WI: Hermann Goering died in 1918?

On 3rd July 1918, Oberleutant Hermann Goering attended aircraft trials near Adlershof where he test flew a Zeppelin-Lindau D.I biplane. After this successful flight, the pilot's seat was taken by Hauptmann Wilhelm Reinhard, (commander of the fighter unit Jagdgeschwader I, following Manfred von Richthofen's death less than a month earlier). During Reinhard's flight, one of the biplane's struts broke causing it to shed the top wing and crash, killing the pilot.

What if the plane had crashed during Goering's flight rather than Reinhard's?
 
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Goering was instrumental to the Nazi rise to power, as he was able to establish relationships with the elite and power player industrialists, and get them to donate money... even if somehow this role is adopted by another the Luftwaffe would be radically different

based on Hitler's inner circle its likely that Rudolf Hess would end up being CIC of the Luftwaffe (he flew a couple sorties in 1918) since he would otherwise be the only one in the kamerilla with any experience

otherwise the butterflies are immeasurable... Hess was a soft spoken man, and not as deeply imbued with nazi ideology as Himmler or Rat face Goerbles (much like Goring himself) he would certainly be more apt to listen to people and take advice than Goering was (you know like if Kesselring or Molders tells him that dive bombing with everything is kind of stupid; he might actually agree with them)

Hudders, I think you mean Oberleutant Goering... because Goering never reached that rank in ww1... he finished the war as a captain
 
This is certainly an interesting topic. If Goering's position is replaced with a more intelligent guy (Hess) then the Germans might develop the Dornier 19 or the Junkers 89 heavy bombers, they might continue fighter development throughout the Second World War, and the Luftwaffe might not have committed hara-kiri trying to bomb the hell out of London.
 

Typo

Banned
I agree

Goering was really liked by the Industrialists and the military, without him the Nazis lose one of their biggest assets considering the fact that the rest of them were a bunch of pretty much nobodies after the Beer Hall Putch.
 
i wondered if NSDAP became "presentable" with out Herman Göring

and to Rudolf Hess as CIC of the Luftwaffe
Winston Churchill would be happy On 10 May 1941: "We have capture the Head of the Luftwaffe !"
 
Goering was instrumental to the Nazi rise to power, as he was able to establish relationships with the elite and power player industrialists, and get them to donate money

Who in particular was influenced by Goering into bankrolling the Nazis? He doesn't seem like a particularly likeable or charming man so I'm not sure how he could convince someone who wasn't already on board to donate money. If it's just a question of Goering encouraging these people to come and hear Hitler speak, it may just be a factor of the donations being delayed a little.

I'm not sold on the idea that Hess would be the right man for the Luftwaffe job; it's true that he was a pilot but there doesn't seem to be any record of him actually being any good at it. I don't think he even managed a single kill. But, if he were to get the job, he's less likely to feel ostracised later on and might not even make that flight in 1941.
 
Who in particular was influenced by Goering into bankrolling the Nazis? He doesn't seem like a particularly likeable or charming man so I'm not sure how he could convince someone who wasn't already on board to donate money.
Goring was a war hero, and by all accounts the most 'normal' of the senior Nazi leaders, presenting himself as a man of the people, charming to the people he met, and willing even to poke fun at himself.
He was highly popular in pre-war Germany (though underneth it all, he was every inch a brutal Nazi thug).
 
Who in particular was influenced by Goering into bankrolling the Nazis? He doesn't seem like a particularly likeable or charming man so I'm not sure how he could convince someone who wasn't already on board to donate money. If it's just a question of Goering encouraging these people to come and hear Hitler speak, it may just be a factor of the donations being delayed a little.

I'm not sold on the idea that Hess would be the right man for the Luftwaffe job; it's true that he was a pilot but there doesn't seem to be any record of him actually being any good at it. I don't think he even managed a single kill. But, if he were to get the job, he's less likely to feel ostracised later on and might not even make that flight in 1941.

The junkers and the industrial class; for example... Mrs. Manstein was very impressed by Goering and donated a lot of money to the Nazi's in the 20's and 30's. (the Von Manstein's where one of the wealthier families in Germany and they and their in the laws the Von Lewinsky's donated a fortune to fund Hitler's secondary campaigns after he got out of jail)

I'm not saying Hess would be great at the job... I'm just saying that if you keep Hitler's Kamerilla the same its possible he would be selected for it. You could also see Robert Ritter Von Griem selected too who was a buddy of Hitler's (and who was selected to replace Goering in 1945)

Goering was also critical in the government. He was the preminent Prussian in Hitler's group and served as president of Prussia and the Reichstag, and was very effective at getting Hitler's agenda through until they had total control and didn't need to bargain with anyone anymore

The butterflies are immense though... Hess didn't like Udet and thought he was an idiot. This could leave the stuka still borne. Hess also didn't have a many years relationship with Willi Messerschmidt and might be less inclined than fat boy to pick his machines and might be won over by the more technocratic kurt tank or ernst heinkel
 
Goring was a war hero, and by all accounts the most 'normal' of the senior Nazi leaders

That's saying something, considered that he did cocaine and acted pretty flamboyant.

He was highly popular in pre-war Germany (though underneth it all, he was every inch a brutal Nazi thug).

Changed during the war obviously, when he boasted "Call me Meier if one enemy plane enters Germany's airspace!" Of course, he became "the fat Herr Meier" after that.
 
Do you think that Ernst Udet might be a good "replacement" for Goering in Hitler's inner circle as far as fund raising goes? Although I guess his only connection to Hitler is through Goering at this point.

Also, I suppose that we mustn't forget that Wilhelm Reinhard is still alive and well ITTL, although I couldn't begin to guess at the shape of his politics had he survived the war.
 
Do you think that Ernst Udet might be a good "replacement" for Goering in Hitler's inner circle as far as fund raising goes? Although I guess his only connection to Hitler is through Goering at this point.

Also, I suppose that we mustn't forget that Wilhelm Reinhard is still alive and well ITTL, although I couldn't begin to guess at the shape of his politics had he survived the war.

I have thought more about this... although he was coopted by Goering, its possible Robert Ritter Von Griem could fill most of Goering's role. He was an accredited war hero, and a member of the nobility. He was also a hardcore nazi who bought into Hitler's racial superiority notions.

Hitler would still be lacking in a suitable high powered Prussian to do a lot of his internal bidding in the early years though... I seem to recall one of the crown prince's sons was into the nazi's he might be able to fit the bill
 
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