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''This article is about the Deputy ''Führer'' of [[Nazi]] [[Germany]]. For the chief guard of [[Auschwitz]], see'' [[Rudolf Höss]].
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{{Stack begin}}{{Infobox_Historical_Figure
 
{{Stack begin}}{{Infobox_Historical_Figure
 
|name = Rudolf Hess
 
|name = Rudolf Hess
 
|image = Hess.jpg
 
|image = Hess.jpg
|nationality = [[Germany ]]
+
|nationality = {{Germans|[[Germany]]}} ({{BorninDefunctCountry}} the [[Egypt|Khedivate of Egypt]])
|birth = 1894
+
|birth = {{1890s Births OTL|1894}}
|death = 1987
+
|death = {{1980s Deaths OTL|1987}}
|cause of death = Suicide
+
|cause of death = {{SuicideOTL|Suicide}} by hanging
|occupation = Soldier
+
|occupation = Soldier, politician
 
|spouse = Ilse Pröhl
 
|spouse = Ilse Pröhl
 
|children = Wolf Rüdiger Hess
 
|children = Wolf Rüdiger Hess
  +
|military branch = [[Imperial German Army]] ({{SoldiersWorld War I}}),<br>{{SSOfficers|[[SS]]}} ({{SoldiersWWII}})
|affiliations = German Army (1914-1918)
 
  +
|political party = {{NazisOTL}}
[[Nazi Party]]}}{{Clearright}}{{The Man With the Iron Heart Historical Character
 
  +
|political office = {{GermanLegislator|Legislator}}, Deputy ''Führer''
|death = Unrevealed|type of appearance = Contemporary reference}}{{Clearright}}{{The War That Came Early Historical Character
 
 
}}{{Stack end}}'''Rudolf Hess''' (26 April 1894 - 17 August 1987) was a powerful political ally of [[Adolf Hitler]] and held the rank of Deputy ''Führer'' of the [[Greater German Reich]]. He joined the [[Nazi Party]] in 1920, and was present during the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923. While imprisoned, he helped Hitler write ''[[Mein Kampf]]''. When the Nazis took power in 1933, Hess became became Deputy ''Führer'', and was for a time, the third-most powerful man in Nazi [[Germany]]. He even signed into law the legislation that set the foundation for the [[Holocaust]].
|appearance = ''[[The Big Switch]]'';<br>''[[Last Orders]]''
 
|type of appearance = Direct (TBS); Contemporary reference (LO)}}{{Stack end}}'''Rudolf Hess''' (26 April 1894 - 17 August 1987) was a powerful political ally of [[Adolf Hitler]] and held the rank of Deputy ''Führer'' of the [[Greater German Reich]]. He joined the [[Nazi Party]] in 1920, and was present during the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923. While imprisoned, he helped Hitler write ''[[Mein Kampf]]''. When the Nazis took power in 1933, Hess became became Deputy ''Führer'', and was for a time, the third-most powerful man in Nazi [[Germany]]. He even signed into law the legislation that set the foundation for the [[Holocaust]].
 
   
In May, 1941, while [[World War II]] was raging, Hess made the curious decision to fly a ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' aircraft across the English Channel and land in [[Scotland]]. Upon landing, Hess asked to meet with the Duke of Hamilton for reasons no one ever learned. It was suggested at the time that he wished to open peace negotiations with the Duke, but if he did he did so without Hitler's consent.
+
In May 1941, while [[World War II]] was raging, Hess made the curious decision to fly a ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' aircraft across the [[English Channel]] and land in [[Scotland]]. Upon landing, Hess asked to meet with the Duke of Hamilton for reasons no one ever learned. It was suggested at the time that he wished to open peace negotiations with the Duke, but if he did he did so without Hitler's consent.
   
Instead, Hess was arrested and held prisoner in [[Britain]] for the duration of the war. After the war, he was [[Nuremberg Trials|tried and convicted at Nuremberg]] for war crimes, a somewhat controversial event given his status as a prisoner. He was found dead in 1987 in his cell in Spandau Prison. His death was officially ruled a suicide, but this, like nearly everything else about Hess, is the center of debate. Hess has become a hero to the Neo-Nazi movement.
+
Instead, Hess was arrested and held prisoner in [[Britain]] for the duration of the war. After the war, he was [[Nuremberg Trials|tried and convicted]] at [[Nuremberg]] for war crimes, a somewhat controversial event given his status as a prisoner. He was found dead in 1987 in his cell in Spandau Prison at the age of 93. His death was officially ruled a suicide, but this, like nearly everything else about Hess, is the center of debate. Hess has become a hero to the Neo-Nazi movement.
   
