Rudolf Hess - Nazi Pacifist, Traitor or Madman? - WW2 Special Episode
World War Two・8 minutes read
Peter Fleming's novel predicted Adolf Hitler's peace negotiation with Britain in 1941, coinciding with Rudolf Hess's parachute entry. Despite Hess's history with Hitler, his capture leads to confusion over his intentions, impacting diplomatic relations and propaganda.
Insights
- Peter Fleming's novel, The Flying Visit, foreshadowed Rudolf Hess's 1941 peace mission to Britain, showcasing the eerie overlap between fiction and reality during World War II.
- Rudolf Hess's complex motivations for his flight to Britain in 1941, ranging from concerns about Hitler's radicalization to visions of global National-Socialism, sparked confusion and speculation that impacted diplomatic relations and propaganda efforts significantly.
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Recent questions
Who was Rudolf Hess?
Rudolf Hess was Hitler's Deputy Leader.
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Summary
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Hess's Flying Visit: Impact and Speculation
- In 1940, Peter Fleming wrote a novel called The Flying Visit, imagining Adolf Hitler flying to Britain to negotiate peace, which becomes reality in 1941 when Rudolf Hess, Hitler's Deputy Leader, parachutes into Britain aiming to negotiate peace with the Duke of Hamilton.
- Hess and Hitler have a long history, with Hess being captivated by Hitler's speeches in 1920 and even typing parts of Mein Kampf while in prison with Hitler after the failed 1923 Putsch.
- Hess, though often portrayed as a good guy, actively participates in Nazi practices, signing the Nuremberg race laws and being a militant anti-Semite.
- Theories suggest Hess's flight to Britain in 1941 could be motivated by concerns about Hitler's radicalization, a vision of global National-Socialism, or a strategy to prevent a two-front war with the Soviet Union.
- Hess's capture leads to confusion and speculation about German and British intentions, especially by Stalin, impacting diplomatic relations and propaganda efforts.
- The British government decides not to capitalize on Hess's capture for propaganda purposes, aiming to deter Stalin from aligning with Hitler, despite public confusion and speculation about Hess's intentions.
- Hess's capture results in his erasure from German history and newsreels, depicted as an unremarkable traitor, reflecting the failure of both German and British propaganda efforts surrounding the event.
