Editing Hermann Göring (section)

== World War II ==
[[File:Hermann Göring - Röhr.jpg|thumb|Göring as {{Lang|de|[[Reichsmarschall]]}}]]

=== Success on all fronts ===

Göring and other senior officers were concerned that Germany was not yet ready for war, but Hitler insisted on pushing ahead as soon as possible.{{sfn|Manvell|Fraenkel|2011|pp=197, 211}} On 30 August 1939, immediately prior to the outbreak of the [[Second World War]], Hitler appointed Göring as the chairman of a new six-person [[Council of Ministers for the Defense of the Reich]] which was set up to operate as a war cabinet.{{sfn| Broszat| 1981| pp=308–309}} The invasion of Poland, the opening action of World War II, began at dawn on 1 September 1939.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=597}} Later in the day, speaking to the {{lang|de|Reichstag}}, Hitler designated Göring as his successor as Führer of all Germany, "If anything should befall me",{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=599}} with Hess as the second alternate.{{sfn|Gunther|1940|p=19}} Major German victories followed one after the other in quick succession. With the help of the Luftwaffe, the [[Polish Air Force]] was defeated within a week.{{sfn|Hooton|1999|pp=177–189}}{{efn|Confident that the Luftwaffe was without peer and practically invincible in the wake of these victories, Göring commented to the German press that should the enemy ever penetrate German airspace, they could call him "Meyer".{{sfn|Moorhouse|2012|p=350}}{{sfn|Perry|2013|p=45fn}} }} The {{lang|de|[[Fallschirmjäger]]}} seized vital airfields in [[Norway]] ([[Operation Weserübung]]) and captured [[Fort Eben-Emael]] in Belgium on 10 May 1940, the first day of the [[Battle of France]]. Göring's Luftwaffe played critical roles in the [[Battle of the Netherlands|Battles of the Netherlands]], [[Battle of Belgium|of Belgium]] and of France in May 1940.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=721, 723, 725}}

After the [[Fall of France]], Hitler awarded Göring the [[Grand Cross of the Iron Cross]] for his successful leadership.{{sfn|Fellgiebel|2000|p=198}} During the [[1940 Field Marshal Ceremony]], Hitler promoted Göring to the rank of {{lang|de|[[Reichsmarschall]] des Grossdeutschen Reiches}} ({{translation|Reich Marshal of the Greater German Reich}}), a specially created rank which made him senior to all field marshals in the military. As a result of this promotion, he was the highest-ranking soldier in Germany until the end of the war. Göring had already received the [[Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross]] on 30 September 1939 as Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe.{{sfn|Fellgiebel|2000|p=198}}

The UK had declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939, the third day of the invasion of Poland.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=615}} In July 1940, Hitler began preparations for an invasion of Britain. As part of the plan, the [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) had to be neutralised. Bombing raids commenced on British air installations and on cities and centres of industry.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=113, 136, 143}} Göring had by then already announced in a radio speech, "If as much as a single enemy aircraft flies over German soil, my name is Meier!",{{sfn|Oestermann|2001|p=157}} something that would return to haunt him, when the RAF began bombing German cities on 11 May 1940.{{sfn|Selwood|2015}} Though he was confident the Luftwaffe could defeat the RAF within days, Göring, like Admiral [[Erich Raeder]], [[Oberkommando der Marine|commander-in-chief of the ''Kriegsmarine'']] (navy),{{sfn|Raeder|2001|pp=324–325}} was pessimistic about the chance of success of the planned invasion (codenamed [[Operation Sea Lion]]).{{sfn|Bungay|2000|p=337}} Göring hoped that a victory in the air would be enough to force peace without an invasion. The campaign failed and Sealion was postponed indefinitely on 17 September 1940.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=144}} After their defeat in the [[Battle of Britain]], the Luftwaffe attempted to defeat Britain via [[strategic bombing]]. On 12 October 1940 Hitler cancelled Sea Lion due to the onset of winter.{{sfn|Taylor|1965|p=500}} By the end of the year, it was clear that British morale was not being shaken by [[the Blitz]], though the bombings continued through May 1941.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=145}}

