Masters of War: Hermann Göring

MASTERS OF WAR: Hermann G顤ing

A Comprehensive Study of Courage Without Conscience

Hermann G顤ing was a decorated World War I fighter ace who earned twenty-two aerial victories and Germany's highest military honor, the Pour le M廨ite. He was the last commander of the legendary "Flying Circus" squadron, a genuinely brave pilot respected by his comrades, and a man who understood aerial combat from hard-won experience. He was also one of the principal architects of the Holocaust, a creator of the Nazi terror apparatus, and a war criminal whose actions contributed to the deaths of millions.

This volume in the "Masters of War" series presents an unflinching examination of one of history's most disturbing transformations: how a decorated military hero became a mass murderer, how warrior virtues divorced from moral constraints became instruments of genocide, and how genuine military competence served barbarism rather than civilization.

Unlike hagiographic military histories that celebrate battlefield prowess while ignoring moral catastrophe, this book honestly confronts both aspects of G顤ing's life. It acknowledges his real achievements as a fighter pilot and his organizational abilities in building the Luftwaffe, while documenting in detail his role in creating the Gestapo, establishing concentration camps, authorizing the "Final Solution," implementing starvation policies that killed millions, and systematically looting occupied Europe.

This book does not celebrate G顤ing or present him as a "master of war" to be emulated. Instead, it examines him as a cautionary tale, a demonstration of what happens when military virtues are divorced from moral constraints, when ambition overwhelms conscience, and when genuine capabilities are placed entirely in service of evil. His place in military history is as a warning: of how decorated heroes can become war criminals, how military organizations can serve genocide, and why character matters more than competence in determining whether military leaders serve civilization or contribute to its destruction.

Based on extensive documentary evidence, including trial transcripts, captured Nazi documents, and historical records, this book provides the most comprehensive examination available of both G顤ing's genuine military achievements and his catastrophic moral failures. It is essential reading for military professionals, historians, and anyone seeking to understand how civilized societies descend into barbarism and how to prevent such descents in the future.