunted them down and strangled them with my bare hands."

He has noticeably gained weight into his sixties and is seen wearing an SS uniform throughout his appearances in the series.

In season 2 he wears a custom grey SS uniform with *Reichsführer-SS* insignia but his shoulder boards a changed to be golden and has pins with a swastikas in them. He sports a double ribbon bar with custom ribbons which stay consistent throughout the series. Along with 4 badges which change positions throughout the series.

In season 3 and 4 he is back to wearing his Grey uniform only his badges change positions and his shoulder boards change when he becomes Führer to have the world dominion swastika and 2 H's for H. Himmler. He is also seen wearing 2 variants of his black uniform, one is identical to his grey but black, and another is his ceremonial uniform with all his medals and ribbons instead of his normal ribbon bars.

Himmlers Badges
* Nazi party pin
* Luftwaffe Pilot-Observer's Badge
* Golden Hitler Youth badge of Honor
* German Order of Victory 1st Class
* German Order of Victory 2nd Class

## Quotes

Address before the Reich upon the arrest of Heusmann:

*"Volksgenossen, Sie sind hier zusammen gekommen um Gerechtigkeit einzufordern. Aber unser geliebter Führer, Adolf Hitler, wurde nicht durch eine ausländische Macht ermordet, sondern von Verrätern aus unserer Mitte!  Der Rädelsführer dieser Verräter, Martin Heusmann, hat versucht Sie zu täuschen! Er hat versucht selbst die Macht zu ergreifen! Aber sein Verrat wurde aufgedeckt durch einen meiner treusten Männer, Obergruppenführer John Smith! Das Reich dankt Ihnen! Das Reich salutiert Ihnen! Lassen sie dies als Warnung dienen für jeden der sich uns entgegenstellt, ob von Außen oder von Innen! Denn das Tausendjährige Reich kann nicht getäuscht werden und kann niemals zerstört werden!"*

*"Colleagues, you have come together here to demand justice. But our beloved leader, Adolf Hitler, was not murdered by a foreign power, but by traitors from within our midst! The ringleader of these traitors, Martin Heusmann, has attempted to deceive you! He has tried to seize power for himself! But his treachery was uncovered by one of my most loyal men, Obergruppenführer John Smith! The Reich thanks you! The Reich salutes you! Let this serve as a warning, for anyone who opposes us from outside or inside! Because the thousand-year Reich can not be deceived, and can never be destroyed!"*

He was later proven wrong, with his life

## Relationships

John Smith
Himmler's relationship with Smith appears favorable after the events of the second season.
Despite being aware of John covering his son's illness, as well as killing Dr. Adler, Himmler continued to favor John and groomed him to succeed George Lincoln Rockwell as Reichsmarschall.

Joe Blake
Despite their differences, Himmler cares about Joe Blake to some extent. Even though he’s tortured and brainwashed the kid after his father’s betrayal, Joe became every loyal to him and Himmler quite protective of his godson. He was also very furious when Blake was murdered, and threatened Japan with an oil embargo.

## Appearances

 "**Kintsugi**"*Absent*

 "**History Ends**"**Appears**

 "**All Serious Daring**"*Absent*

## Notes & Trivia

* In our timeline, Himmler was one of Hitler's architects of the Holocaust. He committed suicide while in British custody on May 23, 1945.
* In Fallout , he addressed the public in the Volkshalle, stating that any traitor would be exposed and killed, but the way he addressed the German public, it seemed as though he assumed the role of the Fuhrer of Nazi Germany.
* Himmler seems to have changed his personality according to the real Himmler.
* Chancellor Martin Heusmann, was arrested by Himmler and SS.
* It is assumed, though never confirmed, that Himmler becomes the de facto leader of the Reich after Heusmann's arrest. Ironically, Hitler appointed Heusmann instead of Himmler to be his successor because he feared the latter's ambition.
* After the death of Adolf Hitler, portraits of Himmler replace those of Hitler in Reich facilities and offices such as that of John Smith in the New York SS Headquarters building. Officials also replace Hitler's name with that of Himmler in their addresses to others, saying "heil Himmler" rather than "Heil Hitler". In spite of this, however, he is addressed by subordinates like John Smith and Joe Blake using both "Mein Führer" and his SS rank (and traditional title) "Reichsführer" on separate occasions. This may indicate that, while he has taken the mantle of Führer from Hitler, he has also retained his rank as head of the SS, maintaining direct control over the organization rather than appointing a new Reichsführer-SS to replace himself.
* Himmler's uniform from the show is now in the hands of Collector FroBro who has Himmler's grey officer jacket (grey and black) and his greatcoat.
* One collector known as Asian Obergruppenführer also tried to recreate Himmler's uniform but has none of the props at the moment.