History UsefulNotes / ReinhardHeydrich

Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich (March 7, 1904 – June 4, 1942) was one of the key figures of UsefulNotes/NaziGermany. Most infamously, he was one of the main architects of UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust. Many historians regard him as the darkest figure within the Nazi elite, the one most closely resembling the Nazi Aryan ideal of being tall, blonde haired, blue eyed, athletic, intelligent, [[BreadEggsMilkSquick power hungry, and utterly ruthless and merciless]]. UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler described him as "the Man with the Iron Heart", while his enemies and victims referred to him as "The Hangman", "The Butcher of Prague" and "The Blonde Beast", amongst other names.

* ''The Wannsee Conference'', 1984 - West German TV movie. Portrayed by Dietrich Mattausch.

Popular culture tends to consider him as the poster boy "Aryan" as envisioned by Nazi ideals, due to him being [[BlondGuysAreEvil blond]], [[LargeAndInCharge tall]] and [[IcyBlueEyes blue-eyed]] (one of the only Nazi leaders to combine all these traits, actually), in addition to being [[WickedCultured cultured]] (he was a fencer on the Olympic level and a skilled musician) and ruthless. He is also a frequent character in AlternateHistory fiction works, in which he often outlives his real life counterpart due to GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel or an extensive DayOfTheJackboot, if not outright [[{{Ghostapo}} supernatural reasons]].

Popular culture tends to consider him as the poster boy "Aryan" as envisioned by Nazi ideals, due to him being [[LightIsNotGood blond]], [[LargeAndInCharge tall]] and [[IcyBlueEyes blue-eyed]] (one of the only Nazi leaders to combine all these traits, actually), in addition to being [[WickedCultured cultured]] (he was a fencer on the Olympic level and a skilled musician) and ruthless. He is also a frequent character in AlternateHistory fiction works, in which he often outlives his real life counterpart due to GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel or an extensive DayOfTheJackboot, if not outright [[{{Ghostapo}} supernatural reasons]].

* Heydrich pops up in several novels in the Literature/BernieGunther detective series. In ''Literature/MarchViolets'' Heydrich appears in one chapter. He's particularly terrifying in a cultured and well-mannered sort of way, as he calmly tells Bernie that he is sending Bernie to Dachau, as an inmate, in order to find another inmate who has incriminating documents. In ''Literature/ThePaleCriminal'', in the scene where Heydrich is strong arming Bernie into returning to the police force, Bernie calls him "the crown prince of terror." In ''Literature/PragueFatale'', Heydrich calls Bernie to Bohemia to investigate plots against Heydrich's life. ''Literature/FieldGrey'' has Heydrich sending Bernie off to France in 1940 to find fugitive German communist Erich Mielke (another HistoricalDomainCharacter).

* In ''VideoGame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope'', he survived the attempt on his life in 1942. In the 1960's he leads the German SS, and is one of the contenders for the Führership in the CivilWar after Hitler dies. He's the least likely to win, however, as he lacks any real public support due to the fact that he's under the thumb of Heinrich Himmler, a man considered absolutely insane [[EvenEvilHasStandards even by Nazi standards]]. In the end, Heydrich can only really "win" if the player chooses to play as him, if they do they will find a story of misery, tragedy, and loss, as [[EvilVersusOblivion Heydrich starts fighting back against Himmler]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards once he gains knowledge of the utterly insane scope of his plans]] and [[HeelRealization gradually comes to realize just how much of his own humanity he has willingly sacrificed in his attempt to follow the Nazi ideals]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope'', he survived the attempt on his life in 1942. In the 1960's he leads the German SS, and is one of the contenders for the Führership in the CivilWar after Hitler dies. He's the least likely to win, however, as he lacks any real public support due to the fact that he's under the thumb of Heinrich Himmler, a man considered absolutely insane [[EvenEvilHasStandards even by Nazi standards]].

