Hermann Wilhelm Göring was born on the 12th of January 1893 at the Marienbad Sanatorium in Rosenheim, Bavaria. His father Heinrich Ernst Göring had served as governor-general of German South West Africa before becoming consul general in Haiti. The infant remained with a friend in Bavaria for three years while his parents worked abroad. A wealthy Jewish physician named Hermann Epenstein provided the family with a home and later a castle called Veldenstein near Nuremberg. Epenstein maintained an affair with Göring's mother Franziska Tiefenbrunn for fifteen years.
Göring developed an early obsession with military life. He played with toy soldiers and wore a Boer uniform given by his father. At age eleven he attended boarding school where food was poor and discipline harsh. He sold his violin to buy a train ticket home and feigned illness until allowed to return. By sixteen he graduated from a military academy in Berlin-Lichterfelde with distinction.
World War I began in August 1914 when Göring served with his infantry regiment near Mülhausen. Rheumatism from damp trench conditions hospitalized him briefly. His friend Bruno Loerzer convinced him to transfer to aviation duty despite official resistance. They flew reconnaissance missions together and received Iron Cross awards. Göring scored air victories steadily until May 1917 when he commanded Jagdstaffel 27. He finished the war with 22 confirmed victories and led Jagdgeschwader 1 known as the Flying Circus after July 1918.
The Wounded Politician
Hitler and the Nazi Party attempted to seize power on 8, the 9th of November 1923 during the Beer Hall Putsch. Göring marched with Hitler toward the War Ministry before being shot in the groin. Fourteen Nazis and four policemen died that day while many leaders including Hitler faced arrest. Carin von Kantzow smuggled her husband to Innsbruck for surgery where doctors administered morphine for pain relief.
This medical treatment marked the beginning of a lifelong morphine addiction lasting until his imprisonment at Nuremberg. Authorities declared Göring a wanted man so the couple moved from Austria to Venice then Rome. In May 1924 they visited Italy where Göring met Benito Mussolini through Fascist contacts. Hitler wrote Mein Kampf while imprisoned and was released in December 1924.
Personal struggles intensified by 1925 when Carin's mother fell ill. The Görings raised money for travel through Sweden Austria Czechoslovakia Poland and Danzig. Göring became violently addicted to morphine attacking nurses who refused his requests. He was certified dangerous and confined in Långbro Asylum on the 1st of September 1925 wearing a straitjacket due to violent episodes. His psychiatrist determined he remained sane despite drug-induced psychosis. Weaned off the drug he returned to Germany after an amnesty declaration in 1927 resuming work in aircraft manufacturing.