HERMANN GÖRING
Hermann Gring was born on January 12, 1893 in Marienbad close to Rosenheim as son of a protestant "Reichskommissar" (Governor) for German South West Africa. He absolved the cadet school Karlsruhe and Berlin-Lichterfelde with highest decoration and joined the 4th infantry regiment as lieutennant in 1914. One year later, he volunteered for the air force and was nominated for commander of the 27th "Jagdstaffel" (fighter squadron) after a serious injury. He reached the climax of his air force career during World War I with his designation as commander of the famous "Jagdgeschwader Richthofen" on July 14, 1918.
After the war, he went to Denmark as test- and stunt-pilot and in 1920 to Stockholm joining the Svenska Lufttravik. In 1921, he began to study national ecomomy and history in Munich. Two years later, he married the divorced Carin von Kantzow Baronesse von Fock whom he had met in Sweden. In the same year, he also met Adolf Hitler who transmitted the commando of the "Sturmabteilung" (SA) which was still in an initial process to Hermann Gring. After the coup d'etat in 1923, he fled o Austria with a bad injury of his thigh which never completely healed - thus Gring became a morphinist. In 1925, he went to Venice and Rome, where he met Mussolini. According to an amnesty, he was able to return back to Berlin in 1926 where he first was of no use for the brown movement, therefore he worked for German air craft companies as a salesman. Later, Hitler provided Gring a mandate in the German parliament (Reichstag). Meanwhile, Grings wife Carin installed a political saloon and thus brought members of the German nobility, the industry, the high finance and the military together with officials of the NSDAP. She died in 1931.
On January 30, 1933 Gring took over the whole police apparatus in the largest German province as Prussian Minister for Internal Affairs under Governor von Papen. He recklessly abused this instrument against the political opponent. Furthermore, he also ordered to build up concentration camps and installed the political police (Geheime Staatspolizei). He succeeded von Papen as Prussian Prime Minister on April 11, 1934 and was nominated "Reichsluftfahrtminister" (Minister for Aviation) on May 5, 1934 by Hitler. Since October 1936, he had extensive economic authority as "Generalbevollmchtigter fr den ersten Vierjahresplan" - he was in charge of the first four years plan with all mandates for negotiations and coordinations between the administration and the ecomomy.
On April 4, 1938 Hitler appointed him as "Generalfeldmarschall". At the begin of the war, Gring was nominated to be Hitlers proxy and successor in all offical functions within the state, the party and the German army (Wehrmacht). On July 19, 1940 Gring received the title "Reichsfeldmarschall des Gro§deutschen Reiches". Because of his failure in military decisions, his influence in the state dwindled. Close to the end of the war, he was interested more in the art robbery wanting to organize an art gallery as a fondation to the German people. On April 23, 1945 Gring delivered an ultimatum to Hitler ordering free hand as Hitlers successor. But the "Fhrer" did not accept this, ousted Gring from all offices and had him arrested as traitor by the SS. But Gring was freed by the air force and surrendered to the Allies in Fischhorn close to Zell am See (Salzburg). After a detoxication treatment, he was found guilty of all crimes which he had been charged for and was sentenced to death penalty on the gallows. He requested to be shot, but this petition was refused. So he committed suicide by poisoning himself on October 15, 1946 - two hours before he should have been hung. His second wife, the actress Emmy Sonnemann (1893-1973) whom he had married in April 1935, was released out of prison in Straubing in March 1946.
