Hermann Goering: drug lord of Nazi Germany. Like it: being a descendant of Goering

Hermann Wilhelm Goering

Goering, Hermann Wilhelm (Goering), (1893-1945), "Nazi number two", the second military and economic leader of the Third Reich after Hitler.

Hermann Goering was born on January 12, 1893 in Rosenheim, Bavaria. His father - a personal friend of Bismarck - in 1885 received the post of Governor General of German South-West Africa. After graduating from the Bonn and Heidelberg universities, having served his term as an officer in the Prussian army, Goering's father was completely imbued with the spirit of Prussianism. Widowed early in his first marriage, with five children in his arms, Dr. Goering married a second time to a young Tyrolean woman, whom he took to Haiti, where he was appointed to his second colonial post. When the time came for little Hermann to be born, he sent her back to Bavaria.

Herman's childhood was spent in fights and clashes. He was constantly expelled from all schools where he had to study, for being aggressive and uncompromising. Seeing such inclinations of his son, his father decided to send him to Karlsruhe, to the cadet school, from where he was transferred to the Berlin military school.

Goering graduated from this school one of the first in academic performance and in March 1912 was assigned to serve in the infantry regiment of Prince William, stationed in Mulhouse, with the rank of junior lieutenant. At this time he just turned 19 years old. The energetic young man sickened the routine of the garrison service, and he enthusiastically received the news of the beginning wars ... In October 1914, he achieved his transfer to the military aviation. He flew first as an observer, then as a reconnaissance and bomber aviation pilot. Finally in the fall of 1915 he became a fighter pilot. He managed to shoot down one of the first heavy British bombers of the Hundley Page firm, and then he was himself shot down by British fighters. Wounded in the thigh and leg, he soon returned to service, and being recognized as one of the best fighter pilots in Germany, in May 1917 he was promoted to commander of the 27th squadron. At the beginning of 1918 he had 21 victories in aerial battles, and in May he was awarded the Order of Merit, which was considered the highest award in Germany. It was then that he was transferred to the famous squadron No. 1, better known as the "Richthofen Squadron" - after the name of its first commander, Baron Manfred von Richthofen.

On April 21, 1918, Captain Baron Richthofen, who had more than 80 victories in aerial battles, was shot down and killed. Lieutenant Reinhardt who took his place was killed on 3 July. His place was taken by Hermann Goering, leading the famous squadron. He assumed this post on July 14, when the German forces began their withdrawal on the Marne. The courage shown in the battles did not soften the severity of the defeat for the pilots of Squadron No. 1. Times were tough for Goering. In November, he had to return his planes and personnel to Germany. In total, the squadron won 644 victories during the battles; 62 pilots were on the death toll.

Goering demobilized at the end of 1919 with the rank of captain. On his chest were the Iron Cross of the 1st degree, the Order of the Lion with swords, the Order of Karl Friedrich, the Order of the Hohenzollerns of the 3rd degree with swords and the Order of Merit. He will never forget about this period of his life, nor about his friends from "Richthofen Squadron". When in 1943 one of his comrades jew by the name of Luther, was arrested by the Hamburg Gestapo, Goering immediately intervened, secured his release and took under his protection. Demobilized, Goering was forced to look for a job. He could have continued to serve in the Reichswehr, but, being an enemy of the Weimar Republic, he did not want to serve in its army. To make a living, he began to take part in demonstration flights in Denmark and then in Sweden. On Sundays, he drove the thrill-seekers in his little Fokker. So he earned a living for himself and his beloved woman, whom he took away from her husband and son and took them to Germany, to Munich, where their wedding took place.

Upon his return to Bavaria, the unemployed hero of the war could hardly make ends meet. He entered the first year of the University of Munich, not so much for the sake of studying political science and history, as in order to make his forced idleness look respectable. He lived in a pretty house on the outskirts of Munich on handouts that his wife Karin received from her family. In the fall of 1922, the Allies demanded that the German government extradite some war criminals. Goering was furious with this demand, as his name also appeared on the lists submitted by France.

On one Sunday in November, a demonstration took place on Königsplatz in the center of Munich, the participants of which protested against the demands of the Allies. Goering was at this manifestation. Here he first saw Hitler , which has already begun to be discussed in Bavaria. The crowd asked Hitler to speak. A week later, Goering attended one of the meetings of the Nazi party, where Hitler gave a speech. The leitmotif of his speech was the struggle against the "Versailles diktat". Since the Versailles Treaty of 1919 turned the brilliant officer Goering into a half-poor poor fellow living at the expense of his wife, the orator's thoughts resonated with him, and after the meeting he offered his services to Hitler.

For Hitler's party, still weak, but rapidly gaining strength, Goering was a gift from heaven. His war hero prestige could be used perfectly. After a few more days, he became a member nazi party determined to place "body and soul" at the complete disposal of someone with whom he had known for less than two weeks. The striking force of the party is its assault squads (Sturmabteilung - CA) - needed a leader. They had to organize them well, discipline them, coordinate their actions and "turn them into an absolutely reliable military unit capable of successfully carrying out Hitler's orders." In early January 1923, Hermann Goering assumed command of the Nazi strike forces.

In a few months from this large, but poorly organized army, Goering made a real army with the help of the military, in particular with the assistance of Ernst Rohm, who at that time was acting commander of the seventh division, while at the same time being the head of underground militia groups. But soon between Rohm and Goering, whose arrival Rohm met with displeasure, a dull rivalry arose. Goering sensed a dangerous rival in Röhm. Nevertheless, thanks to their by no means cloudless cooperation, the Nazi party was able by the beginning of November 1923 to create a real army, dressed in gray-green tunics, with a military bearing, which had cadres from the number of former military officers recruited according to ads published by Goering in Völkischer Beobachter ". Brown shirts and a specific Hitlerite greeting appeared much later.

Having such forces and placing high hopes on them, Hitler and his friends undertook an attempted coup d'etat in Munich on November 9, 1923. Wasting no time, Goering carried out the arrests of several hostages, but after a short firefight with the police at Feldhernhale, the case quickly ended. Goering received two bullets in the lower abdomen. He managed to take refuge in the home of the Jewish Ballen family in the first hours after the shootout. Soon, loyal people took him to Austria, to Innsbruck, where he was able to begin treatment. After 20 years, for participating in the fate of Goering, the Ballen family will be spared from the destruction that threatened her.

Hitler, Goebbels and Goering at the rally. 1931 g.
Photo from the book: The 20th century a chronicle in pictures. New York. 1989.

The injuries and the enforced inaction that followed had a significant impact on Goering's temperament. He could not return to Germany, where an arrest warrant had already been issued. He had to spend four years, first in Austria and Italy, and then in Sweden. Due to the late start of treatment, the wounds healed poorly, bringing acute pain. I had to do injections of morphine, to which Goering became addicted, began to abuse it, which caused a mental disorder. He became dangerous in communication, and he had to be placed in a psychiatric clinic in Langbro, then in a similar one in Konradsberg, then again in Langbro, from where he was discharged incomplete under the regular supervision of doctors. Forensic physician Karl Lundberg, who examined him at the Langbro clinic, said that Goering showed a hysterical temperament, there was a split personality, he was found to have fits of tearful sentimentality, interspersed with fits of insane rage, during which he was able to go to extremes.

For his family members, this was not surprising: they had long ago given him the harshest assessment. According to his cousin Herbert Goering, the family believed that vanity, fear of responsibility and complete promiscuity in the means prevailed in Hermann's character: "If necessary, Hermann will go over corpses." Prolonged idleness, staying in psychiatric hospitals and hospitals left a deep imprint on Goering's appearance. He always had a tendency to be overweight, but now it has turned into obesity. At 32, he was unusually obese, filled with unhealthy fat, from which he could never get rid of. Cut off from his Nazi friends, he escaped the influence of their entourage to a certain extent. From now on, the methods of forceful influence began to sicken him, he came to the conclusion that Nazism should look for a different solution to its problems. Yesterday's predator changed its appearance, the beast became unrecognizable. Now Goering was preparing to fight using completely different, much more dangerous means. On his return to Germany in 1927, he became, like Hitler, a staunch supporter of the seizure of power by political means. By "political" he meant, of course, the dirtiest methods.

After an amnesty announced in the fall of 1927, he returned to Munich, where he found all his friends. Goering tried to take over the storm troops again, but felt that he could count on something better: he was nominated in elections in 1928. Although the Nazis won only 12 seats in the Reichstag, Goering was among the elected. The atmosphere of the Reichstag meetings, which was not devoid of solemnity, appealed to Goering, and the monthly salary of a deputy of 600 marks significantly improved his financial situation. Goering's origins, as well as his military rank, opened up for him access to high Berlin society and, most importantly, to the circles of large industrialists, where he was soon regarded as a "plenipotentiary representative and close associate" of Hitler. Visiting Berlin salons further alienated him from Rohm's thugs and from the assault squads. From that time on, his ostentatious passion for collecting works of art and pretentious patronage began.

