Fritz Görnnert

Friedrich "Fritz" Görnnert (18 March 1907 – 1 May 1984) was a German engineer who, during Nazi Germany, was a personal adjutant to Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring from January 1937 until Göring's capture in May 1945. He also was a civil servant in the Reich Aviation Ministry with the rank of Ministerialdirigent and an SA-Brigadeführer in the Nazi Party paramilitary organization, the Sturmabteilung (SA).

Fritz Görnnert
Fritz Görnnert (second from left) at Carinhall with Hermann Göring (center, back to camera) c. 1942–1945
Ministerialdirigent Reich Aviation Ministry
In office 1 January 1944 – 8 May 1945
Minister	Hermann Göring
Ministerialrat Reich Aviation Ministry
In office 1 April 1940 – 31 December 1943
Personal Adjutant Reich Aviation Ministry
In office 1 January 1937 – 8 May 1945
Personal details
Born	(1907-03-18)18 March 1907 Karlsruhe, Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire
Died	1 May 1984(1984-05-01) (aged 77) Karlsruhe, West Germany
Resting place	Hauptfriedhof Karlsruhe
Political party	Nazi Party
Alma mater	Heidelberg University Technical College of Karlsruhe
Profession	Engineer
Military service
Allegiance	Nazi Germany
Branch/service	Luftwaffe
Years of service	1940–1945
Rank	Oberst
Battles/wars	World War II

Early life and education

Görnnert was born in Karlsruhe in 1907. After attending the local Gymnasium and obtaining his Abitur, he studied mathematics and sciences at Heidelberg University from 1927 to 1928, and mechanical engineering and aircraft-construction at the Technical College of Karlsruhe (today, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) from 1928 to 1933. He was active in the National Socialist German Students' League and was awarded a doctorate in engineering from Karlsruhe in 1939.^[1] He was an assistant to Professor Töpfer, who held the chair of aircraft construction at Karlsruhe.

Nazi Party career

Görnnert joined the Nazi Party in 1931 while still a student (membership number 411,588).^[2] He joined the Sturmabteilung (SA) in 1933, eventually attaining the rank of SA-Brigadeführer.^[3] After his studies, he worked as an instructor at the SA-Reichsführerschule (SA Reich Leadership School).^[4] He entered the Reich Aviation Ministry in January 1937, where he became a personal adjutant to Reichsminister Hermann Göring. During the Second World War, he joined the Luftwaffe on 1 April 1940 where he attained the rank of Oberst. At that time, he also was named as a Ministerialrat (ministerial councilor) in the ministry, advancing to Ministerialdirigent (ministerial conductor) on 1 January 1944.^[5] He was made an honorary citizen of the Karlsruhe Technical University in 1941.^[6] Toward the end of the war, with the Red Army approaching Göring's Carinhall country estate northeast of Berlin, Görnnert was placed in charge of evacuating much of Göring's looted artworks aboard a special train headed to Berchtesgaden but which was diverted to Veldenstein Castle [de], Göring's residence in Neuhaus an der Pegnitz near Nuremberg.^[7]

Post-war life

At the end of the war in Europe, Görnnert was captured by American forces in May 1945. He was interned but was not charged with war crimes.^[5] He submitted an affidavit in defense of Viktor Brack, who was tried and convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Doctors Trial at Nuremberg.^[8] After his release from confinement in 1947, Görnnert returned to live in Karlsruhe where he died in 1984.^[6]