Full Name: Hermann Wilhelm Göring
Profession: Nazi Politician
Biography: Hermann Göring was a German politician, military leader, and convicted war criminal, known as one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party which ruled Germany from 1933 to 19451. 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.
Göring's rise in power led him to become the second most powerful man in Germany. He held the position of commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe (air force) until the final days of the regime and was entrusted with the task of 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 committed suicide by ingesting cyanide hours before the sentence was to be carried out1.
Born: January 12, 1893
Birthplace: Rosenheim, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire
Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Capricorn
Died: October 15, 1946 (aged 53)
Cause of Death: Committed suicide by ingesting cyanide hours before his death sentence was to be carried out.
Articles and Photos
Reichstag Fire
The Reichstag building in Berlin, housing the German Parliament, on fire during the night of February 27, 1933.
February 27, 1933
Hitler Invades Czechoslovakia
Adolf Hitler meets with Czech President Emil Hácha. After being told of the impending invasion by Germany, Hácha suffered a heart attack at the meeting.
March 15, 1939
Dunkirk: Military Retreat They Called a Miracle
Trapped on beaches and a sitting target for German fighter planes and bombers, 330,000 Allied troops looked doomed. Then came the "miracle" of Dunkirk.
June 4, 1940
Nuremberg War Trials Bring Nazis to Justice
The Trial of Major War Criminals began on this day, the first of a five-year series of hearings at Nuremberg where WW2 Nazis were held to account.
November 20, 1945
Nuremberg Trials
Hermann Goering on trial at the Nuremberg Trials. He would later be sentenced to death, but committed suicide the night before his sentence was to be carried out.
September 30, 1946
Married Life
- 1922-02-03 German politician and future Nazi war criminal Hermann Goering (30) weds Swedish countess Carin Hulda Fock (34) until her death in 1931
- 1935-04-10 Nazi politician Hermann Goering (42) weds Emmy Sonnemann (42) in Berlin
Historical Events
- 1932-08-30 Hermann Goering elected President of the German Reichstag
- 1933-02-02 Hermann Goering bans Communist meetings and demonstrations in Germany
- 1933-02-03 German Minister Hermann Goering bans social-democratic newspaper "Vorwarts"
- 1933-02-19 Prussian minister Goering bans all Catholic newspapers
- 1933-04-11 Hermann Goering becomes Premier of Prussia
- 1933-04-27 Adolf Hitler authorizes creation of Ministry of Aviation, in part to revive the German Luftwaffe, under Reichsmarshall Hermann Goering
- 1933-06-13 German Secret State Police (Gestapo - Geheime Staats Polizei) established by Hermann Goering
- 1933-11-04 Bulgarian communist Georgi Dimitrov defends himself and the ideology of communism against Hermann Goering and his Nazi accusers on charges of setting the Reichstag on fire
- 1935-02-26 Existence of re-formed German Luftwaffe revealed (banned in 1920 by Treaty of Versailles) with Reichsmarshall Hermann Göring as commander-in-chief
- 1935-03-11 Hermann Goering officially creates the Luftwaffe (German Air Force)
- 1938-11-12 Hermann Goering announces he wants Madagascar as a Jewish homeland
- 1939-01-04 Hermann Goering appoints Reinhard Heydrich head of Jewish Emigration
- 1939-10-19 Hermann Goering begins plunder through Nazi's occupied areas
- 1940-03-15 Hermann Goering says 100-200 church bells enough for Germany, smelt the rest
- 1940-06-19 Hermann Goering orders seizure of Dutch horses, car, buses and ships
- 1940-08-13 Battle of Britain: Hermann Goering's "Adlertag" (Eagle Day) offensive happens, intending to destroy the Royal Air Force; 47-48 German aircraft shot down, the RAF loses 25 planes
- 1941-03-03 Netherlands NSB-leader Mussert visits Hermann Goering in Berlin
- 1942-08-06 Hermann Goering proclaims occupied areas "thoroughly empty to plunder"
- 1943-05-11 German Luftwaffe armoured Hermann Göring division in Tunisia surrenders - its commander Colonel Joseph Schmid escapes
- 1943-07-11 Counterattack by Hermann Goering's armored division in Sicily, Italy
- 1945-05-09 World War II: Hermann Goering is captured by the United States Army
- 1946-09-30 Twenty-two Nazi leaders, including Joachim von Ribbentrop and Hermann Goering, are found guilty of war crimes and sentenced to death or prison at the Nuremberg war trials
Efraín Ríos Montt
Hans Frank
Hideki Tojo
Joachim von Ribbentrop
Philippe Pétain
Pieter Menten