Why did Rudolph Hess fly to Britain in 1941 and was the prisoner in Spandau the real thing or a double? Chris Ray
Im not exactly sure why Hess flew to Britain, except that I think he wanted to try to possible negotiate the ending of war between the U.K and Germany. The real Hess was at Spandau. He died what? 10 15 years ago? Did you know that all four major allied powers still had military police representatives from their militaries at Spandau.
Or was it Albert Horn that landed in Scotland? Why did he commit suicide weeks before his imminent release? Why are the Hess files still closed?
Exactly Tallyrand (interesting handle by the way). Did you know that the British Doctor who attended Hess in Spandau could find no evidence of a gunshot wound on the prisoner, despite the fact that hospital records show that Hess was wounded by a high-velocity bullet during WWI? As for his mission - it is quite possible that Hess, who was in the know, told the British about the impending attack on Russia and tried to negotiate a ceasefire on that basis. The question remains as to why the British have kept these files closed for so long. Could it be that there was some negotiations? Chris Ray
That is very interesting. This like the O.S.S.and their usage of ex-Waffen SS, and also hiding many wanted war criminals. We will most likely never know much truth behind that episode as well. You can blame the C.I.A, for that as well.
Talking about the Waffen SS, did you know that many of them joined the French Foreign Legion after WW2 and, when fighting in Viet Nam, were considered some of the most effective troops in the conflict? Chris Ray
Chris Ray, about the fly of Rudolf Hess to Britain in 1941. I am just reading a book of Louis C. Kilzer ("Churchill's Deception") about that fly. It occurred in 10-may-1941, Rudolf Hess by himself was flying in a Messerschmitt Bf-110 as a part of a plan of Hitler and Hess to negociate with the British. But Churchill used it to lead the Germany to a war against the Soviet Union. In that book the author makes a question about the real identity of the priosioner at Spandau, because his scars of WWI.
Dear Chris, yep, I knew about former Waffen SS who "volunteered" for the French Forign Legion and fought in Indochina. I knew personally, the man who commanded the all german battalion, who had also made me an honorary member of his unit and the Forign Legion. Sadly, he died about 2 or so yrs ago.
Until the end of the war Rudolf Hess remained a prisoner and in 1946 he was convicted as a major war criminal during the war crimes trials which were held at Nürnberg. He was then sentenced to life imprisonment at Spandau Prison, West Berlin. After the release of Albert Speer and Baldur von Schirach on October 1, 1966, Hess was the only prisoner until his death in 1987. So for more than twenty years, Hess was the sole prisoner in a prison designed for about six hundred. For many years Rudolf Hess refused visits from members of his family but he changed his mind in November 1969, when he became severely ill and had to struggle to stay alive. He agreed to a visit by his wife Ilse Hess and the son Wolf Rüdiger in the British Military Hospital in Berlin. Thus, on December 24, 1969, they visited him for the first time ... After being returned to the Allied Military Prison in Spandau, he agreed to further visits. In the years that followed, members of the family visited Rudolf Hess 232 times altogether. Only the closest members of his family were allowed to meet with him. It was forbidden to shake hands or embrace. Presents were also forbidden, even on birthdays or at Christmas. On Monday, August 17, 1987, a journalist informed the son that his father was dying. Later he received a telephone call at 6:35 p.m. from the American director of the Spandau Prison, who informed him officially that his father had died, aged 93. The official notification, which was in English, read as follows: "I am authorized to inform you that your father expired today at 4:10 p.m. I am not authorized to give you any further details."
A good question to ask is why was Hess kept for so long? Worse criminals were release far sooner than Hess. I believe he was the only one to have served the full sentence.
It is a very strange case. Some say he had a meeting with high persons to negotiate about peace, others say he was shot immediately after he landed. I also think that we will never know if he really killed himself (suicide) or if he was killed. Because the suicide was kind of strange -or so I read.
Hess had the dirt on members of the pro-nazi royal family, that's why he was never released. No way was that a suicide either, someone just said enough is enough, finish him off.
I thought it was the Russians who were always against releasing Hess. They would have probably hanged him in 1946 as well?
Ill get a reply on this if it kills me.. Kai Im with you on that. On joning my unit in Berlin as part of UK Berlin Field force, we were given indoctrination on arrival on present circumstances during cold war, and what to expect if shooting ever started. One of the lecutres contained referencce to Hess who was then incarcarated in Spandau...The offical Army view give to us at that time was that the Russians wanted Hess to die in captivity in Spansau, as this then gave them the right to have armed Russian troops in W
Ill get a reply on this if it kills me.. Kai Im with you on that. On joning my unit in Berlin as part of UK Berlin Field force, we were given indoctrination on arrival on present circumstances during cold war, and what to expect if shooting ever started. One of the lecutres contained referencce to Hess who was then incarcarated in Spandau...The offical Army view give to us at that time was that the Russians wanted Hess to die in captivity in Spansau, as this then gave them the right to have armed Russian troops in West Berlin and was a treated by them as a military statement to the western forces there. The idea I was led to believe and one which did not actually happen on his death maybe plans changed.. was that if allied Nato troops were on roulement in Spandau at time of his death then Spandau was to be raized to the ground to prevent Russian troops carrying on their turn at Spandau even in his absence....
Erwin--thanks for mentioning that Urgh has a site--it is an excellent site at that. I had always wanted to see stuff like what he has there. Urgh--why dont you post the links here?
Whoa chaps.....Carl, reign those horses back.... Sorry lads, Ive obvioualy made a boob boob..Id love you to think I was the clever one behind that site...But although I have added stuff for inclusion on there, I dont actually own the site and am not a webmaster for it. Only a small fraction of the stuff on the site was sent by myself. Doesnt take away what you think of the site though..Its a brilliant site and my favourite one. Links on there are good too.
