, 1933 While in Italy, Philipp fell under the influence of
Fascism, or otherwise believed the
Bolsheviks to be a greater threat. He was assigned Party membership number 418,991 and, on 30 January 1939, he would be awarded the
Golden Party Badge. On 1 July 1932, he joined the
Stormtroopers (SA, commonly referred to as the brownshirts) with the rank of SA-
Oberführer. He was promoted to SA-
Gruppenführer on 13 May 1933 and SA-
Obergruppenführer on 9 November 1938. In 1933, his younger brother
Christoph joined the
Schutzstaffel (SS). Later, his two other brothers, including
Wolfgang, also joined the SA. Through his party membership, Philipp became a particularly close friend of
Hermann Göring, the future head of the German Air Force (
Luftwaffe). On 11 March 1938, he delivered Hitler's letter of reassurance to Mussolini prior to Hitler's marching into Austria, and received a gushing call from Hitler upon the news of Mussolini's acquiescence. As governor of
Hesse-Nassau, Philipp was associated with the
Aktion T4 euthanasia programme. In February 1941, Philipp signed the contract placing the sanitarium of
Hadamar Clinic at the disposal of the Reich Interior Ministry. Over 10,000 mentally ill people were killed there. In 1946, Philipp was charged with murder, but the charges were later dropped. As the war progressed, the attitude of the National Socialist authorities towards members of the German princely houses changed. While at first, they had been happy to use the historic family names to bolster popular support, they now decided to distance themselves even from those princes who had supported them. In late April 1943, Philipp was ordered to report to Hitler's headquarters, where he stayed for most of the next four months. In May 1943, Hitler issued the "Decree Concerning Internationally Connected Men" declaring that princes could not hold positions in the party, state, or armed forces. The arrest of Mussolini by Philipp's father-in-law King Victor Emmanuel in July 1943 made Phillipp's position even more difficult.
Arrest Hitler believed that Philipp and his family were complicit in Mussolini's downfall. On 8 September 1943, Philipp was arrested. He was stripped of his membership in the party and dismissed from the Luftwaffe. On 25 January 1944, his political disgrace became public when he was dismissed from his office as
Oberpräsident of Hesse-Nassau. In September 1943, Philipp was sent to
Flossenbürg concentration camp. He was placed in solitary confinement and was not permitted any contact with the outside world. He was, however, granted certain privileges: wearing civilian clothes and eating the same food as the guards. Philipp's wife
Mafalda was arrested and placed under military custody in Rome. She was sent to Munich and Berlin for questioning and eventually to
Buchenwald concentration camp ==After the war==