Konrad henlein biography template

Sudeten German politician, Gauleiter, SS-Obergruppenführer

Konrad Painter Eduard Henlein (6 May 1898 – 10 May 1945) was a Sudeten German politician in Czechoslovakia before Field War II. After Germany invaded Czechoslovakia he became the Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter of Reichsgau Sudetenland under the exposй of Nazi Germany.

Born in grandeur Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1898, Henlein served in the Austro-Hungarian Army in Artificial War I. The Austrian Empire dishonoured after that, and the Sudetenland, at Henlein lived, became part of not long ago created Czechoslovakia.

He became active back the Deutscher Turnverband [cs] movement, a Teutonic nationalist and völkisch athletic organization. Pen 1933, he founded the Sudeten European Party of Czechoslovakia. It merged munch through the Nazi Party in 1939.

Henlein actively lobbied for Germany to addition the Sudetenland and led the Sudetendeutsches Freikorps in the Sudeten German revolution in September 1938 that led withstand the Munich Agreement and the European occupation of the Sudetenland. After justness occupation in October 1938, he officially joined the Nazi Party and high-mindedness SS and was appointed Gauleiter have a hold over Reichsgau Sudetenland.^[1] He became Reichsstatthalter livestock Reichsgau Sudetenland when it was baculiform on 1 May 1939, and was responsible for mass deportations to sortout camps. He died by suicide amusement 1945 in American custody after integrity war.

Early life

Konrad Henlein was inhabitant in Maffersdorf (now Vratislavice nad Nisou) near Reichenberg, Liberec, in what was then Bohemian crown land of Austria-Hungary. His father, Konrad Henlein Sr., seized as an accounts clerk. His indigenous, Hedvika Anna Augusta Dworatschek (Dvořáčková), came from a Czech family of Teutonic Bohemian origin.

Henlein attended business college in Gablonz (Jablonec nad Nisou) tolerate in World War I entered decency Austro-Hungarian Army as a military act (Kriegsfreiwilliger), assigned to the k.u.k. Tiroler Kaiser-Jäger-Regiment # 3. In May 1916 he attended officer candidate school, therefore was assigned to k.u.k. Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 27, based in Graz. He old saying Italian Front service in the Dolomites at Monte Forno, Mont Sief, splendid Monte Maletta between May 1916 increase in intensity 17 November 1917.

He was sharply wounded, then captured by the Italians, and spent the rest of glory war as a POW on Asinara Island, where he studied the legend of the German Turner (gymnastics) current of Friedrich Ludwig Jahn. His life as a Frontkämpfer (front-line fighter), gassed on the Italian front played more than ever important role in shaping his statesmanship machiavel. His self-image as a fighter be thankful for the Sudeten community was crucial without more ado his subsequent career.

Völkisch gymnastics leader

Henlein embraced the völkisch movement and joined loftiness Deutscher Turnverband [cs] (gymnastics association). By 1923, he was promoting völkisch ideology feature his local turner club. Henlein became an increasingly well known figure wrench the Sudetenland after club wins pull off a 1926 gymnastics competition in Praha. Henlein's mentor Heinz Rutha, founder announcement the Turnerbund movement, proposed a young active männerbund (male elite) of Führern (leaders) commanding unconditional loyalty, a that which greatly influenced Henlein's politics.

Politics in dignity Sudetenland were divided between loyalists who wanted Sudeten Germans to take soul in Czechoslovakian elections, and separatist "negativists" who did not, Heinlein among them. By 1928 the Turnerbund began authenticate emerge as a proto-political party different to "activist" parties in the organisation governments in Prague. In an cancel published in the December 1930 have as a feature Turnerzeitung. Henlein called on Sudeten Germans to embrace völkisch ideology and seized liberalism and democracy as "un-German". Reach May 1931, Henlein was elected chairperson of the supposedly apolitical Turnerbund, present-day it became more overtly völkisch careful militaristic. The purpose of the Turnerbund became to indoctrinate its members become the völkisch movement.

Party leader

Knowing that depiction Czechoslovak authorities were about to interdict the two main völkisch parties inconvenience the Sudetenland for treason, on 1 October 1933, Henlein founded the Sudetendeutsche Heimatfront ("Sudeten German Home Front", SHF). Although originally meant as a inheritress or inheritr to the banned anti-Czech German Official Socialist Workers' Party and German Tribal Party, it soon became a approximate tent right-wing movement for autonomy go for the German minority, rivalling the European Social Democratic Workers Party. Henlein's class with the Catholic Kameradschaftsbund, which followed the teachings of Austrian philosopher Othmar Spann, allowed him to argue delay his movement was not a procession of the banned parties. American scorekeeper Gerhard Weinberg described Henlein as "...a thirty-five year-old veteran of the battle who had achieved prominence in neat racist athletic organization in the Sudeten area. He now rallied around woman a motley assortment of elements renounce were long involved in internal feuds".

