Rudolf Hess was Adolf Hitler’s Deputy Führer and, after Hitler and Hermann Göring, the third most powerful politician in Nazi Germany. He was an unambitious man who showed unwavering devotion to Hitler. He joined the Nazi party in 1920 after serving in World War I and became a close associate of Adolf Hitler. He was Hitler’s personal secretary for nine years, and he was frequently rewarded by the Führer for his unwavering devotion. He lacked the ability to take independent actions, and as a result, he was never able to exert influence in state affairs. Other Nazi officers vying for personal power destabilized him over time. Martin Bormann, his assistant and eventual successor, gradually took over his coveted position. In 1941, he flew a fighter plane alone towards Scotland on a ‘peace’ mission, just before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, in the hopes of regaining importance in the eyes of his Führer. He wished to keep Germany out of a two-front war with the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom. His mission was short-lived; after landing, the British detained him, concluding that he was partially insane due to his frequent bouts of disorientation, amnesia, and paranoia. Hitler himself disowned him, unable to explain his actions. Even in the face of adversity, Hess remained loyal to his Führer. He was tried at Nuremberg after the war and sentenced to life in prison in Spandau, Berlin. He died in 1987, at the age of 93, after several failed suicide attempts.
Childhood and Adolescence
Rudolf Hess, the eldest of three children, was born in Alexandria, Egypt, on April 26, 1894. His father, Fritz H. Hess, was a German immigrant, and his mother, Clara Hess, was Greek.
Fritz Hess, the owner of Hess & Co., was a successful merchant. The family was well-to-do, and they lived in a lovely Mediterranean home. They also had a summer home in Reicholdsgrün, Bavaria, where they spent their vacations.
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To fulfill his father’s dream of joining the family business, he was sent to study business for a year at the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce in Switzerland in 1911. He also completed an apprenticeship at a Hamburg-based trading firm.
However, he refused to join the family business and, in order to get out of the situation, he volunteered to join the German army when World War One broke out in 1914. He joined the 1st Bavarian Field Artillery Regiment soon after.
He fought in the Ypres Salient during the First Battle of Ypres. He received the Iron Cross second class as an infantryman and was promoted to the rank of Gefreiter (corporal) in April 1915.
Throughout the war, he was injured numerous times. In June 1916, he was injured while serving in the Battle of Verdun. In Romania the following year, he was wounded by a shell splinter in his left arm and a bullet wound to his chest and lung. His return to the front lines was hampered by the severity of his second wound.
He became a fighter pilot in the 35th Jagdstaffel near the end of the war after receiving training from the Imperial Air Corps. He had risen to the rank of lieutenant before being discharged from the army in December 1918.
His family’s fortune was in jeopardy after the war, so he joined the right-wing Freikorps, which engaged in violent clashes with leftist forces in Germany in order to defeat them.
In 1919, he enrolled at Munich University to study history and economics. He became a member of the anti-Semitic rightist group Thule Society, which promotes Nordic supremacy.
His professor Karl Haushofer, a former general and proponent of the concept of Lebensraum (increased ‘living space’ for Germans at the expense of other countries), also influenced him. His son Albrecht, a social theorist and lecturer, became a friend as well.
Career of Rudolf
After hearing Adolf Hitler, a powerful orator, speak in Munich in July 1920, Rudolf Hess joined the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP). He had a big influence on him, and he was the sixteenth member of the party.
He was completely devoted to Hitler and concentrated his efforts on the party’s fundraising and organizational efforts. In 1921, he was even injured while defending Hitler from a bomb blast. The following year, he joined the Sturmabteilung (SA) and assisted in member recruitment.
In 1923, he and Hitler were imprisoned at Landsberg for plotting a revolution to seize control of Germany (dubbed the ‘Beer Hall Putsch’). During this time, both the NSDAP and the SA were outlawed. He and Emil Maurice took dictation for Hitler’s best-selling book, ‘Mein Kampf,’ while in prison, and he also suggested editorial changes.
The party’s strength increased dramatically after they were released in 1925 and the ban on the NSDAP and SA was lifted. From April 1925 to April 1925, he worked as Hitler’s personal secretary for 500 Reichsmarks per month. In July 1929, he was promoted to personal adjutant.
