Goring Born: Nazi Germany's Second-in-Command
He was Hitler's designated successor until he flew to Scotland alone in 1941 to negotiate peace. Hermann Goring had been a World War I ace, an early Nazi, the creator of the Gestapo, and commander of the Luftwaffe. He also looted art from occupied Europe on an industrial scale. Rudolf Hess's flight to Scotland undermined Goring's position. His Luftwaffe failed to subdue Britain in 1940. By 1944 Hitler had effectively stripped him of authority. He was sentenced to death at Nuremberg in 1946 and swallowed a cyanide capsule the night before his execution.
January 12, 1893
133 years ago
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