Hermann Wilhelm Göring

 


Hermann Wilhelm Göring was born on January 12, 1893, in Rosenheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire. He was a German politician, Nazi military leader, and convicted war criminal, known as one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1945. A decorated World War I fighter pilot ace, he was a recipient of the Pour le Mérite ("The Blue Max") and the last commander of Jagdgeschwader 1, a fighter wing once led by Manfred von Richthofen.

As an early member of the Nazi Party, Göring was among those wounded in Adolf Hitler's failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923. After Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, Göring was named minister without portfolio and oversaw the creation of the Gestapo, Hitler's secret organization. Göring's rise in power made him the second most powerful man in Germany. He held the position of commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe (air force) until the regime's final days and was entrusted with mobilizing all sectors of the economy for war. In 1939, Hitler designated him as his successor and deputy in all his offices. After the Fall of France in 1940, he was bestowed the specially created rank of Reichsmarschall, giving him seniority over all officers in Germany's armed forces.

However, Göring's standing with Hitler and the German public declined as the Second World War progressed, largely due to the Luftwaffe's failures. He increasingly withdrew from military and political affairs to focus on collecting property and artwork, much of which was stolen from Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

After Hitler's intent to commit suicide was revealed, Göring attempted to assume leadership of the Reich, an act deemed treasonous by Hitler, leading to his removal from all positions and his arrest​.

After the war, Göring was convicted of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg trials in 1946. He was sentenced to death by hanging. But Goring committed suicide on October 15, 1946, at the age of 53 by ingesting cyanide hours before his death sentence was to be carried out. 

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