Rudolph Hess

Discussion in 'The Third Reich' started by Wise1, May 31, 2004.

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  1. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Extremely good reading.
    I am sure the mystery surrounding Hess and his flight to Scotland will remain, forever, one of those WWII Enigmas.

    Regards

    Tom
     
  2. peterhastie

    peterhastie Senior Member

    Ok, So Ive just read "Churchills Underground army" by John Warwicker

    and the last chapter really intrigued me.

    Its about Rudolph Hess and his flight to Britain. In an attempt to get the Brits to accept a peace treaty with Hitler.
    Apparently several high up people, in Britain, wanted peace with Germany, even after the fall of France.
    He set off in his plane and, according to the book, was guided by a radio signal from Alnwick Castle, provided by an Aux Unit radio set. Once over the castle he was to set a course for Lord Hamilton/ Clydesdales House in Scotland. Hess lost his bearing and had to abort and was subsequently picked up by the authorities.
     
  3. urqh

    urqh Senior Member

    hitler hess deception..martin allen is an outside the box type read..if only to introduce folk to a little known pre war hero of mine..vanstterit but my spelling is probably wrong..And the descriptions of secret squirrels around the woburn area.
     
  4. urqh

    urqh Senior Member

    I should really have added a warning about the above books sources..which is what I was alluding to by out of the box.. but a good read none the less.
     
  5. Pike

    Pike Senior Member

    Yesterday i collected a batch of 8 books,so iv'e quite a bit of reading to get through over the next few weeks.
    One of the books is..My father Rudolf Hess,by his son Wolf Rudigger Hess so that'll be interesting although i'll have to take into account a slight bias.Having read the book you mention above Urgh,also the book by Lord Clydesdales relation and a few others on the subject this may throw up the odd surprise.
     
  6. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    The whole Hess issue has been clouded by conspiracy by theory and make believe.
    Hess flew to Britain in the knowledge that Germany was going to invade Russia and a two front situation would exist , his attempt to make peace was entirely to Germany's advantage - it is probable that the British knew of his intentions and gave encouragement but it is certain that Britain had no intentions of making peace.
    Hess being able to land at Hamilton's estate after a long flight,at night - impossible and downright dangerous.
    His being guided over again it is unlikely.

    Hess's son believes his father was murdered - at 90 odd years of age there does not seem to be any reasonable reason why anyone would murder him.
    His son Wolf has addressed "I.H.R." on this subject and his beliefs - and they no doubt view this as just so much more "Real History".

    I think we can read too much into Hess and his flight to Britain some of which leads on to the man in Spandau not being Hess but someone who pretended to be Hess for 50 odd years.

    Hess has become something of a "hero" for the German far right and those who would seek to rehabilitate aspects of the Hitler era and to stir nationalistic fervour for their own reasons - " a man of peace" , "Brave Rudolf Hess" are some of the catch phrases which are being applied - they mark his death with a march to his grave - it is heavily policed - reminder of the past.

    Hess was Deputy Fuhrer - he flew to Britain and was captured , he may have been seduced or hoodwinked but he came to advance a German cause or he thought he did.

    Did some want to make peace with Germany - perhaps but that was never going to happen.
     
  7. Pike

    Pike Senior Member

    I agree James,i somehow lost my earlier posted reply but it was basically along the lines of what you had said.

    One interesting book on Hess is the book about his years in British captivity during the war years when Hess had to face the consequence of being duped,and then the slow realisation that the war was beind lost and that he'd be taken back to Germany and put on trial.The information of his captivity over here was something millions of people at the time were speculating on including Starlin.
     
  8. PsyWar.Org

    PsyWar.Org Archive monkey

    From what I've read about Hess, I'd be very surprised if Britain had some how duped Hess to come. My impression is that the Government was more embarrassed about his arrival and didn't know what to do with him. They certainly didn't make any serious propaganda capital out of his arrival and there was no intelligence value either. What was the point?

    The only mystery seems to be whether he made the trip on Hitler's orders or not.
     
  9. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    A friend of mine was put on a charge due to Rudolph Hess. He was paying a visit to the prison at Spandau and allowed to see his cell.
    Hess spoke to him for a short time and my friend provided Hess with a cigarette, which was accepted.

    Hess complained immediately that he had been given a cigarette, which was against regulations, and a days pay was deducted from my friends wages.

    His colleagues all chipped in and paid his fine.