* Heydrich pops up in a couple of the novels in the Literature/BernieGunther detective series. In ''Literature/MarchViolets'' Heydrich appears in one chapter. He's particularly terrifying in a cultured and well-mannered sort of way, as he calmly tells Bernie that he is sending Bernie to Dachau, as an inmate, in order to find another inmate who has incriminating documents. In ''Literature/ThePaleCriminal'', in the scene where Heydrich is strong arming Bernie into returning to the police force, Bernie calls him "the crown prince of terror." In ''Literature/PragueFatale'', Heydrich calls Bernie to Bohemia to investigate plots against Heydrich's life.

** That said, this is changed a bit later on and, as with the novel version of The Man in the High Castle, Heydrich ends up being a lesser evil.[[spoiler: In the Cutting Room Floor update, Heydrich [[EvenEvilHasStandards turns out to be horrified that Himmler wishes to purge the world of non-Aryans via nuclear war]] and plots to stop him. This ultimately results in a [[EnemyCivilWar civil war between Himmler and Heydrich's SS factions]] as well as [[TheRemnant what is left of supporters of Goering, Speer and Bormann]] from the first German Civil War. Heydrich notably ends up [[HeelRealization recognizing the evil he has committed]] due to this conflict forcing him to [[EnemyMine team up with people he deemed inferior]] and it claiming more lives than any 'Jewish' conspiracy could. He ultimately realizes he is BeyondRedemption and is consequently DrivenToSuicide.]]

* In ''VideoGame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope'', he survived the attempt on his life in 1942. In the 1960's he leads the German SS, and is one of the contenders for the Führership in the CivilWar after Hitler dies. He's the least likely to win, however, as he lacks any real public support due to the fact that he's under the thumb of Heinrich Himmler, a man considered absolutely insane [[EvenEvilHasStandards even by Nazi standards]]. He's gone so fanatical as to adopt his [[DystopiaJustifiesTheMeans Burgundian System]] wholeheartedly, too. [[spoiler:But ''not'' enough to back his secret plot to purge the world of undesirables by triggering the apocalypse and having the Aryans tough their way through by being Aryan; thus, his path takes an unexpected turn in that he betrays Himmler, starting a second civil war for the fate of the Reich and the world, throughout which he makes some uneasy discoveries]].

* In ''VideoGame/TheNewOrderLastDaysOfEurope'', he survived the attempt on his life in 1942. In the 1960's he leads the German SS, and is one of the contenders for the Führership in the CivilWar after Hitler dies. He's the least likely to win, however, as he lacks any real public support due to the fact that he's under the thumb of Heinrich Himmler, a man considered absolutely insane [[EvenEvilHasStandards even by Nazi standards]].

** That said, this is changed a bit later on.[[spoiler: In the Cutting Room Floor update, Heydrich [[EvenEvilHasStandards turns out to be horrified that Himmler wishes to purge the world of non-Aryans via nuclear war]] and plots to stop him. This ultimately results in a [[EnemyCivilWar civil war between Himmler and Heydrich's SS factions]] as well as [[TheRemnant what is left of supporters of Goering, Speer and Bormann]] from the first German Civil War. Heydrich notably ends up [[HeelRealization recognizing the evil he has committed]] due to this conflict forcing him to [[EnemyMine team up with people he deemed inferior]] and it claiming more lives than any 'Jewish' conspiracy could. He ultimately realizes he is BeyondRedemption and is consequently DrivenToSuicide.]]

** ''Operation Daybreak'', 1975 - Czechoslovak-American movie. Portrayed by Anton Diffring, who [[RoleReprise reprised the role]] after the 1965 series ''Interpol''.

* ''Series/TheManInTheHighCastle'', 2015-2016 - Alternate history series based on Creator/PhilipKDick's book. He's still alive in 1962 and [[spoiler:is plotting to overthrow Hitler and [[AdaptationalVillainy is a key advocate for war with Japan]]]]. Portrayed by Ray Proscia.

