Rudolf Hess. Wikipedia photo.
It was this night 75 years ago that Rudolf Hess made his flight to Britain.
At 17:45 local time on May 10, 1941, the number three Nazi took off from Augsburg, Germany wearing a leather flight suit bearing the rank of Captain. He carried money, toiletries, a flashlight, a camera, maps, medicine, and dextrose tablets to ward off fatigue. After initially setting a course toward Bonn, he flew easterly from near the Frisian Islands across the North Sea. He zig zagged as he approached the British coast to make landfall after dark.
When he was nearly out of fuel over Scotland, he climbed to 9000 feet and bailed out with a parachute. He never managed to negotiate with anyone. He was captured by Scottish plowman David McLean, armed with a pitchfork. The story made the papers in America on May 13, and McLean ‘s account was carried:
I was in the house and everyone else was in bed and I heara a plane roaring overhead. I ran out to the back of the farm. I heard a crash and saw the plane burst into flames about 200 yards away.
I was amazed and a bit frightened when I saw the parachute coming slowly downward. I could see a man swinging from the harness. I concluded it was a German airman bailing out and ran back to may house for help. They were all asleep. I looked around for a weapon, but found nothing except a hay fork.
Fearing I might lose the airman I hurried ’round by myself again back of the house and in the field I saw a man lying down with his parachute nearby.
He smiled and I helped him to his feet. He thanked me but I could see he’d injured his foot some way. I helped him into the house. By this time my mother and sister were out of bed and made tea. He declined the tea and smiled when we told him we were very fond of it. He asked for a glass of water.
We sent word to the authorities and in the meantime he chatted freely to us and showed us pictures of his little boy, of whom he spoke very proudly.
He told us he had left Germany about four hours before and had landed because nightfall was approaching. I could see from the way he spoke that he was a man of culture. His English, although it had a foreign accent, was very clear and he understood every word we said to him.
He was a very striking looking man wearing a magnificent flying suit. His watch and identity bracelet were of gold.
He wouldn’t discuss his hourney. He was most gentlemanly in his attitude to my mother and sister and thanked us for what we had done for him. He was most anxious about the parachute, which he said he’d like to keep because it saved his life. He wouldn’t tell us who he was, and we thought he was just another German airman.
When the officials came he greeted them with a smile and assured them he was unarmed and stood up and allowed them to search him. Then he was taken away.
This account appeared in the Milwaukee Sentinel, May 13, 1941.
Hess remained in custody for the rest of his life, dying at Spandau Prison in 1987 at the age of 93, an apparent suicide.
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