Erhard Heiden | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rd Reichsführer-SS | |
| In office 1 March 1927 – 6 January 1929 | |
| Deputy | Heinrich Himmler |
| Leader | Adolf Hitler |
| Preceded by | Joseph Berchtold |
| Succeeded by | Heinrich Himmler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 February 1901 Weiler-Simmerberg, German Empire |
| Died | March 19, 1933 (aged 32) Nazi Germany |
| Cause of death | Execution by shooting |
| Political party | Nazi Party |
Erhard Heiden (23 February 1901 – 19 March 1933) was an early member of the Nazi Party and the third commander of the Schutzstaffel (SS), the paramilitary wing of the Sturmabteilung ("Storm Detachment; SA"). He was appointed head of the SS, an elite subsection of the SA in 1927. At that time the SS numbered fewer than a thousand men and Heiden found it difficult to cope under the much larger SA. Heiden was not a success in the post, and SS membership dropped significantly under his leadership. He was dismissed from his post in 1929, officially for "family reasons". He was arrested after the Nazis came to power in 1933 and executed that same year.