Albert Göring
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Albert Göring | |
| Born | March 1895 |
|---|---|
| Relatives | Hermann Göring (brother) |
Albert Göring (March 1895–1966) was a German businessman, notable for helping Jews and dissidents survive in Germany during World War II.[1] His older brother, Hermann Göring, held the rank of Reichsmarshal of Nazi Germany and was a convicted war criminal.
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[edit] Early life
Göring was born near Mauterndorf to a former cavalry officer and German consul general in Haiti Heinrich Ernst Göring and his wife Franziska "Fanny" Tiefenbrunn (1859-July 15, 1923), who came from a Bavarian peasant family. Among his paternal ancestors were the Eberle/Eberlin, a Swiss-German family who were Jewish converts to Christianity in the 15th century. Göring was a relative of numerous descendants of the Eberle/Eberlin in Switzerland and Germany, among them German Counts Zeppelin, including aviation pioneer Ferdinand von Zeppelin; German nationalistic art historian Hermann Grimm (author of concept of the German hero as a mover of history that was embraced by the Nazis); the great Swiss historian of art and cultural, political, and social thinker Jacob Burckhardt; Swiss diplomat, historian, and President of International Red Cross Carl J. Burckhardt; the Merck family, the owners of the German pharmaceutical giant Merck; major German Catholic writer and poet Gertrud von Le Fort. [2]
The Göring family lived with their children’s aristocratic godfather of Jewish heritage, Ritter Hermann von Epenstein, in his Veldenstein and Mauterndorf castles. Von Epenstein was a prominent physician and acted as a surrogate father to the children as Heinrich Göring was often absent from the family home. Göring was one of five children, his brothers were Hermann Göring and Karl Ernst Göring; his sisters were Olga Therese Sophia and Paula Elisabeth Rosa Göring, the last of whom were children of his father's first marriage.[3]
Von Epenstein began a long-term affair with Franziska Göring about a year before Albert's birth.[4] A strong physical resemblance between von Epenstein and Albert Göring led many people to believe that the two were father and son. If this is true it would indicate that Albert Göring had Jewish paternal ancestry.[4]
[edit] Anti-Nazi activity
Göring seemed to have acquired his godfather's character as a bon vivant and looked set to lead an unremarkable life as a filmmaker, until the Nazis came to power in 1933. Unlike his older brother Hermann, who was a leading party member, Albert Göring despised Nazism and the brutality that it involved.
Many anecdotal stories exist about Göring's blatant, obstreperous, and often dangerous resistance to the Nazi ideology and regime.[5] On one occasion he is reported to have gotten down on his hands and knees and joined a group of Jews that had been forced to scrub the street; the SS officer in charge, discovering Göring's name after inspecting his identification, was unwilling to see Hermann Göring's brother publicly humiliated and ordered the group scrubbing activity to stop. [6]
Albert Göring also used his influence to get his Jewish former boss Oskar Pilzer freed after the Nazis had arrested him. Göring then helped Pilzer and his family escape from Germany. He is reported to have done the same for many other dissidents.[6]
Göring intensified his anti-Nazi activity when he was made export director at the Škoda Works in Czechoslovakia. Here, he encouraged minor acts of sabotage and had contact with the Czech resistance. On many occasions, Göring forged his brother's signature on transit documents to enable dissidents to escape. When he was caught, he used his brother's influence to get himself released. Göring also sent trucks to Nazi concentration camps with requests for labour. These trucks would then stop in an isolated area, and their passengers would be allowed to escape.[6]
After the war, Albert Göring was questioned during the Nuremberg Tribunal. However many of the people whom he had helped testified on his behalf, and he was released. Soon afterwards, Göring was arrested by the Czechs but was once again freed when the full extent of his activities became known. [6]
[edit] Late life
Göring then returned to Germany but found himself shunned because of his family name. He found occasional work as a writer and translator, living in a modest flat far from the baronial splendour of his childhood. Prior to his death, Göring was living on a pension from the government. He knew that if he was married, the pension would transfer to his wife after his death. As a sign of gratitude, in 1966 Göring married his housekeeper so she could receive his pension and not have to work anymore. One week later, he died without having his wartime activities publicly acknowledged.
[edit] Notes
- ^ James Wyllie (2006) The Warlord and the Renegade; The Story of Hermann and Albert Goering Sutton pub. Ltd. ISBN 0-7509-4025-5 p. 7
- ^ Wolfgang 1983, p. 33
- ^ Brandenburg 1935
- ^ a b Mosley 1974
- ^ Goldgar 2000
- ^ a b c d Bülow 2007
[edit] References
- Brandenburg, Erich (1995) [1935] (in German). Die Nachkommen Karls des Grossen. Frankfurt am Main: Neustadt an der Aisch (Germany); Verlag Degener. ISBN 3768651029. OCLC 34581384. http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/oclc/5536676.
- Bülow, Louis (2007-2009). "The Good Brother, A True Story of Courage". The Holocaust Project. http://www.goering.dk/index.htm. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
- Goldgar, Vida (2000-03-10). "The Goering Who Saved Jews". Jewish Times (Atlanta). http://www.atljewishtimes.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=736. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
- Mosley, Leonard (1974). The Reich Marshal: A biography of Hermann Göring. Doubleday. ISBN 0385049617. http://books.google.com/books?id=fhkrAAAACAAJ.
- Paul, Wolfgang (1983) (in German). Wer war Hermann Goring: Biographie. Esslingen am Neckar: Verlag Bechtle. ISBN 3762804273. http://www.amazon.com/Wer-war-Hermann-Goring-Biographie/dp/3762804273.
- "The Central Database of Shoah Victims' Names (DB Search)". Yad Vashem The Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority. http://www.yadvashem.org/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_FL?last_name=goering&first_name=albert&location=&next_form=results. Retrieved on 2008-05-28.
[edit] Further reading
- The Good Brother, A True Story of Courage - A very detailed account of Albert Göring's heroic actions during World War II.
- The Holocaust, Crimes, Heroes, and Victims - A site containing detailed information about Albert Göring's actions and the activities of many other Holocaust Heroes.
