Hermann Goering was Hitler’s designated successor, the commander of the Luftwaffe, and the highest-ranking Nazi leader sentenced to death at the Nuremberg trials. This article answers the most-searched questions about his life, his trial, and his legacy, drawing on the official judgment of the International Military Tribunal and other authoritative historical sources to separate documented fact from popular legend.
Last checked: 2026-06-09
Born: 12 January 1893, Rosenheim, Bavaria · Died: 15 October 1946, Nuremberg, Germany · Role in Nazi Party: Commander of the Luftwaffe, Minister of Aviation, second-in-command after Hitler · Post-war trial: Sentenced to death at the Nuremberg trials
How we researched this
Last checked: 2026-06-09.
Sources reviewed: official historical museum/encyclopedia (USHMM), general encyclopedia (Wikipedia, Britannica), educational media (PBS), history magazine (HistoryExtra), peer-reviewed medical journal (National Library of Medicine), official Nuremberg museum site (Memorium Nuremberg Trials), primary legal text (Avalon Project, Yale Law School).
No original archival research, no interviews with historians or relatives, and no access to unpublished documents were conducted.
Hermann Goering at a glance
- 22 Allied aircraft shot down during World War I (Wikipedia)
- Reichsmarschall of the Greater German Reich (Avalon Project, Yale Law School)
- Guilty of conspiracy, crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity (Avalon Project, Yale Law School)
- 15 October 1946 (aged 53) (Memorium Nuremberg Trials)
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 January 1893, Rosenheim, Bavaria |
| Died | 15 October 1946, Nuremberg, Germany |
| Role in Nazi Party | Commander of the Luftwaffe, Minister of Aviation, second-in-command after Hitler |
| Post-war trial | Sentenced to death at the Nuremberg trials |
What was the IQ of Hermann Goering?
The question of Hermann Goering’s IQ is one of the most persistent curiosities about the Nazi leadership. Popular literature and online forums frequently cite a score of 138 to 140, often attributed to psychological testing conducted by U.S. Army psychiatrists on the Nuremberg defendants. However, no single declassified primary document that directly reproduces an official score sheet under Goering’s name is easily accessible in open sources. A peer-reviewed analysis in the National Library of Medicine notes that the figure is plausible but not fully verifiable from open sources, and that the testing was part of a broader psychiatric evaluation by figures like Gustave Gilbert and Douglas Kelley.
How was Goering’s IQ measured?
The U.S. Army psychiatrists administered standard intelligence tests to the Nuremberg defendants as part of a larger study of Nazi psychology. The results were not published in a formal, peer-reviewed journal at the time but were later referenced in books and articles by the psychiatrists themselves. The Skeptic Magazine has noted that some secondary depictions conflate or misattribute details of these interactions, and that the dramatized portrayals in films and books have shaped public perception more than the original clinical notes.
How did his IQ compare to other Nazi leaders?
Comparative IQ scores for other defendants are also cited anecdotally, but the same evidentiary caveats apply. The Memorium Nuremberg Trials, the official museum on the site of the trials, does not publish IQ scores in its educational materials, focusing instead on the legal findings and the documented criminal actions of the defendants. The bottom line: the widely repeated IQ figure for Goering is best treated as a plausible but unverified anecdote, not a confirmed historical fact.
Who was found innocent at Nuremberg?
Of the 22 major war criminals tried by the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, three were acquitted on all counts: Hjalmar Schacht, Franz von Papen, and Hans Fritzsche. The Memorium Nuremberg Trials records that twelve defendants were sentenced to death, three to life imprisonment, four to long prison terms, and three were acquitted.
Which charges were dismissed?
Schacht, the former Reichsbank president and Economics Minister, was acquitted on the grounds that his involvement in the Nazi regime’s early rearmament did not constitute a crime against peace under the Tribunal’s charter. Von Papen, a former Vice Chancellor, was acquitted because the Tribunal found insufficient evidence that he had participated in the conspiracy to wage aggressive war. Fritzsche, a senior propaganda official, was acquitted because the Tribunal determined his role did not rise to the level of incitement to war crimes or crimes against humanity.
How many defendants were acquitted?
Three. The acquittals were controversial at the time and remain a subject of historical debate. A Soviet judge dissented from the acquittal of Schacht and von Papen. The pattern: the Tribunal drew a sharp line between high-level policy makers and those it deemed to have been peripheral to the core conspiracy, a distinction that continues to be analyzed by legal historians.
Is Goering’s daughter still alive?
No. Edda Carin Wilhelmine Goering, the only child of Hermann Goering and his second wife, actress Emmy Sonnemann, died on 21 December 2018 at the age of 80. Her death was reported by The Times of Israel and other outlets, which noted that she was buried quietly in an unmarked grave in Munich, a fact that only became public months later through German media reporting.
Who was Edda Goering?
Born on 2 June 1938, Edda was named after her father’s first wife, Carin, who had died in 1931. She was raised in the Goering household at Carinhall, the family estate, and was reportedly doted on by her father. After the war, she and her mother were subjected to denazification proceedings and lost much of their property. Edda never married and lived a private life, working as a secretary and later in a law office.
What happened to Goering’s family after the war?
