Healthier, more stable Hermann Göring.

Consequences of a healthier, more stable Hermann Göring.

Herman Göring isn´t seriously wounded on November 9th 1923, he doesn´t get pneumonia, as a result he never becomes a morphine addict.

The time he doesn´t spend in asylum is put to good use for the NSDAP and thus, his prestige slightly increases.
He gaines more fortitude and stability in the 1925-1935 period, he is significantly more competent at his job and less interested in luxury by the time he becomes the Head of the Luftwaffe than historically. He becomes slowly better from then on.

Although still loyal to Hitler, he also becomes more strong-willed/opiniated, although he remaines carefull not to step over the line so to state.








Consequences? How would this affect WW2?
 
Last edited:
I suspect he'd still steal anything that wasnt nailed down and be a bit of an ass when it comes to running the airforce.

On the flip-side, contemporary evidenced showed a marked improvement in Goring's mental faculties, ability to focus and general grip on reality when he was put into rehab just before Nuremberg. So a more stable non-junkie Goring will certainly have a lot more influence with Hitler and the energy to run his various ministries more effectively.
 
With Goering believing in his own political viability, isn't it much more likely he'd become a problem for the party? I mean, it's easy to make jokes about Fat Herman, but he did manage to turn himself into a viable political figure, carve out a little empire in the cutthroat world of Nazi Germany, plot a viable coup, and develop a pretty scary air force while addicted to morphine and regularly binge-eating and drinking. Imagining the man with the same drive, but a clear mind and vision - I'd be looking over my shoulder if I was Hitler.
 
He might tender his resignation if he has all of his facilities once it becomes clear that his responsibilities are overwhelming for him (he had no staff experience, and a lot of his cronies where disasterous like Udet)...or alternatively if he wants to stick around for prestige etc; he might defer a lot more to people who are superb organizers but not crazy butt boys like Milch and Kesselring (meaning Milch and Kesselring are the good organizers...butt boy examples could include Richtoffen and Udet)

He could also be a lot more realistic in certain things, like his inability to supply the 6th army by air in the middle of winter against heavy opposition for example
 

Deleted member 1487

Its very probable that the LW would be worse off with Hermann meddling in everything despite having very little relevant experience (honestly commanding a Jasta for a few months in WW1 is not enough to run an ENTIRE air force!). However butterflies could well see Wever living longer, which could make up for Hermann's interference; historically Wever had excellent ego management skills and was able to keep Goering from screwing things up.

Conversely we could see Goering more clear-headed and realize his deficiencies in management, making him butt out even more than historically. His major influence on the LW in the early years was getting them funding from Hitler, perhaps here he realizes his role and is able to get some of the funding from the navy for his service...
 
1) It would improve Görings standing in the Nazi organisation (not that he was among top 3 most of the time anyway), he would probably be less flamboyant and more focused on work. But it wouldn't affect his "basic" personality which was not the administrative genus (say Speer), the organisation man (say Stalin) or the fixer of things gone wrong. Göring would try to amass power and later loot. He was as many WW1 fliers unable to shift from "the lone knight in the sky" mindset to "one piece of a very big machine". That meant aversion against to high-tech airplanes (enclosed cockpits - pure stupidity, you must be able to hear the wind) and modern radar guided interception. These ideas have to be beaten from him (and many others) by experience.

2) The Nazi party will still be dominated by "the old comrades" that Hitler never abondoned but instead gave important posts that they in general mismanaged. Bitter WW1 veterans were not the best leaders of weapons manufacture, research etc. Empire builders like Himmler would still show up and create parallell, wasteful, organisations.

3) Technology and strategy/tactics won't be affected by a non-stoned Göring. The best fighter tactics against fighters or bombers must still be found by experiences in wars, that Me 110 was a worthless plane had to be found out the hard way etc. Not to mention that Germany would have limited resources and therefore couldn't afford any heavy bombers.

But what Göring could have done was influencing Hitler at important times. In the early years he was clearly number 2 with uncomparable influence on Hitler (with possible exception for Borman). He could have adviced Hitler to drop the idea of germans in Africa and saved the resources for operation Barbarossa, or supported a withdraval from Stalingrad. He could have recommended a land attack against the British at Dunkirk, cooperated more with the submarine fleet and argued against declaring war on the US. On the other hand Göring may have given far worse advice to Hitler. It is impossible to decide the total effect for Germany.

In the end probably small changes for the world, although they could be big in some special cases.
 
Its very probable that the LW would be worse off with Hermann meddling in everything despite having very little relevant experience (honestly commanding a Jasta for a few months in WW1 is not enough to run an ENTIRE air force!). However butterflies could well see Wever living longer, which could make up for Hermann's interference; historically Wever had excellent ego management skills and was able to keep Goering from screwing things up.

Conversely we could see Goering more clear-headed and realize his deficiencies in management, making him butt out even more than historically. His major influence on the LW in the early years was getting them funding from Hitler, perhaps here he realizes his role and is able to get some of the funding from the navy for his service...

Your last idea is interesting; if he wasn't full of drugs, he might be a lot less paranoid and better able to work with Raeder... he might also have more confidence about standing up to hitler directly (like when all of his subordinates tell him the ME-109 is outdated and unsafe he wouldn't be paranoid about willi messerschmidt having Hitler's ear and or willi messerschmidt replacing him)
 
I've been studying Goring what-ifs. I believe the Luftwaffe'd still be troubled, I'm afraid, because, to me, it was a talent mismatch. He was a great get-it-doner, and'd be a COO in today's industry. The job needed somebody more like Hitler, though - somebody with a good grasp of strategy and tradeoffs.

Goring's strengths and weaknesses remarkably match Microsoft's Steve Ballmer's. Both were great at making big organizations work well and do well at detail. Both insisted their products do EVERYTHING, an impossibility; in the real world you have to make tradeoffs. Ballmer wanted his Vista and XBox 360 to do everything. The planned Vista never shipped, of course, and the 360's been nice but an amazing money-loser. Goring wanted his planes to do everything, too, and were behind and money sinks as a result. Both also have trouble focusing on long-term goals; Ballmer's the picture of the fashion-driven boss, and Goring kept shifting bombing goals (thanks, Goring).

So, like the others, I think he'd still be a mismatch.
 
1)

3) Technology and strategy/tactics won't be affected by a non-stoned Göring. The best fighter tactics against fighters or bombers must still be found by experiences in wars, that Me 110 was a worthless plane had to be found out the hard way etc. Not to mention that Germany would have limited resources and therefore couldn't afford any heavy bombers.

.

The ME-110 wasn't worthless; every major war fighting nation had twin engined fighters that they where not sure how to employ before the war. The 110's problem's where doctrine not the actual machine... and yes it didn't perform well against single engine fighters in the daylight air superiority role; but this was more than overcome by its successful use as a fighter bomber, scout, artillery spotter and most importantly as a nightfighter... no other model achieved as many night victories so I think worthless is a bit harsh
 
Top