A German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of the First World War as a fighter pilot. He became a member of the Nazi Party in 1922 and in 1935, Hitler appointed him to the position of Commander-in-Chief of the German Airforce. By mid-1940, Hitler had promoted him to the rank of Reichsmarschall, making him senior to all other German armed force commanders. In 1941, Hitler proposed him as his successor and deputy. After the Second World War, he was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the Nuremberg Trials. He was sentenced to death by hanging, but committed suicide before he was due to be executed.