Description
Hermann Göring in the double-breasted suit uniform of Reichsmarschall (Imperial Marshal) of the Luftwaffe ("Air Force"), from the period of early 1942 to 1944 after World War II erupted. As Marshal of the Reich he was the second-highest ranking officer in the Wehrmacht ("Defense Force", name of the German military at the time) behind Adolf Hitler as Supreme Commander of the Wehrmacht. He was the second most important figure in the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP) and the National Socialist regime in Germany behind Hitler. He was in charge of the Luftwaffe from 1935-45. In 1940 due to the immense successes of the German military due in significant part to the role of the Luftwaffe he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross, the highest military award that was awarded to a person in Germany during the National Socialist regime with no others being awarded it during the war, he wore it on his neck that appeared as a larger version of the regular sized Iron Cross award. He was a veteran fighter pilot ace of World War I, he was the last commander of the same unit that was once led by fighter ace Manfred von Richthofen during the war.
Göring was an early member of the NSDAP, joining the party in 1922, and due to his prominence as a known veteran fighter ace, connections within the German military, and being from an influential Bavarian family with Prussian roots, he quickly became one of the party's foremost leaders. He was one of the leaders of the ill-fated Munich Putsch of 1923 in which the National Socialists attempted a rise to power similar to that of the Fascists in Italy during their March on Rome in 1922. Göring was seriously injured during the Putsch after being shot and after requiring morphine to reduce the pain of the injury he developed a morphine addiction that caused him to significantly gain weight and his addiction lasted until after being captured by the Allies in 1945 in which the addiction ended. In spite of his personal difficulties, he remained an influential figure in the party. He was President of the Reichstag from 1932-45, he became its President in 1932 when the National Socialists in a coalition with other parties secured a majority of seats in it in the 1932 elections. In 1936 Hitler appointed him as Plenipotentiary of the Four Year Plan to bolster Germany's economy including economic plans for re-arming to be ready for a major war in Europe; this was cut short with the outbreak of World War II in 1939.
Due to his strong interpersonal skills he was involved in important negotiations in establishing the regime and in diplomatic functions carried out by the German government. During the party's rise to power he was regarded both within and outside the NSDAP as in the conservative faction of the party that was focused upon the party securing support among existing elites in Germany to secure a strong base of support in industry and the military to entrench its power and launch re-armament of Germany and that any radical programs taken must not significantly alienate industrial owners (with the exception of Jews in industry who were removed from positions of authority by the regime) or important military leaders; this was opposed by the radical faction in the party led by the SA's Stabschef Ernst Röhm advocating the opposite - that the party fulfill a radical economic agenda of challenging all industrial owners through imposing state ownership of industry and to have the SA take over and politicize the military towards National Socialist views. Göring sought to win the support of military leaders that their interests and concerns would be considered by the regime, and his history as an accomplished fighter ace aided him in gaining the respect of military leaders. In the end Göring and the conservative faction won out as the radical faction's stances were alienating the regime from industrial owners and military leaders and Röhm and radicals loyal to him were violently purged from the party in 1934 during The Night of the Long Knives. In diplomacy Göring went to Italy on several occasions seeking to establish close relations with Italy under the Fascist regime that was initially ambivalent about the National Socialist regime over concerns about the regime's ambitions regarding South Tyrol in Italy with its German population there and the Balkans where Italy had expansionist ambitions of enlarging Italy's territory and expanding its sphere of influence in the region. His strong interpersonal skills also were used as him being a goodwill ambassador of the regime to the German public with photos and films of him mingling with the German public.
He was captured by Allied forces and faced the Nuremberg Trials in which he was convicted and sentenced to death but escaped being hanged by committing suicide through a cyanide tablet.
Decorations shown on uniform are described in this file: Goring decorations set 1940 2
Note: I have not uploaded this file for the purpose of advocacy of the politics associated with the content in this image; it has been uploaded to display the uniform of a historical figure. Any usage of this file is permitted, however any favouriting or usage of this file for political purposes is not my responsibility.
Credits: Grand-Lobster-King
Attribution: Please attribute credit for use of derivatives of this image to me as the original designer.