=== Defeat on all fronts ===
[[File:Orders issued by Hermann Goring for German troops.jpg|thumb|Göring with General der Flieger and Luftwaffe Chief of Staff [[Hans Jeschonnek]], General der Flieger [[Otto Hoffmann von Waldau]] and General der Flieger [[Gustav Kastner-Kirdorf]] issuing an order for German troops on the [[Eastern Front (World War II)|Eastern Front]], 1941]]

In spite of the [[Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact]], signed in 1939, Nazi Germany began [[Operation Barbarossa]]—the invasion of the Soviet Union—on 22 June 1941. Initially, the Luftwaffe was at an advantage, destroying thousands of Soviet aircraft in the first month of fighting.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=178–179}} Hitler and his top staff were sure that the campaign would be over by Christmas, and no provisions were made for reserves of men or equipment.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=187}} But, by July, the Germans had only 1,000 planes remaining in operation and their troop losses were over 213,000 men. The choice was made to concentrate the attack on only one part of the vast front; efforts would be directed at capturing Moscow.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=201}} After the long, but successful, [[Battle of Smolensk (1941)|Battle of Smolensk]], Hitler ordered [[Army Group Centre]] to halt its advance to Moscow and temporarily diverted its Panzer groups north and south to aid in the encirclement of [[Leningrad]] and [[Kiev]].{{sfn|Stolfi|1982}} The pause provided the [[Red Army]] with an opportunity to mobilise fresh reserves; historian [[Russel H. S. Stolfi|Russel Stolfi]] considers it to be one of the major factors that caused the failure of the Moscow offensive, which was resumed in October 1941 with the [[Battle of Moscow]].{{sfn|Stolfi|1982}} Poor weather conditions, fuel shortages, a delay in building aircraft bases in Eastern Europe and overstretched supply lines were also factors. Hitler did not give permission for even a partial retreat until mid-January 1942; by this time the losses were comparable to those of the [[French invasion of Russia]] in 1812.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=207–213}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101III-Reprich-012-08, Wolfschanze, Hitler, Ley, Porsche und Göring.jpg|thumb|left|Hitler, Dr [[Robert Ley]], automotive engineer [[Ferdinand Porsche]] and Göring at the ''[[Wolf's Lair]]'' in 1942]]
In late October or early November 1941, Hitler and Göring decided on the mass deportation of [[German atrocities committed against Soviet prisoners of war|Soviet prisoners of war]]—and a larger number of Soviet civilians—to Germany for [[Forced labour under German rule during World War II|forced labor]], but epidemics soon caused the halting of prisoner-of-war transports.{{sfn|Keller|2021|p=204}}{{sfn|Gerlach|2016|p=228}} Those who were deported to Germany faced conditions not necessarily any better than existed in the [[German-occupied Europe|occupied Soviet Union]].{{sfn|Pohl|2012|p=214}} By the end of the war, at least 1.3&nbsp;million Soviet prisoners of war had been deported to Germany or its annexed territories.{{sfn|Pohl|2012|p=215}} Of these, 400,000 did not survive and most of these [[World War II casualties of the Soviet Union|deaths]] occurred in the winter of 1941/1942.{{sfn|Pohl|2012|p=215}}

After the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]], Göring, along with Field Marshal [[Wilhelm Keitel]] and Admiral [[Erich Raeder]], urged Hitler to immediately declare war on the United States.{{sfn|Fleming|1987}}

