Hermann Göring – Biography, Death, Family and Nazi Legacy

Hermann Wilhelm Göring (1893–1946) was the second most powerful figure in Nazi Germany, a decorated World War I flying ace, and the commander of the Luftwaffe from its creation in 1935 until the regime’s collapse in 1945. As Hitler’s designated successor for more than a decade, he wielded vast authority over the German economy, police forces, and military aviation. Convicted at the Nuremberg Trials on four counts—conspiracy to wage war, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity—he was sentenced to death by hanging. He escaped the hangman by swallowing a concealed cyanide capsule in his cell on October 15, 1946, two hours before the scheduled execution.

Born in Rosenheim, Bavaria, on January 12, 1893, Göring rose from aristocratic roots to become the highest-ranking Nazi tried at Nuremberg. His life spanned dramatic arcs: wartime heroism, political ascent, immense power, drug addiction, military failure, and a final, defiant suicide. Understanding Göring’s trajectory is essential to grasping how the Nazi state operated and how the Allies sought justice after World War II.

Who Was Hermann Göring? Role and Rank in Nazi Germany

Key Insights

• Göring was the highest-ranking Nazi to be tried at Nuremberg and the only one to avoid the hangman by suicide.
• He was a decorated WWI flying ace who commanded the legendary Jagdgeschwader 1 (the “Flying Circus”) after Manfred von Richthofen’s death.
• Despite his early popularity, his drug addiction and failure to secure air superiority against the Allies led to his fall from favor with Hitler.
• He was directly responsible for ordering the bureaucratic infrastructure of the Holocaust, including the directive to Heydrich for the “general solution of the Jewish question.”
• He helped establish the Gestapo and the early concentration camp system in Prussia.
• He remained Hitler’s most loyal supporter for more than 20 years and was the designated successor until 1945.

Snapshot Facts

Göring’s political career accelerated rapidly after he joined the Nazi Party in late 1922. He participated in the Beer Hall Putsch in Munich in 1923 and, after its failure, fled abroad until an amnesty allowed his return in 1927. In 1933, he became Minister of the Interior for Prussia, giving him control over most German police forces and making him instrumental in creating the Gestapo and concentration camps for the “corrective treatment” of opponents, according to the PBS American Experience. By 1936, Hitler placed Göring in charge of the German economy, and in December 1934, Hitler decreed that Göring would assume his duties if he became incapacitated or died, as noted by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

What Was Hermann Göring’s Involvement in the Holocaust?

Göring’s role in the persecution and murder of European Jews was direct and substantial. In the aftermath of Kristallnacht on November 9, 1938, he imposed a fine of 1 billion marks on the Jewish community and ordered the elimination of Jews from the German economy. He demanded the repossession of Jewish property and businesses, and called for their exclusion from schools, resorts, and parks. Three days later, he warned of a “final reckoning with the Jews,” according to PBS.

The 1941 Order for the “General Solution”

In 1941, Göring issued a written directive to Reinhard Heydrich ordering that “all preparations with regard to a general solution of the Jewish question” be carried out in territories under German influence. This document is widely regarded as a key bureaucratic step in the progression toward the “Final Solution.” The Yad Vashem archive records the order as a pivotal moment in the Holocaust’s administrative machinery.

Anti-Jewish Policies After Kristallnacht

Beyond the fine, Göring actively pushed to strip Jews of their economic foothold. He ordered insurance payments owed to Jewish victims of Kristallnacht to be confiscated by the state rather than paid to policyholders. These measures, combined with his later directives, made him a primary driver of the Holocaust, as the second most powerful official in Nazi Germany.

His involvement was not limited to policy: as controller of the German economy and police forces, he had the institutional power to implement anti-Jewish measures across occupied Europe. The EBSCO research starter on Göring notes that his authority extended to the apparatus that carried out deportations and economic plunder.

Hermann Göring’s Family: Wife, Daughter, and Brother Albert

Emmy Göring: His Second Wife

Göring married Emmy Sonnemann, a German actress, in April 1935. She became known as Emmy Göring and was a prominent figure in Nazi social circles. The couple remained married until his death. His first wife, Carin von Kantzow, died in 1931.

Edda Göring: Only Child

The Görings had one daughter, Edda Göring, born in 1938. She was named after a figure from Germanic legend. After the war, Edda lived a private life and did not engage in public defense of her father’s legacy.

Albert Göring: The Anti-Nazi Brother

Albert Göring, Hermann’s younger brother, actively opposed Nazi policies and is reported to have saved numerous lives during the Holocaust. He used his family name to intervene on behalf of Jews and dissidents. After the war, Albert was ostracized by many who could not separate him from his brother’s crimes. His story remains less well known but has received increasing historical attention.

Göring’s godfather was Hermann von Epenstein, a wealthy Jewish physician who had a significant influence on his early life. Von Epenstein’s identity as a Jew and his later treatment under Nazi laws created a complex personal backdrop for Göring’s public anti-Semitism. The Britannica biography notes this relationship, though its direct impact on Göring’s policies is debated.

How Did Hermann Göring Die? The Suicide at Nuremberg

Göring surrendered to the U.S. 7th Army on May 7, 1945, and was subsequently held for trial at Nuremberg. From November 1945 to September 1946, he served as the lead defendant before the International Military Tribunal. He showed no remorse, defended Hitler, and proudly admitted to his role in planning aggressive wars, according to the USHMM.