Maneuvering between the stormtroopers on the one hand and the political wing of the party led by Gregor Strasser on the other hand, Goering, following his master Hitler, skillfully took advantage of the rivalry between those close to him, pitting them against each other in order to preserve all the threads of leadership in his hands. As a result of the September 1930 elections, Goering came to the Reichstag at the head of a group of 107 Nazi deputies. In October 1931 he suffered a severe loss: his wife Karin, who had suffered from tuberculosis for many years, died. With even greater zeal, he devoted himself to politics, devoting his life to whoever was now something of a deity to him - Hitler.

Hitler and Goering select paintings for the "Degenerate Art" exhibition

The presidential election of 1932 was approaching as the term of office of the aged President Paul von Hindenburg expired in April. Hitler's candidacy was also considered, but one difficulty arose: Hitler did not have German citizenship. It was Goering who found a salutary solution: he proposed to organize the appointment of Hitler to the post of economic adviser to the Braunschweig mission in Berlin with the assistance of Goering's friends in the Braunschweig government, members of the Nazi party - Chairman Kuchenthal and Minister of the Interior Klagges. Such an appointment automatically gave Hitler German citizenship. And although Hitler nevertheless lost the April elections, the trick was quite successful: on February 24, Hitler received this appointment, on 26 he took the oath, refusing to receive a salary, and on March 4 he resigned. It took him eight days to become German. After the July elections, Goering was rewarded for his efforts: he was elected chairman of the Reichstag and settled in a luxurious palace opposite the building of the German parliament. Despite an endless series of elections (from 1925 to 1932 elections in Germany were organized more than 30 times), Goering retained the post of chairman of the Reichstag. In this post, he could significantly influence the course of events. On September 12, 1932, Goering raised the issue of a vote of no confidence in the von Papen government, forcing him to resign before the already prepared draft decree on the dissolution of parliament was used. On January 22, 1933, Goering managed, a few hours before the fall of the Schleicher cabinet, to persuade Oskar von Hindenburg, the son of the Marshal-President, to convince his father that Hitler alone was capable of forming a new government.

Goering's activities played a decisive role in the conquest of power by the Nazis. On the evening of January 30, when Hitler was in power for only a few hours, Goering spoke on the radio with an address to the German people. He stated that the shameful history of recent years is now a thing of the past. "Today a new page in the history of Germany has opened," he said, "and starting from this page, freedom and honor will become the basis of a new statehood." As part of the new cabinet, Goering became, as it were, a counterweight von Papenou ... He was Reich Minister, President of the Reichstag, Minister of the Interior of Prussia and Commissioner for Aviation. He managed to take the Prussian police out of the control of the Reich Commissioner (von Papen) and Reich Minister of the Interior Frick and reassign it directly to himself. From that moment, Goering began to work on the creation in Germany of a well-organized political police, omnipotent and all-pervading, consisting of people not burdened by the framework of morality - the Gestapo. He also initiated the creation in Germany of the first concentration camp near Oranienburg. After arson of the Reichstag Goering ordered the arrest of over 4,000 communists and social democrats and banned the communist press. On June 30, 1934, during the events of the Night of the Long Knives, Goering directed the SS in Berlin. On March 1, 1935, Goering was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the German Air Force and energetically set about organizing the production of the latest military aircraft and training pilots. By this time, he had become the most important figure after Hitler in the Third Reich. He was the owner of a small but luxurious palace in Berlin and a country estate north of the capital, named after his first wife, Karinhall. In 1935, Goering married for the second time to the actress Emma Sonnemann.

Hitler is the guest of honor at the wedding of Goering and Emma Sonnemann.

Among Hitler's entourage, Goering was a controversial figure, being a kind of German version of Falstaff - a fat, charming adventurer and at the same time a sybarite, who naively received sincere pleasure from the enormous power that fell on him. He said: "I joined the party because I was a revolutionary, not because of some kind of ideological nonsense." However, this did not prevent him from maintaining extreme caution and unconditionally following all the orders of the Fuehrer. He knew how to enjoy life, was an avid hunter, loved children, and at the same time did not feel the slightest remorse about the destruction of millions of people in concentration camps. In the eyes of the German people, Goering was a very popular personality. Against the background of the caustic hysterical Goebbels, the dull and gloomy Rudolf Hess, the sinister Himmler, Goering favorably distinguished himself by his cheerful disposition, respectability, humor towards himself, lordly imposing and innocence. He understood the advantage of the image he created and supported him in every possible way: "People want to love, and the Fuhrer was too often far from the broad masses. So they grabbed hold of me."

In 1936, Hitler instructed Goering to implement the "four-year plan" - a program to transfer the German economy to a war footing. On the eve of World War II, Goering, together with Himmler, carefully planned and carried out measures to remove Generals Blomberg and Fritsch from the highest military posts, which ensured Hitler absolute power over the army. In 1938, with his direct participation, the Anschluss of Austria was carried out. Pandering to Hitler, Goering, not being an anti-Semite at heart, turned a blind eye to the persecution and extermination of Jews.

Hitler, Emma and Edda Goering.

On August 30, 1939, Hitler appointed Goering chairman of the Reich Defense Council. The next day, he proclaimed Goering as his successor in the event of his death. During the blitzkrieg, Goering commanded air operations in Poland, France and later in the Soviet Union, for which on June 19, 1940 he was awarded the rank of Reichsmarshal. However, the failed attempt to seize air supremacy during the Battle of England and the disruption of Operation Sea Lion caused a sharp discontent with Hitler, and their relationship with Goering deteriorated markedly. His prestige in the hierarchy dimmed, while the influence of Goebbels, Himmler and Martin Bormann grew significantly. On the eve of the collapse of the Third Reich, having learned that Goering was carrying out secret negotiations with the enemy behind his back, Hitler ordered Goering to be arrested, deprived of all titles and awards, and shot. Later he denied in every possible way his attempt at betrayal, and upon receiving the news of the Fuhrer's suicide, he said to his wife: "He is dead, Emma! Now I will never be able to explain to him that I was faithful to him to the end!"

Goering was arrested by members of the US 7th Army on May 9, 1945. His requests for a personal meeting with General Dwight D. Eisenhower were ignored. In 1946 Goering appeared before the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg. He was found guilty on four counts, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, and sentenced to capital punishment. In a last letter to his wife, Goering expressed confidence in his posthumous rehabilitation: "In 50 or 60 years, statues of Hermann Goering will be installed throughout Germany, and tiny busts will appear in every German home."

On October 15, 1946, two hours before being hanged, he took a poison that strangely escaped the vigilant guard. By order of the court, his remains were cremated in one of the remaining ovens at Dachau.

Used material from the Encyclopedia of the Third Reich -www.fact400.ru/mif/reich/titul.htm

October 15, 1945

Hermann Goering Awards

Gold party sign of the NSDAP

Foreign

Hermann Goering's family

Father - Ernst Heinrich Goering
Mother - Franziska Goering (nee Tiefenbrunn).

The first wife is Karin von Kantsov.

Second wife - Emmy Sonnemann, actress.
Daughter - Edda Goering.

15.10.1946

Hermann Goering
Hermann Wilhelm Göring

War criminal

"Second man" after Hitler

German statesman

Reichsmarshal of the Greater German Reich

War criminal. Statesman of Nazi Germany. Reich Minister of Aviation. Reichsmarshal of the Greater German Reich. Obergruppenführer. Honorary SS Obergruppenfuehrer. General of the Infantry and General of the Land Police. He played an important role in the organization of the Luftwaffe, the German air force. He was one of the most influential people in Nazi Germany. Often called the "second man" after Adolf Hitler, and according to the decree of June 29, 1941, he was officially the "Fuehrer's successor". Committed suicide.

Hermann Wilhelm Goering was born on January 12, 1893 in Rosenheim, Germany. The boy grew up in the family of a high-ranking official, a personal friend of Otto von Bismarck. Educated at the cadet school in Karlsruhe and at the Berlin military school, and then, in 1912, he was assigned to serve in the infantry regiment of Prince Wilhelm, with the rank of junior lieutenant.

With the outbreak of the First World War, Herman achieved a transfer to military aviation and took part in hostilities as a fighter pilot. During the battles he personally shot down more than twenty enemy aircraft and was awarded many awards. However, after demobilization from the army at the end of 1919, Goering was left without work and barely made ends meet, performing with demonstration flights in Denmark and Sweden.

Returning to Germany in 1922, he entered the University of Munich. At the same time, Hermann became a casual observer of one of the meetings of the National Socialist, Fascist Party, where Adolf Hitler gave a speech. And Goering was so imbued with his ideas that he immediately became not just a member of the Nazi party, but also an active participant in the Nazi movement.

