Love letters from Göring: Explosive insights into the dark past!

Love letters from Göring: Explosive insights into the dark past!

On April 29, 2025, the Munich auction house Hermann Historica will auction handwritten love letters from Hermann Göring. These letters, written in the early 1920s, provide an insight into the personal life of the future Nazi criminal when he did not yet hold a position of power within the National Socialist regime. Göring was active as a fighter pilot at the time and lived in Sweden in 1920, where he met the married Swedish noblewoman Carin von Kantzow, who already had a seven-year-old son.

The letters document Göring's courtship of Carin and come from the early phase of their relationship. The letters have historical significance because they show the private side of a man who later became commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe and Adolf Hitler's deputy. Göring was held responsible for numerous crimes and was a central player in the Nazi regime at the end of the Second World War, which makes his letters particularly explosive. An example from one of these letters documents Göring's claims to ownership: “You are my wife before God, if you would like to soon become one before people too.”

Auctions and Nazi objects

The auction of Göring's love letters is part of a larger context of the trade in Nazi objects, which has been booming for several years. On June 18th, numerous Nazi memorabilia items will also be up for auction, including an impressive pair of silk underpants by Hermann Göring with a waist width of 140 cm. This collection comes from US doctor John K. Lattimer, who worked during the Nuremberg trials, and also includes clothing from Eva Braun and ties and trousers from Adolf Hitler. Among the rarer objects is an X-ray image of Hitler's skull after the assassination attempt on July 20, 1944.

While the appeal of such artifacts is based on the fascination for the forbidden and the human abyss, the public reaction is ambivalent. Critics argue that the trade in Nazi items trivializes National Socialism. Ten museums and memorials strongly condemned the auctions in an open letter. However, Wolfgang Hermann, the owner of the auction house, is not aware of any guilt and is planning to generate proceeds of 170,000 euros for the auction.

Legal situation and social discussion

In Germany, purchasing and owning Nazi items is legal as long as Nazi symbols are covered. However, wearing or publicly displaying such symbols is prohibited, while the trade in Nazi memorabilia flourishes despite legal restrictions. There are estimates that 10-20% of household goods on sale are counterfeits, increasing uncertainty in the market.

The discussion about how to deal with these historical objects has been present in German politics for decades and is being revived by the controversies surrounding auctions such as that of Hermann Historica. Hans Ottomeyer, a German art historian, has repeatedly advocated for an open examination of Nazi history in order to avoid glorifying the era. This debate remains an important issue in society given the ongoing auctions.

The upcoming auctions not only take a look at the past, but also raise ethical questions about how to deal with the legacy of National Socialism, which concerns both collectors and historians.

For more information about the auctioned items and the controversy surrounding them, visit oe24, World and DW.