Ernst Kaltenbrunner - The Man Who Replaced Reinhard Heydrich Documentary

Ernst Kaltenbrunner’s early life was shaped by the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, leading him to join the Nazi Party in 1930. His rise accelerated after the 1938 Anschluss, when he was appointed a key security minister in Austria and began implementing systematic persecution of Jews, including helping establish the Gestapo in Vienna and the Mauthausen concentration camp. With the outbreak of World War II, he ascended to senior positions in the Nazi security apparatus, including Police President of Vienna, where he ruthlessly suppressed opposition. Kaltenbrunner ultimately became a chief architect of the "Final Solution" as a senior leader of the Reich Security Main Office, overseeing the logistics of the genocide that murdered millions. His career exemplifies the brutal consolidation of Nazi power and the direct implementation of state-sponsored terror and extermination policies.

• ▶ 0:03 Ernst Kaltenbrunner was born on October 4, 1903, in Ried im Innkries, Upper Austria.
• ▶ 1:17 At a prestigious school in Linz, he formed a lifelong friendship with Adolf Eichmann, and his family held nationalist, pro-Austro-Hungarian views.
• ▶ 3:08 The end of World War I in November 1918 and the subsequent collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire profoundly shaped his later life and the political chaos of his youth.
• ▶ 5:49 After earning his PhD, Kaltenbrunner established his own law practice in Linz by 1928.
• [6:24-6:40] A fencing hobby or car accident left Kaltenbrunner with significant facial scars, giving him an intimidating appearance.
• [7:02-7:30] Post-WWI chaos and failed communist revolutions in Germany created fertile ground for right-wing paramilitary groups like the Nazis.
• [8:59-9:11] Kaltenbrunner formally joined the Nazi Party in October 1930, a period of growing support fueled by the Great Depression.
• [9:50-10:06] Kaltenbrunner rose rapidly, becoming a major district official in Upper Austria by 1931 and joining the SS that August.
• ▶ 15:25 Kaltenbrunner was arrested in January 1934 for conspiring against the state, part of a broader crackdown on Austrian Nazis.
• ▶ 16:22 He was released from detention in May 1934, leaving him free during the assassination of Chancellor Dollfuss later that year.
• ▶ 20:25 After the Anschluss in March 1938, he received significant promotions, including appointment as Minister of Public Security for Austria, cementing his power in the Nazi hierarchy.
• ▶ 21:11 Kaltenbrunner was actively involved in the initial phase of systematic persecution directed at Austria's Jewish communities from the summer of 1938 onward, marking the start of state-sponsored antisemitic policies.
• ▶ 21:17 He played a significant role in establishing a Gestapo branch in Vienna, which was crucial for setting up the apparatus of control and repression in Nazi-occupied Austria.
• ▶ 21:34 The Mauthausen concentration camp was established in early August 1938, approximately 20 kilometers from Linz, making it the first such camp in Austria following the Anschluss.
• [21:43-22:10] The camp served as a tool to imprison political prisoners and ideological enemies, including socialists, Jews, Romani, homosexuals, and others deemed state enemies in occupied Austria.
• [22:10-22:49] Prisoners faced extreme brutality, starvation, and forced slave labor for the Nazi war effort; the camp complex expanded to hold up to 85,000 people, with an estimated 190,000 prisoners passing through by 1945 and nearly half dying.
• ▶ 23:13 The Anschluss annexed Austria into Nazi Germany with little opposition, followed immediately by Hitler's claim to Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland.
• ▶ 24:04 Hitler assured Chamberlain at Munich that the Sudetenland was his final territorial demand, but he quickly broke this promise by dismembering the rest of Czechoslovakia.
• ▶ 25:36 The German invasion of Poland prompted Britain and France to declare war, marking the start of World War II.
• ▶ 25:50 With the outbreak of WWII, Kaltenbrunner’s status transformed dramatically, propelling him from a mid-level official to one of the regime's most senior figures.
