It can be said that Goering was one of Hitler's most capable assistants. He was different from the dull-witted Foreign Minister Ribbentroupe. Goering was talented and had particularly outstanding propaganda and organizational skills. He was the head of the tax-paying group. Xing Sheng made great contributions. However, his military ability and economic development acumen were not outstanding. In the end, he seriously betrayed Hitler. He lived a luxurious life and collected countless works of art through plunder. However, he did not escape historical sanctions in the end. Ended his life by committing suicide

The following is a brief introduction to his life

Hermann G?ring (January 12, 1893 - 1946 October 15), Marshal of the Luftwaffe, the second-in-command of the German Nazi Party, and Hitler's designated successor. At the Nuremberg Trials, G?ring was charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity and sentenced to death, but he committed suicide in prison hours before his execution.

Early years

Goering was born in Rosenheim, Bavaria, Germany. His father, Heinrich Ernest Goering, was a lawyer and local bureaucrat, and his mother was Franziska. When he was young, Goering often lived in two places with his parents and received education from tutors at home. After that, he studied at the Air Force Sergeant School in Karlsruhe and the famous Lichterfelde military camp in Berlin.

In World War I, G?ring first served in the army and then became a pilot. He flew reconnaissance and bomber missions before eventually becoming a fighter pilot. After the war, G?ring became a famous ace pilot and served as commander of the famous Richthofen Squadron.

In mid-1915, G?ring began to participate in flight training in Freiburg, and was later assigned to the 5th Flying Squadron. Soon his plane was shot down, and G?ring had to spend most of 1916 recovering from his injuries in the rear. In November 1916, G?ring returned to the Air Force and came to the 26th Flying Squadron. In 1917, G?ring was awarded the Prussian Order of Merit. On July 7, 1918, after the death of the famous pilot Manfred von Richthofen, G?ring served as the captain of the Richthofen Squadron (Jasta 11). In the end, he became Germany's ace pilot with his impressive record of shooting down 22 enemy planes. Incidentally, it is worth mentioning that G?ring was the only member of Jasta 11 Squadron who was not invited to the post-war party.

In June 1917, in a protracted and fierce air battle, G?ring shot down an inexperienced Australian pilot, Frank Sri. This battle was later dubbed, with great exaggeration, "The Rise of Hermann G?ring." After the battle, G?ring met with his opponent and gave him his Iron Cross. Years later, Sri gave the medal to a friend, who died on a beach during the D-Day invasion.

After World War I, G?ring continued to serve in the Air Force, mainly working for the Fokker Aircraft Company, and was an aerobatic test pilot. In 1920, he joined the Swedish airline Svenska Lufttrafik. At the same time, he was also an officer in the German Defense Forces after World War I. He was promoted to major general in 1933 and awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1935. Soon after the Luftwaffe was established, Goering became an air force general.

While working in Stockholm, Goering met Karin von Kantzow (1888-1931), and soon the two were officially married. In 1931, shortly after his wife's death, Goering married actress Emmy Sonnemann.

Political career

As early as 1922, Goering joined the Nazi Party and became the commander of the Nazi Stormtroopers (German: Oberste SA-Führer). After leaving this post, he retained the rank of Lieutenant General of the SA until 1945.

In 1928, Goering became a member of the German Reichstag. From 1932 to 1933, he served as Speaker of the Reichstag. He played an important role in the integration process that established the Nazi Party's dominance.

In the early days, Goering also held several ministerial positions in Prussia and the Empire, in charge of economic and military construction and other affairs. In 1935, G?ring served as Commander-in-Chief of the German Air Force. In 1939, he became the first German Air Marshal in history.

On June 29, 1941, Hitler issued a decree designating G?ring as his successor and granting him the highest military rank in Nazi Germany—Reich Marshal. Reich Marshal was a military rank created specifically for Goering, which made Goering's status beyond that of the marshals of all German military services.

According to the confession of General Franz Harder in the Nuremberg Trials, the 1933 Berlin Reichstag arson was planned by Goering and was not instigated by the Communists. Hader's confession stated that "at Hitler's birthday lunch in 1942, G?ring excitedly slapped his thigh and said, 'Only I really know the Reichstag because I set it on fire.'" But G?ring denied this at the Nuremberg trials.

Goering at the Nuremberg Trials: "As soon as I hear the word culture, I pick up my Browning (a famous pistol brand)" This sentence is well known to the world as Goering's famous saying. However, in fact, regardless of whether Goering said this sentence or not, he was not the original author of this sentence. The German playwright Hans Jost wrote in the first scene of the play "Slagter" that "as soon as I heard "Kulture", I immediately reached for my gun." In addition, in addition to Goering, Rudolf Hess I often say this line.