[[File:Marski Goringin vieraana 1942.jpg|thumb|Göring with [[Finland in World War II|Finnish]] Field Marshal [[Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim|Mannerheim]] in 1942]]
Hitler decided that the summer 1942 campaign would be concentrated in the south; efforts would be made to capture the oilfields in the [[Caucasus]].{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=404–405}} The [[Battle of Stalingrad]], a major turning point of the war,{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=421}} began on 23 August 1942 with a bombing campaign by the Luftwaffe.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=409}} The German [[6th Army (Wehrmacht)|Sixth Army]] entered the city, but because of its location on the front line, it was still possible for the Soviets to encircle and trap it there without reinforcements or supplies. When the Sixth Army was surrounded by the end of November in [[Operation Uranus]], Göring promised that the Luftwaffe would be able to deliver a minimum of 300 tons of supplies to the trapped men every day. On the basis of these assurances, Hitler demanded that there be no retreat; they were to fight to the last man. Though some airlifts were able to get through, supplies delivered never exceeded 120 tons per day.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=412–413}}{{sfn|Speer|1971|p=329}} The remnants of the Sixth Army—some 91,000 men out of an army of 285,000—surrendered in early February 1943; only 5,000 of these captives survived the [[German prisoners of war in the Soviet Union|Soviet prisoner of war camps]] to see Germany again.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=932}}

=== War over Germany ===
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1977-149-13, Hermann Göring, Adolf Hitler, Albert Speer.jpg|thumb|left|Göring with Hitler and [[Albert Speer]], 10 August 1943]]
Meanwhile, the strength of the US and British bomber fleets had increased. Based in Britain, they began [[Defence of the Reich|operations against German targets]]. The first thousand-bomber raid was staged [[Bombing of Cologne in World War II|on Cologne]] on 30 May 1942.{{sfn|Evans|2008|pp=438, 441}} Air raids continued on targets farther from England after auxiliary fuel tanks were installed on US [[fighter aircraft]]. Göring refused to believe reports that American fighters had been shot down as far east as [[Aachen]] in winter 1942–1943. His reputation began to decline.{{sfn|Speer|1971|p=378}}

The American [[P-51 Mustang]], with a [[combat radius]] of over {{convert|1800|mi}} when using underwing [[drop tank]]s, began to escort the bombers in large formations to and from the target area in early 1944. From that point onwards, the Luftwaffe began to suffer casualties in aircrews it could not sufficiently replace. By targeting oil refineries and rail communications, [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] bombers crippled the German war effort by late 1944.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=461}} German civilians blamed Göring for his failure to protect the homeland.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=447}} Hitler began excluding him from conferences but retained him in his positions at the head of the Luftwaffe and as plenipotentiary of the Four-Year Plan.{{sfn|Manvell|Fraenkel|2011|pp=296, 297, 299}} As he lost Hitler's trust, Göring began to spend more time at his various residences.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=510}} On [[D-Day]] (6 June 1944), the Luftwaffe only had some 300 fighters and a small number of bombers in the area of the landings; the Allies had a total strength of 11,000 aircraft.{{sfn|Manvell|Fraenkel|2011|pp=295, 302}}

=== End of the war ===
{{see also|Göring telegram}}
[[File:Goeringcaptivity.jpg|thumb|Göring in captivity 9 May 1945]]

As the [[Battle of Berlin|Soviets approached Berlin]], Hitler's efforts to organise the defence of the city became ever more meaningless and futile.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=725}} His last birthday, celebrated at the {{lang|de|[[Führerbunker]]}} in Berlin on 20 April 1945, was the occasion for leave-taking by many top Nazis, Göring included. By this time, Göring's hunting lodge [[Carinhall]] had been evacuated, the building destroyed,{{sfn|Manvell|Fraenkel|2011|p=310}} and its art treasures moved to [[Berchtesgaden]] and elsewhere.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=722}} Göring arrived at his estate at Obersalzberg on 22 April, the same day that Hitler, in a lengthy diatribe against his generals, first publicly admitted that the war was lost and that he intended to remain in Berlin to the end and then commit suicide.{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=723}} He also stated that Göring was in a better position to negotiate a peace settlement.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=1115–1116}}

[[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht|OKW]] operations chief [[Alfred Jodl]] was present for Hitler's rant and notified Göring's chief of staff, [[Karl Koller (general)|Karl Koller]], at a meeting a few hours later. Sensing its implications, Koller immediately flew to Berchtesgaden to notify Göring of this development. A week after the start of the Soviet invasion, Hitler had issued a decree naming Göring his successor in the event of his death, thus codifying the declaration he had made soon after the beginning of the war. The decree also gave Göring full authority to act as Hitler's deputy if Hitler ever lost his freedom of action.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|pp=1115–1116}}