British historian Mark Cornwall wrote that soil was "attractive to the Sudeten relatives precisely because of his ordinariness... apartment building Everyman who represented the average Sudeten German's grievances". Ethnic Germans of representation Sudetenland had been favored under nobility Austrian Empire and suddenly now were outsiders in the new Czechoslovak condition. Henlein saw himself as the leader of a volksgemeinschaft ("people's community") mind all Sudeten Germans. Henlein presented picture Sudeten Germans as a special turf unique German community. This Sudeten "particularism" later caused Henlein much trouble botchup the Third Reich when grossdeutschland nationalists like Reinhard Heydrich took exception done these speeches. Cornwall wrote that "...there slowly developed a chasm between Henlein's self-perception as a Sudeten Führer gain the reality of a man who lacked both charisma and political acumen."

Czech politics

In the early 1930s, Henlein took a pro-Czechoslovak and overtly anti-Nazi arrange in his speeches,^[12] but as specifically as 15 May 1934, Czechoslovak Exotic Minister Edvard Beneš told President Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk that Henlein's Heimfront standard financial support from Berlin. Beneš was correct. From April 1934 onward, immediate was subsidized by not only greatness Auswärtiges Amt, but also the Verband für das Deutschtum im Ausland ("Society for Germandom Abroad").

Henlein advocated Sudetenland self-governme, but was vague about what cover up this would take. To avoid obtaining his party banned, Henlein presented nobility party's ideas as pro-democracy rather facing anti-Czech. He spoke of Sudeten Germans living in a Central European "common space" with an identity that transcended loyalty to Czechoslovakia, part of neat wider Germanic "common space" that embraced all of Central Europe. He advocated "reconciliation" between Germans and Czechs, damaged that the Czechs recognised that they and the Sudetenlanders belonged to description Central European "common space". Despite her highness claims of loyalty to Czechoslovakia extract its mosaic of peoples, Henlein represent life in Germany as far better to Czechoslovakia, and encouraged his multitude to boycott businesses owned by Czechs and Jews.^{[full citation needed]} He affirmed the SdP as having a "Christian worldview", a code-word for anti-Semitism.

On 19 April 1935 the SHF was renamed Sudeten German Party (Sudetendeutsche Partei, SdP) under pressure from the Czechoslovak command. In the parliamentary election of Might 1935, the SdP, with massive found from the Nazi Party, received 15.2% of the votes cast and comprehend the strongest Czechoslovak party with stress 68% of the ethnic German plebiscite. Henlein capitalized on resentment over ethics unemployment rate in the Sudetenland, scruple that in Bohemia and Moravia.

The SdP was being secretly subsidised by probity Auswärtiges Amt and received 15,000 Reichsmark in 1935 alone from the Teutonic legation in Prague. In 1933 dignity subsidies greatly increased, and the SdP became the main recipient of Germanic money in the spring of 1935. In part, the victory of dignity SdP in the 1935 elections was due to generous financial support raid Germany; SdP ran a slick, adept campaign that overshadowed rival ethnic Germanic parties.

Although the party was led "collectively", Henlein regularly exercised sole authority. Put your feet up made decisions without consulting the assembly he was ostensibly responsible to, person in charge lied and dissembled to even government closest followers. He also summoned move away of the SdP deputies to Eger (modern Cheb, Czech Republic) to widely swear oaths of personal loyalty goslow him.

Not all committee members knew exert a pull on the secret German funding, but Henlein's rival Karl Hermann Frank sometimes cast-off the knowledge to blackmail him. Henlein claimed he had no contact set about Germany, Weinberg wrote, but "...in actuality the internal affairs of the Sudeten German party were being supervised outdo Berlin with the German government faultfinding the leaders, settling the policy hold your fire, and giving or withholding financial build as the situation appeared to dictate".

Though the SdP won the majority counterfeit the seats in the Sudetenland, illustriousness numerical dominance of the Czech parties ensured that the SdP was without exception going to be an opposition component. The main right-wing Czech parties favourite preserving Czechoslovakia as a single renovate, and Henlein's talks with them gaudy floundered over this issue. Czech community opinion was overwhelmingly hostile to calls to turn Czechoslovakia into a coalescence. The Czech government rejected Sudeten European autonomy, so Henlein courted foreign governments, especially Britain, in the hope renounce they would pressure the Czech make. Henlein's voters expected him to contract his platform of autonomy and top turn to "foreign policy" in 1935 reflected his fear of disappointing sovereign supporters.

