A former Great War fighter pilot, Hermann Goering became, at his height, the second most powerful Nazi. Ambitious and ruthless, in addition to being a primary architect of the Third Reich state police and Gestapo, his numerous appointments included Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, Director of the Four Year Plan and playing a leading role in the Final Solution to the 'Jewish Question'. By the outbreak of the war in 1939, he was acknowledged as Hitler's successor and in 1940 was given the special rank of Marshal of the Empire and senior to all field marshals through the German armed services. Due to being held responsible for a number of military disasters, Goering's pre-eminent position declined as the war dragged on to the point where he was expelled from the Party for 'illegally attempting to seize control of the State'. Captured by the Allies, he was found guilty at Nuremberg of being a leading war aggressor and advocate of the persecution of Jews and other races. He cheated the hangman by committing suicide. The career of this leading Nazi is admirably described here in words and copious images. AUTHOR: Ian Baxter is a much-published author and photographic collector whose numerous books draw an increasing following. Among his many previous titles in the Images of War Series are Hitler's Boy Soldiers, Nazi Concentration Camp Commandants, Hitler's Death Camps in Occupied Poland, Auschwitz and Birkenau ,The Ghettos of Nazi Occupied Poland, German Army on the Eastern Front ? The Advance, German Army on the Eastern Front ? The Retreat, The Crushing of Army Group (North) and the SS Waffen Division series including SS Leibstandarte Division, SS Totenkopf Division At War, Waffen SS of the Baltic States, Waffen SS at Arnhem, Waffen SS in the Ardennes, Hitler's Death Trains and Himmler - Hitler's Henchman. He lives near Chelmsford, Essex. 250 b/w illustrations
