Disused Stations: San Remo Station

The Göring's car is seen outside the entrance to San Remo station on 5 March 1939. Emma Göring is sitting in the car on the left. Ther man getting in to the car might be Hermann. Hermann Wilhelm was born in Rosenheim, Bavaria on 12 January 1893. Devious even as a child, Hermann found a way of 'escaping' boarding school and spent much time playing 'war games', which in itself was nothing unusual for a young boy, along with a keen general interest in the military. In 1909 Hermann attended a military academy from which he graduated with distinction. In 1912 he joined the Prinz Wilhelm Regiment, 112th Infantry at Mülhausen and was still there when WWI broke out. Being hospitalised for a time it was suggested to Hermann that he join the German Army's Air Combat Force but his application was refused. Nevertheless and by devious means the Air Combat Force is where he went. As a fighter pilot Hermann achieved some distinction and historians have determined the majority of his credits to be justified. Meanwhile the Göring family relocated to Munich, shortly after which Hermann's father died. While we can never be certain, it seems to have been the move to Munich which turned what had been 'just another young man' into what Hermann was to become. Tragically Hermann was no different to countless other Germans at the time in that he was captivated by Adolf Hitler after attending one of his speeches in 1922. The following year Hitler made Hermann head of the Sturmabteilung (SA), a group of paramilitary thugs often referred to as the 'Brownshirts'. The SA is perhaps more associated with the allegedly homosexual Ernst Röhm than with Göring, Röhm being its Chief of Staff until his murder orchestrated by Adolf Hitler on 1 July 1934. This was the infamous and so-called 'Night of the Long Knives' Hermann Göring was involved in the Munich Putsch of 8/9 November 1923 and was injured as a result of being shot in the groin. This appears to have been the trigger for what famously became Hermann's morphine addiction. In April 1933, Hitler made Göring chief of the Prussian State Police, among other things, with the object of 'Nazifying' the police and this eventually resulted in the involvement of police with the notorious Einsatzgruppen killing squads on the Eastern Front. Following Hitler becoming Chancellor in January 1933 Göring was appointed Minister Without Portfolio and he then set about creating the Geheime Staatspolizei - the Gestapo. The various police forces in Nazi Germany, including the Gestapo, ultimately came under the jurisdiction of Heinrich Himmler. Among Görings many other appointments were Commander in Chief of the Luftwaffe (Oberbefehlshaber der Luftwaffe) and the rather strange rank of Reichsmarschall which in theory made him the most senior officer within the German armed forces but in practice gave him no authority over the previously most senior ranks. A similar practice exists today with the British forces whereby the most senior ranks are honorary-only and usually bestowed upon members of the Royal Family. Hermann Göring was an arrogant, greedy man who amassed several very grand homes, art treasures mainly stolen from France, a collection of expensive motor cars and aircraft. Some readers may be surprised to learn Hermann was also a big railway fan and had extensive model railway layouts at Carinhall, one of his many homes. Located to the north-east of Berlin and named after Hermann's first wife Carin von Kantzow who had died in 1931. Hermann is said to have proudly showed off his model railways to his guests at Carinhall. This created a startling contrast; on the one hand here was a man with a proud WWI record showing off his model railways and on the other a primary instrument of the Third Reich and all its horrors. The beginning of the end for Hermann Göring came a week before Hitler's death. Göring was one of many senior Nazis who had long realised Hitler was bringing about the destruction of Germany and has suggested to Hitler that he stood down to allow him to take over. Hitler's reaction was to strip Göring of his appointments, effectively reducing him to a nobody and with Hitler's decision seemingly swayed by Martin Bormann. Hitler had previously decreed that Göring was to become his successor but that, of course, was on the assumption Germany would win the war and the 'Thousand Year Reich' would become reality. When the war concluded Hermann was captured by the Americans and initially imprisoned in Luxembourg. He stood trial at Nuremburg, arrogantly defending himself, and was sentenced to death but the sentence was not carried out. Hermann Wilhelm Göring committed suicide shortly before he was due to hang on 15 October 1946. This account barely scratches the surface of the Hermann Göring story. Far more comprehensive accounts are available online, in books and in surviving newsreel films of the period
Photo from Douglas Dewer

[Source: Nick Catford]

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Station Name: SAN REMO (Italy)