Göring feared being branded a traitor if he tried to take power, but also feared being accused of dereliction of duty if he did nothing. After some hesitation, Göring reviewed his copy of the 1941 decree naming him Hitler's successor. After conferring with Koller and [[Hans Lammers]] (the state secretary of the Reich Chancellery), Göring concluded that by remaining in Berlin to face certain death, Hitler had incapacitated himself from governing. All agreed that under the terms of the decree, it was incumbent upon Göring to take power in Hitler's stead.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1116}} He was also motivated by fears that his rival, [[Martin Bormann]], would seize power upon Hitler's death and would have him killed as a traitor. With this in mind, Göring sent a carefully worded telegram asking Hitler for permission to take over as the leader of Germany, stressing that he would be acting as Hitler's deputy. He added that, if Hitler did not reply by 22:00 that night (23 April), he would assume that Hitler had indeed lost his freedom of action and would assume leadership of the Reich.{{sfn|Manvell|Fraenkel|2011|p=315}}

[[File:SFP 186 - Hermann Göring.ogv|thumb|Göring after his capture (May 1945)]]
The telegram was intercepted by Bormann, who convinced Hitler that Göring was attempting a coup. Bormann argued that Göring's telegram was not a request for permission to act as Hitler's deputy, but a demand to resign or be overthrown.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1118}} Bormann also intercepted another telegram in which Göring directed Ribbentrop to report to him if there was no further communication from Hitler or Göring before midnight.{{sfn|Speer|1971|pp=608–609}} Hitler sent a reply to Göring{{mdash}}prepared with Bormann's help{{mdash}}rescinding the 1941 decree and threatening him with execution for high treason unless he immediately resigned from all of his offices. Realising his situation was untenable, Göring duly resigned. Afterwards, Hitler (or Bormann, depending on the source) ordered the SS to place Göring, his staff and Lammers under house arrest at Obersalzberg.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1118}}{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=724}} Bormann made an announcement over the radio that Göring had resigned for health reasons.{{sfn|Manvell|Fraenkel|2011|p=318}}

By 26 April, the complex at Obersalzberg [[Bombing of Obersalzberg|was under attack]] by the Allies, so Göring was moved to [[Burg Mauterndorf|his castle at Mauterndorf]]. In his [[Last will and testament of Adolf Hitler|last will and testament]], Hitler expelled Göring from the party, formally rescinded the decree making him his successor and upbraided Göring for "illegally attempting to seize control of the state".{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1126}} He then appointed [[Karl Dönitz]], the Navy's commander-in-chief, as president of the Reich and supreme commander of the [[Wehrmacht|armed forces]]. Hitler and his wife, [[Eva Braun]], [[Death of Adolf Hitler|committed suicide]] on 30 April 1945, a few hours after a hastily arranged wedding. Göring was freed on 5 May by a passing Luftwaffe unit and made his way to the U.S. lines in hopes of surrendering to them rather than to the Soviets. He was taken into custody near [[Radstadt]] on 9 May by elements of the [[36th Infantry Division (United States)|36th Infantry Division]] of the [[United States Army|US Army]].{{sfn|Manvell|Fraenkel|2011|pp=320–325}}{{sfn|Evans|2008|p=728}}{{efn|Upon being captured by American soldiers, Göring immediately asked to be taken before Eisenhower. He hoped to be treated as a "spokesman for Germany".{{sfn|Overy|2012|p=228}} }} This move likely saved Göring's life; Bormann had ordered him executed if Berlin had fallen.{{sfn|Shirer|1960|p=1128}} On 10 May, US Air Forces commander [[Carl Spaatz]] conducted an interrogation of Göring along with lieutenant general [[Hoyt Vandenberg]] and American historian [[Bruce Campbell Hopper]] at the Ritter School in [[Augsburg]], Germany.{{sfn|USAF|1945}}