    This gives you some insight into the man.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  10. James S

    James S Very Senior Member

    Goebbels certainly was surprised that the British had not "drone more" with him , but they probably played it just right - the embarrassment was more that of Hitler having to explain what his No.2 was doing in Britain and why he was there.
    Intelligence - it is unlikely that Hess was going to give much away that was not already known.
    I think it is unlikely that Hitler would have ordered him or suggested that he do , in some ways a radical idea like this is what would have surprised Hitler and had Hess been successful ( the snowballs chance in Hell) , Hitler would have been content to take some of the Glory and Hess would have been the man of the moment - much to the annoyance of his fellow travellers not least Bormann and Goring.

    Tom
    A friend of mine was put on a charge due to Rudolph Hess. He was paying a visit to the prison at Spandau and allowed to see his cell.
    Hess spoke to him for a short time and my friend provided Hess with a cigarette, which was accepted.

    Hess complained immediately that he had been given a cigarette, which was against regulations, and a days pay was deducted from my friends wages.

    His colleagues all chipped in and paid his fine.

    This gives you some insight into the man.


    I have a friend ( same man who introduced me to this forum) who knows a gent who did time as a guard in Spandau - he told Francie a similar tale about Hess - not the first man he did the dirt on for showing him a kindness.
     
  11. urqh

    urqh Senior Member

    A friend of mine was put on a charge due to Rudolph Hess. He was paying a visit to the prison at Spandau and allowed to see his cell.
    Hess spoke to him for a short time and my friend provided Hess with a cigarette, which was accepted.

    Hess complained immediately that he had been given a cigarette, which was against regulations, and a days pay was deducted from my friends wages.

    His colleagues all chipped in and paid his fine.

    This gives you some insight into the man.

    Regards
    Tom

    This was a hess speciality. Brit guard force on rotation were warned of this and told they would be charged as he would inform on them. Brother was one of the guard force in 77 and were all told in no uncertain terms what was expected of them.
     
  12. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Yes, my friend took pity on him and paid the price.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  13. ozjohn39

    ozjohn39 Senior Member

    Another Hess story!

    I had a friend who was a British Army guard at Spandau.

    I was talking about Hess to him and I asked my friend what he was like and he replied,

    "I hated him , he gave me the creeps".

    Interestingly, my friends surname was CHURCHILL!!!!



    John.
     
  14. Pike

    Pike Senior Member

    Very interesting stories on Hess,brings it home what exactly this country was dealing with.The people involved in the re-education programmes dealing with indoctrinated Germans certainly had a difficult job on their hands.
     
  15. Heimbrent

    Heimbrent Well-Known Member

    Contemporary joke on Hess:

    Two friends meet in a KZ. "Why are you here?" - "On May 5 I said Hess was insane. And you?" - "On May 15 I said he wasn't insane".
     
  16. Trix

    Trix Member

    there is a small aviation museum in flixton suffolk that has an aircraft seat that is claimed to be the one from the plane that hess flew over in there are some interesting documents and letters with it....
     
  17. Za Rodinu

    Za Rodinu Hot air manufacturer

    Hess was a non-entity in the Nazi Party, he had no power at all over anything in the wolf cage that was the nomenklatura. His flight to Britain gave him his chance to make him look bright. However badly laid plans of mice etc, etc.
     
  18. Pike

    Pike Senior Member

    Interestingly,Alexander Scotland head of the London Cage writing in 1957 believed there was no way Hess could have flown to England without the consent of Hitler and Goring,with all the preparation required.
    I recall a lady in the 70s or later came out in the media to say that she'd seen certain top brass from this country up in Scotland on the evening Hess landed making her believe someone was expected.Can't remember the whole story in detail so apologies there.
     
  19. Ian_Smith_42

    Ian_Smith_42 Junior Member

    Hi, Anyone interested in the true post war fate of Hitlers henchman Rudolph Hess check out a book called 'Double Standards, the Rudolph Hess Conspiracy.' Remember the British Army surgeon who aboslutely refuted the man they tryed and were imprisoning was Hess, due to him having no trace of the wounds he received in World War 1.

    Well further to this talking to one of Northumberlands servants (Syon House), who was imprisoned falsely for one of his rich employers deeds, it seems the previous Duke should have been in prison - not only here in the eighties, but in Spandau previously as it was reported he was!

    I even naively asked Nothumberlands servant, 'Does the Queen know?' Oh yes and the current Duke is the son.
     
  20. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    Hi and welcome Ian.

    Do you have an interest in this book?
     

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