Up until the end of the war, he was Germany's highest-ranking soldier

Hitler insisted on pressing on despite concerns from Göring and other senior officers that Germany was not yet prepared for war. Hitler nominated Göring as the head of a new, six-person Council of Ministers for Defense of the Reich on August 30, 1939, just before the Second World War started. This group was established to serve as a war cabinet. On September 1, 1939, at first light, the invasion of Poland, the war's first battle, began. Hitler appointed Göring to take over as Führer of all of Germany later in the day while speaking in the Reichstag. Big German victories came quickly one after the other. The Polish Air Force was subdued within a week with the aid of the Luftwaffe. Important airfields were taken over by the Fallschirmjäger in Norway and Fort Eben-Emael was taken over in Belgium. The Battles of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France in May 1940 featured significant contributions from Göring's Luftwaffe.

Hitler gave Göring the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross for his effective leadership after France had fallen. Hitler elevated Göring to the position of Reich Marshal of the Greater German Reich during the 1940 Field Marshal Ceremony, elevating him over all other military field marshals, including those of the Luftwaffe. Up until the end of the war, he was Germany's highest-ranking soldier as a result of his promotion. As the commander in chief of the Luftwaffe, Göring had already been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross on September 30, 1939.