WI: Hermann Goering never develops his morphine addiction

[Mort the Reaper]

During the Beer Hall Putsch, Hermann Goering suffered a bullet wound to his leg. The treatment he received caused him to become addicted to morphine, an addiction that would persist until the last year of his life. Many historians believe that his addiction adversely affected his performance during World War II.

What if Goering never got shot, and thus never developed his addiction? How much of an impact might this have had?

 

[Vanguard45]

During the Beer Hall Putsch, Hermann Goering suffered a bullet wound to his leg. The treatment he received caused him to become addicted to morphine, an addiction that would persist until the last year of his life. Many historians believe that his addiction adversely affected his performance during World War II.

What if Goering never got shot, and thus never developed his addiction? How much of an impact might this have had?

I think he would be more capable, however with his hoarding in WW2 of resources it might hamper the Germans more

 

[Protagoras]

Hitler seems to have trusted Goering with so much power at least partly because Goering's drug problems were known at the upper levels of the government, so Hitler didn't think anybody would support Goering in a coup against him. So a sober Goering might not have become as powerful.

 

[Night Gaul]

Hitler seems to have trusted Goering with so much power at least partly because Goering's drug problems were known at the upper levels of the government, so Hitler didn't think anybody would support Goering in a coup against him. So a sober Goering might not have become as powerful.

Of course, Hitler had a drug problem arguably even worse than Goering's...

 

[Mort the Reaper]

Hitler seems to have trusted Goering with so much power at least partly because Goering's drug problems were known at the upper levels of the government, so Hitler didn't think anybody would support Goering in a coup against him. So a sober Goering might not have become as powerful.

Got a source for this?

 

[Protagoras]

Got a source for this?

I don't remember. Might be something Speer speculated, as I read Inside the Third Reich at one point, in which case, sure, I don't have a reliable source.

 

[naraic]

Got a source for this?

It's a speculation.

We don't have Hitler's diaries saying Goring won't turn on me. People won't support him in a couple because of drugs.

However it is definitely something I've seen people speculate before.

 

[Garrison]

Hitler seems to have trusted Goering with power because he was the one who could talk to the Junkers and business leaders and drum up support for the party before it came to power and after it did he became the front man for economic policy, although that was mostly a matter of groups like the Four Year Plan being able to use his clout to get things done rather than Goering taking any day to day responsibility.

As far as military matters go its hard to imagine how much different a 'sober' Goering could make, once you dismiss myths such as him promising the Luftwaffe would destroy the BEF and being responsible for the success of Operation Dynamo. With the resources available I can't see the Luftwaffe doing better than OTL in 1940-41 and by the time you reach 1942 the outcome of the war is probably beyond the power of the Luftwaffe to change. Even if they could resupply the troops in Stalingrad 6th Army is almost certainly doomed.