Chips From a German Workshop. Vol. Iii.; Essays on Literature, Biography, and Antiquities Book

Now that it is possible to mention the name of Goering (and certain others) without having people froth at the mouth, it is of some interest for the generations who took no part in the running or actual unfolding of the war that ended all his fondest hopes, to look at the man he was.

Mosely is a well-known and competent journalist and writer who has done a solid job of bringing the (only very rarely) extraordinary Goering to life. There were many aspects of this life which were unusual certainly, and a number of pointers exist that can give us insight into just how he ended the way he did. At the very end, when finally having to give himself up to the Americans (as he and many other Nazi staffers were suddenly so eager to do, since the Russians were in Berlin), it appeared for a moment that the whole thing (the war) had just been a bad joke that had gone slightly sour. Goering thought, for just a while, that he would be accorded the rights normally associated with high-ranking prisoners in his circumstances; being able to give his parole and so on. The awful truth only dawned on him as he was brought back slowly but certainly for trial, and we know in the end that he (quite cleverly) avoided the worst, by crunching down on a cyanide capsule. Thus ended the career of this First World War ace, a man who had no doubt suffered from some extraordinary delusions in his time, who had probably failed in his duty to his own people (by allowing the Luftwaffe to stagnate) and who had been the staunch supporter of the man later to wear the not so thorny crown of history's worst felon.

It is an easy read, and for students of the period, or for anyone wanting to glean the details without having to go through the transcripts of the Nuremberg trials or other voluminous works, it is to be highly recommended.