Hermann Wilhelm Göring
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Hermann Göring commanded the Luftwaffe as Reichsmarschall and second-in-command of Nazi Germany. A Nuremberg tribunal convicted him of crimes against humanity and sentenced him to death, but he committed suicide by poisoning on October 15, 1946, hours before his scheduled hanging. He was the highest-ranking Nazi official captured alive by the Allies.
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Hermann Göring — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Born on January 12, 1893, in Rosenheim, Bavaria, to Franziska Tiefenbrunn and Heinrich Ernst Göring, a prominent judge, Hermann Wilhelm Göring entered the Royal Prussian Cadet House Karlsruhe and later the Royal Prussian Main Cadet Institute in Gross-Lichterfelde, graduating in 1911. At the outbreak of World War I, he served as an infantry lieutenant before transferring to the air corps.
Göring flew as a fighter pilot during World War I, achieving 22 aerial kills and earning the Pour le Mérite, known as the Blue Max. In 1918, he assumed command of Manfred von Richthofen’s Flying Circus after the Red Baron’s death. After the war, he became a devoted follower of Adolf Hitler and in 1922 took charge of the Brownshirts, the Nazi paramilitary organization. He participated in the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, was wounded, and became addicted to morphine. In 1933, after Hitler became Chancellor, Göring took the post of commissioner for aviation and in 1935 became commander-in-chief of the newly established Luftwaffe. By the start of World War II, he had built the Luftwaffe into the largest air force in the world. On June 19, 1940, he was promoted to Reichsmarschall, a rank above field marshal. His strategic errors during the Battle of Britain in August-September 1940 and the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 led to heavy losses. By 1943, the Allied air forces overwhelmed the Luftwaffe. In April 1945, Hitler ordered his arrest after Göring suggested peace negotiations. Göring escaped but was captured by the U.S. 7th Army on May 2, 1945.
Göring married Carin von Rosen in 1923; she died in 1931. In 1935, he married Emmy Göring, with whom he had a daughter, Edda Göring. His brother, Albert Göring, was an active antifascist. He lived a sybaritic lifestyle at his lavish estate Karinhall, named after his first wife, where he indulged in fine food, elaborate uniforms, and a model train set. He became addicted to morphine after being shot during the Beer Hall Putsch.
Göring developed much of the Third Reich’s anti-Jewish legislation. He was the only recipient of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II. At the Nuremberg Trials, his IQ measured 138. His flamboyant uniforms and makeup sparked rumors about his personal life. His suicide hours before execution prevented him from facing the hangman. He built the Luftwaffe into the world’s largest air force by 1939 and served as Hitler’s second-in-command.
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We Have No Butter… but I Ask You, Would You Rather Have Butter or Guns? Preparedness Makes Us Powerful. Butter Merely Makes Us Fat.
I Am What I Have Always Been: the Last Renaissance Man, If I May Be Allowed to Say So.
I Joined the Party Because I Was a Revolutionary, Not Because of Any Ideological Nonsense.
It Is Better to Kill Ten Innocent Men Than Let One Guilty Man Go Free.
Our Movement Took a Grip on Cowardly Marxism and from It Extracted the Meaning of Socialism. It Also Took from the Cowardly Middle Class Parties Their Nationalism. Throwing Both into the Cauldron of Our Way of Life There Emerged, as Clear as a Crystal, the Synthesis German National Socialism.
I Herewith Commission You to Carry Out All Preparations with Regard to . . . a Total Solution of the Jewish Question in Those Territories of Europe Which Are Under German Influence.
Shoot First and Ask Questions Later, and Don’t Worry, No Matter What Happens, I Will Protect You.
Education Is Dangerous Every Educated Person Is a Future Enemy.
The Jewish Problem Will Reach Its Solution If, in Anytime Soon, We Will Be Drawn into War Beyond Our Border Then It Is Obvious That We Will Have to Manage a Final Account with the Jews.
The Spanish Civil War Gave Me an Opportunity to Put My Young Air Force to the Test, and a Means for My Men to Gain Experience.
To Me There Are Two Hitlers: One Who Existed Until the End of the French War; the Other Begins with the Russian Campaign. in the Beginning He Was Genial and Pleasant. He Would Have Extraordinary Willpower and Influence on People. the Thing to Remember Is That the First Hitler Had Much Charm and Goodwill. He Was Always Frank. the Second Hitler…up to His Suicide, Was Always Suspicious, Easily Upset, and Tense. He Was Distrustful to an Extreme Degree.
Whenever I Hear the Word Culture, I Reach for My Revolver.
We Will Go Down in History Either as the World’s Greatest Statesmen or Its Worst Villains.
I Know Two Types of Law Because I Know Two Types of Men, Those Who Are with Us and Those Who Are Against Us.
Little-known facts about Hermann Göring — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
He was the highest-level Nazi official captured alive by the Allies.
Committed suicide by poison hours before his scheduled execution in 1946.
His flamboyant uniforms and use of make-up caused rumors about his sexuality.
Lived a sybaritic lifestyle, building a lavish palace called Karinhall in tribute to his deceased first wife, where he indulged in dressing gowns, feasts, and a model train set.
He was responsible for carrying out the Blitz of UK cities from September 1940 to May 1941 in response to the bombing of German cities by the British RAF.
His brother Albert Göring was an active antifascist.
During the Nuremberg Trials, psychological testing revealed he had an IQ of 138.
He was given the nickname Fatso Göring by Allied soldiers.
Technically the highest-ranking German general officer in World War II after being awarded the rank of Reichsmarschall in 1940, but professional army commanders did not respect him or the rank.
After the Fall of France, he advised Hitler to focus on North Africa and the Mediterranean rather than invade the UK.
In 1944, he refused an honorary commission as SS-Oberstgruppenfuhrer because it would mean swearing loyalty to Heinrich Himmler, whom he despised.
A World War I pilot in Manfred von Richthofen’s squadron, he assumed command after Richthofen’s death in 1918.
He was the only recipient of the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross during World War II.
At the close of the war, his titles included Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, Reich Minister of Aviation, Reichstag President, Minister President of Prussia, Commissioner of the Four Year Plan, Reich Chief Forestor, Reich Commissioner of Hunting, Gruppenfuhrer in the Stormtroopers, and second-in-command of the Nazi Party.
During the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, he was shot by Munich police, leading to a lifelong morphine addiction.
He was a longtime personal friend of Gustaf Mannerheim; they were hunting partners in the 1930s and 1940s specializing in deer.
According to the documentary Nuremberg: The Trial of Hermann Goering 2006, he told a jailer he was on his way to a Freemasons meeting when he met a girl who recognized him, claiming that encounter led him to the Nazi Party since Freemasons were banned from joining.
Step-grand uncle of Corinna Genest and step-grand-uncle-in-law of Karl Schönböck.
He was strongly opposed to the switch to bombing cities during the Battle of Britain.
He realized early the benefits of dive-bombers and long-range fighter escorts, and created a specialized night-fighter force in June 1940 under Hauptmann Wolfgang Falck, becoming NJG 1.
Supreme commander of the Luftwaffe during the Third Reich, holding the rank of Reichsmarschall.
His daughter, Edda Göring, was born with wife Emmy Göring.
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