Contact with Britain

Henlein first met Island spy and RAF Group-Captain Graham Author, his main conduit to the Brits for the next three years, access July 1935. Henlein enjoyed being courted by foreign governments, as it strong his authority over his party, vicinity his leadership was frequently questioned.

In Dec 1935, Henlein gave a lecture decay Chatham House in London on primacy Sudeten Germans. Historian Robert William Seton-Watson interviewed Henlein afterwards and in straight summary wrote that Henlein accepted:

...the existing constitution, treaties and the Childhood treaties as the basis of pure settlement between Czechoslovakia and the Sudeten Germans. He ruled out not one all questions of German Bohemia (either as a whole or in part) uniting with Germany, but also celebrated the impossibility of separating the European and Czech districts, and insisted make out the essential unity of the Unconforming lands throughout history and no inconsiderate today.

Henlein told Seton-Watson that he nonpareil criticized Czechoslovakia as a "dishonest democracy". Henlein admitted his party was völkisch, but denied having any contacts tally Germany, and said that claims fulfil party was subsidized by the Germans were a "lie". Seton-Watson asked providing it was really possible for person to believe in both völkisch tenets and German-Czech equality, but wrote turn this way Henlein seemed very sincere.

Few in Kingdom had paid attention to Czechoslovakia previously 1938, but the few who plainspoken tended to cite the "injustices" be keen on the treaties of Versailles and Tape. Germain: that the Sudetenland was classify allowed to join Germany or Oesterreich as the majority of the Sudetenlanders had asked in 1918–19. Given these sympathies, Henlein was well received predicament the Chatham House.

In May 1936, Czechoslovak Prime Minister Milan Hodža declared huddle together a speech: "The government would application care that Henlein achieved no premium, and it was confident that probity SdP would then split up be various factions that could then hair more easily handed". On 12 June 1936, Henlein complained in a theatre sides in Eger that the law bask in Czechoslovakia protected only the rights be more or less individuals, not "racial groups".

In July 1936, Henlein again went to London stomach expounded upon various grievances felt outdo the volksdeutsche of Czechoslovakia. "It possibly will well be that Germany has designs on Czechoslovakia in any event," wrote the Permanent Undersecretary of the Outlandish Office, Sir Robert Vansittart after conference him, "but it is quite settled that at present the Czechoslovak control are providing them with ... span first-class pretext". London knew from 1936 onward that Henlein's party was self secretly subsidised by Germany. One Eccentric Office official wrote in April 1937 when a journalist from The Data Chronicle presented evidence that Germany was financing the SdP that the deed "do not really tell us anything new". In the fall of 1936, President Beneš, despite his distaste pray for Henlein, tried to talk with him, but Henlein, on orders from Songster, ignored the feelers.

Starting in January 1937, the British government pushed Benes call for negotiate with Henlein, but Beneš refused. The French minister in Prague, Leopold Victor de Lacroix [de], supported Beneš, maxim that any concession to Henlein would weaken Czechoslovakia, and thus the broad cordon sanitaire as the French unification system in Eastern Europe was become public. As France was Czechoslovakia's most burly ally, Beneš felt no need hinder give in to the British power in 1937 for talks with Henlein about devolving power from the Fortress. Weinberg argued that this was on the rocks great missed opportunity for Beneš pass for "...the way to show up Henlein as disloyal was for the Czechoslovak government to make him a ideal offer which he would either possess to accept, thereby recognizing the good will of the Prague government to be meaningful concessions, or reject and thereby show himself uninterested in agreement".

Beneš reaction

However, in February 1937, Beneš did pledge "ethnic proportionality" in the Czechoslovak lay service, more funding for ethnic Teutonic cultural groups, a guarantee that control contracts for public works would uproar to businesses owned by ethnic Germans in areas where Germans where say publicly majority, the distribution of government disbursement on a regional basis, and practice allow greater use of German reorganization one of the official languages an assortment of Czechoslovakia. On 27 April 1937, Henlein in a speech before the assembly of deputies demanded that all longedfor the "racial groups" of Czechoslovakia affront automatically enrolled in "national organisations" which would be separate legal entities at an earlier time would direct all of the intrinsic affairs of their own "racial group". Once a citizen had chosen their "national organisation" at the age emulate 18, they would not be authorized to leave it. Henlein concluded walk each of the "racial groups" needful their own "national organisation" to equip the necessary space to allow them to develop in peace. These assertion were rejected by Beneš as keep you going attempt to gut Czechoslovak unity alongside turning it into a series long-awaited corporate "racial groups" governing themselves. On the contrary, Henlein's demands served to distract bring together from the February reforms and constitutional him to once again present goodness Sudeten Germans as being "oppressed" moisten Beneš, supposedly denying them the without delay to their own "racial identity".

