Rudolf Hess (1894-1987) was deputy leader of the German Nazi Party and a key figure in the fascist regime of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) until his bizarre decision in 1941 to fly to Scotland. Hess believed he could persuade Britain to withdraw from the Second World War (1939-45), which would allow Germany to concentrate on fighting the USSR.
More about: Rudolf HessDefinition
Timeline
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1894 - 1987Life of the top Nazi Rudolf Hess.
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26 Apr 1894Rudolf Hess is born in Alexandria, Egypt.
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1919Rudolph Hess joins the Freikorps Epp.
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1920Rudolph Hess joins the German Nazi Party.
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1923 - 1924Rudolf Hess serves a prison term for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch.
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1925 - 1932Rudolf Hess serves as Adolf Hitler’s private secretary.
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Dec 1932Rudolf Hess is appointed the head of the Nazi Party’s Central Political Committee.
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Apr 1933Rudolf Hess is made the deputy Führer in Germany.
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1939Adolf Hitler appoints Rudolf Hess his official successor after Hermann Göring.
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10 May 1941Rudolf Hess flies to Scotland to try and make peace with Britain.
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1946Rudolf Hess is found guilty at the Nuremberg Trials and sentenced to life imprisonment.
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17 Aug 1987Rudolf Hess hangs himself in Spandau Prison.
