Rudolph Hess

[Wise1]

Interestingly enough I stay just about 5 minutes away from where Hess landed here in Scotland during May 1941 if I remember correctly.

I will need to take a wander up there to see if there is still a mark outside the field to note the event.

[BeppoSapone]

Originally posted by Lee Wisener@May 31 2004, 06:18 AM
Interestingly enough I stay just about 5 minutes away from where Hess landed here in Scotland during May 1941 if I remember correctly.

I will need to take a wander up there to see if there is still a mark outside the field to note the event.

Has the full story of why he came ever come out?

There was a tv prog. on the Duke of Kent last year. It seemed to be suggesting that Hess was supposed to be meeting the Duke for talks about Britain leaving the war.

The Peace Talks "theory" is well known but I am not at all sure how much the King's brother's involvement is.

[Wise1]

I think its all still speculation but the most credible I have heard was similiar that he was to meet a member of the royal family to agree a peace plan that would in effect see Britain leave the war but not be seen as siding with Germany.

The meeting was to take place with a member of the Royal Family as they knew Churchill would never go for it.

Thats just one I have chosen to consider more reasonable than the others going around.

[angie999]

Originally posted by BeppoSapone@May 31 2004, 11:33 AM
Has the full story of why he came ever come out?

Probably not and I don't suppose it ever will. There are many unsatisfactory aspects to the official public version and this makes it immensely interesting to conspiracy theorists. which usually I am not.

But, I do think there was an active "peace party" in the British establishment in 1941 who would have been willing to ditch Churchill and make peace with Germany and Hess was probably trying to contact them.

[jamesicus]

I remember well the sensation his landing created. The BBC newscaster, Alvar Liddell, was almost breathless when he made the announcement. The event was still big news two years later as the following scan of an issue of the Daily Mail shows:

[BeppoSapone]

Originally posted by angie999+May 31 2004, 06:40 AM-->

Probably not and I don't suppose it ever will. There are many unsatisfactory aspects to the official public version and this makes it immensely interesting to conspiracy theorists. which usually I am not.

But, I do think there was an active "peace party" in the British establishment in 1941 who would have been willing to ditch Churchill and make peace with Germany and Hess was probably trying to contact them. [/b]

There is even a theory that the man who died in Spandau Jail was not Rudolph Hess at all.

Can't remember the exact details but who-ever was in Spandau did not have the WW1 war wound scars that Hess did, and was little more than a peasant, whilst Hess was urbane, educated and so on.

One story I read about Hess was that he was trying to make contact with a man called Hamilton who had had met at the Munich Olympics. The Germans felt that he would have been in favour of peace, but Hess tried to make contact with the wrong Hamilton!

Although it is hushed up a lot today, there was quite a body of British public opinion that wanted peace in 1940/41. Lord Halifax put out peace feelers to Germany via Sweden around the time of Dunkirk. Leo Amery MP had a son, John Amery, who was involved with the 'British Free Corps' and was hung as a traitor in 1945. By the 1960s Amery's other son Julian was a Brighton MP and was married to the daughter of the then Prime Minister, MacMillan.

Bishop Bell of Chichester was in talks with German churchmen and so on.

[jamesicus]

BeppoSapone wrote:

Although it is hushed up a lot today, there was quite a body of British public opinion that wanted peace in 1940/41. Lord Halifax put out peace feelers to Germany via Sweden around the time of Dunkirk.

In the aftermath of Dunkirk there were rumblings afoot that the War Cabinet was debating whether to sue for peace with Hitler. It is only recently that we have learned of the colossal struggle between Winston Churchill and Lord Halifax (the Foreign Secretary and the leading Appeaser) in the desperate War Cabinet meetings.

One very interesting proposal by the appeasement faction was to seek the cooperation of Mussolini to act as an intermediary with Hitler on Britain's behalf -- that was put to rest with Italy's decision to ally itself with Nazi Germany -- it never was a serious possibility anyway.

There is now a superb book by Professor John Lukacs -- an eminent historian and prolific writer -- that covers the events and portents of this period in meticulous detail ..........

Five Days in London - May 1940, John Lukacs, Yale University Press, New Haven and London, 1999.

.......... it is an absorbing but chilling read. I don't think most people realize just how close we came to capitulating to Hitler in 1940.

[lancesergeant]

Conspiracy theories abound and with authorities neither confirming or denying it sows the ground with the seeds of something unsavoury nevermind unsatisfactory.

Information concerning the event will be kept locked up till I suppose 2050 or the like - if at all. I believe that there is some embarassing footage that could show certain members of British society in a bad light or if not would sully previously unimpeachable icons.

The body taken out of Spandau didn't have bullet wounds which Hess sustained from the First World War and also the physique didn't match. The authorities refused to allow a second independant autopsy and so sow the seeds of conspiracy. The family was not allowed to see the body. Why was this? A high up dignitary said it was Hess, but since authorities have not been forthcoming with the facts it casts a shadow over the whole proceedings.

It is said that the reason that Hess- (if it was Hess) was kept in Spandau was on the demands of the Russians. Nobody was allowed to speak to him. Why did he serve as long in prison as he did. He was captive from 40 onwards so would have had no involvement in the Holecaust, Barbarossa etc - or is it guilty by association.

The victors write the history books , who to say that some unsavoury dealings by those in power made sure these never saw the light of day.

One theory states that Hess flew to Scotland -but on capture was disowned by Hitler. Was Hess up to some plot to overthrow Hitler with a plan of his own offing. Another says that Hess was to meet with sympathetic members of royalty and it was to be kept quiet , but with the crash of the plane and the capture of Hess, the group split denying any knowledge of the proposed/potential meeting.

I think a number of elements were sitting on the fence. If there is nothing untowards - why the secrecy.

[morse1001]

Originally Posted by wise1

Interestingly enough I stay just about 5 minutes away from where Hess landed here in Scotland during May 1941 if I remember correctly.

I will need to take a wander up there to see if there is still a mark outside the field to note the event.

The Prestwick RAFA club had one of the propellers from his BF110 in its clubhouse.

[lancesergeant]

Some other opinions from over the pond

http://www.rense.com/general70/cause.htm

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/in...showtopic=2020

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/GERhamilton.htm