Already in January 1923, Hitler appointed him the supreme leader of the Nazi strike forces: assault troops, which in a few months became a real army, a powerful fighting unit. It was with her that Hitler and his supporters attempted a coup d'etat in November 1923, known as the Beer Hall Putsch.

Goering was then seriously wounded, but managed to escape and was transported to Austria for treatment. He could not return to Germany, since a warrant for his arrest was issued there. This had a heavy effect on Herman's psyche, and in order to dull the pain he began to take morphine, to which he quickly became addicted, which also affected his mental activity in a bad way.

Only in 1927, after an amnesty, were the participants in the coup able to return to Germany, and Goering was appointed Hitler's personal representative in Berlin. A year later, he was elected to the Reichstag from the NSDAP. This position, his origins and military background opened access to the highest Berlin society and, most importantly, to the circles of large and military industrialists, with whom he established very close ties.

After the July 1932 elections, when the National Socialist German Workers' Party became the largest party in Germany, Goering was elected chairman of the Reichstag, and remained in this post until the end of World War II. He played a decisive role in the conquest of power by Hitler and the establishment of a fascist dictatorship in the country.

Goering himself took over as Head of the newly created Reich Air Ministry, beginning the revival of the air force, which Germany was forbidden to have under the terms of the Versailles Peace. He also managed to reassign directly to himself and the police, on the basis of which he created the Gestapo. He also initiated the creation of the first concentration camp in Germany near Oranienburg, and he also directed the actions of the SS during the tragic "Night of Long Knives" in Berlin, which took place on June 30, 1934.

In 1935, Hermann Goering was appointed commander-in-chief of the German Air Force and did much to organize the production of the latest military aircraft and the training of pilots. A year later, he became Commissioner for the four-year plan, and in his hands was all the leadership of economic measures to prepare Germany for war.

In particular, under his leadership, a huge state industrial concern "Hermann Goering Werke" was created, into whose jurisdiction numerous factories confiscated from Jews, and later, factories in the occupied territories were transferred. By this time, he became Hitler's second man in the Third Reich and was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal of Aviation.

During the Anschluss of Austria on March 12, 1938, Goering directed the actions of the Austrian Nazis, playing an important role in the annexation of this country to Germany. Then he was appointed Hitler's permanent deputy in the Council of Ministers for the Defense of the Reich and elevated to the rank of Reichsmarschall of the Greater German Reich, specially created for him. Officially appointed heir to Adolf Hitler.

It was Hermann Goering who was one of the organizers of the Nazi terror in Germany and in the territories occupied by the Nazis during the Second World War, and on July 30, 1941, he signed a document on the "final solution" of the Jewish question, which was supposed to kill almost twenty million people.

However, when in the course of hostilities German aviation began to suffer defeat after defeat at the hands of Soviet pilots, Goering's influence in the higher echelons of power began to decline, while the influence of Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler and Martin Bormann increased significantly. And after the devastating defeat of the German troops in the Battle of Stalingrad, the Reichsmarshal finally lost Hitler's confidence.

On the eve of the collapse of the Third Reich, the Fuehrer, learning that Goering was secretly negotiating with the enemy behind his back, ordered the arrest of the Reichsmarshal on charges of high treason, stripped of all titles and awards, and even in his Political Testament on April 29, 1945, he expelled Goering from the NSDAP. although the latter in every possible way denied betrayal.

Goering was arrested on May 8, 1945 by American troops and, as the main war criminal, appeared before the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg. He was found guilty on several counts, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, and was sentenced to capital punishment: death by hanging.

Hermann Goering shortly before the execution October 15, 1945 committed suicide. In his prison cell in Nuremberg, he took poison, which the vigilant guards did not notice. By order of the court, his remains were cremated in one of the remaining furnaces of Dachau, along with the rest of those sentenced by the decision of the tribunal.

Hermann Goering Awards

Royal Order of the House of Hohenzollern Knight's Cross with Swords (20 October 1917) (Kingdom of Prussia)

Karl Friedrich Order of Military Merit Knight's Cross (Grand Duchy of Baden)

Order of the Lion of Zeringen Knight's Cross 2nd Class with Swords (Grand Duchy of Baden)

Military pilot badge (Kingdom of Prussia)

Badge "For wound" (1918) black (German Empire)

World War I Cross of Honor 1914/1918 (1934)

Danzig Cross II and I class (1939)

Gold party sign of the NSDAP

Foreign

Order of Saints Mauritius and Lazarus Grand Cross (1938) (Kingdom of Italy)

Imperial Order of Yarm and Arrows Grand Cross (1939) (Spanish State)

Order of the Sword Grand Commander's Cross (1939) (Kingdom of Sweden)

Order of the Star of Karageorgy Grand Cross (1939) (Kingdom of Yugoslavia)

Order of Mihai the Brave, 1st class (1941) (Kingdom of Romania)

Order of the Rising Sun, 1st class (1943) (Empire of Japan)

Order of the Crown of Italy Grand Cross (1940) (Kingdom of Italy)

Highest Order of the Holy Annunciation (1940) (Kingdom of Italy)

Order of the White Rose of Finland Commander's Cross (Finland)

Order "Saints Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius" Grand Cross (Kingdom of Bulgaria)

Royal Hungarian Order of St Stephen Grand Cross (Kingdom of Hungary)

Interesting Facts about Hermann Goering

Goering actively supported the version that he was a direct descendant of the French king Louis Saint.

Goering's younger brother, Albert Goering (1895-1966), was an opponent of the Nazi regime, helped Jews, more than once declared his negative attitude towards his brother, although he enjoyed his brother's status, including forging his signatures on documents that helped Jews avoid sending in concentration camps. Moreover, when Albert was arrested by the Nazis, it was his brother who contributed to his release. Ironically, after the war, after returning to Germany, Goering Jr. is forced to work in minor positions, suffering from his relationship with the former Reichsmarshal.

The story with Goering's deputy - Milch. He was a "half-breed" (half-Jewish), but Goering did not allow him to be arrested or fired, saying: "In my Luftwaffe, I myself decide who is Jewish and who is not." Subsequently, Milhu "corrected" the biography, announcing that his real father was a German aristocrat, not a Jew.

Goering, unwittingly, left a mark not only in military history, but also in the history of world medicine. In the midst of the war, the supply of opium stopped, and Goering ordered a pharmaceutical company to make a fully synthetic drug that would replace heroin to avoid possible withdrawal symptoms. Through the efforts of scientists, methadone was invented, which is now used to treat patients with opium (heroin) addiction.

He dressed luxuriously, had the habit of painting his face, and actively used perfumery.

He was a fan of football, did not allow sending professional football players, who were under his command, to the front.

The Reichsmarschall's gold marshal rod, confiscated by the Americans, is in the US Armed Forces Museum in Washington.

Hermann Wilhelm Goering (01/12/1893 - 10/15/1946) went down in history as a person who managed to make an enchanting political career in a short time, becoming in Germany the next person after Hitler. He always supported the version that he is a direct descendant of Saint Louis - King of France. The future fascist No. 2, in whose subordination were the military and economic sector of the Third Reich, from childhood was distinguished by aggressiveness, obstinacy and pugnacity. To eradicate these qualities, the reasons for the constant change of educational institutions, his father, a high-ranking official and close friend of Otto von Bismarck, was forced to send his son first to a cadet school in Karlsruhe, and then to a military school in Berlin. The disadvantaged teenager graduated from these educational institutions with honors.

Hermann Wilhelm Goering - young years

Goering's military career began in 1912 with a boring infantry service in Prince Wilhelm's regiment. Two dull, monotonous years did not bring any satisfaction to the young fighter, except for the rank of lieutenant. The First World War became a joyful event, carrying a wave of expectation of cardinal changes. Hermann Wilhelm Goering achieved a transfer to aviation and immediately began participating in air battles, first as a reconnaissance officer, then as a fighter pilot.

Proving himself a first-class master-virtuoso, one of the best flight specialists in Germany, Goering easily won victories and bravely endured his injuries. At the age of 25, he already commanded a squadron of the most privileged air unit of the German army "Richthofen", orphaned after the death of Manfred von Richthofen - "The Red Baron", the idol of all pilots, the legend of wartime, on account of which there were more than 80 downed aircraft. During the period of air battles, Goering Hermann destroyed 22 enemy aircraft, for which he was awarded the Iron Cross of I and II classes, the orders of Karl Friedrich and the Hohenzollerns, as well as the highest award of pre-Hitler Germany - the Order of Merit.