• ▶ 26:01 In early summer 1940, Kaltenbrunner was appointed Police President of Vienna, making him the most senior police authority in Austria.
• ▶ 26:27 Over the following year, he expanded Nazi intelligence services throughout Austria to identify and eliminate potential opposition movements during the war.
• ▶ 26:47 Out of a population of nearly seven million in Nazi Austria, approximately 100,000 individuals were targeted as opponents of the regime.
• ▶ 26:56 Heinrich Maier, a Roman Catholic priest, led a resistance network that gathered intelligence, including German warplane schematics, and passed them to the Allies.
• ▶ 27:10 Kaltenbrunner's secret police had limited success against Maier's sophisticated organization but were more effective in dismantling other resistance groups, such as the Austrian Freedom Movement.
• ▶ 0:00 The invasion of Poland served as a blueprint for future conquests, with the country overrun in about a month.
• ▶ 0:10 A period of relative calm during the "Phoney War" (winter 1939-1940) preceded major German offensives in the West.
• ▶ 0:25 The Nazi blitzkrieg trapped over 300,000 Allied troops at Dunkirk in May 1940, but a daring naval evacuation saved them from capture.
• ▶ 0:00 World War II led to a dramatic increase in Jewish people under Nazi control, expanding their territorial and demographic scope of the "Jewish problem."
• ▶ 0:21 Policy shifted from coerced emigration to state-orchestrated mass violence, exemplified by the Kristallnacht pogrom which marked a turn toward systematic persecution.
• ▶ 0:49 Vienna, with its large Jewish population, became a major center for the brutal excesses of Kristallnacht.
• ▶ 0:00 The conquest of Poland in autumn 1939 made the prior Nazi policy of coercing Jews to emigrate impractical due to approximately 3.5 million Jews under direct German control, requiring a new approach to the 'Jewish Question.'
• ▶ 0:30 The Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), overseen by Reinhard Heydrich, developed radical plans, including Adolf Eichmann's 1940 proposal for the Madagascar Plan: mass detention and forcible deportation of European Jews to Madagascar.
• ▶ 1:00 The Madagascar Plan was deemed impractical and abandoned by early 1941 as Hitler's decision to invade the Soviet Union altered the strategic context, leading to different, more immediate plans for the 'Final Solution.'
• ▶ 31:50 In summer–autumn 1941, senior Nazi leaders, including Hitler, Himmler, and Heydrich, formally decided upon the "Final Solution" – a plan for the systematic genocide of all European Jews.
• ▶ 32:28 Implementation involved mass deportation of Jews from across Europe to concentration camps, primarily in Poland, where the majority were murdered in gas chambers shortly after arrival.
• ▶ 33:10 Regional leaders like Kaltenbrunner used local police to identify and kill Jews in hiding; in Austria, this resulted in the murder of an estimated 65,000 Jews, the majority of those who had not fled before the war.
• ▶ 1:41 Reinhard Heydrich was appointed acting governor of the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia in autumn 1941 to crush the Czech Resistance, using extreme brutality.
• ▶ 3:08 The plot to assassinate Heydrich was executed on May 27, 1942, outside Prague, wounding him severely.
• ▶ 3:52 Heydrich died from his injuries on June 4, 1942, creating an immediate power vacuum at the head of the RSHA.
• ▶ 5:00 The permanent vacancy left by Heydrich's death led directly to Ernst Kaltenbrunner's appointment as the new head of the Reich Security Main Office.
• ▶ 35:20 Kaltenbrunner's appointment as head of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) was a major surprise to Nazi contemporaries.
• ▶ 35:31 The RSHA position made Kaltenbrunner the second-most powerful figure in the SS, directly under Heinrich Himmler.
• ▶ 35:40 He also took over as President of the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC), the precursor to Interpol.
• ▶ 0:06 The RSHA was a monolithic organisation overseeing seven distinct departments, each managing a specific element of Nazi intelligence and policing.
