Hermann Goring was one of the most remarkable leaders of the Nazi party in Germany, as well as one of Hitler’s closest advisers. He entered the military unit after a lifelong interest in the military and quickly rose to prominence as an ace fighter in the German Army. He joined the Nazi party after becoming disillusioned with current politics and assisting Hitler in consolidating it into a significant force. He quickly rose to become Germany’s second most powerful man after Hitler, as a valued assistant. Heinrich Himmler, one of his arch adversaries, was given leadership of the Gestapo, the secret police force. He was named Commander-in-Chief of the German Air Force, or Luftwaffe. He received several accolades for his bravery, but he had a propensity for morphine and was hooked to it till the death. To add to his collection, Hitler had taken much of the property and artwork of Jewish Holocaust victims. The Nazi party was defeated in World War II when the Luftwaffe succumbed to Allied Forces strikes, compelling Goering to surrender. He was prosecuted at Nuremburg for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was condemned to death by hanging, but on the night before the execution, he took his own life by ingesting a cyanide capsule.
Childhood and Adolescence
Hermann was the fourth of five children born to Heinrich Ernest Goring and Franziska Tiefanbrunn. Heinrich was also the Governor General of the German Protectorate in South West Africa and Franziska, and a former cavalry officer. His older siblings were Karl, Olga, and Paul, while Albert was his younger brother. Dr. Herman Epenstein, a rich businessman and a physician friend of Goring’s father, was his godfather. He was fascinated by war games since he was a boy, and he adored playing with his toy soldiers dressed in his father’s Boer costume.
Hermann was sent to boarding school at the age of eleven, but he disliked the tight discipline and returned home by selling his violin. He was, however, quickly returned after only a few days. He studied war history in depth while playing with his toy troops as a child. He also enjoyed mountain climbing, and at an early age, he ascended the summits of the Austrian Alps. When Goring was sixteen years old, he was transferred to Berlin’s military college. He graduated with honors from there and was later discovered to have an IQ of 138.
Career of Hermann Goring
In 1912, Goring enlisted in the Prussian Army’s Prince Wilhelm Regiment. His family was forced to relocate to Munich the next year, and his father died not long after. Following World War I, he joined the aviation force after being persuaded by his buddy Bruno Loerzer. They were given the ‘Iron Cross’ for their services as a team in the Crown Prince’s ‘Fifth Army’ bombing operations.
By 1917, he had been sent to many air combat missions, one of which he was critically injured and had to recuperate from for a year. He had twenty-two victories to his credit by the end of the conflict. Goring was named leader of the ‘Flying Circus’ expedition in July 1918. His pompous attitude, on the other hand, gained him the contempt and disobedience of his teammates.
He stayed in the aviation business after the war and temporarily worked for Fokker. In 1919, he moved from Denmark to Sweden to work for the Swedish airline ‘Svensk Lufttrafik.’ He was frequently employed for private flights, and in 1921, Count Eric von Rossen hired him to fly him from Stockholm to his castle. It was there that he met the count’s sister-in-law, Baroness Carin von Kantzow, who would later become his wife.
Goring met Hitler in 1922 and became a member of the Nazi party. He was in charge of many wings until being promoted to Lieutenant General of the SA Division, a position he maintained for many years. In 1923, Hitler’s Nazi party attempted to seize power in an operation known as the ‘Beer Hall Putsch,’ inspired by Mussolini. It was a failed coup, with many Nazis being imprisoned, including Hitler, and Goring being shot in the leg.
Goring was sent to an institute in 1925 after becoming severely addicted to morphine. He had violent outbursts that led to him being put to a strait-jacket, yet his doctor declared him sane. During amnesty, he returned to Germany and resumed employment in the aviation industry. His wife, who suffered from epilepsy and TB, however, succumbed to her sickness and died soon after.
In the late 1920s, the economy had improved, and the NSDAP had reinforced itself by developing a new SS wing. The legendary Wall Street collapse contributed to a decline in the German economy and the Nazi party’s electoral success in the following elections.
The Reichstag Fire of 1933 gave the Nazi insurrection in Germany a spectacular twist. Goring called for a crackdown on communists suspected of igniting the fire, although it was later suggested that he was the one who caused it.
Hermann Goring was named a minister and Reich Commissioner of Aviation by Hitler when he was Chancellor of Germany. In 1934, he established the Gestapo police force and appointed Himmler as its chief.
The German ‘Luftwaffe’ was established in 1935, and Goring was named Commander-in-Chief. Goring retained this coveted job until the outbreak of World War II. The Second World War began in 1939, when Hitler launched war on Poland. Goring was selected as his successor, and he was given the title of Marshall of the Empire. By April 1945, the Allies had nearly defeated Germany, prompting Hitler and his wife Eva Braun to commit suicide. Goring was captured by American soldiers and surrendered.
Battles of Importance
Hermann Goring was a member of the Mulhausen infantry unit, which was stationed near the French border during WWI. He developed rheumatism and had to be hospitalized as a result of the wet trench conditions at the camp. Goring ascended to prominence with Hitler during World War II, and in 1935, he assumed leadership of the German air force. Goring sought to usurp Hitler’s authority, causing Hitler to suspect Goring of betraying him and imprisoning him after stripping him of all titles.
Achievements & Awards
In 1939, Hermann Goring received the ‘Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross.’ During World War II, this was the highest honor granted to a senior leader in the Third Reich’s military. In 1940, he was additionally awarded the ‘Grand Cross of the Iron Cross,’ the only time this honor was given. This was given to him in recognition of the Luftwaffe’s achievements during the French operations.
Personal History and Legacy
Baroness Carin von Kantzow, his first wife, had been away from her husband for eight years and had an eight-year-old kid. After Carin secured a divorce, they married in 1922 and lived in Munich until she died of sickness. His second marriage, in April 1935, was to Emmy Sonnemann, a Hamburg actress. Edda Goring, their daughter, was born to them three years later. Hermann Goring was tried and found guilty, and he was sentenced to death by hanging. Goring, on the other hand, took a cyanide capsule and committed himself the night before his execution.
Estimated Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Hermann Goring is not available.
Trivia
This German commander seized Jewish property and accumulated vast sums of money. He erected Carinhall, a massive lodge where he displayed the confiscated artifacts and had his wife’s remains deposited in a vault.
This flamboyant German general was known for his outlandish wardrobe. Apart from some weird and extravagant costumes that he liked to wear for parties, he had a collection of uniforms for the many roles he had.