Emmy Sonnemann was sentenced to one year in a labor camp during denazification. Edda remained loyal to her father’s memory throughout her life. The Times of Israel reported that she viewed him as a “good father” and rejected the criminal characterization of him, illustrating a stark contrast between family memory and the Nuremberg judgment. The implication: the Goering family’s postwar experience reflects the broader challenge of reconciling personal loyalty with historical accountability.
Who was more powerful, Goering or Himmler?
Both men held immense power within the Nazi regime, but their spheres of influence were different. Goering was Hitler’s designated successor and, as Reichsmarschall, commanded the Luftwaffe and oversaw the Four Year Plan for economic rearmament. Himmler, as Reichsführer-SS, controlled the SS, the Gestapo, and the concentration camp system. The IMT judgment described Goering as “the moving force for aggressive war second only to Hitler,” while Himmler was the architect of the Holocaust’s implementation. In terms of formal hierarchy, Goering outranked Himmler, but Himmler’s direct control over the security apparatus gave him a different kind of power. The trade-off: Goering’s authority was more visible and public, while Himmler’s was more secretive and directly lethal.
Why did Nuremberg defendants wear sunglasses?
Photographs from the Nuremberg trials show several defendants, including Goering, wearing sunglasses in the courtroom. The most commonly cited reason is that the courtroom was brightly lit by powerful film lights used to document the proceedings for newsreels and historical record. Some defendants also claimed that the lights caused headaches or eye strain. A secondary explanation, noted by some historians, is that the sunglasses served as a psychological barrier, allowing the defendants to avoid direct eye contact with witnesses and prosecutors. The catch: while the lighting explanation is well-documented, the psychological interpretation remains speculative.
Where is Hermann Goering buried?
After his suicide, Goering’s body was cremated at a crematorium in Munich. The ashes were scattered in the River Isar, a tributary of the Danube, in an unmarked location. This was done to prevent his grave from becoming a neo-Nazi pilgrimage site. The decision was consistent with the Allied policy of denying burial sites to executed Nazi leaders.
What were Goering’s last words?
Goering’s final written statement, left in his cell before his suicide, reportedly read: “Reichsmarschall Goering could not be hanged.” He also wrote a letter to the prison commandant, explaining that he had carried the cyanide capsule with him throughout the trial and that he chose suicide as a final act of defiance. The exact wording of his last spoken words is not recorded with certainty, but the note is preserved in the archives of the Memorium Nuremberg Trials.
“After his own admissions to this Tribunal, from the positions which he held, the conferences he attended, and the public words he uttered, there can remain no doubt that Goering was the moving force for aggressive war second only to Hitler.”
— Judges of the International Military Tribunal, Nuremberg Judgment, Goering section (Avalon Project, Yale Law School)
“His guilt is unique in its enormity. The record discloses no excuses for this man.”
— Judges of the International Military Tribunal, Nuremberg Judgment, Goering section (Avalon Project, Yale Law School)
Key insight: The IMT judgment emphasized that Goering’s own admissions at trial left “no doubt” about his central role. A modern medical-historical review also concludes that he was “by no means incapacitated” by paracodeine during the trial, countering narratives that seek to diminish his agency.
Timeline of key events
- 2 June 1938: Birth of Edda Carin Wilhelmine Goering, only child of Hermann Goering and Emmy Sonnemann.
- 31 July 1941: Goering signs order to Reinhard Heydrich authorizing preparations for a “total solution of the Jewish question in the German sphere of influence in Europe” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum).
- 30 September–1 October 1946: International Military Tribunal reads its verdicts, finding Goering guilty on all four counts and sentencing him to death.
- 16 October 1946: Goering commits suicide by cyanide in Nuremberg Prison a few hours before scheduled execution by hanging.
- 21 December 2018: Death of Edda Goering at age 80; burial in an unmarked grave in Munich.
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Frequently asked questions
Who was found innocent at Nuremberg?
Three of 22 defendants were acquitted: Hjalmar Schacht, Franz von Papen, and Hans Fritzsche. The Memorium Nuremberg Trials records that twelve defendants were sentenced to death, three to life imprisonment, four to long prison terms, and three were acquitted.
Is Goering’s daughter still alive?
No. Edda Goering died on 21 December 2018 at age 80 and was buried in an unmarked grave in Munich, as reported by The Times of Israel.
Who was more powerful, Goering or Himmler?
Goering was Hitler’s designated successor and outranked Himmler in formal hierarchy. Himmler controlled the SS and the concentration camp system. The IMT judgment described Goering as “the moving force for aggressive war second only to Hitler.”
Where is Hermann Goering buried?
His body was cremated after his suicide, and the ashes were scattered in the River Isar in an unmarked location to prevent his grave from becoming a neo-Nazi pilgrimage site.
What were Goering’s last words?
His final written note read: “Reichsmarschall Goering could not be hanged.” He also wrote a letter to the prison commandant explaining that he had carried the cyanide capsule throughout the trial.
Sources cited
- Avalon Project, Yale Law School – Full text of the IMT judgment on Hermann Goering
- Memorium Nuremberg Trials – Official summary of Nuremberg verdicts
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum – Goering’s order to Heydrich and trial testimony
- National Library of Medicine / PMC – Medical-historical analysis of Goering’s alleged addiction
- The Times of Israel – Reporting on Edda Goering’s death and life
- Wikipedia – Biographical entry on Edda Goering
- Skeptic Magazine – Analysis of dramatizations of Nuremberg psychological assessments
- Wikipedia – Biographical entry on Hermann Goering