(January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946)

Was a German politician and military leader, a leading member of the Nazi Party, second in command of the Third Reich, and commander of the Luftwaffe. He was tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg Trials in 1945-1946 and sentenced to death by hanging; however, he escaped the hangman's noose around two hours before his scheduled execution by ending his life through the ingestion of potassium cyanide. Last commander of Manfred von Richthofen's famous air squadron, Göring was a war hero of World War I with 22 confirmed kills and for continuous courage in action was awarded the coveted Pour le Mérite.