his green leather diary: “Still not cities in general, and in par-
ticular not London.”
At Carinhall Göring continued to sweat that summer out.
Down at Berchtesgaden Hitler began to seek scapegoats. Göring
anxiously offered to blast the British into submission, but on
August the high command again stated Hitler’s absolute pro-
hibition on terror raids on London. Two nights later, however,
Churchill took the initiative, ordering the first raids on the
center of Berlin. Three nights later the RAF bombers returned
to Berlin, killing eight people. Outraged, Hitler directed the
Reichsmarschall to stand by to retaliate against London at the
end of the month. He hated the decision even now, and on the
fourth the high command recorded that the Führer was still
forbidding raids on London, although half a dozen British raids
on Berlin had by now occurred. When two days later Hitler
finally lifted the year-long embargo, it was Göring who hesi-
tated, aware that the first bombs on London would crush once
and for all his hopes of peace. Beppo Schmid observed Göring’s
reluctance, as did the hard-bitten General von Richthofen, who
wrote on September , “This afternoon the decision comes to
raid London. Let’s hope the Reichsmarschall stands firm. I’ve
got my doubts on that score.”
Göring departed unhappily for Holland, announcing that
he was taking personal command of the Battle of Britain. On the
seventh, his train moved on to La Boissière le Déluge, a little rail
station near the Channel coast. Flanked by Field Marshal Kessel-
ring (Luftflotte ) and General Loerzer ( Air Corps), he stood
that afternoon on the cliffs, swelling with newfound pride as his
bombers thundered overhead to raid London for the first time.
That night Londoners were killed it was the beginning of
a murderous new form of air war, for which Hitler and Chur-
chill would bear equal responsibility.