On this date, 15
October 1946, Hermann Göring, one of Hitler’s Henchman committed suicide before
his execution.
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Hermann
Göring
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Hermann
Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; 12 January 1893 – 15
October 1946), was a German politician, military leader, and leading member of
the Nazi Party (NSDAP). A veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, he
was a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as the
"Blue Max". He was the last commander of Jagdgeschwader 1, the
fighter wing once led by Manfred von Richthofen, the "Red Baron".
A member of the NSDAP from its early days, Göring
was wounded in 1923 during the failed coup known as the Beer Hall Putsch. He
became permanently addicted to morphine after being treated with the drug for
his injuries. After helping Adolf Hitler take power in 1933, he became the
second-most powerful man in Germany. He founded the Gestapo in 1933. Göring was
appointed commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe (air force) in 1935, a position
he held until the final days of World War II. By 1940 he was at the peak of his
power and influence; as minister in charge of the Four Year Plan, he was
responsible for much of the functioning of the German economy in the build-up
to World War II. Adolf Hitler promoted him to the rank of Reichsmarschall,
a rank senior to all other Wehrmacht commanders, and in 1941 Hitler
designated him as his successor and deputy in all his offices.
Göring's standing with Hitler was greatly reduced
by 1942, with the Luftwaffe unable to fulfill its commitments and the German
war effort stumbling on both fronts. Göring largely withdrew from the military
and political scene and focused on the acquisition of property and artwork,
much of which was confiscated from Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Informed on
22 April 1945 that Hitler intended to commit suicide, Göring sent a telegram to
Hitler asking to assume control of the Reich. Considering it an act of treason,
Hitler removed Göring from all his positions, expelled him from the party, and
ordered his arrest. After World War II, Göring was convicted of war crimes and
crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg Trials; he was the highest-ranking
Nazi to be tried there. He was sentenced to death by hanging, but committed
suicide by ingesting cyanide the night before the sentence was to be carried
out.
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