arrived with his commander, Kurt Student, one afternoon to
receive the Knight’s Cross at Göring’s hands. “They had built
this big jetty on the edge of the lake,” recalled Ramcke, “a big
wooden platform. His train stood next to it.” A photographer
snapped pictures while the Reichsmarschall posed, looking
commandingly across the lake. Erich Koch, the gauleiter of East
Prussia and one of Göring’s former protégés, stepped forward,
clutching a map. “Now, Herr Reichsmarschall,” he said, “About
these new domains. These forests” he tapped the map “al-
ways belonged to East Prussia before.”
“Of course,” said the Reichsmarschall with a vague gesture,
“Of course.”
Koch pointed to the Bialowieza hunting ground.
“Of course,” said Göring, “East Prussia gets that too.”
The scene was characteristic of Göring in his later years.
His vagueness upset many Luftwaffe generals outside his own
clique. Attending what he called a “dumb briefing conference”
on September , Richthofen asked for “clear and concise orders”
but noted in his diary that night, “[The] RM can’t grasp most
of it. He just passes things on to Bodenschatz to bring up for his
next chat with the Führer.” To avoid hearing awkward truths,
Göring canceled their subsequent appointment. “In the eve-
ning,” wrote the bullet-skulled Air Corps commander,
“there were some Oak Leaves fighter-pilots there and the
Reichsmarschall devoted himself exclusively to them.” The con-
trast with the (“magnificently clear-headed”) Führer maddened
Richthofen.
: I coach Field Marshal Kesselring, who is
here today with all the other Luftflotte and corps
commanders. He shares my views... The only war
they believe in here is the fantasy version painstak-