* Heydrich pops up in a couple of the novels in the Bernie Gunther detective series. In ''Literature/MarchViolets'' Heydrich appears in one chapter. He's particularly terrifying in a cultured and well-mannered sort of way, as he calmly tells Bernie that he is sending Bernie to Dachau, as an inmate, in order to find another inmate who has incriminating documents. In ''Literature/ThePaleCriminal'', in the scene where Heydrich is strong arming Bernie into returning to the police force, Bernie calls him "the crown prince of terror." In ''Literature/PragueFatale'', Heydrich calls Bernie to Bohemia to investigate plots against Heydrich's life.

* Heydrich pops up in a couple of the novels in the Bernie Gunther detective series. In ''Literature/MarchViolets'' Heydrich appears in one chapter. He's particularly terrifying in a cultured and well-mannered sort of way, as he calmly tells Bernie that he is sending Bernie to Dachau, as an inmate, in order to find another inmate who has incriminating documents. In ''Literature/ThePaleCriminal'', in the scene where Heydrich is strong arming Bernie into returning to the police force, Bernie calls him "the crown prince of terror."

* ''Literature/MarchViolets'': Heydrich appears in one chapter. He's particularly terrifying in a cultured and well-mannered sort of way, as he calmly tells protagonist Bernie Gunther that he is sending Bernie to Dachau, as an inmate, in order to find another inmate who has incriminating documents.

He became probably the most famous target of assassination during World War II (next to UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler naturally, although all of the attempts on the latter were unsuccessful). Two Czechoslovak soldiers in exile, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, were trained in Great Britain and targeted Heydrich in Prague with the help of local resistance operatives on 27 May 1942, in an operation known as Anthropoid, which aimed at "shaking up" the Czech [[LaResistance resistance]] against Nazi Germany. Heydrich didn't directly die in the attack,[[note]]Gabčík's Sten submachine gun jammed at the worst moment and Kubiš threw a grenade at Heydrich's staff car; Heydrich was caught in the blast, after which both assassins fled after a brief firefight with Heydrich and his driver[[/note]] but succumbed to an infection of his wounds and died in hospital on 4 June 1942.[[note]] Despite his personal fury at Heydrich for carelessly travelling in an open-topped car, making him an easier target, for propaganda purposes, Hitler had Heydrich given a state funeral.[[/note]] The commando squad was hunted down and all of its members ended up dead,[[note]]After one of their own betrayed them for amnesty as well as the bounty being offered, the commandos responsible for the attack on Heydrich retreated into the crypts of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Prague, where they were either killed or committed suicide when the Nazis stormed the church[[/note]] and a horrific wave of reprisals claimed the lives of at least 5,000 people,[[note]]Hitler initially wanted to execute 10,000 Czechs at random in retaliation, and was only persuaded not to when his advisers insisted such a swathe of executions would be too detrimental to Czechoslavkia's ability to supply the German war effort.[[/note]] including the population of the villages of Lidice and Ležáky, which were razed to the ground.[[note]]This was actually the intended outcome, designed to horrify the Czech populace into opposing Nazi rule; many of the local resistance members who helped the assassins had no idea of their actual mission and were actually aghast when they learnt their intent to kill Heydrich, as they knew full well the type of vengeance the Nazis would seek.[[/note]]

Popular culture tends to consider him as the poster boy "Aryan" as envisioned by Nazi ideals, due to him being [[BlondGuysAreEvil blond]], [[LargeAndInCharge tall]] and [[IcyBlueEyes blue-eyed]] (one of the only Nazi leaders to combine all these traits, actually), in addition to being [[WickedCultured cultured]] (he was a fencer on the Olympic level and a skilled musician) and ruthless. He is also a frequent character in AlternateHistory fiction works, in which he often outlives his real life counterpart due to GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel or an extensive DayOfTheJackboot, if not outright [[{{Ghostapo}} supernatural reasons]].

Popular culture tends to consider him as the poster boy "Aryan" as envisioned by Nazi ideals, due to him being [[BlondGuysAreEvil blond]], [[LeanAndMean tall]] and [[IcyBlueEyes blue-eyed]] (one of the only Nazi leaders to combine all these traits, actually), in addition to being [[WickedCultured cultured]] (he was a fencer on the Olympic level and a skilled musician) and ruthless. He is also a frequent character in AlternateHistory fiction works, in which he often outlives his real life counterpart due to GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel or an extensive DayOfTheJackboot, if not outright [[{{Ghostapo}} supernatural reasons]].

