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Sorry. Himmler had any SS man who was involved in homosexuality shot. And after the Roehm purge in ‘34, open or quasi-open homosexuality rapidly disappeared [Roehm and the SA leadership were shot because they were perceived as too Red, not because so many of them were too lavender].

While there may have been individual instances of closeted homosexuals participating in the government of the Third Reich, and in the operation of the Security apparatus, I doubt the numbers warrant the extrapolation underlying the article.

To all

Read a book called “The Hidden Hitler”. It makes a pretty persuasive case that Hitler (and the core leadership of the SA) was homosexual. There was supposedly a Vienna police file on Hitler in his young “Bohemian artist” days regarding his activity as a male prostitute. The file of course has disappeared.
Hitler had Roehm killed and the SA suppressed because it was insistent on being “revolutionary” (too Red as someone earlier said!). Hitler had now had the power he wanted, there was no need for more revolution. Killing Roehm, suppressing the SA had the added benefit of removing those that knew something possibly tawdry about “Der Fuerher”, well that was icing on the cake.

“Sorry. Himmler had any SS man who was involved in homosexuality shot.”

Oh, you were there, were you? Watched it all happen, first hand? Or is that you choose to believe some historical accounts while discounting others, and you’re right and everyone else is wrong. Those twisted fruits were used by the Nazi’s to do the dirty work, because they knew those twisted freaks would do it, without hesitation or remorse. Then, like most useful idiots in a socialist/commie country, they were eliminated once they served their purpose. But that doesn’t discount the vital role they played in establishing the Nazi party.

Sorry. Himmler had any SS man who was involved in homosexuality shot. And after the Roehm purge in ‘34, open or quasi-open homosexuality rapidly disappeared...

I'm not quite sure of your point here. Roehm and many others, perhaps including Der Fuerher, were gay, but they reformed by lining a bunch of the flamers up against the wall? And that renders the connection a non-connection?

[Roehm and the SA leadership were shot because they were perceived as too Red, not because so many of them were too lavender].

I've read Shirer's book probably half a dozen times and I missed that little factoid. I'll have to check it again.

The "Roehm was too much a lefty for Der Fuehrer" idea checks out; thanks for educating me on that. The connections between the Nazis and homosexuality seem to have been made, to a large extent, through the membership of the S.A. That being said, however, don't we have to remember that the S.A. was vital to the rise of Hitler and the NSDAP? Hitler figured out quickly that the unsavory and intellectually limited Roehm was not helping him with his larger plans. According to Shirer, Hitler had many arguments with Roehm in which he tried to convince him of this (Shirer describes Roehm as Hitler's "oldest friend" at one point). As Hitler began to circulate more in the circles of high-ranking military men and wealthy industrial tycoons, he realized that Roehm would have to go (be "kicked under the bus," to use a more current expression). Roehm's homosexual network within the S.A. kept alerted him to the growing danger, but he chose to ignore it.

Shirer does describe Roehm's belief in and plans for a "second revolution," more of a communist revolution, and states that this was a major point of disagreement between the two friends.