Before the Nuremberg Trials began on October 20, 1945, a Nazi war criminal in a light-colored blazer was escorted to the scene by British guards, which immediately caused a commotion among other Nazi war criminals, who turned their heads and inquired about the man, but found nothing. The man was calm and indifferent, asking questions of the guards on the side in fluent English.
Who is he? Why was his appearance surprising to everyone at the scene, what was going on? Let's get to know this World War II figure who has puzzled historians a lot - the former Nazi third in command, Hitler's well-known "little fan"- Rudolf Hess.
From the children of the nobility to the crazy patriots
April 26, 1894
In the home of an ordinary German businessman in Alexandria, Egypt, a German woman named Clara gave birth to a healthy boy for the family. Clara's husband, trader John Fritz Hess, named the child
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess
。 Although the Hess were far away, their feelings for their homeland, Germany, did not diminish in the slightest. The home is full of portraits of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and even the emperor's birthday, the husband and wife have to celebrate it.
This almost crazy patriotic act, the crazy love for the German spirit, also deeply infected the young Rudolf Hess, and the love of Germany was deeply imprinted in Hess's heart.
Due to his history and work, Hess's parents taught him English from an early age, and in order not to forget his homeland, his parents also taught him German at the same time, so he could use German and English fluently from an early age.
Later, when he was imprisoned in England, the guards who guarded him could not help but sigh: "Whenever I talk to him face to face, I feel that I am facing an Englishman." Because his accent is so standard and pure, he often uses expressions that we don't learn in books, and there are no non-standard pronunciations, which surprises me and even makes me a little alarmed."
After finishing primary school in Egypt, the Hess family returned to Germany. He studied at schools in Alexandria, Bad Gettysburg, Munich and Neuchâtel in Switzerland. Among them, he had little interest in the trade field in which his father was engaged, but in physics, mathematics, and geography.
In college, Hess was the founder of geopolitics
Carl House-Hofer
Personal relationship is very strong. The geopolitics he founded led Hess to recognize:
Both the Germans and the English were of Anglo-Saxon descent, two peoples who could rule the world in the future, and the two nations should unite to rule the world.
In August 1914, when World War I began, Hess entered the barracks despite his father's objections and became an infantryman in the Bavarian Seventh Infantry Regiment.
During the war, Hess fought valiantly until he fell wounded, regardless of his personal safety. His heroic deeds also earned him promotions to military ranks and commendations for his medals. Later in the war, Hess actually became a pilot, although the war ended with the defeat of Germany not long after the first time, and Hess did not become a brilliant pilot like the "Red Baron" Richterhofen.
But a chance encounter at the end of the war brought him to know a "close comrade-in-arms." This person was none other than the "war maniac" who was unknown at the time and who later made the world tremble with obscurity, Adolf Hitler. Hitler.
II. Hitler's "Little Fan"
After the war, Hess reluctantly retired from the army and became an ordinary person who borrowed wine every day to dispel his sorrows. But in his heart, a small dream that could reinvent Germany's glory remains unchanged.
On July 1, 1920, Hess joined the nazi party, which was still unknown at the time.
At a gala a year later, Hess overheard a speech by his good friend Hitler, in which Hitler's inflammatory language and content recreating the glory of Germany made Hess admire.
Immediately after the meeting, he wrote an article entitled "What kind of person should be the person who led Germany to restore its old glorious position" and handed it to Hitler.
The article was full of praise for Hilter, and Hitler suddenly realized that this old friend was a brilliant man and entrusted him with a heavy responsibility.
After the "Beer Hall Riots", Hess and Hitler were arrested for attempted coup d'état.
In the same prison, with the "blessing" of Hess's writing, the book "Mein Kampf" dictated by Hitler was officially drafted and published.
After the Nazi Party came to power, the German people bought and read "Mein Kampf", and for a time there was a situation in which it was difficult to find a book. Hitler was even more appreciative of Hess through this incident. From 1925, Hess served as Hitler's secretary.
December 1932
He was also appointed as
Chairman of the Political Committee of the Central Committee of the Nazi Party.
A year later, he became deputy head of the Nazi Party and was appointed in June of the same year
Germany does not care about the minister
, overseeing everything except foreign policy and the armed forces.
During his tenure, he invented the famous "Nazi salute", that is, the marching salute of stretching out his right hand and straightening out, and it was also the first time in his mouth that Hitler was called "Führer", and this title continued until the end of Hitler's life.
