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The Life and Death of Hermann Goering
A biography of one of the most powerful of Hitler's henchmen which is illustrated with telling photographs portraying the public and personal sides of this infamous character.
- GenresWorld War II
Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 27, 2023
This rather short book (251 pages) is part of the Battle Standards series which deals with all things WWII related. This series is noted for condensing a large subject into a concise review in fewer pages than those huge 500+ tomes that we usually read, especially when dealing with a person as infamous as Hermann Goering.
The author touches on various aspects of his early life such as his service in WWI as the leader of the famous von Richtofen Squadron after the Red Baron's death; his first marriage to Carin, a Swedish gentlewoman, to his first encounter with Adolph Hitler and National Socialism. He was not particularly a political person but more one that craved public adulation and he saw his chance with the rising Nazi party and his creation of the Luftwaffe.
He became a favorite of the German people and began to run amok.....making bad decisions about his air force, grabbing every honor and position he could and designing his flamboyant and ridiculous uniforms. His passion for collecting art ran wild as countries were overrun by the Nazis and he stole masterpieces to place in his palace, Carinhall, named after his dead wife. Remarried and with a child, he totally loses control of the Luftwaffe and refuses to update his aircraft, while lying to Hitler about its invincibility. Of course, he ends up in the dock at Nuremberg and uses it as one last platform for personal glory. Condemned to death, he cheats the hangman by committing suicide with poison. To this day, it is not known how he obtained it.
If you want a quick overview of one of the major figures in the Nazi government, this is an easy read and satisfying in a rather simplified way.
The author touches on various aspects of his early life such as his service in WWI as the leader of the famous von Richtofen Squadron after the Red Baron's death; his first marriage to Carin, a Swedish gentlewoman, to his first encounter with Adolph Hitler and National Socialism. He was not particularly a political person but more one that craved public adulation and he saw his chance with the rising Nazi party and his creation of the Luftwaffe.
He became a favorite of the German people and began to run amok.....making bad decisions about his air force, grabbing every honor and position he could and designing his flamboyant and ridiculous uniforms. His passion for collecting art ran wild as countries were overrun by the Nazis and he stole masterpieces to place in his palace, Carinhall, named after his dead wife. Remarried and with a child, he totally loses control of the Luftwaffe and refuses to update his aircraft, while lying to Hitler about its invincibility. Of course, he ends up in the dock at Nuremberg and uses it as one last platform for personal glory. Condemned to death, he cheats the hangman by committing suicide with poison. To this day, it is not known how he obtained it.
If you want a quick overview of one of the major figures in the Nazi government, this is an easy read and satisfying in a rather simplified way.
May 20, 2023
Fascinating. A fat coward with very few, if any, redeeming features. We should be glad he was in charge of so much, given his ineptitude. This book was written in the 50s, so only a very few years after the whole thing. Which gives it an entirely different slant.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews