Ever wonder what happened to Rudolf Hess? Sure, he took that mystery flight to England in 1939 and left Hitler confused, angry and embarrassed. But after he was flown to Germany after the war and put on trial in Nurmberg, Hess spent the remainder of his life in prison. During the trial and his later confinement, Hess acted and was believed to be insane. However, many of his fellow prisoners were convinced it was all an act. Hess was the last prisoner at Spandau prison, and most people believe he died of old age. However, some believe he was killed by the Soviets as part of a Cold War microcosm that was occurring between the guards at the prison, and others think Hess took his own life. For the first time ever, I have access to never-before seen photos taken illegally of the inside of the prison, in addition to paperwork relating to Hess's imprisonment. Want to see his reading list? Want to thumb through books that belonged to Hess? Want to read prison SOP and see photos of Hess, the prison, and other interesting bits, never before seen? Want to eat with Hess's prison silverware? We've got it all, and it's all coming from a former guard. Stay tuned for more on this exciting development.
Mar 4, 2012
Rudolf Hess and his Jailor
Ever wonder what happened to Rudolf Hess? Sure, he took that mystery flight to England in 1939 and left Hitler confused, angry and embarrassed. But after he was flown to Germany after the war and put on trial in Nurmberg, Hess spent the remainder of his life in prison. During the trial and his later confinement, Hess acted and was believed to be insane. However, many of his fellow prisoners were convinced it was all an act. Hess was the last prisoner at Spandau prison, and most people believe he died of old age. However, some believe he was killed by the Soviets as part of a Cold War microcosm that was occurring between the guards at the prison, and others think Hess took his own life. For the first time ever, I have access to never-before seen photos taken illegally of the inside of the prison, in addition to paperwork relating to Hess's imprisonment. Want to see his reading list? Want to thumb through books that belonged to Hess? Want to read prison SOP and see photos of Hess, the prison, and other interesting bits, never before seen? Want to eat with Hess's prison silverware? We've got it all, and it's all coming from a former guard. Stay tuned for more on this exciting development.
Wow, sounds pretty weird. I'm far from an authority but wasn't Hess in Spandau? I thought Landsberg prison was where he and AH put "Mein Kampf" together, AH dictating it to RH? Is Landsberg prison in Spandau? Who was on guard on Hess's last day? It rotated between the WWII Allies, right? Somebody, a guard pocketed this stuff?
ReplyDeleteI recently read a great book about Hess by a former Landsberg commandant, Lt. Col. Eugene Bird. It was an insightful read about a man that was a paradox and somewhat of a mystery. Bird came to know Hess very well and he felt that Hess was anything but crazy. He was crazy like a fox perhaps. In the end, Hess was a guy that was held accountable for all of the evil acts of the Third Reich, and there was no evidence to support punishing Hess as a War criminal. The US supported releasing Hess for years but the Russians would not relent. His life was sad and a tragedy. I look forward to seeing what you have uncovered as it pertains to Hess.
ReplyDeleteCheers! Dave
You're right, Dave ... my bad. In the haste to type this entry, I said "Landsberg" instead of "Spandau." I'll correct, and thank you for pointing it out.
ReplyDelete