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| |  | | Hermann Goering | | | context : | Nazi Germany  | | judgement place : | IMT - Nurenberg | | status : | Sentenced | | particulars : | Sentenced to death on 1st October 1946 by the IMT-Nuremberg; committed suicide on 15 October 1946 | | position : | Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, Reich Minister for Air, Minister of the Interior of Prussia, President of the Reichstag, Reichsmarschall… |
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| | | | After Hitler’s suicide and the surrender of the German Army on 7 May 1945, Goering gave himself up to the American Army in Austria on 8 May 1945 and was interned in the American camp at Mondorf on 21 May 45.
Together with 22 other high ranking Nazis (cf. “Related Cases”), he was brought before the International Military Tribunal (IMT) in Nuremberg which was established by the Allies to try all prominent Nazi leaders.
When the trial began on 20 November 1945, Goering was charged with count 1 (common plan or conspiracy), count 2 (crimes against peace), 3 (war crimes), and count 4 (crimes against humanity). He pleaded not guilty to all of the charges. However, he positioned himself as being number two in the Nazi regime, after Hitler, and adopted and defended his policies, thereby attracting more influence than the other defendants at the trial.
According to the indictment he used his various positions and his intimate connection with Hitler to:
- promote the accession to power of the Nazi conspirators and the consolidation of their control over Germany,
- promote the military and economic preparation of the country for war,
- plan and prepare wars of aggression which were also wars in violation of international treaties, agreements and assurances,
- authorise, direct and participate in war crimes and,
- authorise, direct and participate in crimes against humanity.
Goering always denied having had prior knowledge of the policy of extermination of the Jews. Nevertheless it was proven that he was present during the meetings at which the overall guidelines concerning the final solution were drawn up.
Similarly, he did not admit responsibility for the execution of 50 British airmen killed by members of the Luftwaffe in the spring of 1944, asserting that the order had come from the police. This argument did not convince the Tribunal. On the other hand he did not refute the policies of forced labour and looting which he had carried out during the war.
Throughout the trial Goering attempted to destabilise the prosecution, notably by correcting translation errors (he in fact spoke fluent English), and by replying in long winded speeches to questions put by the prosecution.
On 1st October the Tribunal found Goering guilty on all four counts and sentenced him to death. Goering then requested to be shot to death rather than hanged, but this request was denied by the Tribunal.
On 15 October 1946, two hours before he was due to be executed, Goering committed suicide in his prison cell by swallowing a cyanide pill. | |    | | Trial Watch would like to remind its users that any person charged by national or international authorities is presumed innocent until proven guilty. | |  |  | | nationality : | | | Germany | | | date of birth : | | | 12.01.1893 | | | judgement period : | | | 20.11.1945 - 01.10.1946 | | | charges : | | | Aggression
Crimes against humanity
War crimes | | | profile last modified : | | | 02.06.2008 |
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