 
==Rudolf Hess in ''[[The Man With the Iron Heart]]''==
 
==Rudolf Hess in ''[[The Man With the Iron Heart]]''==
In 1945, '''Rudolf Hess''' was extradited to [[Germany (Iron Heart)|Germany]], where he would have been tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the [[Allied Forces (Iron Heart)|Allied Forces]] in the [[Palace of Justice]] had the [[Werewolves]] not destroyed that building.<ref>''[[The Man With the Iron Heart]]'', pg. 108.</ref>
+
{{Clearright}}{{The Man With the Iron Heart Historical Character|type of appearance = Direct}}In 1945, '''Rudolf Hess''' was extradited to [[Germany (Iron Heart)|Germany]], where he would have been [[Nuremberg Trials (Iron Heart)|tried for war crimes]] and [[crimes against humanity]] by the [[Allied Forces (Iron Heart)|Allied Forces]] in the [[Nuremberg (Iron Heart)|Nuremberg]] [[Palace of Justice (Iron Heart)|Palace of Justice]] had the [[German Freedom Front]] not destroyed that building.<ref>''[[The Man With the Iron Heart]]'', pg. 108.</ref>
   
The Allies tried again in 1946, preparing to try Hess and several other German leaders in [[Frankfurt (Iron Heart)|Frankfurt]]. This failed when the [[German Freedom Front]] destroyed the [[United States (Iron Heart)|American]] residency compound with a [[radium (Iron Heart)|radium bomb]]. Again Hess and his colleagues were spared.<ref>Ibid., pg. 260.</ref>
+
The Allies tried again in 1946, preparing to try Hess and several other German leaders in [[Frankfurt (Iron Heart)|Frankfurt]]. This failed when the GFF destroyed the [[United States (Iron Heart)|American]] residency compound with a [[radium (Iron Heart)|radium bomb]]. Again Hess and his colleagues were spared.<ref>Ibid., pg. 260.</ref>
   
The [[Soviet Union (Iron Heart)|Soviet Union]] prepared a trial the following year, but that was stopped when agents of the GFF crashed a cargo plane into the courtroom.<ref>Ibid., pg. 407-8.</ref>
+
The [[Soviet Union (Iron Heart)|Soviet Union]] prepared a trial in [[Berlin (Iron Heart)|Berlin]] the following year, but that was stopped when agents of the GFF [[Suicide bomb (Iron Heart)|crashed a cargo plane]] into the courtroom.<ref>Ibid., pg. 407-8.</ref>
  +
  +
==Rudolf Hess in [[Worldwar]]==
  +
{{Clearleft}}{{Worldwar Historical Character|appearance = ''[[Upsetting the Balance]]''|type of appearance = Contemporary(?) reference}}[[Straha]]'s defection from [[the Race]]'s [[Conquest Fleet]] to [[United States of America (Worldwar)|American]] soil in 1943, mirrored the flight of '''Rudolf Hess''' from [[Germany (Worldwar)|Germany]] to [[United Kingdom (Worldwar)|Great Britain]] two years earlier. [[Barbara Yeager]], whose husband [[Sam Yeager|Sam]] was one of Straha's main interrogators, noted this comparison for Sam's benefit.<ref>''[[Upsetting the Balance]]'', pg. 85, mmp.</ref>
   
 
==Rudolf Hess in [[The War That Came Early]]==
 
==Rudolf Hess in [[The War That Came Early]]==
 
{{Clearright}}{{The War That Came Early Historical Character
In 1940, with the [[World War II (The War That Came Early)|Second World War]] stalemated in the west, '''Rudolf Hess''' parachuted into [[Scotland (The War That Came Early)|Scotland]] with the blessing of the [[Germany (The War That Came Early)|German]] government to negotiate an alliance between Germany and [[Britain (The War That Came Early)|Britain]]. Hess injured his ankle when he landed, and was immediately taken into custody by [[Welsh]] Sgt. [[Alistair Walsh]], who'd just happened to be in Scotland on leave.  Walsh escorted Hess to the authorities. During much of their journey, Hess, who spoke fluent English, tried to convince Walsh of the value of an alliance between their two countries in the fight against the [[Soviet Union (The War That Came Early)|Soviet Union]]. Walsh finally ordered Hess to be silent.<ref>''[[The Big Switch]]'', pg 150-51.</ref>
 