Goering was also famous for his penchant for luxurious living and gorgeous clothes. After G?ring married Karinhall, the widow of a Swedish baron, he built a Prussian-style manor named after her. Goering was also very obsessed with aristocratic-style handicrafts. During the occupation of Nazi Germany, he collected many precious handicrafts from various countries and kept them for himself. Although G?ring was very handsome and healthy in his youth, G?ring, who was injured in the beer hall incident, had to rely on narcotic analgesics such as morphine for the rest of his life. This was one of the reasons why G?ring became increasingly obese.

During World War II

After the outbreak of World War II, G?ring strongly promoted the German Air Force to launch an air war with Britain. As a result, the result of the Battle of Britain not only did not lead to the surrender of Britain, but also greatly weakened the power of the German Air Force. Coupled with the subsequent failures of the Luftwaffe in the Soviet-German war and counter-bombing, Goering's influence in the Nazi leadership was greatly weakened. In addition, Goering's extravagant and corrupt personal lifestyle also made him unpopular among German senior leaders.

For his successful leadership of the Luftwaffe during the war against France and the Low Countries, Goering became the only general awarded the Grand Cross by Hitler during World War II. Contrary to Hitler, who only wore the medals he received during World War I, Goering had an extraordinary hobby for medals.

In addition, Goering was also a supporter of the Hermann Goering Division in the German Army. This division fought on the front lines many times with mixed success and failure. G?ring was also the commander of the Forschungsamt, the Nazi underground telephone and radio communications organization. This organization has connections with intelligence agencies such as the SS, SD (SS), and the Abwehr.

G?ring was also responsible for developing and utilizing industrial resources in occupied areas such as the Soviet Union, but was unsuccessful. Many war resources that should have been fully utilized did not play a big role in the Nazi war machine. In contrast, he himself actively looted and looted a large number of precious works of art and wealth from occupied European countries.

G?ring was the highest-ranking official in the Nazi Party who signed the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question." At that time, he sent a memorandum on the organization's specific action steps to Reinhard Heydrich, one of the leaders of the SS.

On April 23, 1945, Goering sent a telegram from Berchtesgaden to Hitler in Berlin, hoping that Hitler would authorize him to take charge of all national affairs and suggested negotiations with the Allies. . Hitler became furious and regarded this as the most serious treason, so he declared in his last wish before committing suicide that all official positions of G?ring and Himmler would be revoked. On April 25, G?ring was arrested.

Nuremberg Trials and Suicide

On May 8, 1945, G?ring, who was in Austria, announced his surrender. He was also the highest-ranking German official to participate in the Nuremberg Trials. Despite his best efforts to defend himself, he was sentenced to death. The court declared that his behavior was so heinous that it was unpardonable. After the sentencing, G?ring entrusted his brother, Alberto G?ring, with the care of his wife and daughter. Unwilling to be executed by his enemies, he committed suicide by taking potassium cyanide the night before his execution. It remains unclear where G?ring obtained the deadly poison and how he was able to preserve it throughout the trial.

In the 1950s, SS officer Erich von Bach claimed that he had delivered the poison to G?ring before his execution, but his claim did not gain much acceptance. Modern historical research speculates that G?ring became acquainted with a US military officer on guard at the time, who helped him conceal the poison hidden in his luggage. In 2005, a U.S. Army veteran named Herbert Lee Stivers claimed that he fell in love with a German woman and helped her deliver a fountain pen to G?ring with poison hidden in the pen. The soldier was serving in the 26th Company of the U.S. 1st Infantry Division, which was responsible for guarding the Nuremberg Trials. He claimed that he did not know that the pen he brought in contained poison until G?ring succeeded in committing suicide. [1]

Goering's body was later cremated and his ashes were scattered into the Isa River.

G?ring's last days

During his final years in prison, Goering had been with Gustav Gilber, an intelligence officer and psychologist who knew German. Together with the latter, the latter served as a liaison between the trial officers and the war criminals at the Nuremberg Trials. Gilbert later published the book "The Nuremberg Trials" based on his observations and recollections during the trial. The following article is excerpted from the book and records Gilbert's observations of G?ring's performance on the night of April 18, 1946. The trial was adjourned for three days for Easter.

"Goering seemed restless in his room. He kept wiping his sweat, appeared very alert and depressed, and was very dissatisfied with the ongoing trial. He once said that he had done everything to the Nazis He was unable to control himself and denied that he was an anti-Semite or that he had participated in these atrocities, yet some Jews offered to expose his lies."

But Albert Speer reported that in After the Hungarian Jewish survivor gave his testimony, he heard G?ring say, "Oh my God. Why are there still Jews left? I thought we had eliminated them. It seems that some of them have slipped away again."

G?ring's famous saying

"Guns make us strong, butter only makes us fat."