• ▶ 0:27 Department 4 contained the Gestapo and housed the offices of Adolf Eichmann, a childhood friend of Kaltenbrunner.
• ▶ 0:54 As head of the RSHA, Kaltenbrunner was the overall director of the entire security and intelligence apparatus, controlling all departments including those of the Gestapo and Eichmann.
• ▶ 36:28 Ernst Kaltenbrunner, as head of the Reich Security Main Office (RSHA), held a central position within the Holocaust's genocidal program.
• ▶ 36:47 After the war, Kaltenbrunner claimed his personal involvement in the Holocaust was minimal, arguing he merely inherited an operational system from his predecessor.
• ▶ 37:14 Kaltenbrunner established the policy of Schutzhaft (protective custody), directing transfers to concentration camps to accelerate the murder of Jews, Romani people, and other targeted groups.
• ▶ 37:42 His office issued operational directives to death camps like Auschwitz-Birkenau, ordering continued mass executions using Zyklon-B and carbon monoxide throughout 1943 and 1944.
• ▶ 38:05 Kaltenbrunner headed the RSHA during the peak of the Holocaust, with intensified genocide operations from 1943-1944, including major deportations and his personal antisemitism driving his role.
• ▶ 0:00 Kaltenbrunner's appointment as head of the RSHA in January 1943 occurred at a critical moment when the war had turned dramatically against the Nazi regime.
• ▶ 41:03 The surrender of the German Sixth Army at Stalingrad, a massive and symbolic defeat, happened just weeks after Kaltenbrunner took control of the RSHA.
• ▶ 41:27 Following Stalingrad, the war's outcome was clear: defeat for Germany was inevitable, leading to a sense of precariousness for those in leadership positions like Kaltenbrunner.
• ▶ 42:25 Skorzeny's team successfully extracted Mussolini from a mountaintop hotel in central Italy during the Gran Sasso Raid.
• ▶ 42:40 Following the rescue, Skorzeny transported Mussolini to northern Italy.
• ▶ 42:46 Mussolini was installed as the puppet ruler of the Italian Social Republic, which continued fighting the Allies from northern Italy until the war's end.
• ▶ 0:03 Operation Long Jump was a Nazi plot to assassinate Allied leaders Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin during their 1943 Tehran conference.
• ▶ 0:36 A key objective was to capture President Roosevelt alive as a bargaining tool.
• ▶ 1:08 The plot was foiled after a Soviet agent obtained the operation's details from an SS officer.
• ▶ 2:00 In 1943, Kaltenbrunner petitioned for compulsory castration of all males convicted of homosexuality.
• ▶ 3:00 The Gestapo implemented castration through coercion, threatening men with concentration camps if they refused.
• ▶ 4:00 An estimated 800 men were castrated as a result of these policies.
• ▶ 0:00 In early 1944, Nazi Germany shifted policy to take direct control of Hungary, placing its large Jewish population under the Nazi extermination apparatus.
• ▶ 0:23 Ernst Kaltenbrunner was physically present at a key meeting where this takeover was communicated to Hungarian Regent Miklós Horthy.
• ▶ 0:38 Kaltenbrunner and Adolf Eichmann became the two pivotal figures who led a massive, brutal campaign to deport and murder Hungarian Jews from spring to late summer 1944.
• ▶ 47:24 Over 400,000 Hungarian Jews were arrested and deported to death camps between March and July 1944.
• ▶ 47:39 During May and June 1944, over 2,000 Hungarian Jews were killed daily at Auschwitz, with the crematoriums' capacity limiting the number.
• ▶ 47:51 Ernst Kaltenbrunner, as Head of the Reich Security Main Office, was a central architect of this industrial-scale slaughter.
• ▶ 48:06 The July 20, 1944 assassination attempt on Hitler by Claus von Stauffenberg nearly succeeded but only wounded him, causing the coup to fail.
• ▶ 48:41 Kaltenbrunner, as head of the Reich Security Main Office, was summoned to lead the investigation into the depth and scope of the conspiracy.