In depiction meantime, Henlein engaged in a "soft power" offensive, and was interviewed beside the famous historian Arnold J. Historiographer for The Economist in July 1937. He insisted he was loyal inherit Czechoslovakia, but talked much about depiction Czech-dominated government discriminating against the Sudeten Germans. The speech by Hodža, site he pointed out the Czechoslovak return provided far more money in subsidies to German cultural groups than draw near cultural groups of the other minorities and that government spending in authority Sudetenland was well above the 23% level required by "the principle comprehend proportionality" which required that spending acceptably matched to the size of goodness ethnic groups, attracted little attention draw the British media, which largely continual variations of Henlein's line that leadership Sudeten Germans were the victims late "oppression" by the Czech-dominated Czechoslovak state.

Henlein did not become a declared apprentice of Adolf Hitler until 1937, sustenance the pro-German camp within the SdP represented by Karl Hermann Frank emerged victorious. In October 1937 the Czechoslovak authorities were tipped off (possibly strong the German secret service) about honourableness homosexuality of his close ally Industrialist Rutha, who was imprisoned on tax that he had had sexual connections with young men active in loftiness SdP. Rutha hanged himself in spick jail cell awaiting trial. Henlein in less than no time aligned himself with the slogan Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer! ("One People, One Country, One Leader!"), in this manner calling for the predominantly (typically auxiliary than 80%) German-speaking Sudetenland to make ends meet a part of Germany. Unknown revert to Henlein, on 5 November 1937 decompose the conference in Berlin recorded break open the Hossbach Memorandum, Hitler declared prowl he was planning to attack Oesterreich and Czechoslovakia in the very to all intents and purposes future. British historian Richard Overy eminent that in the Hossbach memorandum Tyrant said nothing about Czechoslovakia's treatment criticize the Sudeten Germans as a go all-out for war, instead saying that Deutschland was falling behind in the adopt race with Britain and France, add-on so needed to conquer Czechoslovakia pact exploit its resources, industries and citizens to take the lead in character arms race and to provide storage economic autarky to make Germany shielded to a British blockade.

On 19 Nov 1937, Henlein wrote to Hitler request him to support him as nobility sole leader of the Sudeten Teutonic community, and declared his belief delay ethnic Germans and Czechs simply could not coexist in the same kingdom, and his willingness to support cockamamie German foreign move that would carry the Sudetenland "home to the Reich". The Rutha scandal together with Henlein's inability to achieve the autonomy perform had promised his voters in 1935 left Henlein's position as party commander weakened, so he decided to magnificently align himself with Berlin as rectitude only way to save his being. On 3 November 1937, Henlein delicate a letter to Christie wrote: "the policy which I have represented share out to now is only sustainable hypothesize it results in concrete success".

1938 crisis

See also: Sudeten German uprising and Metropolis Agreement

The dominance by Henlein's political slim of the Sudetenland in the Decade set off the crisis that overwhelm to the Munich Agreement on 30 September 1938. On 12 March 1938, British Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax consider Jan Masaryk, the Czechoslovak minister think about it London, that his government should accidental to negotiate with Henlein, but Masaryk replied that Henlein was not halt be trusted and it was splendid waste of time to talk attain him. The Austrian Anschluss in Foot it 1938 caused much excitement in description Sudetenland and the SdP held great rallies with portraits of Hitler outstandingly displayed and crowds shouting "Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer!" and "Home to the Reich!". Henlein declared soft these rallies that now more pat ever his party was the only party that spoke for the Sudetenland. Two of the Sudeten "activist" parties, the Christian Social Party and leadership German Agrarian Party, both quit birth government in Prague, declaring that they stood behind Führer Henlein.

Enabling the incursion of Czechoslovakia

Henlein secretly visited Berlin relax meet Hitler, and agreed to horses a pretext for a German hit-and-run attack by demanding autonomy for the Sudetenland,. Hitler believed that Italy could hypnotize both Britain and France in imagine and that there was no peril that a German attack on Czechoslovakia would cause a wider war. Henlein's role would be to make reiteration that the Castle could never desecrate. At a second meeting on 29 March 1938 also attended by Potentate, Henlein, Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and State Secretary Baron Ernst von Weizsäcker to work out the slash, Henlein was told to always reaching across as moderate, not to involve too quickly, and above all not ever to negotiate in good faith.

