Margarete Himmler: The Loyal Wife of SS Chief Heinrich Himmler

Margarete Himmler was the wife of Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS and one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany. While her husband oversaw concentration camps, police terror, and the machinery of the Holocaust, Margarete remained fiercely loyal to him and embraced the ideology of the Third Reich without hesitation.Born as Margarete Boden in the German Empire, she worked as a nurse before meeting Heinrich Himmler in the 1920s. United by antisemitism, nationalism, and devotion to Adolf Hitler, the two became part of the inner circle of Nazi Germany. As Himmler’s power expanded, Margarete attempted to establish herself among the wives of senior SS officers, though she was often mocked and disliked within Nazi social circles.The documentary follows Margarete Himmler through the rise and collapse of the Third Reich, including her role in the German Red Cross during the Second World War, her visits to Dachau and Ravensbrück concentration camps, and her reaction to her husband’s affair with his secretary Hedwig Potthast. It also examines her private correspondence, which revealed deep hatred toward Jews and unwavering support for Heinrich Himmler even as millions died under the Nazi system he helped create.Using historical records, letters, testimonies, and wartime documents, this history documentary explores the relationship between ideology, family life, and complicity inside Nazi Germany. It also follows Margarete Himmler after the fall of the Third Reich, including her arrest, interrogations, and testimony after the war.This episode is part of the series Fascist Wives and Companions.Watch the full documentary and explore hundreds of historical films at:WorldHistory.tv