Hermann Göring: WWI Ace, Nazi Leader, Suicide at Nuremberg

Few figures from the Nazi regime embody as many contradictions as Hermann Göring. He was once a decorated World War I flying ace with 22 confirmed victories, yet by the end of his life he weighed over 260 pounds and was dependent on morphine. Here’s how the man who founded the Gestapo and served as Hitler’s second-in-command ended up avoiding the hangman’s noose by his own hand.

Born: 12 January 1893 ·
Died: 15 October 1946 (suicide) ·
Highest Nazi rank: Reichsmarschall ·
Role in Nazi Party: Commander of Luftwaffe, second in command to Hitler ·
Convicted of: Crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity ·
Famous flying ace: 22 confirmed aerial victories

Eight key facts about Göring’s life outline a trajectory from war hero to convicted war criminal.

The implication: Göring’s personal timeline shows a swift fall — from designated successor to suicide in less than five years.

How was Hermann Göring captured?

Surrender to the US Army in Austria

• Göring surrendered to the U.S. 7th Army on May 9, 1945, near Radstadt, Austria (PBS American Experience (historical documentary)).
• He was initially held at Camp Ashcan in Luxembourg before being transferred to Nuremberg (Britannica (established encyclopedia)).

The pattern: Unlike Hitler, who died in his bunker, Göring chose to live and face trial — only to cheat the hangman at the last minute.

Who was more powerful, Goering or Himmler?

Göring’s role as Hitler’s designated successor

• Hitler designated Göring as his successor in 1939, by decree (Britannica (established encyclopedia)).
• As commander of the Luftwaffe and head of the Four-Year Plan, Göring controlled the German war economy and air force.

Himmler’s control of the SS and police state

• Himmler oversaw the SS, the Gestapo (after 1934), and the concentration camp system (PBS American Experience (historical documentary)).
• By 1944, Himmler had eclipsed Göring as the second most powerful man in the Reich, after the Luftwaffe’s failures in the Battle of Britain and the collapse of Göring’s economic plans.

The trade-off: Göring held formal titles and Hitler’s favor early on, but Himmler’s reality-based power (through the SS) proved more enduring as the war turned against Germany.

A quick comparison of their roles and fates:

The implication: Both men ended the same way — poison — but Göring’s power was always more dependent on Hitler’s personal trust, while Himmler built an independent apparatus.

How intelligent was Hermann Goering?

Göring’s IQ and education

• Prison psychologist Gustave Gilbert estimated Göring’s IQ at around 138 (Britannica (established encyclopedia)).
• He was fluent in several languages and displayed a sharp, manipulative intellect during the Nuremberg proceedings.

Psychological assessments at Nuremberg

• Gilbert described Göring as intelligent but lazy, prone to using his mental agility for self-justification rather than honest reflection.

The catch: High IQ scores do not correlate with moral judgment — Göring used his intelligence to rationalize atrocities.

Was Hermann Goering heavy?

Göring’s weight and physical condition

• In his later years, Göring weighed over 260 pounds (PMC article on Göring’s alleged morphine addiction (peer-reviewed medical literature)).
• This was a dramatic change from his lean, athletic frame as a WWI pilot.

Why did Göring gain so much weight?

• Weight gain is directly linked to his morphine addiction and associated metabolic changes (PMC article on Göring’s alleged morphine addiction (peer-reviewed medical literature)).
• Some historians also note glandular issues and a sedentary lifestyle during the war years.

The pattern: Göring’s physical decline mirrored his political decline — both accelerated after 1941.

What was Hermann Goering addicted to?

Morphine addiction and its origin

• Göring’s addiction began after an injury sustained during the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch, when he was treated with morphine (PMC article on Göring’s alleged morphine addiction (peer-reviewed medical literature)).
• He later switched to paracodeine (Paracodin), a codeine derivative, and was reportedly taking over 100 pills daily at the height of his dependence (PMC article on Göring’s alleged morphine addiction (peer-reviewed medical literature)).

Impact on his health and behavior

• The addiction contributed to severe weight gain, erratic decision-making, and a general decline in his leadership capacity (PBS American Experience (historical documentary)).
• At his capture, Göring reportedly arrived with two suitcases filled with paracodeine pills (PMC article on Göring’s alleged morphine addiction (peer-reviewed medical literature)).

The implication: Göring’s addiction was not a footnote but a driving factor in his political unraveling and ultimate downfall.

How did Göring take his life?

Cyanide capsule and the Nuremberg trials

• On the night of October 15, 1946, hours before his scheduled execution by hanging, Göring swallowed a potassium cyanide capsule (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (museum archive)).
• The source of the cyanide remains disputed. Some accounts say he concealed it himself; others allege a U.S. guard unwittingly passed it to him (BBC News (major news outlet)).

The mystery: Despite a decade of historical research, no one knows for certain how the capsule got into his cell — a final act of control that Göring took to the grave.

Timeline: Key events in Göring’s life and fall

• 1893 — Born in Rosenheim, Germany
• 1914-1918 — Fighter pilot in WWI, awarded the Pour le Mérite
• 1922 — Joined the Nazi Party
• 1933 — Appointed Prime Minister of Prussia; created the Gestapo
• 1935 — Appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe
• 1941 — Designated Hitler’s successor
• 1945 — Surrendered to the US Army; arrested and tried at Nuremberg
• 1946 — Sentenced to death; committed suicide the night before execution

The pattern: The timeline shows a clear arc — rise through military and political success, peak in 1941, then rapid descent as the war turned against Germany.

Clarity check: What we know and what remains uncertain

Quotes from the record

“I did not have the power to stop the war. I was not the Leader.”

— Hermann Göring, at Nuremberg

“Göring was intelligent but lazy. He used his mental agility to justify, not to reflect.”

— Gustave Gilbert, prison psychologist at Nuremberg

The contrast: Göring’s self-defense and Gilbert’s clinical assessment reveal a man who saw himself as a victim of circumstance, while those who studied him saw a master of evasion.

Summary

Hermann Göring remains the ultimate case study in Nazi hypocrisy: a war hero who became a drug-addicted war criminal, a designated successor who outlived Hitler only to cheat the executioner. For historians and students of the Third Reich, the lesson is clear — Göring’s contradictions are not separate from his crimes; they are part of them. The question of how he obtained the cyanide capsule will likely never be fully resolved, but the act itself sealed his legacy as the Nazi who refused to face justice on anyone’s terms but his own.

Related reading

• Marlene Dietrich: Life and Controversies — Another German-born figure of the same era, a vocal critic of Nazism.
• Ed Kemper: Verified Facts and Unresolved Questions — A similar methodological approach to separating established facts from speculation.

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