1961-05-20 — Page 5

ANNIVERSARY STORY

The day Hitler's deputy vanished—

ONE-MAN BID TO END THE WAR

But the enemy thought he

SOMEWHERE north of Edinburgh, a lone air-

craft droned in from the North Sea. This time

it did not cirele back out across the water. It was dark enough now. Just on midnight it crossed the const of Scotland, heading west.

In the darkness below, a telephone, shrilled out in an airfield control room. An observer Corps spotter had sighted the aircraft in his sector. It was a Messerschmitt. He was sure of it.

For it Was Rudoit Hess, The Duke of Hamilton, an

and Deputy RAF Wing-Commander and in Reichsminister

who was En charge, was Inclined to doubt the Fuehrer to Hitler, report. No German fighter, he the cockpit of that purposefully Messerschnitt. A knew, had the range to get this west-bound

resalute. already half-rinted far and hack home.

Hess. This time he knew he was going to please his master.

But when more telephone calls confirmed it, he sent up a fight to tall the audacious intruder across Setland.

To please his master It was May, 1941 and the stage was set for the most extra- ordinary und fantastically im probable incident of the Second World War: the Hess Affair.

Pleasing his master had been easy once-in the old days ce- fore the war. For Rudolf Hess was a loyal, simple mon; a little stupid and a little odd, but com- pleiely delicated. He was the kind of man!

Adolf Hitler had

Ilked to have about him. In the noisy emergent days of the Nazi Movement in Gerinany.

by

Guy Jones

But war brought more ex- demands. To best a acting

tubborn enemy, a Fuchrer needed intelligent Beutenants by his side. And Rudolf leas found himself positioned fur- ther and further behind his Fuehrer

Was

was mad

of

Haushofer, consulted Professor wha

supposed to know something about England.

Who were the people who really counted in England? Why, of course, the dukes. And did Haushofer know

influential particularly on the vainglorloux nny

dukea? Well, he had met the public occasions he loved. Out of his desperation, the Duke of Humlton. crazy plan was born. He would make his own private bid for Anglo-German peace, corefully choosing a moment when things were not going particularly well for Germany in battle. That way he was sure to please Hiller.

Who really counted? But before you could become au envoy, you had to know who you were going to ser.

Hess

ROBOT CAR STEERS ITSELF TO

I

RODE the other day SUCCESS

in Britain's

driverless car

first

car

steered entirely by elec. completely hidden-which gave tronics.

signals to the car.

The transistorised signals were received via Servo valves in the relative) cur, the whole network steering Hugh Curdew (no was in the driving seat of the vehicle automatically. At all Citroen YXU 8-45

with his times the car drove within Bln while gloved hands pressed of the guiding cable. against the windscreen.

Yel car held the rond well with only the slightest weave.

Just in time

W

Above is driving mirror was a pointer meter which automatic- alig told him when he was siray-

It was enough. In no thne at Hess WDER reference all. Relchsluister

books, and deep in

maps, planning lils lone mission to Dungavel, the Scottish ducul estate where he would bring peace to the world und glory on himself

Hess barely deserved the luck he had. He could hardly have expected to and the Duke, a at home halfway through a surving RAF officer, convenient

Wor

was over the Duke's park, he tried to bale cut. But each time the wind forced him back into, his seat.

AL lost he managed it, by turning the aircraft over and dropping out. But its tall thump- ed him in the back; then the opening of his parachute Jerked him into unconsciousness.

As he was dragged senseless across the pitch-black park his

And

the ankle was sprained. next thing Rudolf Hess knew he was being offered a cup of tea by a wory Lanarkshire cottager.

For the Duke of Hamilton to be in command at Turn- house, less than Afty miles away, was Miile short of fan- tasilo luck for Hess. But his fuck ran out after that.

Pilot in hospital

Early next morning-Sunday, May 1-the telephone shrilled gain at the airfleld. It was the Glasgow police on the line. The German plot, who said he was a Captain Horn, was in hospital, and was asking urgently to see the Duke.

Mystifled, the Duke drove to Glasgow. "I am Reichsminister Hess!" declared the prisoner when they were alone together.

He would have to fly with out a navigator over enemy guns, and to land by parachute In the dark. But there was no stopping him now. He asked his friend Willy Messerschmitt to London and talked by tele- and out at

The wild story had to be checked. Returning to Turn- house, Hamilton dew by fighter

This time he knew he was going to please Hitler.

once whether the to let him try out some of the phone to the Prime Minister, mysterious prisoner was an im-

plancs, and he weekending at latest pursuit

Ditchley. Mr poster or really Rudolf Hess. made a score of Nights in them. Churchill was sceptical too, but Then he had a two-seater ma- asked the Foreign Secretary to investigate. It was too late lo do any more that night.