The year 1918 was marked for Goering by the declaration of him a war criminal by the victorious countries, the prohibition of military aviation in Germany and the disbandment of the squadron that dropped bombs on peaceful cities. The revolution that took place in the same year, which overthrew Kaiser Wilhelm II and proclaimed a bourgeois-democratic republic, forced Goering to refuse service in the Reichswehr - the Republican German army - and go to Denmark and Sweden. In these countries, he earned a living by air demonstration flights commissioned by aircraft manufacturers. There he also met the Swedish aristocrat Karin von Katztov, who later became his wife.

Goering's acquaintance with Hitler

In 1922, Goering, seriously thinking about the need for education, returned to Germany, where he was enrolled in the University of Munich. The student especially carefully studied history and political science - sciences that were useful to him in his future political career.

It was in Munich, at a demonstration against the Versailles Peace, that Goering Hermann Wilhelm and Hitler came together quite quickly: the Fuhrer's bright speech touched his future assistant to the depths of his soul. After the speech by the leader of the Nazis, Goering, for whom the topic of the rally was very close, offered the speaker his help. Hitler had heard about the famous hero-pilot and understood that this was a valuable find for the party, since the prestigious title of War Hero and the ability to attract new supporters were only in the hands of the Nazis. Goering Hermann Wilhelm joined the ranks of the NSDAP (National Socialist German Workers' Party), and six months later was appointed to lead the assault detachments. In this area of \u200b\u200bactivity, he proved to be an excellent organizer and coordinator, who managed to turn the attack aircraft into a high-quality military force.

Hitler, feeling confident in the reliability of the selected team, tried in November 1923 to carry out an attempted coup d'état, which went down in history as the "Beer Hall Putsch" and failed. Goering Hermann Wilhelm - the main participant in this action - led one of the columns of the putschists and in the process of the shootout he received two severe bullet wounds: in the thigh and stomach. Loyal friends helped him to avoid arrest; at first he hid in the home of the Jewish Ballen family, later he was illegally transported to Austria, where he was treated in a hospital for a month and a half. He also lived for some time in Italy and Sweden, where he became addicted to morphine to relieve severe pain. The developed addiction to the drug negatively affected the psyche of the German politician, which led to treatment in a psychiatric clinic.

The year 1927 was marked by the declared political amnesty and the return of Goering to Munich, where he plunged headlong into party work. His appointment as Hitler's personal plenipotentiary in Berlin, as well as the possibility of participation in the parliamentary elections of the NSDAP party, which had become even more powerful by that time, opened up new prospects for Goering. Leading the stormtroopers, to which there was an opportunity to return, turned out to be less promising than running in the elections to the Reichstag. In this, Goering made the right decision, being one of the twelve elected Nazi deputies. While Goering's political career soared upward, his personal life collapsed: in 1931 he lost his beloved wife, who had suffered from tuberculosis for many years.

Goering Hermann Wilhelm, whose family collapsed in an instant, fell out of life for a long time. To stifle his emotional pain, he began to devote himself completely to work in the party, which in 1932 won 230 seats in the Reichstag and became the largest in Germany. Goering was appointed its chairman.

In 1935, Goering reunited family ties by marrying the German actress Emmy Sonnemann, from whose marriage his daughter Edda was born.

Goering: quality policy

Possessing the important qualities of a successful politician (origin, upbringing, erudition only contributed to this), he managed to make useful and profitable acquaintances with the powerful of this world - bankers and large industrialists - and skillfully used these connections in the interests of the party. Hermann Goering, whose biography contains many interesting pages, was a rather plump, charming adventurer with a cheerful disposition, and in a political environment, a rather controversial figure. Even the Hermann Goering division was formed. The successfully created image of a simple-minded politician and the enormous power that suddenly fell on his head allowed Goering to fully enjoy his position. Nevertheless, all orders of the Fuhrer were carried out by him unconditionally.

Goering Hermann loved children, hunting, a luxurious life, not experiencing the slightest remorse about his actions. It:

• the process against the communists related to the burning of the Reichstag;
• confiscation of property and the imposition of indemnity on the Jewish population living in Germany after the pogroms that took place in November 1938;
• the creation of the Nazi security service and concentration camps in which millions of people were exterminated;
• leading the preparation for war in the economic aspect;
• robbery and looting in occupied countries;
• command of the German aviation, which criminally destroyed peaceful cities;
• physical elimination in the summer of 1934 of the leadership of the attack aircraft, which was later proven at the Nuremberg trials.

Goering's brilliant career

In 1935, Hermann Wilhelm Goering, with the rank of Air General, was officially appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). To the leadership, he attracted air military aces - his front-line friends, most of whom turned out to be unsuitable for leadership work. The Hermann Goering division became famous not for its participation in hostilities, but for the plundering of the historical treasures of the Benedictine monastery from Monte Cassino.

In 1936, in connection with Germany's preparations for war, Goering was entrusted with the management of a 4-year plan, all control over economic issues of which he concentrated in his hands.

In 1937, a huge state association "Hermann Goering Wirke" was created, absorbing numerous factories confiscated from Jews and in the occupied territories.

In 1938, already in the rank of Air Field Marshal, he directed the actions of the Austrian Nazis during the Anschluss of Austria (its annexation to Germany). In September of the same year, in the Council of Ministers for Defense of the Reich, he took the post of permanent deputy to Hitler. Goering became his official successor on September 1, 1939, the day Germany declared war on Poland. On July 19, 1940, after the defeat of France by German aviation, he rose to the highest military rank specially invented for him - Reichsmarshal. The official successor to Hitler in the event of the death of the latter or the impossibility of fulfilling his duties for any reason, Goering was appointed at the legislative level in June 1941.

Goering - Chief Forester and Gamekeeper of Germany

In parallel with the above-mentioned ranks, Goering was the chief ranger (Reichsjägermeister) and chief forester (Reichsforstmeister) of Germany, where he achieved significant success as a fighter for nature conservation.

During his tenure, he:

• contributed to the restoration of the population of birds and animals, exterminated or on the verge of extinction;
• initiated the importation of bison and elk from Canada and Sweden, as well as wild ducks, swans and various game from Spain and Poland;
• toughened the punishment for poaching, as well as existing laws on hunting, limiting the issuance of permits for it and obliging all candidates to undergo a weapon test (in addition, each hunter had to have a well-trained dog for game to fully guarantee that a wounded animal was found);
• established large fines for shooting prey in excess of the prescribed quota;
• banned horse and car hunting, the use of light during night safari, and the use of steel traps and wire snares;
• vetoed animal vivisection (performing surgical operations to study body functions);
• approved the scheme of green planting, causing the creation of natural "lungs" around the central cities of the Reich and in places of mass recreation of workers.

Beginning of the End

In 1942, Albert Speer, Hitler's protégé, was appointed to the post of Minister of Armaments and Ammunition. It was during this period that the influence on the military economy of Goering, who was responsible for the implementation of the 4-year plan, began to gradually fade away. At the beginning of 1942, realizing the true reality of the events, he told Speer, the Minister of Armaments, that if after this war the borders of Germany remained at the level of 1933, it would be possible to say that the country was simply very lucky.

The end of 1942 was marked by another miscalculation of Goering, who swore to Hitler of his ability to ensure that General Paulus's 6th Army, surrounded by Russian troops at Stalingrad, was properly supplied with everything necessary. Undoubtedly, this was unrealistic; in January 1943 Paulus had to surrender. This act, as well as a complex intrigue, started not in his favor by Martin Bormann, undermined Hitler's confidence in Goering completely.

The planes of the German Luftwaffe, which mercilessly bombed Russian cities, spared only Lipetsk, the center of the military industry. Historians have tried to figure out this inconsistency, trying to compare it with the name - Goering Hermann Wilhelm. Lipetsk, as it turned out, was the residence of his mistress, Nadezhda Goryacheva, whom he met in 1925 while undergoing training to study the cunning of air battles.

The collapse of the Luftwaffe

During the ongoing hostilities, the Luftwaffe gradually lost their air superiority, which significantly reduced Goering's influence. It was at this time that Goering Hermann Wilhelm, whose personal life was highlighted, again became addicted to drugs. On the Schönheide estate, he built the luxurious Karinhall Palace, collecting in it a splendid art collection looted from the occupied countries. His chest, hung with orders, resembled the window of an exclusive jewelry store.

In the summer of 1944, the Luftwaffe virtually disintegrated. The losses of the German aviation were enormous: there were no experienced aces pilots who fought from the first days. Due to the lack of time for training, inexperience and lack of practice, the new replenishment could not replace the dead. At the end of 1945, when Berlin was in the ring of the Red Army, Goering flew to Bavaria to try to enter into negotiations with the Americans. The idea of \u200b\u200ba separate peace with Western states, which Goering tried to implement, was thwarted by Hitler, who ordered the arrest of the traitor. On April 23, the Fuhrer publicly accused the negotiator of high treason, expelled him from the party, and also stripped him of all awards and titles. From the reprisal of the SS, Goering was saved by loyal Luftwaffe officers, to whom he turned for help.