For Hitler, Hess had an almost ordinary cult of madness, saying:
"Simply put, Hitler was the embodiment of pure intellect"
。 At a mass meeting in 1934, Hess said: "We are proud to see a man who has never been criticized in any way, because he knows and knows that Hitler was always right, and he will always be right in the future."
Even after the war, Hess felt honored and honored to be working under "the greatest son in German history."
On February 4, 1938, Hess was appointed a member of the Secret Cabinet. On 30 August 1939, Hess officially became a member of the German Defense Commission and was appointed by Hitler as the heir to the Third Führer besides himself and Goering.
Third, the incredible escape
On September 1, 1939, World War II officially broke out.
In 1940, Nazi Germany launched an attack on the countries of Western Europe and carried out a large-scale airstrike against Britain. In his mind, Britain and Germany were brothers, and two peoples who could unify the world together should not be in the same room and fight each other.
Coupled with a possible obsession with geopolitics or perhaps some dissatisfaction with Hitler's arbitrary behavior, Rudolf Hess, the Nazi deputy leader, chose a method that the world did not understand, "paying tribute" to his comrade-in-arms Hitler.
On May 10, 1941, after saying goodbye to his wife and children, Hess flew a Bf-110 heavy bomber from augsburg's airfield, bypassing aerial radar and surveillance.
Flew to Edinburgh, England, on the other side of the European continent. After landing, Hess, who injured his ankle, asked to meet with the Duke of Hamilton in Britain — the two had a relationship at the 1936 Olympics. Upon meeting with the Duke of Hamilton, Hess confessed his identity.
The Duke of Hamilton immediately informed Winston Churchill and confirmed Hess's identity. Hess was subsequently detained by the British.
When the news reached Germany, Hitler went from shock to hysterical anger. He denounced Hess as a "shameless, poor clown" and said he had "mental problems"
。 He then dismissed Hess from all his positions and privately ordered he to be killed if he returned to Germany, and Martin Baumann, then "Party Minister", succeeded Hess.
Hess's motivation to travel to Britain has been one of the biggest mysteries during World War II, and British authorities have not released the archives to date. There was gossip that mikhail used the terms of a personal meeting with the Duke of Hamilton to lure Hess into self-casting, which Hitler denied, and rumors that Hess wanted to get in touch with pro-German forces in Britain, replace Churchill's cabinet, reconcile with Britain, and even become an ally to join forces against the Soviet Union or at least remain neutral. But this was also officially denied by the British authorities.
The last years of the Deputy Nazi Leader
Hess spent nearly 4 years in British prison, missing most of the time in the Great War. Thus, at the post-war Nuremberg trials, there was always debate about how many crimes he committed during the war and whether he participated in genocide compared to other Nazi war criminals. At the insistence of the USSR,
In October 1945 Hess was sent to Nuremberg to stand trial at the International Military Tribunal.
So there is the scene at the beginning of the article. In court, Hess was charged with four counts, namely, crimes of breach of peace, conspiracy, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Hess was found guilty on the first two counts and was therefore courted
Sentenced to life imprisonment without parole
。 As for the outcome of the war crimes and crimes against humanity, he was acquitted.
In 1947, Hess was transferred to the Spandau Prison in Berlin to serve his sentence
。 In prison, he was under very strict surveillance, and all the guards and guards were not allowed to speak to him.
When everyone thought Hess would spend the rest of his life in this heavily guarded prison.
On August 17, 1987, Hess hanged himself in a small villa in prison at the age of 93.
Officials believe he committed suicide, but according to witnesses and family, Hess may have died of murder. His body was originally buried with his parents, but due to the prevalence of neo-Nazism, his cemetery became a mecca for many neo-Nazis. So in 2011, after consulting with his family, Hess's grave was cleared and his body was cremated and scattered into the sea.
epilogue
Rudolf Hess, the former deputy nazi leader and the third heir of the "Third Reich". He chose an inexplicable act of "surrender" and betrayed his former friend and leader Hitler. The reason for this is unknown to us. But as a once-evil Nazi accomplice, Hess was also to blame. His final destination may be his best commentary on the whole sinful life. The cult of extreme theories is exchanged for only a sad ending and a bleak life. Woohoo! Rudolf Hess!
Resources:
Rudolf Hess – Deputy Fuehrer of the Nazis
Goodrick-Clarke，Nicholas.TheOccultRootsofNazism：TheAriosophistsofAustriaandGermany1890-1935
Hutton，JosephBernard.Hess：TheManandHisMission
Hess，Rudolf.Selectedspeeches
GuidoKnoppforZDFHitlershelfer-Hess，derStellvertreter.