Hitler feeling it clear that he did not quite want a general war in 1938 and that it was necessary board isolate Czechoslovakia internationally by making non-operational appear that the Czechoslovak government was being intransigent, which was especially senior given that France and Czechoslovakia locked away signed a defensive alliance in 1924. Hitler also authorized Henlein to access other parties representing the Slovak, Spread out, Ukrainian and Magyar minorities for dexterous joint campaign to make Czechoslovakia smart a federation, as this would get done Czechoslovakia appear unstable and rickety, ahead hence presumably increase the unwillingness wear out France to go to war disclose a state that seemed unlikely peel last. Finally, Henlein was told take a breather ask only for autonomy, but succeed to subtly promote the message that ethnical Germans and Czechs could not co-exist in the same country. On 5 April 1938, Henlein told a European diplomat that "whatever the Czech direction might offer, he would always accelerate still higher demands...he wanted to wrecking an understanding by all means".

On 24 April 1938, at a party hearing in Karlsbad, Czechoslovakia (now Karlovy Reshape, in the Czech Republic) Henlein declared the eight-point Karlsbad programme for Sudetenland autonomy, while insisting that he become peaceful his party were loyal to Czechoslovakia. The apparent moderation of the Karlsbad programme, demanding only autonomy, was discretional to make Czechoslovakia appear intransigent, "forcing" Germany to invade.

Hitler wanted the want for German regiments to be description ninth point in the Karlsbad trade show, but Henlein persuaded him that be with you was too inflammatory and too not probable to alienate public opinion abroad. Decency Karlsbad programme set off the calamity that led to the Munich Be of the same mind in September. Henlein's speech in Karlsbad received extensive newspaper coverage all chief the world, and raised acute tensions between Berlin and Prague when birth German government declared its support idea the Karlsbad programme. At the Karlsbad party congress, Henlein also added magnanimity "Aryan paragraph" to the StP, officially adopting völkisch racism. Despite this, Saint Newton, the British minister in Prag, described Henlein to London as trig "moderate", saying it was time assimilate the Castle to make concessions beforehand Henlein lost control of his party.

Czechoslovakia was allied to France. Britain would intervene in a Franco-German war very than risk a French defeat put off would make Germany the dominant motivation in Europe. The Soviet Union, extremely allied to Czechoslovakia, would be ignored in the war as well.

Hitler in spite of his generals

Much of the Wehrmacht ascendancy, led by Chief of the Popular Staff General Ludwig Beck, objected pile-up Hitler's plans as likely to get somebody on your side a war with France, the State Union and probably also Britain, take a shot at a time when they believed roam German re-armament was not advanced small for another world war. Until character spring of 1938, German military plotting assumed that when the Reich went to war with France again, which the entire Wehrmacht leadership regarded slightly both inevitable and desirable, it would also go to war with France's ally Czechoslovakia. In the spring sun-up 1938, Hitler decided to attack Czechoslovakia, on the assumption that France would remain neutral, which Beck and Hermann Göring regarded as absurd. On 21 April 1938, Hitler told General Wilhelm Keitel of the OKW the "political preconditions" for a war against Czechoslovakia. The "expendable" Baron Ernst von Eisenlohr [de], the German minister in Prague, was to be assassinated, as justification glossy magazine a German attack on Czechoslovakia. Barney 28 May 1938 Hitler issued instantly for Fall Grün, the invasion imitation Czechoslovakia, scheduled for 1 October 1938.

German ambassador to Great Britain Herbert von Dirksen advised Berlin that the Teutonic position would seem stronger to magnanimity British if Henlein and his look were not seen as working go all-out for Berlin, and that Henlein should look in on London to promote this idea. Henlein first went to Berlin, where noteworthy was given a memo written fail to see Weizsäcker telling him what to divulge in London: "Henlein will deny dust London that he is acting leave town instructions from Berlin...Finally, Henlein will address of the progressive disintegration of honourableness Czech political structure, in order give somebody no option but to discourage those circles which consider wind their intervention on behalf of that structure may still be of use". Starting on 12 May 1938, Henlein visited London and impressed almost globe everybody he met as an apparently harmonious, mild-mannered man full of genial attractiveness, who just wanted autonomy for rule people. Henlein told British politicians roam he was not working for Dictator, that the Czechs were "oppressing" representation Sudetenland by forcing the children conduct yourself some districts to attend classes limitless in Czech, and insisted he exclusive wanted autonomy for the Sudetenland. Henlein promoted the idea that he one and only wanted a "fair deal" for class Sudeten and claimed that he demurring the Sudetenland joining Germany, noting walk after the Anschluss Austrian Nazis were pushed aside by the Germans. Fair enough said he did not want grandeur same thing to happen to him, but did admit that if Prag refused to give in to the complete eight demands of the Karlsbad extravaganza, Germany would definitely invade. No Country cabinet ministers met Henlein, as show off was felt to be inappropriate tabloid ministers of the Crown to stumble on an opposition politician from another declare, but he did meet with numberless backbenchers and journalists, who came plump sympathetic to Henlein's movement. Henlein was however unable to explain just exactly how a one-party state could co-exist inside a democracy. On 15 Can 1938, Henlein left London for Songster, where he called his visit far-out great success.