Goering's arrest

At the end of the war, on May 9, 1945, Goering was arrested again, this time by soldiers of the United States 7th Army. A year later, before a court in Nuremberg, he was found guilty on 4 counts, declared one of the main wartime criminals and sentenced to death by hanging. Why was Nuremberg chosen for the war criminals trial? Because for a long time it served as a breeding ground and stronghold of fascism: it was here that the party congresses of the NSDAP were held and the Nazi Colosseum was built - a meeting hall.

A steel soldier with a child's heart, a participant in military operations, a courageous person - such was Hermann Wilhelm Goering at the trial (his photo is presented in the review). Smart, well versed in little things, possessing an amazing memory - this man was directly involved in building the devilish Nazi system and was fully aware of the events that were taking place.

The Nuremberg trials through the eyes of Goering

The Nuremberg Trials was a skilfully staged performance starring Hermann Goering.

His quotes, expressing complete disagreement with the process, have been discussed in the press more than once. The defendant said: "The winner is always the judge, and the loser is the condemned. I do not recognize the decision of this court." Having grown haggard and thinner, Goering held on firmly during the trial, fully maintaining his composure. His successful speech, long hidden by the Allied press, was applauded by the entire audience.

Specifically, Goering received a death sentence for the order he gave to destroy British military pilots. This is the only accusation with which Goering agreed and explained his own act as revenge for the German peaceful plane shot down by a British ace. At the trial, Hermann Wilhelm Goering, whose quotes are accurate and memorable, said: "I protect my face, not my head."

Like the rest of the participants in the process, he asked for pardon. Simultaneously with the petition, he wrote a petition to replace the hanging, which he considered a shame, to be shot if the pardon request was refused, which actually happened. The execution was scheduled for October 16, 1946.

On October 15, 1946, an hour before the execution of the sentence, Goering took poison - potassium cyanide, which was given to him by the guard. There is a version that his wife was involved in this, who gave a huge bribe for the transfer of the poison to the prisoner.

Next to the body of the dead Goering lay a note, consisting of three words: "Field marshals are not hanged." His body was burned in one of the surviving furnaces of the Dachau concentration camp.

How is it: to be a descendant of Goering?

The life of Goering - the favorite of the common people and the sworn enemy of the top leadership - was full of unimaginable ups and downs. It consisted of a constant struggle for power, money, a decent existence, the mercy of the Fuhrer, Germany. Goering Hermann Wilhelm, a short biography is presented in the review, became the main character of the documentary film Nünberg: Goering's Last Confrontation, created in 2006 by the British. After the death of the latter, his younger brother Albert suffered from kinship with Goering, an ardent opponent of the Nazi regime, who helped the Jews and often declared a negative attitude towards his brother's activities. After the war, Goering Jr., who returned to Germany, was forced to work in low positions. His suffering throughout his life was brought about by blood kinship with such a negative historical person who directly and indirectly participated in the destruction of millions of people, like Goering Hermann Wilhelm.

An interview for one of the television projects was given by the daughter of a younger brother, who felt the full extent of problems with employment due to the fact that she was the niece of a Nazi. Bettina Goering, Goering's grand-niece, in addition to destroying photographs with her great-uncle, decided to sterilize, explaining this by her unwillingness to give birth to children with such genes.

Goering Hermann Wilhelm

(12.01.1893-15.10.1946) - political, statesman and military leader, Reichsmarshal (1940)

Hermann Goering was born on January 12, 1893 in the Bavarian city of Rosenheim. His father was a personal friend of Bismarck and in 1885 was promoted to Governor General of German South West Africa. He had degrees from Bonn and Heidelberg universities, but after serving in the army, he was imbued with the "Prussian military spirit."

Young Goering received an excellent military education, graduating first from the cadet school in Karlsruhe, and then from the prestigious cadet corps in Groß-Lichtenfeld near Berlin. Hermann Goering graduated from this school one of the first in academic performance, and in 1912, having received the rank of lieutenant, he was sent to the 112th Infantry Regiment. As part of this regiment, Hermann Goering took part in battles on the Western Front. But in October 1914, he achieved a transfer to aviation - to the 25th squadron as an air observer.

At the new duty station, Goering showed himself to be a fearless pilot who completely ignored the danger. He flew first as an observer, then as a reconnaissance and bomber aviation pilot, and in the fall of 1915 he became a fighter pilot. During the "Verdun meat grinder" in 1915, he earned the Iron Cross, 1st class. This was the beginning of his brilliant career. Goering ended the war as captain, commander of the renowned squadron No. 1 "Richthofen". It bore the name of its first commander, Manfred von Richthofen, who died in action in April 1918 and had more than 80 victories in aerial battles. Goering himself shot down 22 enemy aircraft, for which he received the Blue Cross from the hands of the Kaiser, and in July 1918 he led the famous squadron.

Demobilized in 1919 with the rank of captain and refused to serve in the Reichswehr because of hatred of the republican regime, Goering was forced to look for a job. He began to take part in demonstration flights in Denmark and Sweden.

In 1922 he entered the University of Munich, where he met Rudolf Hess. Hess, in turn, brought Goering to Adolf Hitler, who made a huge impression on the former ace. Hitler in his speeches actively opposed the Versailles system. This resonated in Goering's soul, and he firmly decided to link his life with National Socialism. Already in March 1923, he led the SA detachments, which had to be well organized and disciplined. In a few months, with the assistance of Reichswehr Major Ernst Röhm, he managed to make a real army out of half-bandit formations of attack aircraft. Rem contributed to the secret armament of the assault detachments, hoping sooner or later to take the leadership of them into their own hands. Goering and Rem saw each other as rivals, but so far their joint work continued.

On November 9, 1923, during an attempted coup, Goering was walking in the front ranks of the putschists when the police opened fire on them. Goering was badly wounded; he was sent to Austria for treatment. Goering could not return to Germany, where an arrest warrant had already been issued. He had to spend four years, first in Austria, then in Italy and Sweden.

Returning to Germany after an amnesty in 1927, Goering was elected to the Reichstag among 12 other candidates from the National Socialist Party. In 1932, after the victory of the NSDAP in the elections, he became chairman of the Reichstag. Goering played an important role in the rise of the Nazis to power. Using his post, he rendered an invaluable service to Hitler. Adolf Hitler did not forget his faithful companion. Hermann Goering became the Fuehrer's chief deputy for the party and minister without portfolio. In addition, he simultaneously held 16 positions, up to the chief forester and chief jägermeister of the country.

On January 30, 1933, when Hitler was in power for only a few hours, Goering spoke on the radio. Addressing the German people, he said that now a new page in German history is opening, when freedom and honor will become the basis of statehood.

Hermann Goering became Reich Minister, Chairman of the Reichstag, Minister of the Interior of Prussia and Commissioner for Aviation. He managed to reassign the police of Prussia, and from that moment he began to work on the creation of a well-organized political police in Germany. On April 26, 1933, a decree was signed establishing the Gestapo - the secret police of the Third Reich. After that, having got his hands on such a powerful weapon, he, in alliance with the SS chief Himmler, began to prepare to destroy his most dangerous enemy and rival - Rem.

Ernst Rem, being the head of the SA since 1931, claimed the position of Minister of War, intending to replace the regular army with assault detachments (there were 4.5 million people). Preaching the need to continue the National Socialist revolution, the SA units began to pose a certain danger to the leadership of the NSDAP. This danger was eliminated on June 30, 1934 during the events of "Night of the Long Knives", when the SS and the Gestapo dealt with Rem and his associates. Goering personally directed the actions of the SS in Berlin.

However, on March 1, 1935, Goering was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). Goering energetically set about organizing the production of the latest military aircraft and training pilots. The air force officially appeared in Germany only on May 9, 1935, but work on their revival began in the mid-1920s.

Despite the fact that Goering was a member of the older generation of aviators, he was able to form a clear picture of the future of modern aviation. In his opinion, the Luftwaffe was obliged to carry out any tasks of modern warfare. Goering decided that all operational aviation should be under the leadership of the Luftwaffe commander alone, which would ensure unity of action both in defense and in the offensive. He considered his main task to be the creation of a strong bomber aircraft that could deliver powerful blows to the enemy. At the same time, he pushed the problem of providing the ground army and navy with modern aviation to the background.

However, Goering did not have time to personally organize the Air Force. He put this job on the shoulders of the Reich Secretary for Aviation Erhard Milch, the former executive director of Lufthansa.

In 1933, at the General Staff of the Luftwaffe, the future air force was conceived as a means of defense against sudden attacks from outside, while Hitler, step by step, got rid of the chains of the Treaty of Versailles. But the dispatch of the Condor legion to Spain in 1936 changed these plans. The first baptism of fire of the Luftwaffe was successful. This contributed to the development of a sense of self-confidence in the young German aviation, which brought brilliant successes during the Polish campaign.

