The flight of Rudolf Hess to Scotland in May 1941 is the last unexplained mystery of the Second World War.
Quite why the Deputy Fuhrer of Germany should choose to make such a dramatic act has remained unexplained ever since. In the intervening 70+ years the absence of firm evidence as to motivation and methodology has led to speculation taking hold, which, in turn has made the discovery of the truth that much more difficult. In some instances speculation is now seemingly accepted as fact and vice versa.
The official German communique in 1941 simply stated that Hess was suffering from delusions, a convenient explanation first mooted by Hess himself in his farewell letter to his leader. Such a statement was necessary to allay any Russian fears of an Anglo-German peace as a pre-cursor to any pre-emptive strike.
Britain was also in a similarly embarrassing position. Churchill’s principal strategy in May 1941 was the hope of an eventual Anglo-American alliance. How might the isolationists in Congress act of the news of the Hess flight? Would they think that their further allegiance was not necessary in the face of an Anglo German accord?
The intervening years have seen some limited release of official files on the affair, most notably in 1992 with the release of some Intelligence Service data.
However, despite this partial release, fundamental questions still remain:
- Why did Hess fly? Was it the solo flight of a madman?
- Did Hitler know of the mission?
- What was Hess hoping to achieve?
- Were the British party to the flight?
Incredibly, these questions still exist 70 years later, with all the protagonists long dead.
Given the inherent difficulties; speculation, lack of official evidence and the families of those involved trying to justify their relative’s positions, John Harris and Richard Wilbourn have chosen to examine the actual flight in micro detail, drawing on much contemporary data. It is this detailed analysis and the use of the contemporary source information , that has produced startling results, far beyond their original expectations.
The use of engine data, lubrication systems data, wartime navigational systems and some other existing, but under researched files have produced startling results of real historical significance.
Far from the act of a madman, the Hess flight was a minutely planned mission that drew on the then latest Luftwaffe technology. The degree of knowledge necessary alone made official German support a necessity.
Hess was undertaking an officially sanctioned peace mission to Britain. The flight would be the climax of detailed negotiations that had been carried out throughout the Spring of 1941. It would end with King George V1 deposing Churchill and replacing the coalition with a government that would then settle with Nazi Germany.
Or so Hess thought...
Rudolf Hess: A New Technical Analysis of the Hess Flight, May 1941 is out now at £18.99 Through their long investigation, authors John Harris and Richard Wilbourn have come to a startling conclusion: whilst the flight itself has been well recorded, the target destination has remained hidden. The implications are far reaching and lend credence to the theory that the British establishment has hidden the truth of the full extent of British/Nazi communications, in part to spare the reputations of senior members of the Royal Family. Using original photography, documentation and diagrams, Rudolf Hess sheds new light on one of the most intriguing stories of the Second World War.