Ernst Kaltenbrunner succeeded Reinhard Heydrich as chief of the RSHA.
Posted by The Pete Quiñones Show, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 93%
The Pete Quiñones ShowOct 10, 2026
Sources consistently show Kaltenbrunner was appointed in January 1943 as Heydrich's successor as chief of the RSHA, after Heydrich's death in June 1942 and a brief interim period under Himmler. The post's wording ('came into the role' after Heydrich was murdered) matches the claim, and the spelling variant 'Kaltenbrenner' is immaterial.
What was said
… The Reich, you know, Himmler was under Heinrich Muller, who came to be known as Gestapo Muller, who was the head of the Gestapo. Gestapo Muller served directly under Reinhard Heydrich, who was chief of the SD and the chief of the RSH a and after he was murdered, Ernst Kaltenbrenner came into the role. Heydrich and then later Kaltenbrenner served under Himmler. Himmler technically was second only to Hitler because he was the Reichsführer SS, but Hitler and Himmler were not close. They weren't friends. They didn't socialize, they seldom saw each other, they're, you know, they didn't associate socially. …
The Pete Quiñones Show · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The Nuremberg IMT transcript records Hitler appointing Kaltenbrunner as successor to Reinhard Heydrich, and quotes Himmler calling him the comrade 'who has succeeded our fallen friend HEYDRICH.'[1]
Supports. GHDI states that Kaltenbrunner succeeded Heydrich as head of the Reich Security Main Office, with Himmler's speech marking his official appointment on January 30, 1943.[2]
Supports. The US Holocaust Memorial Museum encyclopedia says Himmler temporarily managed the RSHA for about six months after Heydrich's death, then appointed Kaltenbrunner as the new RSHA leader in January 1943.[3]
Supports. The Israeli National Library article says Himmler summoned Kaltenbrunner to Berlin in January 1943 to succeed Heydrich as chief of the RSHA.[4]
Context. The interim period under Himmler between Heydrich's death and Kaltenbrunner's appointment is a detail that does not contradict the succession claim.[3][5]
Sources
5 sources: 1 primary, 4 not rated
- 1Transcript for IMT: Trial of Major War Criminalsnuremberg.law.harvard.edu · primary source · cited for: supports
- 2GHDI - Documentghdi.ghi-dc.org · not rated · cited for: supports
- 3The Reich Security Main Office (RSHA) | Holocaust Encyclopediaencyclopedia.ushmm.org · not rated · cited for: supports, context
- 4Ernst Kaltenbrunner and the Final Solution | Articlenli.org.il · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Ernst Kaltenbrunner - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- Reinhard Heydrich was the chief of the SD and the chief of the RSHA.True
- Heinrich Muller served as the head of the Gestapo under Reinhard Heydrich.True
- Adolf Eichmann served as the chief of department 4B4 of the Reich Main Security Office (RSHA).True
- Adolf Eichmann was connected with Section 4 of the Reich Main Security Office.True
- Adolf Eichmann was a police bureaucrat in the Third Reich.True