E-Paper
HT This Day: May 25, 1945 -- Himmler commits suicide
Second British army hqs -Heinrich Himmler, head of the German gestapo, committed suicide at the headquarters of the second British army at 4 minutes past 11 last night. This was made available officially this evening.
Second British army hqs -Heinrich Himmler, head of the German gestapo, committed suicide at the headquarters of the second British army at 4 minutes past 11 last night. This was made available officially this evening.
The body of Himmler lies in a red roofed villa which is the army headquarters. The grey-faced, bespectacled, thin-lipped face is turned to the ceiling, half covered with a grey British blanket. The body is collarless and is clothed in a British army shirt, army slacks and army socks.
Besides the body are a bucket and a cup and some splashes of water made, while British army doctors laboured for 15 minutes to save Himmler’s life.
This was the statement issued here tonight about his death:
“Reichsfuehrer of SS, Heinrich Himmler. Chief of the German Police and Reichminister of the Interior, was arrested by troops of the British Second Army at Bremervoerde on May 21 and taken into field security custody on May 22.
“Himmler was travelling under the name of Hizinger and was disguised with a black patch over his right eye and had shaved off his moustache.
“With him were his two adjutants --one a big burly member of the SS. Himmler and his party arrived under escort and were unrecognized at the camp near the Second Army Headquarters where he asked through his adjutants for an interview with the camp commandant.
“When the interview was granted, Himmler announced his identity which was confirmed by the Chief Officer at the camp and later beyond any doubt by a counter intelligence officer from the Second Army headquarters.
“Himmler was immediately confined under armed guards, stripped and medically examined to find any hidden poison. During the final state of this examination, when medical officers attempted to examine the prisoner’s mouth, he made a quick movement of his head and bit open a small glass phial containing cyanide of potassium which was concealed in his mouth. He died in 15 minutes at 11-04 p.m. on May 23. The glass phial had been hidden in Himmler’s mouth for some hours.
“Colonel Gorbushin, Lieutenant Colonel Ievlev and Captain Kutchin, Commissioners of Marshal Zhukov for the control of the fulfilment of the terms of the German Surrender, saw the body at 6-15 p.m. today, May 24, 1945, and have been given the relevant photographs and reports.”
The Senior Intelligence Officer at Dempsey’s Headquarters who conducted the correspondents to the body of Himmler said that officers I from a nearby camp telephoned him shortly before 9 p.m. to say that they had Himmler under arrest. The Intelligence officer motored at once eight miles down the road and found Himmler sitting at a table, being questioned by British officers. Two adjutants, one of them a typical rough neck of the SS. sat on his side.