 
|appearance = ''[[The Big Switch]]'';<br>''[[Last Orders]]''
  +
|military branch = SS ({{SoldiersWWIIFict|[[World War II (The War That Came Early)|World War II]]}})
 
|type of appearance = Direct (TBS); Contemporary reference (LO)}}In 1940, with the [[World War II (The War That Came Early)|Second World War]] stalemated in the west, '''Rudolf Hess''' parachuted into [[Scotland (The War That Came Early)|Scotland]] with the blessing of [[Adolf Hitler (The War That Came Early)|Adolf Hitler]] and the [[Germany (The War That Came Early)|German]] government to negotiate an alliance between Germany and [[United Kingdom (The War That Came Early)|Britain]]. Hess injured his ankle when he landed, and was immediately taken into custody by [[Wales (The War That Came Early)|Welsh]] Sgt. [[Alistair Walsh]], who'd just happened to be in Scotland on leave. Walsh escorted Hess to the authorities. During much of their journey, Hess, who spoke fluent [[English language|English]], tried to convince Walsh of the value of an alliance between their two countries in the fight against the [[Soviet Union (The War That Came Early)|Soviet Union]]. Walsh finally ordered Hess to be silent.<ref>''[[The Big Switch]]'', pg 150-51.</ref>
   
While Walsh was unreceptive, the government of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom#The War That Came Early|Prime Minister]] [[Neville Chamberlain (The War That Came Early)|Neville Chamberlain]] was, despite protests from War Minister [[Winston Churchill (The War That Came Early)|Winston Churchill]]. By mid-1940, after Churchill was hit and killed by a drunk driver, the British and the [[France (The War That Came Early)|French]] governments concluded a peace with Germany and began a war with the USSR.
+
While Walsh was not receptive, the government of [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (The War That Came Early)|Prime Minister]] [[Neville Chamberlain (The War That Came Early)|Neville Chamberlain]] was, despite protests from War Minister [[Winston Churchill (The War That Came Early)|Winston Churchill]]. By mid-1940, after Churchill was hit and killed by a drunk driver, the British and the [[France (The War That Came Early)|French]] governments [[Hess Agreement|concluded a peace with Germany]] and began a war with the USSR.
   
However, the achivement was short-lived: by the spring of 1941, Britain had undergone [[1941 British Military Coup|a military coup]], and was quickly back at war with Germany. France turned again against Germany in the winter of 1941.
+
However, the achievement was short-lived: by the spring of 1941, Britain had undergone [[1941 British Military Coup|a military coup]], and was quickly back at war with Germany. France turned again against Germany in the winter of 1941.
   
The war continued to turn against Germany throughout 1942 and 1943. Dissatisfaction with the course of events at home and abroad led to a group of senior military and political leaders to form the [[Committee for the Salvation of the German Nation]]. After Hitler declared war on the [[United States (The War That Came Early)|United States]] in March 1944, the Committee decided the [[World War II (The War That Came Early)|war]] was unwinnable and took action.<ref>''[[Last Orders]]'', pg. 311, HC.</ref> The following month, when Hitler gave a broadcast speech in [[Münster (The War That Came Early)|Munster]] about the insurrection taking place there, he was killed by a bomb planted by the Committee. Immediately the Committee took over the radio broadcast and their leader [[Heinz Guderian (The War That Came Early)|Heinz Guderian]] announced Hitler's death and that the Committee taking over.<ref>Ibid, pgs. 299-300.</ref> Hess was the only Nazi leader successfully arrested by the Committee; [[Heinrich Himmler#Heinrich Himmler in The War That Came Early|Heinrich Himmler]] was killed, [[Hermann Göring (The War That Came Early)|Hermann Göring]] went missing, and [[Josef Goebbels#Josef Goebbels in The War That Came Early|Josef Goebbels]] took refuge in the [[Italy (The War That Came Early)|Italian]] embassy in [[Berlin#Berlin in The War That Came Early|Berlin]].<ref>Ibid., pg. 300, HC.</ref><ref>This is somewhat speculative, as Hess is the only Nazi leader who's fate is not discussed. But as Turtledove pointedly tells the reader what happens to the other leaders, the administrators presume that the reader is meant to understand that Hess was in fact arrested.</ref>
+
The war continued to turn against Germany throughout 1942 and 1943. Dissatisfaction with the course of events at home and abroad led to a group of senior military and political leaders to form the [[Committee for the Salvation of the German Nation]]. After Hitler declared war on the [[United States (The War That Came Early)|United States]] in March 1944, the Committee decided the war was unwinnable and took action.<ref>''[[Last Orders]]'', pg. 311, HC.</ref> The following month, when Hitler gave a broadcast speech in [[Münster (The War That Came Early)|Münster]] about the insurrection taking place there, he was killed by a bomb planted by the Committee. Immediately the Committee took over the radio broadcast and their leader [[Heinz Guderian (The War That Came Early)|Heinz Guderian]] announced Hitler's death and the Committee's takeover.<ref>Ibid, pgs. 299-300.</ref> Hess was the only [[Nazi Party (The War That Came Early)|Nazi]] leader successfully arrested by the Committee; [[Heinrich Himmler (The War That Came Early)|Heinrich Himmler]] was killed, [[Hermann Göring (The War That Came Early)|Hermann Göring]] went missing, and [[Josef Goebbels (The War That Came Early)|Josef Goebbels]] took refuge in the [[Italy (The War That Came Early)|Italian]] embassy in [[Berlin (The War That Came Early)|Berlin]].<ref>Ibid., pg. 300, HC.</ref>
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  +
===Literary comment===
  +
Some speculation is required, as Hess is the only Nazi leader whose fate is not discussed. As the text pointedly tells the reader what happens to the other Nazi leaders, the administrators have taken this to mean that Hess was in fact arrested without incident.
   
