Hitler's Hangman by Robert. Gerwarth Page B
Authors: Robert. Gerwarth
Tags: Yale University Press
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promotion Heydrich ‘developed significantly . . . His superiors
frequently gave him recognition and good evaluations. He was obliging
and showed that people could rely on him . . . With every sign of recogni-
tion, his zeal increased, and so did his arrogance . . . Ambition was
undoubtedly Heydrich’s strongest characteristic. He wanted to accom-
plish something and others were supposed to be amazed.’93 His childhood
friend Erich Schultze came to a similar conclusion when he met Reinhard
during a brief visit to Halle. ‘We were all certain that he would go far in
the navy because of his ambition and ability. He was never content with
what he had achieved. His impulse was always for more; to do better; to
go higher. As a lieutenant he was already dreaming of becoming an
admiral.’94
While his relationship with the other young officers improved substan-
tially, Heydrich began to display a noticeable arrogance towards his
subordinates – something that would increase even further during the
1930s. He approached the common sailors and non-commissioned officers
on the Schleswig-Holstein in an imperious and personally insulting manner,
so much so that on two occasions his behaviour nearly led to a mutiny.95
But, despite these setbacks, Heydrich’s confidence grew and he felt that he
had ‘finally settled into’ his career as a navy officer.96 During and after his
service aboard the Schleswig-Holstein he used his more generously allotted
leisure time for sporting activities, mainly for sailing, swimming and
fencing. According to his roommate Beucke, Heydrich exercised every
day, horse-riding and jogging through the woods at weekends:
He wanted to become a pentathlete. He did everything with astounding
energy while vastly overestimating his talents and skills . . . He was
already dreaming of Olympic laurels and was never ashamed to praise
his achievements to the high heavens. When he wasn’t invited to the
Reichswehr Sport Championships, he felt completely misjudged. Based
on the results achieved at the Championships, he ‘proved’ to me that he
would have won the pentathlon . . .97
In Heydrich’s case, sporting prowess and military bearing were propel ed
by a desire to gain acceptance by his peers, but he was not alone in his
enthusiasm for sport as an expression of youthful virility. By 1931 over
6.5 mil ion Germans were members of organized sport associations. The
most popular sports for spectators were martial arts of various kinds, as
wel as sports involving speed, including modern piloting, which with its
daring manoeuvres was associated with adventure, heroic bravery and
technical progress. In the popular imagination the heroic pilot, embodied
YO U N G R E I N H A R D
39
by wartime figures such as the Red Baron, stood for the mastery by man
of the chal enges of modern technology. Heydrich himself began to take
flying lessons in the 1930s before participating as a pilot in various air raids
on the Norwegian and Russian front during the Second World War.98
After undergoing specialist training in radio operation and wireless
telegraphy, Heydrich continued to serve on the Schleswig-Holstein as radio
officer until October 1928.99 In 1950, his training officer at the naval
communications school, Gustav Kleikamp, recalled that Heydrich’s
‘talents, knowledge and ability were above average’. Kleikamp also stated
that Heydrich ‘was always convinced of his own abilities, ambitious and
able to present his achievements to his superiors in a favourable light’ – a
‘talent’ that he would use to his best advantage in later years.100 His
ambition grew with every success. According to his roommate at the
time, Heydrich tried ‘to “shine” everywhere: at work, towards his
superiors, towards his comrades, towards the crew, in sport, in society and
at the bar. He collected a repertoire of jokes and anecdotes, and accompa-
nied his songs on a lute. And he
frequently gave him recognition and good evaluations. He was obliging
and showed that people could rely on him . . . With every sign of recogni-
tion, his zeal increased, and so did his arrogance . . . Ambition was
undoubtedly Heydrich’s strongest characteristic. He wanted to accom-
plish something and others were supposed to be amazed.’93 His childhood
friend Erich Schultze came to a similar conclusion when he met Reinhard
during a brief visit to Halle. ‘We were all certain that he would go far in
the navy because of his ambition and ability. He was never content with
what he had achieved. His impulse was always for more; to do better; to
go higher. As a lieutenant he was already dreaming of becoming an
admiral.’94
While his relationship with the other young officers improved substan-
tially, Heydrich began to display a noticeable arrogance towards his
subordinates – something that would increase even further during the
1930s. He approached the common sailors and non-commissioned officers
on the Schleswig-Holstein in an imperious and personally insulting manner,
so much so that on two occasions his behaviour nearly led to a mutiny.95
But, despite these setbacks, Heydrich’s confidence grew and he felt that he
had ‘finally settled into’ his career as a navy officer.96 During and after his
service aboard the Schleswig-Holstein he used his more generously allotted
leisure time for sporting activities, mainly for sailing, swimming and
fencing. According to his roommate Beucke, Heydrich exercised every
day, horse-riding and jogging through the woods at weekends:
He wanted to become a pentathlete. He did everything with astounding
energy while vastly overestimating his talents and skills . . . He was
already dreaming of Olympic laurels and was never ashamed to praise
his achievements to the high heavens. When he wasn’t invited to the
Reichswehr Sport Championships, he felt completely misjudged. Based
on the results achieved at the Championships, he ‘proved’ to me that he
would have won the pentathlon . . .97
In Heydrich’s case, sporting prowess and military bearing were propel ed
by a desire to gain acceptance by his peers, but he was not alone in his
enthusiasm for sport as an expression of youthful virility. By 1931 over
6.5 mil ion Germans were members of organized sport associations. The
most popular sports for spectators were martial arts of various kinds, as
wel as sports involving speed, including modern piloting, which with its
daring manoeuvres was associated with adventure, heroic bravery and
technical progress. In the popular imagination the heroic pilot, embodied
YO U N G R E I N H A R D
39
by wartime figures such as the Red Baron, stood for the mastery by man
of the chal enges of modern technology. Heydrich himself began to take
flying lessons in the 1930s before participating as a pilot in various air raids
on the Norwegian and Russian front during the Second World War.98
After undergoing specialist training in radio operation and wireless
telegraphy, Heydrich continued to serve on the Schleswig-Holstein as radio
officer until October 1928.99 In 1950, his training officer at the naval
communications school, Gustav Kleikamp, recalled that Heydrich’s
‘talents, knowledge and ability were above average’. Kleikamp also stated
that Heydrich ‘was always convinced of his own abilities, ambitious and
able to present his achievements to his superiors in a favourable light’ – a
‘talent’ that he would use to his best advantage in later years.100 His
ambition grew with every success. According to his roommate at the
time, Heydrich tried ‘to “shine” everywhere: at work, towards his
superiors, towards his comrades, towards the crew, in sport, in society and
at the bar. He collected a repertoire of jokes and anecdotes, and accompa-
nied his songs on a lute. And he
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