The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. It was formed in 1933. It was led by Hermann Göring, Reinhard Heydrich and Heinrich Himmler. It became part of the Schutzstaffel (SS) in 1939.
Hermann Göring, the Minister-President of Prussia, formed the unit in 1933. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of SS national leader Heinrich Himmler. In 1936, Himmler was appointed Chief of German Police (Chef der Deutschen Polizei) by Hitler.