Though Adolf Hitler is usually the one everyone thinks of when they think about the Nazi Party and everything that accompanied it: the fascism, the racism, the terrible atrocities, the fact is that Hitler could not, and did not, act alone in bringing his violent, bloody dream to the world. Indeed, he was surrounded by men just like him, ruthless and cruel, and none more so than Hermann Goering, a man who stood at Hitler's right hand and helped enforce his policies. Before World War II, Goering was a successful, popular pilot. He'd fought in World War I, earning respect as a true war hero. Then, in the early 1920's he met Hitler and became enamoured with his vision of the future. To the Nazi cause, Goering lent his name, his charming manner and his intelligence, helping bring many supporters to the party. His loyalty was tested and proven when he participated in an attempted (but ultimately unsuccessful) coup against the ruling regime. He would find success in the coming years however, as Hitler's deputy. His rise to prominence was followed by instant commands of violence: he ordered the police to find and kill all enemies of the party. And, it was Goering who ordered the creation of concentration camps which would see the death of millions of people, worldwide, his pen that put the Final Solution into action. He even ordered the murder of his own fellow Nazis by the hundreds when they seemed to grow too ambitious or outlive their usefulness. Somewhat surprisingly, he was not a fan of World War II, seeing it as a threat to the immense wealth and power he had begun to accumulate. Indeed, he taken to wearing the finest jewelry, eating only the richest foods, and luxuriating more so than fighting by the advent of World War II. The war was an unwanted occurrence that only served to illuminate his failures as a leader of the elite air force and see him demoted (but still wealthy). In the end, he was his own worst enemy. Though longer was a war hero, Goering was still the heir apparent of Germany near the end of the war; and when faulty communication led him to believe that Hitler was dead, he announced his intentions to take charge of the situation. Hitler, still very alive, was so enraged he ordered Goering's arrest. This lasted until the Allied powers overwhelmed the Nazis and made their own arrest of Goering, who was accused of war crimes. The man who had revelled in violence, blood and gluttony would eventually commit suicide after an embarrassing trial in which he assured the world he would eventually become immensely popular and important to future generations of Germans
Hermann Goering, once the leader of the formidable Luftwaffe and second in command of the German Reich under Hitler, appears in a mugshot on file with the Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects in Paris, France, on November 5, 1945. Goering surrendered to U.S. soldiers in Bavaria, on May 9, 1945, and was eventually taken to Nuremburg to face trial for War Crimes.