• ▶ 48:49 The investigation resulted in brutal repression, with thousands arrested and approximately 5,000 executed as the regime purged real and perceived enemies.
• ▶ 49:14 Kaltenbrunner received the Blood Order, a highly significant Nazi award typically reserved for participants in the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch.
• ▶ 49:20 He was also awarded the Golden Party Badge, given to the oldest and most trusted members of the Nazi Party.
• ▶ 49:40 In December 1944, he was promoted to the rank of General of the Police, marking the peak of his power and standing with Hitler.
• ▶ 49:53 The military situation for Nazi Germany deteriorated rapidly in 1944, with the Western Allies advancing from Normandy and the Soviet forces pushing deep into Poland and massing for an invasion of eastern Germany.
• ▶ 50:33 Amidst this military collapse, Himmler promoted SS officers like Kaltenbrunner to a military SS rank, a strategic move intended to have them classified as "military officers" rather than "police officials" after the war to avoid harsher legal consequences for their roles in war crimes.
• ▶ 50:55 As Germany's defeat became apparent, Kaltenbrunner joined other senior Nazis in attempting to establish negotiation channels with the Western Allies.
• ▶ 51:29 In late 1944, Kaltenbrunner established contact with the International Red Cross in Switzerland, culminating in a meeting with its president in March 1945.
• ▶ 51:48 These peace negotiations ultimately failed and resulted in no concrete terms, though Kaltenbrunner was not charged with treason for the attempts.
• ▶ 52:16 Kaltenbrunner was appointed commander of the southern armies by Heinrich Himmler on April 18.
• ▶ 52:26 The command was nominal, with disparate units in Austria, Hungary, and Croatia.
• ▶ 52:36-▶ 52:49 These areas faced little Allied action due to low strategic value, resulting in Kaltenbrunner's limited and ineffective role in the final weeks of the war.
• ▶ 53:02 Kaltenbrunner ordered a guerrilla campaign against Allied forces in Upper Austria.
• ▶ 53:08 Kaltenbrunner became involved in a dispute over a looted art collection intended for the Hitler Museum.
• ▶ 53:30 Kaltenbrunner prevented the destruction of the art collection, saving it from being destroyed by Eigruber.
• ▶ 53:51 High-ranking Nazis, including Kaltenbrunner, Himmler, and Göring, attempted surrender negotiations in late 1944 and early 1945, but all failed due to Hitler's determination to fight to the end.
• ▶ 55:03 The Battle of Berlin culminated with Hitler's suicide on April 30, 1945, as Soviet forces closed in on the city center.
• ▶ 55:21 After Hitler's death, Admiral Karl Dönitz negotiated Germany's unconditional surrender, which was signed on May 7, 1945, formally ending the war in Europe.
• ▶ 0:00 Kaltenbrunner's last official actions occurred in mid-April 1945 when he flew to Berlin to meet with Adolf Hitler, confirming his position as commander of German armies in Southern Europe and discussing strategic plans.
• ▶ 1:00 He escaped to the Austrian Alps with his deputy commander and others, hiding in a mountain cabin under false identity papers, and discarded his official seal into an Alpine lake, which was later recovered.
• ▶ 2:00 On 12 May 1945, Kaltenbrunner was captured by U.S. forces after rumors led to the discovery of his hiding place, and his identity was confirmed due to his high profile and distinctive facial scars.
• ▶ 57:17 The Allies debated post-war justice for Germany, ultimately rejecting collective punishment due to its historical failure after WWI, its injustice to uninvolved citizens, and the clandestine nature of Nazi crimes.
• ▶ 58:02 They decided to prosecute only specific individuals: Nazi leaders, key officials, and those who facilitated the war and crimes against humanity.
• ▶ 58:26 The Allies declared the entire SS a criminal organization for its central role in operating concentration camps and committing atrocities.