On the eve of World War II, Goering, together with Himmler, planned and carried out measures to remove Generals Blomberg and Fritsch from the highest military posts, which provided Hitler with absolute power over the army.

In August 1939, Hitler appoints Goering chairman of the Reich Defense Council, and the next day he proclaims him his successor in case of death.

During the German-Polish war, short-range bomber aviation established cooperation with the ground forces. She was the main contributor to the success of the first blitzkrieg. During the campaign in the West, the Luftwaffe immediately gained air supremacy. This largely decided the outcome of Operation Weserubung. In June 1940, Goering was awarded the title of Reichsmarshal.

The superiority of the German military aviation over the French air force became evident from the very first days. The landing of paratroopers in Holland was so unexpected that it immediately ensured victory on the right flank of the German army. But in the course of the fight between the Luftwaffe and the British expeditionary forces in Dunkirk, it became clear that German aircraft could not prevail over the stubbornly fighting British fighter units.

After the defeat of France, Hitler offered England to conclude peace on the condition that his interests in Central Europe be recognized. But the British government ignored the Fuhrer's initiative. After that Hitler gave the order to develop a plan for the landing at Albion, code-named "Sea Lion".

In accordance with this operational plan, the landing was to be preceded by intensified bombing strikes, the purpose of which was to suppress enemy aircraft and inflict the greatest possible damage on the troops of the mother country.

Goering gave the order to start the operation on 12 August 1940. German planes took off and headed towards the British Isles. In the course of this operation, the Luftwaffe inflicted serious damage on England, however, despite the victorious fanfare of Goebbels, it itself suffered very heavy losses. On 24 August, German pilots mistakenly began bombing London in the dark, and the following night, British RAF aircraft appeared over Berlin. If during the German-Polish war, British pilots dropped propaganda leaflets on the territory of Germany, then this time heavy bombs fell on the capital of the Reich. Berlin's air defense system was in its infancy, and not a single British aircraft could be shot down. A few days later the British air raid was repeated.

Hitler made a hysterical blast to his commanders and ordered to transfer the main blow to the English settlements. The Fuhrer believed that in this way he would be able to demoralize the British and force the British government to negotiate. However, in response, from September 4, the British began to carry out constant raids on numerous industrial centers in Germany. There were civilian casualties. On November 14, 1940, five hundred Luftwaffe aircraft bombed Coventry, the center of the British aircraft engine industry. It was the largest German air raid, killing 400 civilians and causing massive damage to the city.

Gradually, the battle over England took on a completely different turn from which Hitler and Goering had hoped. It absorbed much of the best forces in the Luftwaffe. As a result of the loss of a large number of experienced pilots and the constant overstrain of the forces of the German Air Force, damage was caused from which they could not recover. In April - May 1941, the raids on England intensified significantly. The German command launched a large-scale disinformation campaign for Stalin, as a result of which he was finally convinced that Great Britain would be the next victim of the Wehrmacht. When this goal was achieved, most of the air formations were secretly transferred to the East.

The successes of German aviation in the first year of the war with the Soviet Union were significant. From the very first days, the Luftwaffe, having destroyed thousands of Soviet aircraft right at the airfields, reigned supreme in the sky.

In the second half of November 1942, during the Battle of Stalingrad, units of the Red Army surrounded the city, enclosing the 6th enemy army in the cauldron. The plan developed by Paulus to break out of the encirclement was rejected by Hitler. It was impossible to persuade the Fuehrer to a different decision, not only because of the natural stubbornness of the Supreme Commander. Goering gave an oath to Adolf Hitler that the Luftwaffe would be able to fully supply the encircled units with everything necessary, delivering up to 500 tons of cargo daily. However, in practice, the average daily power of aviation in supplying the 6th Army could not exceed 100 tons. In addition, the delivery of goods to the surrounded groups in Stalingrad and other boilers caused huge losses in the German aviation, especially in its training units. This greatly harmed the training of new pilot cadres and reduced the possibility of replenishing front-line aviation units with experienced pilots.

The German Air Force ended the battle for England, but the British themselves did not end it. They continued to systematically bomb the Reich, gradually increasing the intensity of the raids. In 1942, the British Air Force carried out a terrible raid on Cologne, turning it into ruins.

Allied aircraft felt at home in the skies of Germany. Almost all the forces of the German Air Force were occupied on the Eastern Front, and there was nothing to oppose the air armadas of the British. For nine days in late July and early August 1943, the British Air Force raided Hamburg, almost completely destroying the city and claiming 40,000 lives.

From that time on, the air supremacy of the British became apparent. In Germany, measures have begun to evacuate the population not employed in production from cities. Thus, the German command recognized the inability to protect their people from enemy bombs. Goering's authority was finally undermined. Hitler stopped yelling at his Air Force Commander, he gradually began to ignore him.

From September 1944, allied air raids took on a terrifying character. Cities with unique architecture that have survived from the late Middle Ages were bombed. The raid on Dresden, which, in terms of the number of victims, can be put on a par with Hiroshima, was distinguished by a particular barbarism; in terms of the scale of destruction of cultural values, it has no equal in history.

By the spring of 1945, Goering's relationship with the Fuehrer had strained to the limit. Goering, who swore at the beginning of the war to the Fuehrer that no bomb would fall on Germany, now, as the commander of the Luftwaffe, was the culprit of the damage inflicted on the Reich by the continuous Allied air raids.

Despite this, one of the last attempts to save the leadership of the Third Reich is connected with the name of Goering. The Fuhrer and his entourage believed that the involvement of such an authoritative figure in negotiations with the Western allies would be acceptable for London and Washington. On April 20, 1945, by order of Hitler, Goering flew to Berchtesgaden, which was to get into the American zone of occupation.

On April 23, learning that the Fuhrer had decided to stay in Berlin until the end, Goering demanded that he hand over the leadership of the state to him. Enraged, Hitler stripped the Reichsmarschall of the title of official successor, which he had been since 1939, removed him from his post as chief of the OKL (High Command of the Luftwaffe) and ordered his arrest. On April 29, Air Force units loyal to Goering freed him, and on May 7 he surrendered to the Americans, hoping to meet with Eisenhower and conclude a truce. He believed that the Allies were ready to accept him as an acceptable representative of the transitional government of Germany. But Dwight Eisenhower gave the order to treat Hermann Goering like an ordinary prisoner of war.

On 12 August, Goering and other major Nazi criminals were brought to Nuremberg and imprisoned in the Palace of Justice. Goering stubbornly defended himself and managed to deflect several points of accusation. However, he was found guilty on four counts, including war crimes and crimes against humanity, and sentenced to death by hanging. On October 15, 1946, two hours before the execution, Hermann Goering took poison.

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Another chapter from the "Fuhrer". This was written a very long time ago, so the chapter does not contain a description of Goering's Kazan epic. Also, I did not go deeply into his personal life, the general, rather limited volume of the book did not allow me to do this. I don't see any sense in adding all this here now, because if I return to this topic, I will write in a fundamentally different way. But, perhaps this text will be interesting and useful to my friends.