In 1932, Hitler appointed him as the Central Political Commissioner and SS General as a reward for his loyal service. By 1933, the Nazi party had seized power; Hitler was named Reich Chancellor, and Hess was named Deputy Führer, a ceremonial position.
Rudolf Hess was later appointed Reich Cabinet Minister without Portfolio in 1933. He was in charge of departments such as foreign affairs, finance, health, education, and law from offices in Munich and Berlin.
Many of Hitler’s decrees were written by him or co-signed by him. One of his most visible responsibilities was to introduce the Führer to large crowds. He also gave frequent radio speeches, which were later compiled into a book in 1938.
He had the authority to punish those who were enemies of the party and, if necessary, to take “merciless action” against them. Hess was promoted to Obergruppenführer, the second-highest SS rank, in 1934.
His office was partially to blame for the notorious Nuremberg Laws of 1935, which had fatal consequences for Germany’s Jews. He was even chosen as Hitler’s successor, second in line after Hermann Göring, in 1939.
As Hitler became more preoccupied with World War II, Hess’ proximity to the Führer dwindled. Martin Bormann, Hess’s former secretary, had already usurped his position at Hitler’s side by that time.
In an attempt to reclaim the Führer’s attention, he attempted to save Germany from being forced to fight on two fronts: the Soviets on the east and the United Kingdom and its allies on the west. He hoped to persuade the British government to submit and cooperate with him.
He decided to fly alone to Scotland on his ‘peace’ mission on May 10, 1941, just before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. He planned to meet with the Duke of Hamilton, whom he believed could be of assistance to him.
He flew a Messerschmitt ME-110 across the North Sea for five hours and came within 30 miles of the Duke’s home near Glasgow. He had to parachute out at 6000 feet and landed safely on the ground.
Soon after landing, he was arrested. During a British Army interrogation, he proposed that the British accept his generous peace offer and avoid Hitler’s wrath by allowing Nazi Germany to rule Europe.
He appeared mentally unstable and inconsistent while incarcerated. The British concluded that he was partially insane based on his behavior.
Churchill was enraged by his threats and had him imprisoned as a prisoner of war. On the other hand, feeling betrayed by Hess’s rash decision, Hitler disowned him, resulting in Hitler and the Nazis having to explain their actions.
He continued to have erratic mannerisms as a British prisoner, and he became paranoid about his food. He was returned to Germany after the war ended in 1945 to stand trial at Nuremberg.
Major Projects of Rudolf
He took dictation for Hitler’s best-selling book “Mein Kampf” while imprisoned in Landsberg with Hitler in 1923. He also suggested some changes to the text.
In April 1925, his unwavering dedication earned him the position of private secretary to Hitler, a position he proudly held until 1933, when he was promoted to Deputy Führer.
During World War II, he flew solo to Scotland on a German fighter plane in an attempt to prevent Germany from being attacked by both the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom at the same time.
Achievements & Awards
During World War I, he received the Iron Cross, second class, and was promoted to the position of Gefreiter (corporal). Following additional training, he was awarded the Bavarian Military Merit Cross.
Personal History and Legacy
In April 1920, he met fellow student Ilse Pröhl at the University of Munich. Their son Wolf Rüdiger Hess was born in 1937, after they married in 1927. He liked music, reading, hiking, and mountain climbing with his wife.
He didn’t want power or wealth; all he wanted was to do his duty to Hitler. He lived in a modest home in Munich and was well-liked by the general public. He was a vegetarian, a teetotaler, and a non-smoker, just like Hitler.
He suffered from hypochondria and believed he had multiple organ diseases while imprisoned by the British.
He experienced frequent disorientation and amnesia during the Nuremberg trial. He remained loyal to Hitler at other times.
Despite his unstable mental state, he was sentenced to life in prison at Berlin’s Spandau prison. He committed suicide on August 17, 1987, at the age of 93, after several failed attempts.
His grave was eventually turned into a neo-Nazi pilgrimage site in Wunsiedel, Bavaria. To avoid this, his body was cremated in 2011 and his ashes scattered in an unknown lake.
Estimated Net Worth
The net worth of Rudolf is unknown.
Trivia
The concept of ‘Lebensraum’ was introduced to Hitler by Rudolf Hess, and it later became the cornerstone of Nazi ideology.