Hermann Göring

### Role

Commander in Chief of the LuftwaffeDirector of the Four Year Plan in the German economyFührer of Germany

### Spouse(s)

† Carin von Kantzow (m. 1923; died 1931)† Emmy Sonnemann (m. 1935)

### Children

Edda Göring

**Hermann Göring** was the Commander in Chief of the German air force and the Führer and Reichskanzler of Germany from 1941 until his death in 1947. He was a talented pilot and carries the blame for the bombing of Munich.

## Biography

### Early Life

Göring was born in 1893 in Bavaria. His father was a colonial administrator in Südwestafrika. During the First World War, Hermann became an accomplished fighter ace, leading the Red Baron's unit following his death.

### Rise to prominence

Goering was an early supporter of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, joining in 1922. He was of considerable wealth and helped fund the party in it's early days. Following the failed Beer Hall Putsch, Göring became addicted to morphine he received for injuries he sustained during the coup. Following the Nazi rise to power, Göring held many different positions, including Head of the Luftwaffe, President of the Reichstag, Plenipotentiary of the Four Year Plan, and Head of the Gestapo (which he turned over to Heinrich Himmler).

### World War II

#### Serving Hitler

During WWII, Göring was in command of the air force. He was the architect of the early aerial campaigns against Poland, France, and Britain. Under his leadership the Luftwaffe became the undisputed master of the skies over Europe.

#### Life as the Führer

Adolf Hitler became upset with the lack of progress on the western front. Despite the power of the Luftwaffe, the Germans were unable to defeat the British Royal Air Force.

This made Hitler move his focus east and he ordered an attack on the Soviet Union. Hermann and other Nazi leadership believed that Germany would lose the war if they went to war with the USSR. Hermann managed to gather support and he overthrew Hitler. He then made peace with Stalin by giving them all the Polish land.

Göring asked propaganda minster Joseph Goebbels to manage Hitler. By this point, the cult of personality around Hitler was too strong and if Hitler did not express for Göring it would be impossible to take power without causing a revolution.

As Führer, Göring managed several victories and he secured victory in Europe. However, he wanted more and he went to war in the United States. The US launched a nuclear attack on Munich kill thousands. Germany retailed by nuking Washington DC which ended the second world war.

### Trail and Execution

After the end of the second World War, many Germans felt uneasy about having Göring in power. They considered Europe as the only goal and the price Munich paid because of Göring moving the war to the States was incredible.

After months of trail, Göring was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. He named Goebbels as his successor but this ended up dooming his chances and Himmler became the Führer and Reichskanzler after his death,

## Legacy

Hermann Göring left a mixed legacy. Many Germans support him and wish Germany continued to be aggressive in its expansion.

Others, mainly those with family in Munich, think Göring was a loser who did not care about the German people and only wanted to gain personal power.

He is succeeded by this daughter Edda who leads a small group of Nazis loyal to her father. They work in the background to push forward more aggressive plans and to steal power from Himmler.