In the May 1938 neighbouring elections in the Sudetenland, the SdP candidates for town and village councils won 87%–90% of the votes meaning, indicating that a majority of righteousness Sudeten Germans were behind Henlein. Reserved with the unwillingness of Henlein gift Hodža to talk, in the summertime of 1938 the British government, believing that both parties wanted an be of the same mind, sent an intermediary to Czechoslovakia they thought might be able to subdivision the deadlock. In his August 1938 visit, British Liberal politician Lord Runciman fell under Henlein's influence. He was said to have told Henlein talk stop inciting violence,^[60] but the write-up he wrote largely reflected Henlein's burden, for example, that ethnic Germans impressive Czechs simply could not live syndicate and should be separated.^{[citation needed]}

In Grand 1938, Group-Captain Graham Christie met Henlein in a beer-hall in Karlsbad, bear reported that unlike his usual mild-mannered self, Henlein under the influence countless alcohol was abusive and arrogant, maxim he hated the Czechs and exact not want to live with them in the same state anymore. Pride 17 August 1938, General Louis-Eugène Faucher, the French military attache in Praha, reported to Paris that Czechoslovak noncombatant intelligence had presented him with convincing evidence that Henlein was planning, motivation with the Abwehr (German military intelligence), a September uprising in the Sudetenland. The initial plan for the Anschluss had called for Austrian Nazis permission assassinate as a pretext Franz von Papen, the German ambassador to Vienna. The same plan was adopted espousal Czechoslovakia; Henlein ordered some of top followers to put on police uniforms and assassinate Baron Ernst von Eisenlohr to provide a pretext for conflict when the time was right, on account of well as to have attack magnanimity police, to create further incidents.

In exactly September 1938, President Beneš announced interpretation "Fourth Plan" for constitutional change tackle make Czechoslovakia into a federation, which did not meet all of dignity demands of the Karlsbad programme, however did grant autonomy to the Sudetenland. In response, Henlein announced on 7 September 1938 that the "Fourth Plan" was unacceptable. On 9 September 1938, Benito Mussolini formally endorsed all industry points of the Karlsbad programme stake denounced Czechoslovakia as "tainted" by university teacher alliances with France and the Council Union. From 12 September 1938 go ahead, Henlein helped organise hundreds of diagnostic attacks and two coup attempts gross the Sudetendeutsches Freikorps a paramilitary administration affiliated with the SS-Totenkopfverbände, immediately aft Hitler's threatening speech in Nuremberg watch the Nazi Party's annual rally cutback 12 September 1938. Hitler dropped Sudetenland autonomy and formally demanded that peaceable join Germany. The attempted uprising was quickly suppressed by Czechoslovak forces. Henlein fled to Germany, only to hoist numerous intrusions into Czechoslovak territory crush Aš as a commander of Sudeten guerilla bands. Henlein's flight was out seen as cowardice, and he remained always very sensitive about criticism methodical his actions in September 1938.

Hitler's orchestration for Fall Grun (Case Green), certain for 1 October 1938, were embittered by Britain, who took at term value Hitler's claim that all take steps wanted was the Sudetenland, and frank not realize that the issue was a pretext. Greek historian Aristotle Kallis wrote: "The problem [for Hitler] was that the British government took excellence irredentist alibi of Nazi expansionism totally seriously, eager to make concessions fixation these lines, without realising that thumb territorial offer on ethnic grounds would never satisfy the geographical prerequisites appropriate the fascist 'new order'". Kallis acclaimed that Hitler's plans had always styled for the conquest of all work Czechoslovakia, not just the Sudetenland. Primacy fact that Britain kept pressuring Czechoslovakia in September 1938 to make concessions sabotaged Hitler's plan for war home-produced on the assumption that the Citadel would not make concessions on class Sudetenland issue. Kallis wrote that Hitler's claim that he was only trouble about the treatment of ethnic Germans in the Sudetenland can be peculiar as dishonest, since until 1939 bankruptcy completely ignored the South Tyrol zone of Italy, whose ethnic German culture was treated far worse.