Hermann Goering, the second son of the second marriage of Dr. Heinrich Goering, a high-ranking official of the German Empire, was born in Bavaria, in the city of Rosenheim on January 12, 1893. His father already had five children from his first marriage, but when he was widowed, in 1885 he remarried the young attractive Bavarian Franziska Tiefenbrunn. The wedding took place in London, where Goering was sent by his personal friend Otto von Bismarck to study the methods of work of the British colonial administration. According to her mother's grandmother, Caroline de Nerey, Fraulein Tiefenbrunn had French Huguenot ancestors who settled in the Netherlands. In the same year, Heinrich Goering received the post of Governor-General of German South-West Africa. A holder of diplomas from the Universities of Bonn and Heidelberg and having served his term as an officer in the Prussian army, he was imbued with the spirit of Prussianism. In Africa, he became friends with Cecil Rhodes and after five years of work was able to found a German colony. Then he was transferred to Haiti as Consul General. When the time came for Hermann to be born, Goering sent his wife back to Bavaria. Here her guardian and lover was the wealthy aristocrat Count Ritter Hermann von Epenshtein, a half-Jew, with whom the Goringov had an old friendship. He became the godfather of Hermann, whose entire childhood was spent in Feldenstein, von Epestein's ancestral castle.
Young Goering received an excellent military education, graduating from the academy in Karlsruhe and the prestigious cadet corps Groß-Lichtenfeld in Berlin. In 1912, having received the rank of lieutenant, he was sent to the 112th Infantry Regiment of Prince Wilhelm, stationed in Mühlheisen. Since this city was on the border with France, in 1914 Hermann Goering took part in hostilities from the very first days of the war.
But soon the infantry became boring for him, and he followed his friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Bruno Lertserem into the 25th air squadron as an air observer. Together with Lertserem, he photographed the forts of Verdun from the air, and also corrected the fire of German artillery. In the spring of 1915, friends received from the hands of the crown prince the Iron Cross of the 1st degree. This event marked the beginning of a brilliant military career. Hermann Goering.
He became the first German pilot to install a machine gun on his plane - before that, pilots fired at enemy positions with a pistol or dropped primitive bombs. Getting to know Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm proved to be very useful for Goering. In October 1915, he was promoted to pilot-gunner, but soon his plane was shot down, and Goering had to spend several months in the hospital, healing the wounds he received: his fellow soldiers counted 60 bullet holes in the burned fuselage of his car. At the beginning of 1916, he was discharged and transferred to the 26th squadron, of which Lerzer was appointed commander. Within a year, Lieutenant Goering became a famous pilot throughout the front. Now his chest was decorated with the Order of the Zerin Lion with swords, the Order of Karl-Friedrich and the Hohenzollern Medal with swords of the 3rd degree. In May 1917, the command appointed him commander of the 27th squadron and began to use him in the most difficult and dangerous sectors of the front. Lieutenant Hermann Goering reached the peak of his fame on July 14, 1918, when, after the death of the Red Baron, he took over as commander of the famous Richthofen air regiment. He shot down 22 enemy aircraft, for which he received the Order of Poir le Merite from the hands of the Kaiser and was declared a war criminal by the allies. On November 19, 1918, eight days after the signing of the armistice, Goering stood his regiment and made a prodigal speech: “Now a new round of the struggle for freedom, part, dignity and homeland begins. We have come a long and difficult way, which illuminated the light of truth and justice. We should be proud of what we have done. We must remember this. Our time will come soon. ”(1)
Demobilized at the end of 1918 with the rank of captain, Heinrich Goering was forced to look for a job. The first few meat after the conclusion of the armistice, he spent in Munich, and at the very beginning of 1919 arrived in Berlin. As an honored veteran and famous aviator, he was offered a position in the new army, but Goering ended up serving in the racer because of hatred of the republican regime, which, in his opinion, had betrayed the country's national interests. Since the allies strongly demanded his extradition as a war criminal, he left Germany and began to take part in demonstration flights in Denmark and Sweden. Using his fame as the commander of the Richthofen regiment, he earned good money, performing aerobatics in front of an astonished audience.
In 1922, Goering entered the University of Munich. There he met with his fellow soldier Rudolf Hess, who also changed his military uniform for a student's cap. Hess introduced Goering to Adolf Hitler, who made a huge impression on Goering. He firmly decided to link his life with National Socialism. For the NSDAP itself, Goering, with his military experience and reputation as a national hero, was a gift from heaven. Already in March 1923, he headed the SA, which had to be well organized and disciplined. In a few months, with the assistance of Reichswehr Major Ernst Röhm, he managed to make a real army out of half-bandit formations of stormtroopers. Rem contributed to the secret armament of the assault detachments, hoping sooner or later to take the leadership of them into their own hands. Soon a latent enmity arose between Rem and Goering, whose arrival confused all the cards for the major. Goering, in turn, sensed a dangerous rival in Rem.
On the eve of the "beer putsch", when it became clear to the Nazis that the Reichswehr and the Bavarian government refused to participate in the coup, Goering, on behalf of Hitler, personally met with the commander of the Bavarian military district, General von Lossow, and unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to return to the camp of the conspirators. On November 9, 1923, Hermann Goering was walking in the front ranks of the putschists when the police opened fire on them. Two bullets hit him in the thigh and Goering collapsed onto the pavement. Dirt got into the wound and caused inflammation. To alleviate the suffering of the patient, morphine was administered to him in unlimited quantities. As a result, Goering turned into a drug addict, in addition, due to the consequences of injury, he began to quickly gain weight. Using forged documents, he left Germany for Austria, from where, at the end of his treatment, he moved to Italy. While in Rome, Hermann Goering received an audience with Benito Mussolini and told the Duce in detail about Hitler and the Munich putsch. Having learned first-hand the history of the Nazi movement, Mussolini expressed a desire to meet with the Fuhrer when he was released from prison. Then Goering continued his wanderings in Europe until he reached Sweden, where he settled in Stockholm with relatives of his wife Karin. By this time, drugs had deformed his personality so much that on 1 September 1925, by decision of the Swedish police, he was forcibly placed in a psychiatric hospital. This happened after Goering, who fell into a rampage, attacked a nurse who was injecting him with morphine.
In exile, Goering came to the same conclusions as Hitler in the Langsberg prison: unlike Russia, a revolution “from below” in Germany is impossible, so power must be taken by legal means. Subsequently, this will lead him to a final break with Rem, who will remain a supporter of barricades, street fighting and social coups. Returning to Germany after an amnesty in 1927, Goering was elected to the Reichstag among 12 other candidates from the National Socialist Party. Immeno he brought Hitler out of hibernation, into which the Fuhrer fell during the economic stabilization, and literally forced him to lead the party to the parliamentary elections. Hermann Guerin settled in Berlin and became the Fuehrer's representative in the capital, which came under the influence of the leftist Nazis from among the supporters of Strasser. He also made acquaintances with major businessmen, and Lufthansa even began to pay him something like an allowance.
Guerin fully shared Hitler's concept of a legal coming to power, but did not consider it necessary to hide the true intentions of the NSDAP. When in March 1930 the law "On the protection of the republic" was canceled, he quite openly stated: “We are fighting against this state and the current system, that is, we want to destroy it without a trace - but in a legal way. Until there was a law "On the protection of the republic", we said that we hate this state. Since this law has existed, we say that we love this state. However, everyone perfectly understands what we mean. ”(2)
Representing the Fuehrer in Berlin, Hermann Goering had to play a rather complex role. His task was to attract to the side of the movement all completely polar political forces: workers and big business. This required not only a considerable amount of diplomatic skill, but also a fair amount of cynicism - Goering equally possessed both. So, on October 14, 1930, together with G. Strasser and Goebbels, he demanded the gratuitous confiscation of the property of banks and stock exchange tycoons in favor of the German people and the nationalization of all large banks, including the Reichsbank, and two weeks later, in a warm friendly atmosphere, he had a conversation with the President of the Reichsbank Schacht and made the best impression on him. In general, it should be noted that until 1933 Goering's main field of activity was establishing contacts with the leaders of heavy industry in Germany, especially with the IG Farbenindustri concern and Thyssen. He also introduced the Fuhrer to representatives of big business, and Hitler believed that in his circle there was no more competent person in these matters than Goering. (3)
In 1932, after the victory of the NSDAP in the elections, he became chairman of the Reichstag. Goering played an important role in the rise of the Nazis to power. Using his post, he rendered an invaluable service to Hitler. Adolf did not forget his faithful companion - later Hermann Goering became the chief deputy of the Fuhrer for the party and a minister without a portfolio. In addition, he simultaneously held 16 positions, up to the chief forester and chief jägermeister of the country.
On January 30, 1933, when Hitler was in power for only a few hours, Goering spoke on the radio. Addressing the German people, he said that now a new page in German history is opening, when freedom and honor will become the basis of statehood. In a very short time, many Germans will be able to appreciate the true meaning of the words freedom and honor in the Third Reich, dying in the dungeons of the Gestapo, concentration camps, in the sands of the Sahara and the Belarusian swamps. As Minister of the Interior of the Land Government of Prussia, Hermann Goering, on April 26, 1933, signed a decree establishing the Gestapo, the secret police of the Third Reich.
The first head of the Gestapo was the head of the political department of the Prussian criminal police, Rudolf Diels, with whom Goering became close friends during 1932. Immediately after the Nazis came to power, the Prussian police led by Diels and Goering began punitive operations against obvious and potential opponents of the regime. In February 33rd, in the instructions of the kripo, Hermann Goering wrote: “Every bullet fired from the muzzle of a policeman's pistol is my bullet; if someone calls it murder, then I killed it. It was I who gave all these orders, and I insist on them. I take all responsibility upon myself and am not afraid of it. ”(4)
