Heinrich Luitpol Himmler (listen (help·info) 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was a high-ranking German Nazi politician and head of the Schutzstaffel (SS). Throughout much of the war he was the second-most powerful man in Nazi Germany, having displaced Hermann Göring. As Reichsführer-SS he oversaw all police and security forces including the Gestapo.