Gudrun Burwitz
Encyclopedia
Gudrun Burwitz is the daughter of Heinrich Himmler
, Reichsführer-SS
and Chief of the German
Police (and from August 1943 onward, the Minister of the Interior), and Margarete Siegroth, née Boden. Gudrun was the first child of Himmler's marriage; they later adopted a son. In 1940, Heinrich Himmler started an affair with the secretary Hedwig Potthast with whom he had two children.
Heinrich Himmler adored his daughter and had her regularly flown to his offices in Berlin
from Munich
where she lived with her mother.
She accompanied Heinrich Himmler on some official duties, for instance, inspecting concentration camps (picture), or in other appearances. She has never renounced the Nazi ideology and has repeatedly sought to justify the actions of her father, relative to the context of his time. People who know her say that she has created a golden image of her father.
Heinrich Himmler died in British
captivity. She contested that his death was a suicide from a concealed cyanide
capsule, as others did.
After World War II
she and her mother were held in detention by the British occupying powers for four years. She later bitterly referred to these years as the most difficult of her life, and that they had to atone for her father.
and author Wulf Dieter Burwitz and had two children. She has remained active in the Nazi community (Neo-Nazism
), and has since 1951 been a member of Stille Hilfe
, an organisation providing support to arrested, condemned or fugitive former SS-members. In 1952 she helped to found Wiking-Jugend
which was organised after the Hitler Youth
model. She was a longtime friend of Florentine Rost van Tonningen
(died in 2007), who was known in the Netherlands
as "the black widow" and was active in Nazi circles after the war.
For decades Gudrun Burwitz has been a prominent symbol and idol in Stille Hilfe
. At various meetings, for instance the annual Ulrichsberg gathering
in Austria
, she enjoys the status as both a star and an authority. Oliver Schröm, author of a book about Stille Hilfe, has described her as a "flamboyant Nazi princess" ("schillernde Nazi-Prinzessin").
Gudrun Burwitz has intensified the support for Nazi war criminals in recent years. This was particularly evident in the case of Anton Malloth
, a supervisor of Theresienstadt, who was extradited to Germany in 1988 and after a prolonged public trial was sentenced in 2001 to life in prison. During 1988-2001 she arranged his stay at an expensive nursing home
in Pullach
at the southern outskirts of Munich
. There was a public outcry when it was discovered that the premises had been the property of the prominent Nazi Rudolf Hess
and that the stay was largely financed by public welfare funds.
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
, Reichsführer-SS
Reichsführer-SS
was a special SS rank that existed between the years of 1925 and 1945. Reichsführer-SS was a title from 1925 to 1933 and, after 1934, the highest rank of the German Schutzstaffel .-Definition:...
and Chief of the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Police (and from August 1943 onward, the Minister of the Interior), and Margarete Siegroth, née Boden. Gudrun was the first child of Himmler's marriage; they later adopted a son. In 1940, Heinrich Himmler started an affair with the secretary Hedwig Potthast with whom he had two children.
Relation to father
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
from Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
where she lived with her mother.
She accompanied Heinrich Himmler on some official duties, for instance, inspecting concentration camps (picture), or in other appearances. She has never renounced the Nazi ideology and has repeatedly sought to justify the actions of her father, relative to the context of his time. People who know her say that she has created a golden image of her father.
Heinrich Himmler died in British
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
captivity. She contested that his death was a suicide from a concealed cyanide
Cyanide
A cyanide is a chemical compound that contains the cyano group, -C≡N, which consists of a carbon atom triple-bonded to a nitrogen atom. Cyanides most commonly refer to salts of the anion CN−. Most cyanides are highly toxic....
capsule, as others did.
After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
she and her mother were held in detention by the British occupying powers for four years. She later bitterly referred to these years as the most difficult of her life, and that they had to atone for her father.
Nazi sympathies
She married the journalistJournalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author Wulf Dieter Burwitz and had two children. She has remained active in the Nazi community (Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
), and has since 1951 been a member of Stille Hilfe
Stille Hilfe
Die Stille Hilfe für Kriegsgefangene und Internierte abbreviated Stille Hilfe is a relief organization for arrested, condemned and fugitive SS members, similar to the veterans' association, set up by Helene Elizabeth Princess von Isenburg in 1951...
, an organisation providing support to arrested, condemned or fugitive former SS-members. In 1952 she helped to found Wiking-Jugend
Wiking-Jugend
The "Wiking-Jugend" was a German Neo-Nazi organization modelled after the Hitlerjugend.The Sozialistische Reichspartei was outlawed in 1952, together with its youth organization "Reichsjugend"...
which was organised after the Hitler Youth
Hitler Youth
The Hitler Youth was a paramilitary organization of the Nazi Party. It existed from 1922 to 1945. The HJ was the second oldest paramilitary Nazi group, founded one year after its adult counterpart, the Sturmabteilung...
model. She was a longtime friend of Florentine Rost van Tonningen
Florentine Rost van Tonningen
Florentine Rost van Tonningen was the wife of Meinoud Rost van Tonningen, 2nd leader of the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands and President of the National Bank during the German occupation...
(died in 2007), who was known in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
as "the black widow" and was active in Nazi circles after the war.
For decades Gudrun Burwitz has been a prominent symbol and idol in Stille Hilfe
Stille Hilfe
Die Stille Hilfe für Kriegsgefangene und Internierte abbreviated Stille Hilfe is a relief organization for arrested, condemned and fugitive SS members, similar to the veterans' association, set up by Helene Elizabeth Princess von Isenburg in 1951...
. At various meetings, for instance the annual Ulrichsberg gathering
Ulrichsberg gathering
The Ulrichsberg gathering is an annual reunion for veterans of the Wehrmacht and Waffen SS held at the Ulrichsberg mountain in Austria. Since 1958, it has been held each year on the first Sunday of October...
in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, she enjoys the status as both a star and an authority. Oliver Schröm, author of a book about Stille Hilfe, has described her as a "flamboyant Nazi princess" ("schillernde Nazi-Prinzessin").
Gudrun Burwitz has intensified the support for Nazi war criminals in recent years. This was particularly evident in the case of Anton Malloth
Anton Malloth
Anton Malloth was a supervisor in the "Kleine Festung" part of the Theresienstadt concentration camp.-Life:...
, a supervisor of Theresienstadt, who was extradited to Germany in 1988 and after a prolonged public trial was sentenced in 2001 to life in prison. During 1988-2001 she arranged his stay at an expensive nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in Pullach
Pullach
Pullach, officially Pullach i. Isartal, is a municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria in Germany. It is serviced by the S 7 line of the Munich S-Bahn, at the Großhesselohe Isartalbahnhof, Pullach and Höllriegelskreuth railway stations....
at the southern outskirts of Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. There was a public outcry when it was discovered that the premises had been the property of the prominent Nazi Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
and that the stay was largely financed by public welfare funds.
Books
- Oliver Schröm, Andrea Röpke: Stille Hilfe für braune Kameraden. Christoph Links Verlag 2001, ISBN 386153231X (in German)
- Norbert und Stephan Lebert: Denn Du trägst meinen Namen. Goldmann Verlag 2002, ISBN 3-442-15188-0 (in German)