Why did Rudolph Hess fly to Scotland?
Rudolph Hess came to the Nazi Party early enough to bear member number 16. Along with other prisoners, Hess received dictation in prison from Adolf Hitler, the results of which were Hitler’s screed Mein Kampf. In 1933 Hess became Deputy Fuhrer when Hitler received his appointment as Reich Chancellor. Hess ran several departments of the Nazi government and his signature appeared alongside Hitler’s on numerous government decrees.
When the Second World War began Hitler made arrangements to continue the Nazi hierarchy should the Fuhrer fall in battle, designating Herman Goering as his successor, with Hess next in line. Hess was responsible for domestic affairs and issues to the exclusion of military activities, and with war underway, the amount of time available from Hitler was limited. Hess became marginalized as military affairs overrode to a large extent the daily internal affairs of the Reich.
As German plans to invade the Soviet Union coalesced, Hess was determined to find a means to bring England to the negotiating table to avoid the catastrophe of a two-front war. In May of 1941, Hess flew a Messerschmidt bf100 to the United Kingdom, bailed out over Scotland, and was arrested upon landing. He left behind him a letter to Hitler (among other items) which indicated his intention to enter into negotiations for a separate peace with the British, which when received by Hitler instigated a fit of rage and fears of a coup.
The German propaganda machine announced that Hess was exhausted from overwork, and distanced themselves from his actions. Under orders from Winston Churchill Hess was imprisoned – he was briefly held in the Tower of London – and despite questioning was not charged with any crime. Hess continued to be held throughout the war, attempting suicide twice, and following the war was charged with war crimes. He often pretended while in custody to be suffering from amnesia and other mental disorders.
After the war, he was tried as a war criminal and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was the sole remaining prisoner in Spandau Prison in Berlin when he finally committed suicide at the age of 93 in 1987. Immediately following his death it was asserted by his lawyer that Hess had been too frail to have committed suicide in the manner described by his British guards. Why Hess flew to Scotland, what happened during his questioning, and why he remained in custody for more than four decades before committing suicide, are all mysteries for which no reasonable answer has been forthcoming.
Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading
Encyclopedia Britannica – How the Symbolism of the Swastika Was Ruined
BBC News – How the World Loved the Swastika – Until Hitler Stole It
NY Daily News – Trees in Germany That Once Grew in Shape of Swastika Cause Lingering Mystery
War History Online – The Surrender of the Last Two German U-boats in WW2
Medium – Will the Legendary Lost ‘Amber Room’ Ever Be Found?
Sky History – The Mystery of The Amber Room: The World’s Greatest Lost Treasure
Los Angeles Times – Ending 68-Year Mystery, Scholar Confirms Gestapo Chief Died In 1945
Indian Express – In the Deep Arctic, Hitler’s Secret Base
Popular Mechanics – Mysterious Arctic Nazi Base Rediscovered
War History Online – A Secret Base, Built by The Nazis in WW2, Has Been Discovered in The Arctic
Smithsonian Magazine – Sorry, Treasure Hunters: That Legendary Nazi Gold Train Is a Total Bust
BBC News – Poland’s ‘Nazi Gold Train’ Find: Myth and Reality
BBC News – Nazi Gold Train: ‘No Evidence’ Of Discovery in Poland
BBC News – The Swedish Schindler Who Disappeared
Haaretz – Is the Mystery of Raoul Wallenberg’s Death Finally Solved?