I've been in your shoes, minus the pay element. There are few things at work I'm prouder of than my integrity, and attacks on it are probably what hurts me the most.
To me, you need to separate the short term actions you can take from the longer term.
Short term:
Document these emails and events, reply firmly but not aggressively so that your boss understands you are not a pushover, and perhaps report to HR.
Until you posted additional information, I was about to suggest replying to your boss, CC his boss, but it seems they're on the same side.
One side note, I would advise against replying to your boss and copying the boss 2 levels higher up who likes you, in case you've thought of that. It is likely to do more harm than good, management tends to side with the higher person up, otherwise they're admitting that they might have made a mistake making someone the manager. Those who look like your strongest ally can sometimes turn the fastest & hardest against you (I've had that happen to me a few months ago; didn't see that one coming).
Longer term (assuming there is a pattern in your boss's behavior, and it was not a one-time incident):
Look into those opportunities you have been offered. I know how it is to like it at a place, to like the rest of your colleagues, to be afraid of change (especially since you know what you'd be leaving, but not what you'd be walking into), but there's a simple fact that is not going to change: your boss falls on the enemy side, and this is not going to change. He will keep on trying, every chance he gets, to hurt you one way or another, blocking promotions, pay rises, etc. You haven't had a raise in 20 years! I don't know about Germany, but I know that in France, if an employee hasn't had a raise in over a certain number of years (aside from collective raises based on inflation), while other employees have had one, it can be considered discrimination, more so if your reviews are good. I mean, in 20 years, if you weren't good at the job, they would have gotten rid of you by now, so if you're still there, it means you're doing well enough. Your boss, and any one on his side, probably view the fact that you like it there, as an advantage for them, because they know you are less likely to leave, and will be doing your best to keep this. At the moment, this is your weakness, along with loyalty, and they're playing on that.
They've started a war already, albeit a quiet one. There is no more loyalty, you just have to change the dynamics and become the one calling the shots. Your best bet is to walk out on them once you have a solid back up plan, and do it at the shortest notice possible. Let them deal with the aftermath, perhaps this time they'll remember to keep track of training when they hire someone to replace you.
To me, you need to separate the short term actions you can take from the longer term.
Short term:
Document these emails and events, reply firmly but not aggressively so that your boss understands you are not a pushover, and perhaps report to HR.
Until you posted additional information, I was about to suggest replying to your boss, CC his boss, but it seems they're on the same side.
One side note, I would advise against replying to your boss and copying the boss 2 levels higher up who likes you, in case you've thought of that. It is likely to do more harm than good, management tends to side with the higher person up, otherwise they're admitting that they might have made a mistake making someone the manager. Those who look like your strongest ally can sometimes turn the fastest & hardest against you (I've had that happen to me a few months ago; didn't see that one coming).
Longer term (assuming there is a pattern in your boss's behavior, and it was not a one-time incident):
Look into those opportunities you have been offered. I know how it is to like it at a place, to like the rest of your colleagues, to be afraid of change (especially since you know what you'd be leaving, but not what you'd be walking into), but there's a simple fact that is not going to change: your boss falls on the enemy side, and this is not going to change. He will keep on trying, every chance he gets, to hurt you one way or another, blocking promotions, pay rises, etc. You haven't had a raise in 20 years! I don't know about Germany, but I know that in France, if an employee hasn't had a raise in over a certain number of years (aside from collective raises based on inflation), while other employees have had one, it can be considered discrimination, more so if your reviews are good. I mean, in 20 years, if you weren't good at the job, they would have gotten rid of you by now, so if you're still there, it means you're doing well enough. Your boss, and any one on his side, probably view the fact that you like it there, as an advantage for them, because they know you are less likely to leave, and will be doing your best to keep this. At the moment, this is your weakness, along with loyalty, and they're playing on that.
They've started a war already, albeit a quiet one. There is no more loyalty, you just have to change the dynamics and become the one calling the shots. Your best bet is to walk out on them once you have a solid back up plan, and do it at the shortest notice possible. Let them deal with the aftermath, perhaps this time they'll remember to keep track of training when they hire someone to replace you.
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while fighting back very carefully...the boss wants to provoke a fight so he can toss him out.