He became probably the most famous target of assassination during World War II (next to UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler naturally, although all of the attempts on the latter were unsuccessful). Two Czechoslovak soldiers in exile, Jozef Gabčík and Jan Kubiš, were trained in Great Britain and targeted Heydrich in Prague with the help of local resistance operatives on 27 May 1942, in an operation known as Anthropoid, which aimed at "shaking up" the Czech [[LaResistance resistance]] against Nazi Germany. Heydrich didn't directly die in the attack,[[note]]Gabčík's Sten submachine gun jammed at the worst moment and Kubiš threw a grenade at Heydrich's staff car; Heydrich was caught in the blast, after which both assassins were forced to flee on foot after a brief firefight with Heydrich and his driver[[/note]] but succumbed to an infection of his wounds and died in hospital on 4 June 1942.[[note]] Despite his personal fury at Heydrich for carelessly travelling in an open-topped car, making him an easier target, for propaganda purposes, Hitler had Heydrich given a state funeral.[[/note]] The commando squad was hunted down and all of its members ended up dead,[[note]]After one of their own betrayed them for amnesty as well as the bounty being offered, the commandos responsible for the attack on Heydrich retreated into the crypts of the Ss. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral in Prague, where they were either killed or committed suicide when the Nazis stormed the church[[/note]] and a horrific wave of reprisals claimed the lives of at least 5,000 persons,[[note]]Hitler initially wanted to execute 10,000 Czechs at random in retaliation, and was only persuaded not to when his advisers insisted such a swathe of executions would be too detrimental to Czechoslavkia's ability to supply the German war effort.[[/note]] including the population of the villages of Lidice and Ležáky, which were razed to the ground.[[note]]This was actually the intended outcome, designed to horrify the Czech populace into opposing Nazi rule; many of the local resistance members who helped the assassins had no idea of their actual mission and were actually aghast when they learnt their intent to kill Heydrich, as they knew full well the type of vengeance the Nazis would seek.[[/note]]

* ''Literature/TheManInTheHighCastle'' - Alternate history novel by Creator/PhilipKDick. Although never seen in person, it's stated that Heydrich is still alive in 1962. Interestingly, and in contrast to how most fiction portrays him, he's also presented as a ''lesser'' evil to other factions in Nazi Germany because he opposes a nuclear war of annihilation against Japan.

* ''Series/TheManInTheHighCastle'', 2015-2016 - Alternate history series based on Creator/PhilipKDick's book. He's still alive in 1962 and [[spoiler:is plotting to overthrow Hitler]]. Portrayed by Ray Proscia.

** ''Operation Daybreak'', 1975 - Czechoslovak-American movie. Portrayed by Anton Diffring, who [[RoleReprise reprized the role]] after the 1965 series ''Interpol''.

* ''ComicBook/Block109'' - A French alternate history comic book in which he is alive after 1942 due to history being altered following the assassination of Hitler in 1941. He becomes Reichsführer-SS after the death of Himmler in 1947 and by 1953 the SS finds itself in an InterserviceRivalry with Hochmeister Zytek's New Teutonic Order for supremacy over Nazi Germany while the war against the USSR becomes more and more hopeless.

** ''Operation Daybreak'', 1975 - Czechoslovak-American movie. Portrayed by Anton Diffring, who [[RoleReprisal reprized the role]] after the 1965 series ''Interpol''.

** ''Film/{{Anthropoid}}'', 2016 - British movie that focuses entirely on the operation from the point of view of the Czechoslovak resistance protagonists who carried out the attack. Heydrich only shows up for the attack scene, played by Detlef Bothe, [[RoleReprisal once again]].

* ''Hitler's SS: Portrait in Evil'', 1985 - TV movie. Portrayed by David Warner, [[RoleReprisal once again]].

[[AC:Visual Novels]]