Hermann Goering was Hitler’s second-in-command during the Holocaust, but his younger brother, Albert Goering, couldn’t have been any different. Unlike his brother, Albert despised the Nazi party and saved the lives of Jews instead of destroying them. Despite their conflicting political views, the Goering brothers remained close. Albert risked his career and his life countless times to save the lives of many Jews. He used his name and connections to help Jews escape from the Holocaust.
Albert would frequently visit his brother's office to curry favor on behalf of a Jewish friend or political prisoner, man¬ipulating Hermann and playing on his sense of familial duty. In this sense, Hermann was like a safety net for Albert. As Albert became more ¬daring in his heroic acts, numerous reports piled up against him. Four arrest warrants were issued in his name during the war and yet he was never convicted. His older brother always came to his aid, however politically damaging it might have been for him. Whether out of family ties or because he wanted to avoid being implicated in his brother’s crimes, Hermann protected Albert as best he could.
The Nazi captured Archduke Joseph Ferdinand of Austria and put him in a concentration camp. Hermann was so delighted with his victory he offered each of his four siblings a wish. His delight crumbled when Albert and his sister asked him to release the archduke. Hermann did as they wished and released him. Albert’s most audacious rescue was when he drove trucks to concentration camps and told the guards he needed workers. Of course, they gave him prisoners for labor once he told them he was Hermann’s brother. He loaded hundreds of Jews into trucks and released them in the woods.
In 1939, Albert moved to Czechoslovakia and became the export manager for an automotive producer, Skoda. In March of that year, Germany invaded the country and put many of Albert’s workers at risk. Albert forged Her...