His impressive girth, bombast and outlandish costumes made Reichsmarschall Hermann Goring the darling of Allied satirists. As their cities were pummeled to rubble during the war, even the Germans took to contemptuously referring to the head of the Luftwaffe as Der Dicke (the fat one). More than 60 years on, that perception of the Reichsmarschall persists; but it is only half the story.
His comical words, actions and unique fashion sense aside, it should be remembered that Göring was a bona fide war hero who received the coveted Orden Pour le Merite during World War I and was a figure of high importance in the Nazi hierarchy. His place at the center of great events makes Göring worthy of careful study and close scrutiny even today.
On May 8, 1945, Göring surrendered to the Americans in full military regalia. Expecting to be treated as the emissary of a defeated people, the Reichsmarschall was shocked when his medals and marshal's baton were taken away and he was confined in Prisoner of War Camp No. 32, known to its inmates as the 'Ashcan.
It was from his cell in the Ashcan that on July 25, 1945, Adolf Hitler's former heir was interviewed by Major Kenneth W. Hechler of the U.S. Army Europe's Historical Division, with Captain Herbert R. Sensenig serving as translator. The interview—overlooked for more than 60 years—provides insight on some of the strategic options considered by the Nazi leadership early in the war, their views of the threat posed by the United States and the Soviet Union, and how those attitudes influenced the actual strategy implemented.
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