With opposition quelled in Germany and the annexed territories of Austria and the Sudetenland, Hitler's plans could proceed. When the Nazis faked incidents at the border with Poland, it gave them the excuse to invade. And the Gestapo, the Secret State Police, was at the heart of it.
The Gestapo's role changed from merely "protecting" the state from dissent to enabling it's expansionist policies. As the Reich took over new territories, the Gestapo expanded its policies of seeking out enemies -- dissenters, spies working for the Allies, and organized resistance.
When security chief Heydrich was assassinated in Prague, the Gestapo carried out the brutal revenge. But it viewed its ultimate enemy as the Jew and death-squads, the Einsatzgruppen spent much time tracking them down and deporting them to the death camps. Hitler placed this task in the hands of the Gestapo, and the chief bureaucrat of the Holocaust, Adolf Eichmann, was Muller's special protege.
Alexander IV History's supplementary notes:
Written and Directed by Wolfgang Schoen, Holger Hillesheim
Features:
Terry Charman (Imperial War Museum)
Dr. Neil Gregor (University of Southampton)
Serge Klarsfeld (Nazi-hunter)
Please note: There is an error in this production at 24:07 where it is claimed Eichmann was tried at Nürnberg. He was not. He escaped to Argentina and was subsequently captured by the Mossad, tried and executed. Thank you to Beatriz Carrillo for pointing this error out.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gestapo
-- This is shared without profit for educational and historical purposes ---