Goering successfully carried out the operation to set fire to the Reichstag, but suffered a complete fiasco at the trial in Leipzig. Georgy Dimitrov from the dock openly mocked the Minister of the Interior of Prussia, arranging a real interrogation for him right in the courtroom. During the meeting, Hermann Goering lost control of himself and, in the presence of the judges, burst into a stream of marketplace fights. In response to Goering's inarticulate cries, Dimitrov uttered a phrase that went down in the annals of history: “Aren't you afraid, Mr. Minister. You are probably scared? "
Having acquired such a powerful weapon as the Gestapo, Hermann Goering, in alliance with the SS chief Himmler, began to prepare to destroy his most dangerous enemy and rival - Rem. Ernst Röhm claimed the position of Minister of War, intending to replace the regular army with his stormtroopers. By that time, the assault troops, numbering four and a half million people, had become a serious political force, which more and more went out of Hitler's control. Preaching the need to continue the National Socialist revolution, turning it into a social coup on the Russian model, the SA units began to pose a certain danger to the leadership of the NSDAP. This danger was eliminated on June 30, 1934, when the SS and Gestapo, with the tacit consent of the army, dealt with Rem and his associates. Defense Minister Blomberg, who in 4 years himself will become another victim of Goering, welcomed Hitler's actions to eliminate the "conspiracy" in the SA. The support of the generals, coupled with constant pressure from the Gestapo, made the Fuhrer the sovereign master of Germany. By helping to eliminate Rem, the military hoped, along with the party, to become the mainstay of the Third Reich. They hoped to get their hands on political control, tame Hitler and keep the NSDAP in check. Their mistake was that the generals did not take into account Himmler and Goering, naively believing that they were working for the military. However, the real winners turned out to be this still inseparable pair of executioners, each of whom has already begun to sharpen an ax at a partner. Subsequently, Himmler would be able to almost completely push Heinrich Goering away from the Fuhrer, turning the SS into the only support of the regime. But until then it was still far away. On December 7, 1933, Hitler signed two secret decrees, according to which Hermann Goering was appointed deputy Fuehrer and his successor.
A few words should be said about Goering's character. He was distinguished by cruelty and deceit, cunning and the ability to maneuver, diplomatic abilities in the absence of any moral restrictions. There were, as it were, two Goering: one, a good-natured fat man, constantly changing uniforms hung with awards and collecting works of art, keen on hunting and mountaineering, was intended for the general public, but grief was to those who stood in the way of the second Goering, a cruel and shameless predator, ready destroy any enemy. Heinrich Goering was well versed in people and knew how to find those who dragged a cart of concrete work for him, while he outlined only a general line and demanded results. Hitler admired the mental stability and phlegmatic composure of his comrade-in-arms and believed that it was impossible to find a better counselor. In the most difficult situations, Goering did not lose his sanity and remained cold as ice.
After the NSDAP came to power, Goering continued to deal with economic issues. Already on February 13, 1933, he organized a meeting of the newly-made Reich Chancellor with the leaders of German heavy industry. A week later, Hitler, Goering and Funk and Schacht secretly met at the Belewu Palace, the seat of the Reich President, with 25 of Germany's most influential industrialists. After a long conversation, Krupp thanked the Reich Chancellor “for the fact that he so clearly and clearly set out to us the course of his thoughts. That being said, I want to emphasize that there is no need to discuss the details, but I want to highlight three points that everyone here will agree on:
1. The time has come in Germany to finally bring clarity to all internal political issues.
2. It is necessary that Hitler represent the general interests of the German people, and not representatives of particular professions or estates.
3. We are firmly convinced that only in a politically strong and independent state can the economy and crafts develop well. ”(5)
When Hugenberg resigned from the post of Minister of Economy on June 26, 1933, Hermann Goering secured the appointment of Kurt Schmitt, General Director of the Allianz Ferzicherungs AG, as the new minister. According to some reports, a few days before his appointment, Schmitt transferred 100,000 Reichsmarks to Goering's account. (6)
Remembering Goering's combat past, almost immediately after coming to power, Hitler appointed him commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe. Officially, the air force appeared in Germany only on May 9, 1935, but work on their revival has been carried out since the mid-1920s, not without the help of Soviet Russia. On April 15, 1925, a secret Soviet-German agreement was signed in Moscow, according to which a secret aviation school was created in Lipetsk. At this airbase, until August 1933, German military aircraft were tested and more than a dozen future aces of the Luftwaffe were trained. Despite the fact that Goering was a member of the older generation of aviators, he was able to form a clear picture of the future of modern aviation. In his opinion, the Luftwaffe should have been able to carry out any task of modern warfare. Goering decided that all operational aviation should be under the command of only the commander of the OKL, which would provide it with unity of action both in defense and in the offensive. He considered his main task to be the creation of a strong bomber fleet that could deliver powerful blows to the enemy. At the same time, he pushed the problem of providing the ground army and navy with modern aviation to the background. However, Goering did not have time to personally organize the Air Force. He put this job on the shoulders of the Reich Secretary for Aviation Erhard Milch, the former executive director of Lufthansa.
The revival of the air force was closely associated with the creation of a powerful military-industrial potential in Germany. The main problem that arose on this path was the lack of own capacities for the extraction and synthetic production of strategic raw materials, which had to be imported from abroad. In the conditions of the alleged war, this state of affairs was deadly, since the Reich found itself tightly attached to the suppliers of strategic materials. Wanting to single-handedly lead the rearmament of the army, Goering secured from Hitler the post of Deputy Fuhrer for Economic Affairs and the creation of the Armaments Directorate (Heerenwaffenamt - HWaA), which was supposed to concentrate in its hands all the controllers of military production. But Hitler did not give Goering the appropriate powers, as a result of which he became a "paper" economic dictator. Moreover, not wishing to unnecessarily strengthen his old party comrade, in the summer of 1934, the Fuhrer dismissed the sick Schmitt and appointed Hjalmar Schacht as the new Reich Minister of Economics, who by that time had become Goering's sworn enemy. In addition, Hitler disbanded the Prussian Ministry of Economics, transferring its staff to the Reich ministry under the command of Schacht, who began to develop the paln of German economic development. Unlike Goering, Schacht believed that it was impossible to achieve complete autarky of the German economy. At the same time, Wilhelm Keppler, Hermann Goering's protege, drew up his own plan, in which he proved the opposite. Ultimately, the symbiosis of both concepts became the basis for a four-year plan for German economic development. However, the contradictions between Goering and Schacht were by no means limited to the confrontation of autarchy and integration into the world economy - they just both wanted to lead the German economy alone. (7)
On May 21, 1935, Hitler signed the Empire Defense Act, under which Hjalmar Schacht became General Commissioner for the War Economy and received extraordinary powers to manage the war economy. After that, Goering began a real cold war against Shatkh, in which the powers of the two state husbands constantly clashed with a bang and sparks. The result of this "undercover" struggle was a secret decree of the Fuehrer of April 4, 1936, according to which Goering became the general inspector of the German oil refining industry, i.e. all issues related to the production of fuels and lubricants, including synthetic gasoline, were in his jurisdiction. Wanting to strengthen his position and put Schacht to shame, two weeks later Goering unauthorizedly published the text of this secret decree, so that the whole country narrowed down his new position. In response to this, Hitler, who was going to give him the rank of field marshal of the Luftwaffe, decided that for now, the epaulets of the colonel-general would be enough from Goering. However, a few days later, the Fuhrer's anger subsided, and Hermann Goering was able to achieve the creation of the Headquarters for the provision of raw materials and foreign exchange reserves (Rohstoff - und Devisenstab), which he headed. Schacht gradually gave up one position after another. So, despite the active resistance of the Reich Minister of Economy, Goering was able to convince Hitler to conclude a new trade agreement with the Soviet Union at the end of April 1936.
The main goal of Goering's economic policy was the quickest possible rearmament of the army, which resulted in a four-year plan for the development of the national economy ("Vierjahresplan"), adopted at the next congress of the Nazi party on September 9, 1936. This plan consolidated the victory of the concept of autarky over the concept of exporting essential strategic raw materials, which was championed by Schacht. However, in reality, the achievement of complete autarchy of the German economy was unrealistic, since Germany did not have its own deposits of oil, bauxite, and much more needed to support the fighting army.
Hermann Goering was appointed General Commissioner for the implementation of the four-year plan. This was his final victory over Hjalmar Schacht. In July 1937, the famous Hermann-Göring Werke concern was created, which in a short time became the largest concern in the world. On September 4, 1938, Hitler signed a new Imperial Defense Zak. According to this law, the Imperial Defense Council was created in the Reich, the chairman of which was the Fuehrer himself, and his permanent deputy was Hermann Goering. In the same year, Goering tried to become Minister of War. With the help of Heydrich and Himmler, he "toppled" Blomberg and Fritsch, but the post of Minister of War was abolished by the Fuehrer, and Goering had to be content with the rank of Field Marshal, which he was awarded in violation of all German military rules, regulations and traditions.
In 1933, at the General Staff of the Luftwaffe, the future Air Force was conceived as a means of defense against sudden attacks from outside, while Hitler, step by step, got rid of the chains of the Treaty of Versailles. But the dispatch of the Condor legion to Spain in 1936 changed these plans. The first baptism of fire of the Luftwaffe was successful. In addition, from the experience of the Spanish Civil War, the Luftwaffe command made a very important conclusion, which determined the further development of the German Air Force - those who are going to attack do not need strategic bombers. Since that time, the German industry has been reoriented to the creation of tactical aviation.