Reinhard Heydrich

Reinhard Heydrich
Reinhard Heydrich, 1962 Reinhard Heydrich, In V&J
Reichsführer of the German SS
Details
Date of Birth	7 March 1904
Place of Birth	Halle an der Saale, Prussia, German Empire
Age at start	57 years old
Nationality	German
Role	Reichsführer
Political Party	NSDAP - SS Faction
Ideology	Spartanism

Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich (born 7 March 1904) is a high-ranking SS official in Germany. He joined the Nazi party in 1931, and then the SS. He quickly formed close ties to Heinrich Himmler and became director of the Gestapo. After the war, he rose to the leadership of the SS in Germany, and is the figurehead of the German SS's political interests, though still backed by his Burgundian comrades and Himmler himself.

In-Game Description

Heydrich has many names. The Blonde Beast. The Butcher of Prague. The Young Evil God of Death. After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt during the World War, Heydrich personally assisted his men in hunting down and wiping out thousands in the former Czechoslovakia. Pictures of him standing triumphantly over the ruins and destruction he had sown were used as German propaganda throughout the war, and Goebbels even (though reportedly rather begrudgingly) had filmed a propaganda film over the matter.

Now, however, Heydrich serves a much more sinister cause. A puppet master under a puppet master, on dark strings he bobs to and fro at the behest of Reichsführer der Burgundischen-SS Heinrich Himmler to fulfill his will in Germany and abroad.

A trusted and feared servant of Burgundy, nevertheless many have noted an almost dismissive attitude from his master. Heydrich follows behind no matter, earning him a reputation as a toady and yuppy by many. Of course, none would ever dare say so to his face.

In-Game

Heydrich is the most difficult leader to win the German Civil War as. If the player does win, they will have to deal with a second civil war, mostly fought between different SS units. Heydrich will inevitably become disillusioned with National Socialism during his rule, and especially with Himmler, prompting him to invade Burgundy and attempt to depose his former ally, which will either result in a German victory or thermonuclear war.

Even if the player does achieve all of this, Heydrich will end up committing suicide, ending the game and resulting in a third German civil war.

OTL

In OTL, Reinhard Heydrich was one of the main architects of the Holocaust, alongside his colleagues in the SS such as Heinrich Himmler. Responsible for various deportations in Czech lands and various crimes as part of his role as protector of Bohemia and Moravia, he was assassinated in 1942, in Prague as part of Operation Anthropoid, led by Czech SOE Agents.

In private, Hitler blamed Heydrich for his own death, having exposed himself so openly for assassins to take their chance.