Stricken with jaundice and bedridden for two weeks, he blamed
it on his anger at the Reichsmarschall, and began to press for
courts-martial of Luftwaffe officers. Göring hastened to comply.
On September , Luftflotte was heard signaling, “The
Reichsmarschall... has empowered Luftflotte Reich to set u p
instant courts-martial to try offenders on the spot, and where
cowardice is proved to shoot them in front of the assembled
personnel.”
The possibility of delivering a fighter grand slam was
drawing closer. Hermann Göring summoned squadron com-
manders to Luftflotte Reich headquarters and promised, “From
now on things are going to be different.” He revealed that large
numbers of fighter planes were becoming available. Luftflotte
Reich commander General Stumpff rendered what Kreipe
still acting as chief of air staff cynically terms in his diary “a
Byzantine pledge of loyalty.” It was swiftly rewarded when
Göring donated a house to him that same day. Kreipe who
had to make do with a more humble silver-framed photograph
of Göring came out to Carinhall on October :
Von Greim had seen the Reichsmarschall before me.
Göring was seething. Afterward, I was called in alone.
Göring was completely shattered, said people were
trying to get rid of him, Greim was a traitor. Says he is
and will remain commander in chief. For him, Greim
is finished. He’s to return to his Luftflotte at once.Kreipe reiterated his warning that the whole witch hunt was di-
rected against the Reichsmarschall.
The Red Army now began its final assault on East Prussia.
Hitler demonstratively remained at the Wolf’s Lair not far from
the battle zone. He was confident that if Nazi Germany could
only hold on, the new submarines, missiles, tanks, and jet planes