In 2019, a disturbing discovery in a Berlin cemetery revived painful memories of World War II. A grave had been dug open by someone who knew the identity of the man buried there. The grave was unmarked, but the man was Reinhard Heydrich, known as the Butcher of Prague and one of the most brutal Nazis of World War II and history.
The reason for the disturbance was never established, and no remains were confirmed to have been taken. Yet someone appeared to be searching for something, perhaps the sword or military uniform in which Heydrich was buried, items that would be worth enormous sums today.
The cemetery that holds Heydrich's grave is known as the Invalidenfriedhof, or Cemetery of the Invalids. It carries a dark history of its own. During the construction of the Berlin Wall, it was known as a "death zone," meaning anyone inside its walls could be shot.
The cemetery takes its name from the nearby homes and residences for veterans, where former soldiers rested after being wounded on the battlefield. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Berlin. After the Napoleonic Wars, it was designated largely as a cemetery for the Prussian army, and a section inside it was reserved for nobility. Some of those who fell during the German Revolution of 1848 were also buried there.
The cemetery contains a number of prominent nineteenth-century graves, including that of General Gerhard von Scharnhorst, considered a Prussian hero during the Napoleonic Wars. His grave is among the largest within the cemetery walls. It is a vast burial ground, and by 1872 it had hosted around 18,000 funerals.
During World War I, many soldiers brought back to Berlin were buried there, specifically in the veterans' cemetery. A number of commanders and officers who took part in World War I were also buried there, including Helmuth von Moltke the Younger and Max Hoffmann, along with prominent figures from the Prussian resistance movement, the Freikorps. These men rose to prominence in the aftermath of the war and were originally former army members armed as paramilitary groups.
One of the most notable figures buried in the cemetery for decades was Manfred von Richthofen, known as the Red Baron. This skilled fighter pilot was buried several times, and the German government requested that his body be returned to army headquarters in Berlin to be buried among other German heroes and military leaders. An official funeral was held, and his body was placed in the cemetery.
The Nazis later held a massive memorial ceremony for the Red Baron at his grave, even placing a huge tombstone inscribed with the word "Toffen." That particular grave was later damaged by gunfire from Soviet forces, who fired on those trying to flee East Germany. In 1975, the Red Baron's body was moved from the cemetery to a family tomb in the Richthofen area.
A number of senior military officers were also buried in the cemetery. But with the rise of the Nazi regime and the emergence of the Third Reich after Hitler came to power, the cemetery filled with the bodies of a number of prominent Nazis, earning it a bad reputation.
Many senior Nazis were buried there alongside former army members, including Werner von Fritsch, commander of the German army from 1934 to 1938, who was later ousted, allowing Hitler to tighten his grip on the army and armed forces. Fritsch was given a grand official funeral after his death. It was said that General von Fritsch was buried there that morning. The weather was rainy, cold, and dark, one of the most gloomy days remembered in Berlin. Hitler, Ribbentrop, and Himmler did not attend, though they had all returned to Berlin from the front that afternoon.
Also buried there was the ace pilot Werner Mölders, who became the first pilot to shoot down 100 enemy aircraft and was a highly decorated soldier. He died while aboard an aircraft as a passenger. An official funeral was held for him, attended by an honor guard of senior Nazis and German Air Force officers. He was buried next to the Red Baron.
Ernst Udet, another ace pilot, was buried there as well. He took his own life after being considered a failure in his position as chief of procurement and supply for the German Air Force.
Among the senior Nazis buried in the Invalidenfriedhof was Fritz Todt, Minister of Armaments and founder of Organisation Todt, which supplied German industry with forced labor. Todt was highly regarded and was responsible for building the autobahn. He was also appointed Minister of Armaments and War Production in 1940, and hundreds of thousands of workers were forced into harsh and horrific labor because of his actions. He died in February 1942 when his plane crashed shortly after takeoff, and he was buried in a cemetery in the heart of Berlin.
Walther von Reichenau, commander of the army during the invasion of Belgium and France, was also buried there. He was nicknamed "the Bull" and was known for massacres of civilians. He took part in the massacre of thousands, and despite being a strong competitor in cross-country races, he suffered a stroke while running and was later taken to Leipzig, where his plane crashed on landing. It is not known whether he died from his injuries aboard the plane or from the stroke, but his body was later transferred to Berlin, where he was buried alongside other prominent Nazi figures.
But as mentioned earlier, the most famous and most brutal Nazi buried in the Invalidenfriedhof, and who remains there, is Reinhard Heydrich. Heydrich was head of the Reich Main Security Office, and Hitler called him "the man with the iron heart." He was also one of the architects of the "Final Solution." He brought immense suffering to Europe and was personally responsible for the slaughter of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands.
Heydrich was nicknamed the Butcher of Prague and was sent as Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia to rehabilitate the region. He was assassinated by Czech resistance fighters trained by the Special Operations Executive, and he died of his wounds on June 4, 1942. His coffin was transported to Berlin by train. A grand funeral was held, and a second private memorial ceremony was held inside the Reich Chancellery. Hitler attended, Himmler delivered a eulogy, and Heydrich was then buried inside the military hospital.
The exact location of his grave, as noted, was lost over time. Yet someone knew the true location of his grave, and the wooden monument was removed, so his grave did not become a shrine for neo-Nazis after the war. As mentioned, his grave was opened, but nothing was taken from it. However, a photograph taken during the funeral and burial showed that Heydrich was buried in Section A of the cemetery near the northern wall. Hitler had planned to build a massive mausoleum for Heydrich, but as World War II turned against the Germans, the plan was never carried out.
Heydrich was not the last person buried in the Invalidenfriedhof. German General Kurt Haase, who commanded III Corps during the invasion of Poland and France, was also buried there, along with German General Hans-Valentin Hube, who also died in a plane crash. It appears that many of the men buried there were victims of plane crashes. Hube was given an official funeral.
As the end of World War II approached and the Battle of Berlin intensified with the Soviet Red Army entering the city, the cemetery suffered severe damage from artillery bombardment and gunfire. Some graves still bear traces of bullets and shrapnel.
At the end of the war, the cemetery fell within the Soviet sector of divided Berlin, and an order was issued to remove the gravestones of prominent Nazis and any symbols associated with them. The graves of figures such as Heydrich and Todt were covered and their identifying markers removed. Yet many people in the city knew the true locations of their burials.
The cemetery witnessed further destruction and change after the Berlin Wall was built. Its western part lay on the border strip, and part of it was leveled to make way for the wall, watchtowers, and other installations. This part became known as the "death strip." In this border area, some people were killed by shots from Soviet border police.
For example, the first person to raise a weapon while attempting to flee west was shot. He tried to swim across the canal bordering the cemetery but did not succeed. The first fatality of a border guard here occurred when Peter Göring shot someone trying to escape on May 23, 1962. West Berlin police responded with gunfire. The shooting and bloodshed escalated as more people attempting to flee were killed, along with two West Berlin residents.
Today, parts of the Berlin Wall still stand inside the cemetery, and some of the destroyed graves have been rebuilt. But the graves of the most famous and notorious Nazis remain unmarked.
The Invalidenfriedhof began as a noble military cemetery, but its reputation was tarnished by the burial of members of Hitler's government and the Nazi Party who committed horrific acts. Men like Heydrich were buried there, alongside other prominent military leaders.