• ▶ 58:42 Ernst Kaltenbrunner was uniquely classified into two distinct categories for prosecution at the Nuremberg Trials: as a high-ranking Nazi Party member and as a senior SS officer.
• ▶ 58:42 His prosecution as a Nazi Party member stemmed from his activities in Austria, including aiding the concentration camp system and serving as Police Chief of Vienna.
• ▶ 59:01 Additionally, he was charged as a senior SS officer, having risen to become the second-most senior leader within the SS organization.
• ▶ 59:35 Heinrich Himmler's suicide on 23 May 1945 made Ernst Kaltenbrunner the highest-ranking SS officer alive.
• ▶ 59:44 Kaltenbrunner became the most senior surviving member of the SS following Himmler and Heydrich's deaths.
• ▶ 59:50 Kaltenbrunner was chosen as the main SS defendant for the Nuremberg trials before the International Military Tribunal.
• ▶ 11:15 The Nuremberg Trials aimed to thoroughly document Nazi crimes globally, with senior figures like Göring tried alongside others.
• ▶ 0:45 Kaltenbrunner defended himself by claiming his signature was forged and his leadership role was merely symbolic.
• ▶ 1:10 He was convicted and executed by hanging on October 16, 1946, maintaining his innocence in his final words.
• ▶ 1:02:27 At the outbreak of WWII, Ernst Kaltenbrunner was a peripheral figure, holding the regional position of SS police officer in Vienna, not a major leadership role.
• ▶ 1:02:49 His rise to head the Reich Security Main Office was due to unusual circumstances, primarily the assassination of his predecessor, Reinhard Heydrich.
• ▶ 1:03:01 Reichsführer-SS Heinrich Himmler then made the controversial decision to appoint Kaltenbrunner over other more obvious candidates, like Gestapo head Heinrich Müller.
• ▶ 1:03:17 Kaltenbrunner's unusual rise from obscurity to become the second most senior SS official made him a shadowy but prominent Nazi figure.
• ▶ 1:03:32 His ideological fanaticism was absolute; he was a zealous Hitler follower with deep anti-Semitism and Nazism.
• ▶ 1:03:36 As head of the RSHA, he proved as ruthless as his predecessor Heydrich and energetically oversaw the "Final Solution" that Heydrich had started.
• ▶ 1:03:58 He directly managed the RSHA structure for this task, highlighting his childhood friend Adolf Eichmann as a key agent.
• ▶ 1:04:18 Kaltenbrunner was directly involved in orchestrating the Holocaust in Hungary, completing the deportation and murder of approximately 750,000 Jews in just six months in 1944.
• ▶ 1:04:25 He advocated for barbaric policies beyond the Holocaust, specifically desiring an official policy of castration across the Reich for those found guilty of certain crimes.
• ▶ 1:04:39 Kaltenbrunner was a chief defendant in the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg following World War II.
• ▶ 1:04:59 He became the most senior living SS member to stand trial due to the deaths of his superiors, Heinrich Himmler and Reinhard Heydrich.
• ▶ 1:05:07 He was found guilty by the tribunal and sentenced to death in 1946.

• ▶ 0:03 Birth and Early Life (0:03 - 5:48) - * Details Ernst Kaltenbrunner's birth, family background, and early education.
• ▶ 5:49 Political Awakening in a Changing Europe (5:49 - 13:23) - * Covers Kaltenbrunner's return to Austria, the rise of Nazism, and the turbulent political climate.
• ▶ 13:23 The Path to Power in Austria (13:23 - 21:05) - * Traces Kaltenbrunner's increasing influence, arrests, and his rise following the Anschluss.
• ▶ 21:11 Role in Persecution and Early War (21:11 - 30:12) - * Details his involvement in persecuting Jews, the establishment of Mauthausen, and the outbreak of WWII.
• ▶ 30:18 Head of the Reich Security Main Office (30:18 - 1:06:04) - * Chronicles his appointment as RSHA chief, overseeing departments responsible for implementing the Holocaust.