1. Hermann Göring

Position: Commander of the German Air Force; Second-in-Command to Hitler

Hermann Göring in his fighter plane during World War I

Before the War

Göring was perhaps the most influential person, next to Hitler, in the Nazi organization. A former World War I fighter pilot, he was one of only 12 Nazis elected to the Reichstag in 1928. He orchestrated the Reichstag fire on February 27, 1933 and, with propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels's assistance, used the fire as a propaganda tool against the communists as a means to use violence against them.

In 1933 Göring became Minister of the Interior for Prussia, the largest German state, and controlled most of the police forces in Germany. In the mid-1930's Göring was in charge of the "Aryanization" of Jewish property, a policy which extended to Jews throughout Europe following the Anschluss. After the events of Kristallnacht, November 8 and 9, 1938, Göring (under instructions from Hitler) called a high-level meeting of the party, on November 12, to assess the damage done during the night and place responsibility for it. Present at the meeting were Göring and other ranking Nazi officials. The intent of this meeting was two-fold: to make the Jews responsible for Kristallnacht and to use the events of the preceding days as a rationale for promulgating a series of antisemitic laws which would, in effect, remove Jews from the German economy.

"Gentlemen! Today's meeting is of a decisive nature," Göring announced. "I have received a letter written on the Fuehrer's orders requesting that the Jewish question be now, once and for all, coordinated and solved one way or another."

Kristallnacht turns out to be a crucial turning point in German policy regarding the Jews and may be considered as the actual beginning of what is now called the Holocaust. Following that meeting, a wide-ranging set of antisemitic laws were passed which had the clear intent, in Göring's words, of "Aryanizing" the German economy. The path to the "Final Solution" (the mass execution of the Jews) had been chosen.

Hitler (left) and his designated successor, Göring (right), reviewing a military parade

SA troops locking hands to prevent Jews from entering the University of Vienna in Austria

Corruption and Personal Gain

In 1936 Hitler gave Göring control over the German economy. He created the state-owned Hermann Göring Works, which prepared Germany for war and created 700,000 jobs, but also lined his own pockets. Göring built a hunting mansion where he organized feasts and state hunts, and displayed art plundered from European museums. He changed uniforms and suits five times a day and flaunted his medals and jewelry. He remained genuinely popular with the German masses, who regarded him as more accessible than Hitler.

Göring's stolen art collection (right)

Wartime Role

During the war, Hermann Göring was the commander of the Luftwaffe (German Air Force). He was responsible for sending his bombers at the metropolitan cities such as London and Leningrad where thousands of people died from the aerial attacks.

He was also the second-in-command behind Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany.

Launch of a V-2 Rocket (The "V" stands for "Vengeance" Weapon)

Bomb damage in London

Göring at the Tribunal, when asked about attacking English cities, despite knowing further attacks would not win the war for Germany:

"Thank God, we still had one weapon that we could use. I have just said that, as long as the fight was on, we had to hit back; and as a soldier I can only regret that we did not have enough of these V-l and V-2 bombs (unmanned rockets used to attack England in 1944-45), for an easing of the attacks on German cities could be brought about only if we could inflict equally heavy losses on the enemy"

Page updated

Report abuse