Deputy Fuehrer Hess had bren a full day in enemy Bri- tain. He had not yet convine-

Next morning. discreet

of

ing from the guiding cable sunkchine Alted with radio and ex- tra petrol tanks-"for a special in the read.

purpose", and very secret. And on the afternoon May 10, the 1941, Hess stalked across

to the nt Augsburg

ed a soul. Now was the walling Bireraft. time to go.

"Wonderful for driving in the fog," said Mr Spindlow, "One is gulded like a pilot in blind fy- ing."

Another fascinating gadget automatically sounded a road- side klaxon horn when our car went over 40 miles an hour on B dangerous curve.

MY VERDICT: First

Cordew: On the second run Cardew, n Sald Hugh 36-year-old Coverament experi- finished our experimental work experiments inental ofleer, read a newspaper on the rar hy eight last night" Just in tiene for and still the car held its course That was

before demumstration The three-mile figure-eight the Berkshire efreit

appreciative Minister of Science, Lord Hailsham.

on

The low black Citroen steered itself sufely round sharp bends and curves, unseon hands furning the steering wheel, on the new £500,000 Hood Research Laborn- fory Cireult at Crowthorne.

Citroen was steered on The similar lines to the blind-flying terhnique. An electronte euble had been laid under the road-

I was given another demons tration.

This

experimental time officer Juhn Spindlow, using the same technique. steered his Vanguard PXO 573 with a Lin pulled down over his windscreen.

class

formac

白

So at last, in an austere army at Buchanan hospital bedroom Castle, two vialtors were led in- to the presence of the envoy who had wafted in mounting frustra- tion for almost 48 hours.

And at last, welcoming Kirk- patrick warmly and unfolding a formidable wad of notes. Hess

111% behaviour had sapged return of her former colonies. Britain could keep her Empire. badly now. One day, despairing The German Army and in by now of the obvious fallure British Fleet would span the of his scheme, he tried to throw world between them.

himself down a staircase, but There was just one little escaped with a broken leg.

Mr Churchill would thing. have to go. The Fuchror would insist on that.

Was he sane?

A life sentence

Hess remained under guard in Wales, more incoherent day by At day, until the war ended, Nuremburg, standing trial with ringlenders, hot

e a child. At the same lime, he wrote lucid letters to his wife.

search was begun by the For- launched into his great peace the strange interview. Thirty-six the other Nazi

Kirkpatrick reported back on Then Goering 'phoned elyn Office for anyone who isnew speech. For hour after hour it huurs later, he was sent back to preserved consistently the bear

wore on, working relentlessly see Hess again. Hess well enough to identify him

ing of a man who was deranged Without a word to Messersch- beyond doubt. And this time the

through the historic background

This time he found his mark- and had lost his memory, mitt or his A.D.C., he jumped in. telephone rang for Sir Ivone of Germany's grudges against edly worse; petulant that nothing He let his lawyer plead In- he read novels and sanity: done about his had yet been which the Road revved up, and was off into the Kirkpatrick, then working at the England.

sky. They could only sture BBC,

reasonable plan; played It was a strange question; but At last, anticipating on im- eminently Research Laboratory have blankly after him; then listen to duced with the help of private Goering storming down the tele- yes, he knew Hess all right; patient Prime Minister on the fractious about his quarters and firms. We will have these guiding phone: "You should have known he had met him often, during telephone, Kirkpatrick had to undignified personal treatment.

On a table by his bed was When he was sent to life im- the man was cruzy!"

his service in Germany. Yes, I stop Hess short, and ask him

a large collection of medicine prisonment between the grim cables laid down under the main roads sometime in the future. But

Hess, well beyond their rench, would go up to Sentland. And bluntly why he had come.

bottles he had brought with him. walls of Spandau Priton in Ber- how soon is unyone's guess. Then

was doing fire. Be covered the by special aircraft, with the Duke

he sald, to There were serious doubts as to lin, meny said Hess would have motorists will need to have their

He had come, 830 miles to Scotland well ahead of Hamilton, he did. At Turn-

Mared better if he had been Car

show the Reitleh Gavernment his sanity radio equipment In the

of his schedule. Then he realis- house, they had no sooner sat

the inevitability of

about what he thought German More talks followed, with an plainer adapted to pick up the electroule

ed that he had forgotten to al down to a snatched lunch than

ringing the and Intended when he landed in low for the later northern night the Foreign Secretary Was on victory, and to achieve a peace infantry battalion signals.

fall.

by negotiation. the telephone.

The Fuehrer, park in case of Nazi rescue at- 1091.

Only Rudolf Iless knows what he was sure, would be gen- templs. Then Hess was moved to erous. Germany's terms would the Tower of London and again impelled him. be control of Europe and the to a house at Aldershot.

-BASIL CARDEW

London Express Service.

So, until midnight, he circled. Then he turned in for Dungavel. When he enleuated that he

The German radio had broad- cast that Hess was missing. Lunch must walt; it was vital to

And he is In Spandau stil.

Clipper Trade-Mar), Reg. U.J. Par. Off.

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