Episode 642: Heinrich Himmler Part VI - Mein Cramps | Last Podcast On The Left Brief

Key Takeaways

Himmler's Einsatzgruppen enforced terror across occupied Europe in 1941.
Reinhard Heydrich's 1942 assassination prompted Himmler to expand the Holocaust.
Himmler's masseur, Felix Kirsten, used his influence to save thousands of prisoners.
As Germany collapsed, Himmler ordered genocide evidence destroyed and attempted peace negotiations.
Himmler failed as a military commander and pursued mythical electrical weapons late in the war.
Himmler was captured and died by suicide via cyanide on May 23, 1945.

By late 1941, SS and Gestapo terror tactics were widespread across occupied Europe, with Himmler's Einsatzgruppen units operating brutally in the East.
Nazi Germany faced two key issues: the poorly planned invasion of the Soviet Union, lacking winter preparations, and the unpredictable actions of ally Japan.
Japan's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor allowed Stalin to redeploy Soviet troops to the Western front, a move German generals recognized as a turning point that signified the war was lost.

Concentration camp prisoners endured at least 60-hour work weeks, leading to high death rates from disease, malnutrition, and executions.
Himmler issued contradictory orders, at times seeking to reduce death rates to maintain the slave labor system, while also maintaining an inherent drive for violence.
His policy dictated working prisoners until death, with those unable or unwilling to work executed, sometimes by other prisoners incentivized with cigarettes.

After Reinhard Heydrich's death, Heinrich Himmler's lifelong health issues, particularly intense stomach cramps, worsened due to increased stress and responsibility.
Himmler found relief from his anxiety and stomach ailments through massage therapy provided by Felix Kirsten, an Estonian-born masseur.
Kirsten, known for his 'sensual mouth,' became highly influential in Himmler's life following Heydrich's death and was granted an SS colonel rank.

Felix Kersten, Himmler's Finnish masseur, developed a close relationship with Himmler while treating his stomach issues.
Despite Himmler's antisemitic views, Kersten, who had Jewish clients, sometimes calmed him.
Kersten used his influence to negotiate the release of prisoners from concentration camps, saving tens of thousands of lives by reportedly slowing down the mass murder of Jews towards the war's end.

Paul Blobel, identified as one of Himmler's worst men, was tasked with concealing evidence of mass executions by the Einsatzgruppen.
Blobel developed open-air cremations, burning an estimated 125,000 corpses at Babi Yar, a method causing health issues and water contamination.
After the Nazi defeat at Stalingrad, Himmler ordered Blobel to intensify efforts to destroy genocide evidence, which resumed in August 1943.

Hitler's destructive mindset, refusing surrender, led to Operation Valkyrie, an attempt by senior Nazis to assassinate him with a time bomb.
The July 20, 1944 assassination attempt failed when the bomb was moved, causing minor injuries to Hitler and killing another Nazi.
Himmler was subsequently tasked with apprehending the conspirators, leading to their arrest and execution the following day, reducing Hitler's circle of trust.

Heinrich Himmler engaged in secret peace negotiations despite Hitler threatening execution for such actions.
Himmler ordered that no concentration camp inmates should fall into enemy hands alive, while also attempting to use 200,000 Jews as bargaining chips.
Hitler unexpectedly placed Himmler, who lacked military experience, in command of all ground forces, a role in which he proved disastrously unsuited.

As Nazi Germany collapsed in 1945, Himmler retreated to his villa, maintaining a casual command schedule.
His masseur, Felix Kirsten, negotiated prisoner releases, claiming to have significantly slowed the mass murder mechanism and convinced Himmler to halt killings.
Himmler ordered concentration camp commandants to cease executions and surrender prisoners, simultaneously attempting to negotiate with the World Jewish Congress to 'bury the hatchet' and release 20,000 prisoners.

In April 1945, Himmler predicted Hitler's death and sought Germany's surrender to the Americans, not the Soviets.
News of Himmler's peace attempt became public on April 28th, enraging Hitler, who removed Himmler's responsibilities and ordered his arrest.
Germany surrendered on May 7th. Himmler, disguised as a police officer named Heinrich Hitzinger, was apprehended after 11 days on the run at a British checkpoint.
During his capture on May 23, 1945, Himmler died by suicide, crushing a cyanide capsule hidden in his teeth.

Following his suicide, Himmler's body was buried in an unmarked grave near Lundberg, Germany; he is held responsible for an estimated 5.3 million deaths.
The podcast emphasizes the devastating human cost of World War II, with millions of deaths and widespread destruction of German cities.
It cautions against underestimating seemingly ordinary individuals who become 'believers' in ideologies, urging listeners to engage in non-violent resistance against fascism.