Hitler and Nazi Resurgence

Nazi Number One
Sydney Morning Herald

What a colourful cast of nasties the Third Reich bequeathed to history: the nerdy Heinrich Himmler, director of the infamous death squads; rat-faced anti-Semite Joseph Goebbels; and the great Charlie Chaplin impersonator himself, Adolf Hitler.

The usual fourth in the quartet of nasty Nazis was Hermann Goering, the fat-faced, barrel-bellied chap often seen walking two paces behind the Fuehrer in contemporary footage, usually carrying a bejewelled rod.

Goering was seen as one of the nicer Nazis, regarded as the more likeable face of the Reich. He got on with people, had the common touch, often made jokes at his own expense and was seen as a man of the people. This image was supported by recently uncovered movies Goering made about himself, and which form the basis of this series.

But, we're told in this thorough profile of Hitler's second-in-command (this is the first of three parts), there was a brutal nature beneath the jovial folksiness. Hitler described him "as cold as ice", and trusted him to implement much of the National Socialist agenda. He created the Luftwaffe, commanded Hitler's private army, held the post of Reich Hunting Master and was able to persuade the elite of German society to support Hitler.

As a child, Goering had been stubborn and difficult. His mother once predicted, "He will either be a great man or a great criminal", proving again that mothers are the best judge of their children's character. Growing up in Veldenstein Castle (owned by his mother's Jewish lover, who had cuckolded Goering's father), he enjoyed dressing up and acting out Teutonic myths - perfect preparation for his later role. He was an air ace in World War I (he claimed 22 kills) and was wounded in Hitler's failed beer-hall putsch of 1923.

Psychiatrists in Sweden who treated him for morphine addiction described him as depressed, egocentric, anti-Semitic and a brutal hysteric with a weak character. They released him and he headed back to Berlin to rejoin Hitler as his deputy and go on to perpetrate all manner of wickedness. Go figure.