Rudolf Hess

Lore & Background

Hess was born into a wealthy German family in Egypt, where his youth left him with a strong admiration for the British Empire. He enlisted in the Imperial German Army at the outbreak of World War I, was wounded several times, and received the Iron Cross, 2nd Class. After the war, he studied geopolitics under Karl Haushofer at the University of Munich, joined the Nazi Party in 1920, and participated in the Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, during which he assisted Hitler with Mein Kampf while in prison.

After Hitler became Chancellor in 1933, Hess was appointed Deputy to the Führer, elected to the Reichstag, made a Reichsleiter, and became Minister without Portfolio. He signed into law much of the government's legislation, including the 1935 Nuremberg Laws. By the start of the war, he was sidelined from most important decisions, and many in Hitler's inner circle thought him to be mad. On 10 May 1941, he flew solo to Scotland, hoping to arrange peace talks with the Duke of Hamilton, but was arrested immediately and held until the end of the war.

At the Nuremberg trials, Hess initially claimed amnesia but later admitted it was a ruse. He was convicted of crimes against peace and conspiracy, and sentenced to life in prison. He was the sole prisoner in Spandau for many years, and hanged himself in 1987 at age 93. After his death, the prison was demolished to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine, and his grave, bearing the inscription 'Ich habs gewagt', became a site of neo-Nazi pilgrimage until his remains were exhumed and cremated in 2011.

Reader's Guide

Rudolf Hess is significant as a high-ranking Nazi official whose 1941 flight to Scotland remains one of the most bizarre episodes of the Second World War. His role as Deputy to the Führer and his involvement in drafting the Nuremberg Laws tie him directly to the regime's crimes. His conviction at Nuremberg for crimes against peace set a legal precedent for holding leaders accountable for waging aggressive war. His long imprisonment and eventual suicide at Spandau, followed by the demolition of the prison and destruction of his grave to prevent neo-Nazi glorification, illustrate the ongoing struggle to manage the legacy of Nazi figures. Hess's life also highlights the intersection of personal delusion and political power, as his unauthorized peace mission was dismissed by contemporaries as madness.

Did You Know?

• Hess was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and grew up under British rule, which he admired.
• He flew solo to Scotland on 10 May 1941 hoping to negotiate peace with the Duke of Hamilton.
• He was the only prisoner in Spandau Prison for many years before his suicide in 1987.
• His grave inscription read 'Ich habs gewagt' ('I dared to do it'), and his remains were later exhumed and cremated.