Müller as an SS general. The Gestapo had no uniforms of its own.

Historical Documentation

Heinrich Müller

Gestapo-Müller – who still cares?

The following pages provide a brief picture of the life of Gestapo chief Heinrich Müller. Among the leading Nazis, he was quite odd in several ways, not least because he could never be traced after the war. Here the questions about his last days and his possible grave are discussed. For several years, several historians have agreed on the answers to these questions. But evidence is lacking for their conclusions. – A forgotten television documentary gives completely different answers to the questions.

Who was Heinrich Müller?

When and where did Heinrich Müller die? Who was Heinrich Müller? The latter question is easier to answer than the first. Müller was a leading figure in the Holocaust, Adolf Eichmann's immediate superior. Unlike Eichmann and many of his peers in the SS and Gestapo, Müller was never brought to justice.

The fake grave at the cemetery on Lilienthalstrasse.
The fake grave at the cemetery on Lilienthalstrasse.

An Unusual Nazi

Almost all the top Nazis were known for their odd interests and other idiosyncrasies. Was Müller a vegetarian like Hitler? No, he wasn't. A drug addict like Göring? No, he wasn't. A talented musician like Heydrich? No, he wasn't. Loved to be the centre of attention like Goebbels? Absolutely not. Quite the contrary! Rather seems to have avoided being photographed. Lounge lion and madman in various uniforms like Göring? Not so much. Fascinated by racial biology like Himmler? Was not. Fervent anti-Semite? Probably no more so than many Catholic Bavarians of the time. Was he a family man who put his wife, home and children first? Absolutely not. Religious? Yes, a devout Catholic. Communist hater? Yes, intensely. Was he a sadist who liked to torture his victims? Possibly, but he is more known for his prolonged harsh interrogations. Was he even a devout Nazi? Very uncertain.

A Common Name

His relative anonymity and mundanity also apply to his name. The most powerful Nazis are all known by their surnames, Hitler, Göring, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, etc., but Müller has had to be called Gestapo-Müller by posterity, to distinguish him from all the other Müllers in Germany at the time. There was even another SS general with the same first and last name.

Explore the Documentation

Oslo September 1939. Müller to the left of Heydrich in the picture.
Chapter I

Biography

Follow Heinrich Müller's path from poor aircraft mechanic in Munich to chief of Nazi Germany's feared secret police. Read about his time as a WWI pilot, his police career, and how he became one of the most central figures in the Holocaust.

Hitler in Rome 1938. The bareheaded civilian to the right is possibly Hudal.
Chapter II

Disappearance

What happened to the Gestapo chief in the final days of the war? Explore the last witness sightings in Hitler's bunker, the mysterious grave on Lilienthalstrasse, and why Nazi hunters could never trace him.

Müller on the photocopy shown at the Anima seminary in Rome.
Chapter III

Theories

Did Müller flee to Rome through Bishop Hudal's network? What did the SVT documentary 'My Father Was Gestapo Chief' reveal? Examine the evidence and unsolved questions surrounding one of history's most wanted war criminals.

Documentation compiled by Olle Meyer