Rudolf Hess
by Staff WriterRudolf Hess, born Walter Rudolf Hess was famous as the man who was third in command to Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. Hess was the son of a German merchant, born in Alexandria, Egypt. In the 1920s and 1930s Rudolf Hess became a close confidant of Hitler, Deputy Führer of the Third Reich and one of Hitler’s principal lieutenants.
Rudolf Hess, Hitler and World War II
In the immediate aftermath of the first World War, defeated Germany was a nation in disarray. Harsh and humiliating peace terms were imposed by the victorious Allies. The German economy was in ruins. Rudolf Hess became increasingly involved in the mayhem that was German politics. In 1920, Hess attended his first meeting of the growing Nazi party. The party’s Chief of Propaganda was Adolf Hitler. Hess joined the party and within a year had become Hitler’s close confidant. Hess then took on the job of recruiting students to the ranks of the “brownshirts,” the Nazi party’s storm troopers. It was as leader of this group that Hess, in 1923, took part in an attempt to overthrow the Bavarian government, the result was utter failure. Along with Hitler, Hess was sentenced to imprisonment in the fortress of Landsberg. After their release, Hitler eventually became chancellor of Germany in 1933 and appointed Rudolf Hess as his deputy manager in charge of the Nazi Party. In 1934, Hess was elevated to the rank of minister and appointed as member of Hitler's cabinet.
Hess knew that in Britain, powerful interests would deeply oppose to any war with Germany. Slowly Hess came to believe that it was his mission to prevent war between Britain and Germany. Hess also knew that Hitler seeing the British as fellow Aryans had no desire for a war with Britain. But Hitler was already planning to invade Poland, and Poland was Britain’s ally. Hess knew that if the planned invasion took place, Britain would be forced to react. Hitler believed that Britain would do nothing, and in this belief was supported by his Foreign Minister Ribbentrop. Hess was ignored. On September the 1st, 1939, Hitler’s armies attacked Poland. Hess became increasingly marginalized by Hitler.
As the conquest of Poland advanced, Hitler was proved correct in his opinion of British result. Britain had declared war on Germany, but this had shown itself to be an empty gesture, no real effort was being made to save Poland. Winston Churchill found himself presiding over a disaster; the French and British armies were falling back in disarray before the Nazi onslaught.
When World War II was reaching its height, with Britain facing catastrophe, Rudolf Hess grew confident that the British would seek means of procuring peace, and perhaps even join with Germany in a campaign against the Communist Soviet Union. Hess made a solo airplane flight to England to persuade the British government to conclude peace with Germany resulting in his becoming a prisoner in Britain until the war crimes trials held at Nürnberg in 1945-46.
Rudolf Hess and the Nuremberg War Crime Trial
Rudolf Hess would remain Britain’s most important prisoner until his trial at Nuremberg in 1945. Although Hess expressed a desire for peace and advocated international economic cooperation he was still an active supporter of the preparations for war. Hess knew, first hand, of Hitler’s plans and how fervent and violent a man he was.
Hess’ flight took place ten days after the date on which Hitler intended to attack the Soviet Union. On his flight, Hess carried peace proposals which he supposed Hitler was prepared to accept.
Hess was convicted by the court of conspiracy and crimes against peace. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Spandau Prison in Berlin, Germany. For the remaining forty years of his life, Walter Rudolf Hess was convicted as a major war criminal. He was a solitary inmate from 1966 until his suicide in 1987.
