Goering: The Rise and Fall of the Notorious Nazi Leader

Goering: The Rise and Fall of the Notorious Nazi Leader by Roger Manvell and Heinrich Fraenkel

Before reading this book, I didn’t really know that much about Herman Goering other than he was basically Adolph Hitler’s right-hand stooge. For the most part, he seemed to not really have any sort of function other than to, possibly, represent what Hitler felt was the ideal pure Aryan specimen – tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and a decent combat record in war.  In other words, everything that Adolph Hitler was not. Latter images of the man seemed to show his body suffering a bit from the excesses of ill-gotten fortune and fame.  My impression of him was basically similar to a grown-up Augustus Gloop from the Willy Wonka movie.

So it was quite fascinating to actually learn a bit about the man. After reading this biography, though, I didn’t really come away with the idea that Goering was particularly bright nor very insightful. He seemed to be smart enough to ensure he was always in the right place and at the right time; always careful not to upstage his twisted Bavarian failed water colorist of a boss.  He seemed to portray more image than relevance, but that was probably Hitler’s plan anyway.  It wouldn’t do anyone in Nazi Germany any good to try to upstage or be smarter than THIS particular tyrant.

Goering’s early life is told rather sparsely in this book, but we do feel we have a solid understanding of many of his traits. Even his escapades as a pilot in the first World War don’t get too much space here, but he does come away as being a capable pilot, a zealous soldier, and a fearless man. At the conclusion of the war, Germany finds themselves destitute losers of war that really can’t be attributed as “their fault”. So when tensions arise in the depressed 1920s, it’s not surprising to see the Nazi movement gain strength as they promise their nation a return to greatness.

It’s during one of the early attempted putsches by Hitler and his cronies that leaves Goering with a bullet in the leg. After Hitler ends up in jail (where he would write Mein Kampf), Goering becomes a fugitive and has to flee with a stolen passport. Because of this, his wound doesn’t heal properly and he ends up with a lifelong addiction to morphine along with other pharmaceutical cocktails.  It’s these drugs that alter his appearance and personality for the worse. During the remainder of his life, his drug addiction causes him the occasional violent outburst resulting in insults being screamed and objects being thrown.

Strangely, though, Goering doesn’t come across as quite the lunatic one might expect. He seems incredibly loving and devoted to his wife whom he adores. When she dies in the 1930s, Goering eventually remarries and is just as loving and devoted to his second wife. Still, though, the authors are very clear that whereas his bloodlust may not have been as strong as the other leaders of this insane party, the man is ultimately still an evil menace who truly deserves what fate eventually has in store for him.

This book does a very good job of balancing the man’s story and the story of the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. There were times when I forgot I was reading about Goering since the authors spend much of this bio talking about the abysmal Third Reich. This really is necessary though, as you can’t really tell the story of Goering without going into detail of this maniacal dictatorship.  We do read a lot of side material about Goering’s obsession with the “finer things” such as his ubiquitous expensive jewelry, his massive art collection, and his massive residence that he dubs “Carinhall” (named after his first wife).  It’s not surprising that he gains possession of this multitude of riches by rather unscrupulous means; including theft from the Jewish population that are condemned to suffer and die at the hands of the Reich.

The years leading up to World War II and the years of the war itself are covered quite well.  The detail during these years isn’t gone into too deeply, which is a good thing.  There are plenty of other volumes if one wants to learn such things.  Again, the authors ensure they focus on their subject matter and his actions during these times rather than an exhaustive history of the Reich.

Probably the biggest treat for me was the last chapter of the book that deals with the Nuremberg trials. Unlike Hitler, Goering was captured alive, and we get a good look as his warped personality after Germany eventually is bombed into submission and surrender papers are signed.  We see, as the entire world did, how twisted this man actually was.  He actually believed that even though his nation lost the war, that he would be revered by future generations and that there would be statues of himself throughout Germany.  Well, as twisted as his psyche was, we learn he’s quite smart during his trial. On the witness stand, he frustrates his adversaries with his testimony of the events during the reign of the Nazis.  He seems to have a legitimate answer to every travesty -in his mind anyway.  He knows he’ll be sentenced to death, but he’s not going to go quietly.

Although I thought this was the most fascinating part of the book, I confess it did wear be down a bit. Rather than summarize selected events of the Nuremberg trial, the authors actually include the verbatim recorded testimony of Goering along with the questions and comments from the defense and prosecution.  It’s a bit tedious, but we DO really see that Goering really was quite smart and not just a token symbolic leader.

There are many other detailed books about the Third Reich if you’re interested in learning more, or if you want more detail. But this book served as an excellent compendium of learning about one of the key figures, his personality and his role during the most infamous part of the 20^th century history.