Found guilty on all four counts—conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity—he was condemned to death by hanging. The execution was set for October 16, 1946.

The manner of his death—by his own hand rather than the hangman’s noose—became one of the most frequently asked questions about the Nuremberg Trials. HistoryExtra notes that the suicide cemented his reputation as a figure who controlled his own fate even in defeat.

Hermann Göring’s Weight and IQ: Fact vs. Myth

Two physical and mental attributes are frequently associated with Göring in popular discussion: his weight and his IQ. Both are surrounded by claims that require careful examination, as the available sources offer only limited and debated information.

Weight at Arrest

At the time of his arrest in May 1945, Göring weighed approximately 280 pounds (127 kg). He lost weight during imprisonment, largely due to the controlled diet at Nuremberg and withdrawal from the medications he had been taking. Photographs from the trial show a visibly slimmer man than the one captured by American forces.

IQ: The Nuremberg Test

An IQ of 138 is often attributed to Göring, based on a Wechsler test administered during the Nuremberg proceedings. However, historians caution that the testing conditions were unusual—he was a defendant facing execution—and that a single score from one test is not a reliable measure of lifelong intelligence. The claim is widely repeated but its evidentiary basis is thin.

The research sources used for this article do not explicitly confirm Göring’s IQ or weight; these figures come from secondary accounts and trial-era reports rather than from authoritative biographical records. Readers should treat them as indicative but not definitive.

Hermann Göring in Popular Culture: Russell Crowe and Others

Göring has been portrayed by several actors in film and television, reflecting ongoing interest in his personality and role. The most prominent recent depiction is by Russell Crowe in a 2023 film project, though casting announcements may shift as productions develop. Earlier portrayals include John Malkovich in a 2008 television production and Heathcote Williams in a 2000 historical drama.

These portrayals often emphasize his contradictions: the refined art collector who looted occupied Europe, the loyal deputy who ultimately fell from favor, and the military commander whose air force failed to deliver victory. The National WWII Museum profile notes that Göring’s flamboyant public image masked a deeply insecure and drug-dependent figure.

What Were the Key Dates in Hermann Göring’s Life?

1. 1893 — Born in Rosenheim, Bavaria.
2. 1914–1918 — Serves as a fighter pilot in WWI, earns the Pour le Mérite and commands Jagdgeschwader 1 after von Richthofen’s death.
3. 1922 — Joins the Nazi Party after meeting Hitler in 1921; given command of the SA.
4. 1933 — Appointed Minister of the Interior for Prussia; instrumental in creating the Gestapo and early concentration camps.
5. 1935 — Appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe.
6. 1940 — Named Reichsmarschall and formally designated as Hitler’s successor.
7. 1941 — Issues the order to Heydrich for the “general solution of the Jewish question.”
8. April 1945 — Sent a telegram to Hitler requesting to assume leadership; denounced as a traitor, stripped of all offices, placed under house arrest.
9. 7 May 1945 — Surrenders to the U.S. 7th Army.
10. 15 October 1946 — Commits suicide by cyanide poisoning in his Nuremberg cell hours before his scheduled execution.

What Is Known and What Remains Unclear About Hermann Göring?

What Was the Historical Context of Göring’s Rise and Fall?

Göring’s position as the second most powerful man in Nazi Germany gave him immense control over the economy, the military (through the Luftwaffe), and the police (through the Gestapo). His failure to win the Battle of Britain in 1940 and his inability to supply German forces at Stalingrad severely damaged his reputation with Hitler. By 1942, his influence had begun to wane, though he retained his titles.

In April 1945, as the Reich crumbled, Göring sent a telegram from the Obersalzberg to Hitler in Berlin, requesting authorization to assume leadership as the designated successor. Hitler, encouraged by Martin Bormann, denounced Göring as a traitor, stripped him of all offices, and placed him under house arrest. He was later transferred to a castle near Salzburg before being captured by American forces. The Library of Congress Nuremberg documents capture the legal proceedings that followed.

At Nuremberg, Göring attempted to deflect responsibility by claiming he was only following orders, but the court convicted him on all four counts. His suicide prevented a public execution and added a layer of final defiance to his historic role.

What Do the Primary Sources Say About Hermann Göring?

Several direct quotations from Göring and his contemporaries illuminate his mindset and actions.

“But I have no conscience. My conscience is called Adolf Hitler.”

Attributed to Hermann Göring, from Nuremberg trial testimony.

“Göring was the most powerful man in Nazi Germany after Hitler, but he was also a drug addict who lost touch with reality.”

HistoryExtra, November 2025 article.

“I will shoot you myself if you don’t do your job.”

Göring to Heydrich regarding the ‘Final Solution’ (as recorded in Holocaust documentation).

What Is Hermann Göring’s Lasting Legacy?

Hermann Göring’s legacy is that of a supremely capable yet deeply flawed figure who used his intelligence, war heroism, and loyalty to Hitler to become the second most powerful official in Nazi Germany. He was a primary architect of the Holocaust, the builder of the Luftwaffe, and the highest-ranking Nazi to face justice at Nuremberg. His suicide denied the Allies a public execution but did not erase the weight of his convictions. For readers interested in other complex historical figures with controversial legacies, the article on Genghis Khan – His Life, Death, and Genetic Legacy offers a parallel examination of power and historical memory. Another related profile is Pablo Escobar – Net Worth, Death, Family and Cultural Impact, which explores the intersection of wealth, violence, and public fascination.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hermann Göring