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Albert Göring, Hermann Göring's anti-Nazi brother
When Hitler and his Nazi Party came to power in the early 1930s, many people flocked to his cause.
He is considered Germany's savior, and his radical nationalist movement gained a lot of momentum in a short span of time.
There were many notorious members of the Nazi Party, such as Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heydrich, or Joseph Goebbels.
One notable member was Hermann Göring, the head of the German Air Force and Hitler's designated successor until he was expelled from office in April 1945.
Hermann Göring has several siblings, one of which is his younger brother Albert Göring.
Albert, unlike his brother, despises Nazism and the brutal ideals that accompany it.
Pre-war German anti-fascist activities
Before the rise of the Nazi Party in 1933, Albert Göring lived a noble life with his Jewish godfather, Ritter Hermann von Epenstein.
Of course, he has to live a pretty simple but comfortable life as a film producer in Germany.
From 1933 until the outbreak of World War II, Albert Göring actively opposed the ruling Nazi regime and its ideology - especially the treatment of the Jews.
On one occasion, Albert joined a group of Jewish women who were being forced to sweep the streets.
When the SS Officer in charge of checking Albert's identity, he immediately stopped the group from sweeping the streets any more.
The SS officer realized that this was the only way to prevent himself from taking responsibility for the public humiliation of Hermann Göring's brother.
War activism
Not long after the start of the war, two friends and former owners of Albert Göring were arrested for being Jewish in Austria.
Albert lobbied for his brother and used his influence over Hermann to free both Oskar and Kurt Pilzer.
Kurt, who fled to the United States with his family, will return to testify on behalf of Albert at the Nuremberg Courthouse.
Albert Göring stepped up his anti-Nazi activities when he became export director for Skoda in Czechoslovakia.
There he came into contact with the Czech resistance movement, and helped coordinate some minor destructive actions against the Nazi regime.
Albert Göring quite often forged his brother's signature on fake identity papers and passport to help dissidents escape the spreading Nazi regime.
Whenever he was caught doing this, he would always use his brother Hermann's influence to get out of sight.
He also staged several escapes from Nazi concentration camps by sending trucks with requests to find workers.
The trucks will leave the camp, are loaded with prisoners, and stop somewhere isolated so they can escape.
The Nuremberg trials and the Nazi accusations
After the war ended, the quest to identify, judge, and punish those associated with the Third Reich began.
Albert, bearing the surname Göring, was tried as a Nazi and was greeted in suspicion due to his brother's high position in the Nazi Party.
Albert Göring was able to come up with a list of 34 people he personally knew and helped escape Nazi persecution.
After being acquitted of the charges and involvement in the Nazi Party, Albert was later taken to the court in Prague for the cooperation of the Nazis.
Put on trial in the Czech capital, Albert Göring was eventually saved thanks to testimony from several members of the Czech resistance.
They can confirm that Albert helped impede Nazi operations along with the resistance, regularly providing them with inside information.
A silent hero and a life in obscurity
By 1947, Albert Göring was finally a free man, though his life was now over.
The Göring surname made it difficult for Albert to find a job after the war.
While occasionally working as a writer and translator, he lived a modest life in stark contrast to his aristocratic upbringing.
Living in a small apartment in Munich, Bavaria, Göring spent his final days on state subsidies.
It is well known that if he were to marry, when he died, his pension would be passed on to his wife, Albert Göring, to marry his housekeeper in 1966, a week before his death.
Albert Göring died without any of his wartime German anti-fascist activities known to the public.
Although not widely believed immediately after the war, Albert Göring is now known as "Good Göring" and acts as a perfect reminder to us that evil is not inherent.
Hermann chose that dark path, but Albert chose the high road with few people passing.
