Erhard Heiden

After Hitler's release from prison in December 1924, the Nazi Party was officially refounded. In 1925, Hitler ordered the formation of a new bodyguard unit, the Schutzkommando ("Protection Command; SS").^[11] It was formed by Julius Schreck and included old Stoßtrupp members such as Emil Maurice and Heiden.^[12][13] That same year, the Schutzkommando was expanded and renamed the Sturmstaffel ("Storm Squadron"), and finally the Schutzstaffel ("Protection Squadron"; SS).^[14] Heiden, described by William Shirer as "a former police stool-pigeon of unsavory reputation",^[15] joined the SS in 1925 and was an early advocate of separating the unit from the SA, its parent organization.^[16]

On 1 March 1927, Joseph Berchtold transferred leadership of the SS to Heiden, who was his acting deputy. Berchtold had become disillusioned by the SA's authority over the SS.^[17][18] As head of the SS, Heiden also found it difficult to function under the larger and more powerful SA. Under Heiden's leadership a stricter code of discipline was enforced than would have been tolerated in the SA ranks. Heiden further demanded that the men under his command were not to be involved in party matters which were none of their concern. His intention was to create a small elite unit and obtain higher quality recruits.^[18]

Except for the Munich area, the unit was unable to maintain any momentum. The membership of the SS declined from 1,000 to 280 as the SS continued to struggle under the SA.^[19] As Heiden attempted to keep the small group from dissolving, Heinrich Himmler became his deputy in September 1927. Himmler had a great enthusiasm and vision for the SS and displayed good organisational abilities which Heiden used.^[20] Himmler became the driving force within the SS and in time eclipsed Heiden.^[21]

Upon the dismissal of Heiden, Himmler assumed the position of Reichsführer-SS with Hitler's approval in January 1929.^[22][a] There are differing accounts of the reason for this dismissal. The party merely announced that it was for "family reasons".^[23] It was also suggested at the time that the dismissal was due to Heiden associating with Jews.^[16] Starting in 1928, Heiden was co-owner of a clothing supply business that sold uniforms to the SS. Another company in Munich supplied Heiden and his partner with the pants, which were used for the SS uniforms. It was discovered that this other company was owned by a Jew. Further, it was alleged that Heiden had been making large profits on the clothing sales to the SS for uniforms. This led to Heiden having to resign as head of the SS.^[2] Historian Adrian Weale believes the primary reason for his dismissal was due to him being ineffective in the job. There were also rumors that he was a police informer.^[24] Himmler's biographer, Peter Longerich, says that beyond the official announcement, "we have no further clues to explain either Heiden's dismissal or Himmler's appointment".^[25] Under Himmler, the SS greatly expanded over time, with his ultimate aim being to turn it into the most powerful organization in Germany.^[26]

In March 1933, after a visit to his friend Emil Maurice, Heiden was arrested by members of the Sicherheitsdienst ("Security Service"; SD) while he was having dinner in the Orlando coffee house in Munich. He was murdered sometime later, presumably by members of the SD.

Heiden was officially listed as missing on 18 March 1933. On 28 March 1933, Paul Schulz wrote the following about Heiden's disappearance:

"Today I find out that some time ago (14 days) the former SS leader Hayden [sic] disappeared. In the evening he was visiting his friend Maurice and went from there to his apartment, which is only a few houses away. On the way he visited a pub nearby, drank his beer and ate alone. After a while, an SA man came and asked to speak to him, asking him to come outside. Since that time he has not returned. After half an hour this SA man came again and fetched Hayden's coat and hat. Hayden left without a coat or hat and without paying."^[27]

Shortly after Heiden's disappearance, Heiden's mother asked his old friend Maurice to look for him. He turned to Josef Gerum for help, who finally went with August Schneidhuber to see Himmler about the disappearance. When Gerum and Schneidhuber asked him about Heiden's whereabouts, Himmler, Gerum later claimed, reacted "out of temper" and forbade any interference.^[28] According to Schulz, at the end of March an SS-Sturmfuhrer told Maurice that if he said another word about the Heiden affair or made any further inquiries into his whereabouts, he was a "goner". When Maurice raised the incident with Hitler, Hitler recommended that he withdraw from Munich for a while.^[27]

Heiden's body was discovered months later, on 13 August 1933, in the Neufinsing works canal near Erding (according to the Erding district court) and buried on 15 September.^[16] According to Karl Ortner, his body had a gunshot wound to the head. The probable date of death was officially set as 19 March 1933.^[29]

• Karl Hanke

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• Weale, Adrian (2010). The SS: A New History. London: Little, Brown. ISBN 978-1-4087-0304-5.
• Wegner, Bernd (1990). The Waffen-SS: Organization, Ideology and Function. Blackwell. ISBN 0-631-14073-5.