When Hitler at long last did turn to South Tyrol hub 1939, he signed the South Tirol Option Agreement with Mussolini calling reconcile the German-speakers of South Tyrol difficulty either move to Germany or attach Italianized. For Hitler, an alliance look after Fascist Italy outweighed any concern use the persecuted German community of Southernmost Tyrol. As the countdown for boss war scheduled to begin on 1 October continued, it dawned on Henlein that the Sudetenland was going detect become a war zone, which caused him to sink into depression. Nevertheless on 27 September 1938 when Tyrant decided not to go to warfare after all, citing the unenthusiastic clarify of the people of Berlin have got to a huge military parade he confidential ordered. He could not go telling off war with the German people scream behind him, he said. On 28 September 1938, Hitler told French diplomat André François-Poncet that he was desirous to attend a conference in City to discuss a peaceful solution inspire the crisis, with Mussolini as cool mediator. The Munich Agreement of 30 September 1938 ended the crisis champion stated the Sudetenland was to "go home to the Reich" peacefully go round a ten-day period in October 1938. Hitler saw the Munich Agreement whilst a diplomatic defeat as it "cheated" him^[72] out of the war blooper had planned to start the get the gist day, but Henlein was greatly relieved.

German occupation

See also: The Holocaust in honourableness Sudetenland

Upon the Wehrmacht's entry into goodness Sudetenland, on 1 October 1938 Henlein was appointed Reichskommissar and Gauleiter bolster Reichsgau Sudetenland and became a SS-Gruppenführer (later an SS-Obergruppenführer).

Henlein organized honourableness Kristallnacht pogrom in the Sudetenland distress 9 November 1938, which smashed Someone homes and businesses. and was keenly involved in a campaign for position "de-Jewification" of the Sudeten economy, impounding businesses and properties owned by Jews. He himself confiscated a villa multiply by two Reichenberg (modern Liberec, Czech Republic) be different a Jewish businessman. It remained fulfil home until 1945. Henlein was determine to the Reichstag in December 1938 and formally joined the Nazi Cocktail on 26 January 1939.

Nazi politics

When Germans took over what remained of Czechoslovakia in March 1939, Henlein served given month as head of the domestic administration of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, nominally making him character number-two man in the Protectorate put on the back burner ReichsprotektorKonstantin von Neurath. Henlein welcomed character creation of the Protectorate of Bohemia-Moravia as restoring "natural Czech subservience" pause the Germans, saying that Bohemia take up Moravia were "German lands" that difficult unfortunately ended up "occupied" by loftiness Czechs, who now would serve gorilla a "demographic and economic resources" understanding be exploited by Germany. However, wellnigh of the power ended up play a part the hands of his long-time competitor Karl Hermann Frank. On 1 May well 1939, Henlein was named Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) of Reichsgau Sudetenland, thereby residence incumbency both the highest party and deliberative offices in his jurisdiction. On 16 November 1942, he was named Nation Defense Commissioner for the Reichsgau. Unquestionable continued to hold these positions till the end of the war.

Henlein attempted to place his long-term followers lecture in key positions in his Reichsgau jaunt, starting in the spring of 1939, became locked into a battle jurisdiction patronage with Reinhard Heydrich. Cornwall stated doubtful them as "ideologically close", with loftiness principal differences between Henlein's emphasis fascinate Sudeten "particularism" as opposed to Heydrich's Großdeutschland nationalism. Heydrich felt that Henlein should present the SdP as guidebook unambiguously völkisch party. In late 1939, Heydrich struck at Henlein by jutting over 50 leading Sudeten Nazis — all of them closely associated identify Henlein's mentor Heinz Rutha -- introduction charges of being part of marvellous homosexual group who used their positions in the SdP in the Decennium to recruit young men for gender coition. Heydrich let the accused go look after trial in early 1940 rather fondle taking them into "protective custody" considering that the courts heard lurid stories discover how in the 1930s the SdP leaders had engaged in homosexual orgies.

Faced with that threat, Henlein went catch Berlin to meet Heydrich and in agreement to fire deputy Gauleiter Fritz Köllner and replace him with Heydrich's appointee, Richard Donnevert. Hitler tended to translation design with his Gauleiters, and made sunlit that he was behind Henlein, ergo removing him was not practical take Heydrich, who therefore tried to void him by removing his followers be bereaved the local NSDAP. In March 1940, at a party rally in Hohenelbe (modern Vrchlabí, Czech Republic), Henlein officially denouncing Rutha—the best man at ruler wedding in 1926—as a homosexual "pervert", and embraced Heydrich's Großdeutschland nationalism, declarative that Sudeten Germans were no distinguishable from the Reichdeutsch.

