Reinhard Heydrich.

His father’s 1895 opera Reinhard’s Crime inspired Reinhard Heydrich’s first name. He was born on March 7, 1904 in Halle an der Saale to composer Richard Bruno Heydrich and Elisabeth Krantz. He attended the Hans-Dietrich-Genscher-Gymnasium and later studied at the Technical University of Munich. Heydrich began a career as a naval officer but was dishonorably discharged in 1931 after a scandal involving a pregnant woman and his engagement to Lina von Osten.

Heydrich joined the Nazi Party and SS in 1931 at his wife’s urging. Heinrich Himmler tasked him with building the SS security service, resulting in the SD Sicherheitsdienst. In 1934, he merged the SD with the Gestapo to form the SS Security Police. He took part in the Night of the Long Knives in June 1934, which destroyed the SA. During World War II, he headed the Reich Security Main Office RSHA and organized the Einsatzgruppen. He chaired the Wannsee Conference on January 20, 1942, formalizing the Final Solution. He also served as Deputy Protector of Bohemia and Moravia from September 1941.

Heydrich married Lina von Osten on December 26, 1931. They had four children: Klaus, Heider, Silke, and Marte. He was an avid swimmer, fencer, and horseback rider, and an accomplished violinist. He also served as a Luftwaffe captain on combat missions until forbidden due to the risk of capture.

Heydrich’s role in the Holocaust—chairing the Wannsee Conference and commanding the Einsatzgruppen—defined his legacy. His assassination in 1942 led to the destruction of the village of Lidice and the murder of its inhabitants. He was posthumously awarded the German Order, the highest Nazi decoration. His grave in Berlin is kept anonymous to prevent neo-Nazi pilgrimages.