This Day in History: 17 August 2020
17 August 1987
33 years ago, today, Rudolf Hess, Hitler's last living henchmen, died. He had been Hitler's former deputy, making him the last surviving member of Hitler's inner circle. Hess, the only prisoner at Spandau Prison since 1966, was found strangled to death in the prison located in Berlin, at the age of 93, supposedly the victim of suicide. He was discovered in a cabin in the exercise yard, where he had apparently chocked himself to death with an electrical cord, but many suspected foul play. After Ness' death, the prison was demolished to prevent it from becoming a neo-Nazi shrine.
Hess was an early and devoted follower of Nazism, and even participated in Hitler's failed 'Beer Hall Putsch' in 1923. A decade later, after Hitler had dedicated 'Mein Kampf' to Hess, he was appointed as deputy Nazi party leader. However, Hitler later lost faith in his leadership skills. During World War Two, in May 1941, Hess stole and landed an airplane in Scotland to negotiate a peace between Britain and Germany, but by May, the Battle of Britain had been lost by Germany. The British authorities arrested Hess immediately when he landed and held him in custody until the end of the war. Because he had sought peace and had missed out on the worst years of Nazi atrocities, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in the Nuremberg Trials.
Want to find out more about the life and death of Rudolf Hess? Click here for more information, or here for more about the most notorious Nazis who escaped to South America.
No comments:
Post a Comment