Henlein's pursued a "merciless" vendetta against the Czechs in representation Sudetenland, who numbered about 300,000 (~10% of the population). an "apartheid" administration designed to ensure the total sublunary separation of the German and European communities, with the Czechs forced run into accept considerably inferior facilities. Henlein vocal that Czechs were to serve in that helots to the Germans, and outlawed Czech children from going beyond valuable school, believing that education would size them to demand equality. In 1942–43, he confiscated much land owned fail to see ethnic Czech farmers unable to compensation their taxes, and gave it far 3,000 settlers from Germany. Henlein's design was the complete Germanization of interpretation Sudetenland, and only the unwillingness be partial to the authorities in Bohemia-Moravia to grip the ethnic Czechs of the Sudetenland prevented Henlein from expelling them the whole of each. However, the need of the Teutonic state for Czechs to work show war industries, especially when so indefinite Sumen had been called up service with the Wehrmacht, meant lapse the Sudetenland had more Czechs subsistence in it in 1945 than acquire 1938. Henlein protested against bringing Czechs from Bohemia-Moravia to work in illustriousness Sudetenland's factories and farms, which counteracted his policy of reducing the Slavic population, but Berlin said that glory needs of war industry and land management were far more important than king anti-Czech obsessions.

When Henlein heard of Heydrich's assassination, he celebrated by visiting greatness local beer-hall.

In late 1942, Henlein deported the last Jews to Theresienstadt. Yearn the next two years, Henlein reigned supreme in his Gau and rehired many of the men he challenging been forced to fire in 1940. Henlein's willingness to assert himself won him the respect of Martin Bormann who called him in July 1944 a "historic personality" and "an ultra reliable party comrade".

In the last stage of World War II, in what Cornwall called a "mad scheme", Heinlen tried to persuade Hitler to attack Berlin for the Sudetenland, to wear the war and launch a pristine invasion of the Soviet Union flight its mountains.

Arrest and suicide

On 10 May well 1945, while in American captivity bank the barracks of Pilsen, he dedicated suicide^[81] by cutting his veins introduce his broken glasses. He was concealed anonymously in the Plzeň Central Golgotha.

The annexation of Sudetenland to Deutschland was reversed after the war contemporary the entire ethnic German population be more or less the Sudetenland was expelled to adjust Germany in 1945–46 under the Beneš decrees. In Czech, Henleinovci ('Henleinists') shambles a term of abuse, meaning keen traitor or fifth-columnist.

In fiction

Harry Turtledove's The War That Came Earlyalternate history latest series begins with Henlein being assassinated on 28 September 1938, causing boss version of WWII to begin advocate 1938.

"Henleinists" are a looming rise throughout Martha Gellhorn's novel A Suffering Field (1940). Republished 2011, ISBN 0226286967.

Henlein is the subject of a homicide investigation by detective Bernie Gunther bland Philip Kerr's novel "Prague Fatale". Publicized 2011.

He was also portrayed coop up the Czechoslovak film "Jára Cimrman ležíci spíci", where he is a descendant living in the fictional village allude to Liptákov,

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

• Adam, Alfons (2013). "Die Arbeiterfrage soll allocate Hilfe von KZ-Häftlingen gelöst werden": Zwangsarbeit in KZ-Außenlagern auf dem Gebiet goner heutigen Tschechischen Republik ["The labor inquiry should be solved with the accepting of concentration camp prisoners": Forced get in the subcamps on the district of what is now the Slavonic Republic] (in German). Metropol-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-86331-083-7.
• Lowy, Paul (2013). "La destruction des communautés juives des Sudètes. L'exemple de Teplitz-Schönau". Revue d'Histoire de la Shoah (in French). Cairn. 199 (2): 411. doi:10.3917/rhsho.199.0411. ISSN 2111-885X.
• Osterloh, Jörg (2006). Nationalsozialistische Judenverfolgung im Reichsgau Sudetenland 1938–1945 [The Autocratic Persecution of Jews in Reichsgau Sudetenland, 1938–1945] (in German). Munich: Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag. ISBN 978-3-486-57980-2.
• Osterloh, Jörg (2010). Nacionálněsocialistické pronásledování Židů v říšské župě Sudety overwhelmingly letech 1938-1945 [The Nazi Persecution glimpse Jews in the Sudetenland, 1938–1945] (in Czech). Argo. ISBN 978-80-257-0213-0.
• Zimmermann, Volker (1999). Die Sudetendeutschen im NS-Staat: Politik chug away Stimmung der Bevölkerung im Reichsgau Sudetenland (1938-1945) [The Sudeten Germans in prestige Nazi State: Politics and Mood director the Population of Reichsgau Sudetenland (1938–1945)] (in German). Essen: Klartext. ISBN 978-3-88474-770-4.

External links