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
{{Reflist}}
 
{{Reflist}}
 
 
{{S-start}}
 
{{S-start}}
 
{{S-ppo}}
 
{{S-ppo}}
 
{{Succession box
 
{{Succession box
 
|before = Position created
 
|before = Position created
|title = Deputy ''[[Führer]]''
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|title = Deputy ''Führer'' of [[Germany]]
 
|years = 1933-1941
 
|years = 1933-1941
|after = Martin Bormann<br><sup>(as Chief of the Parteikanzlei)</sup>}}
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|after = Martin Bormann<br><sup>(as Chief of the ''Parteikanzlei'')</sup>}}
 
{{S-ppoTWCE}}
 
{{S-ppoTWCE}}
 
{{Succession box
 
{{Succession box
 
|before = Position created
 
|before = Position created
|title = Deputy ''[[Führer]]''
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|title = Deputy ''Führer'' of [[Germany (The War That Came Early)|Germany]]
 
|years = 1933-1944
 
|years = 1933-1944
 
|after = Position abolished}}
 
|after = Position abolished}}
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{{The Man With the Iron Heart}}
 
{{The Man With the Iron Heart}}
 
{{The War That Came Early}}
 
{{The War That Came Early}}
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{{Worldwar}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hess, Rudolf}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hess, Rudolf}}
[[Category:Historical Figures]]
 
[[Category:Germans]]
 
[[Category:1890s Births (OTL)]]
 
[[Category:1980s Deaths (OTL)]]
 
 
[[Category:Deaths by Hanging (OTL)]]
 
[[Category:Deaths by Hanging (OTL)]]
[[Category:Defectors]]
 
 
[[Category:German Cabinet Members]]
 
[[Category:German Cabinet Members]]
[[Category:The Man With the Iron Heart Characters]]
 
[[Category:Nazis (OTL)]]
 
 
[[Category:POWs of World War II]]
 
[[Category:POWs of World War II]]
[[Category:SS Officers]]
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[[Category:Prisoners]]
[[Category:Suicides (OTL)]]
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[[Category:War Criminals of World War II]]
[[Category:War Criminals]]
 
[[Category:The War That Came Early Characters]]
 

Latest revision as of 23:46, 19 March 2024

This article is about the Deputy Führer of Nazi Germany. For the chief guard of Auschwitz, see Rudolf Höss.

Rudolf Hess
Hess
Historical Figure
Nationality: Germany (born in the Khedivate of Egypt)
Year of Birth: 1894
Year of Death: 1987
Cause of Death: Suicide by hanging
Occupation: Soldier, politician
Spouse: Ilse Pröhl
Children: Wolf Rüdiger Hess
Military Branch: Imperial German Army (World War I),
SS (World War II)
Political Party: NSDAP
Political Office(s): Legislator, Deputy Führer
Fictional Appearances:

Rudolf Hess (26 April 1894 - 17 August 1987) was a powerful political ally of Adolf Hitler and held the rank of Deputy Führer of the Greater German Reich. He joined the Nazi Party in 1920, and was present during the failed Beer Hall Putsch of 1923. While imprisoned, he helped Hitler write Mein Kampf. When the Nazis took power in 1933, Hess became became Deputy Führer, and was for a time, the third-most powerful man in Nazi Germany. He even signed into law the legislation that set the foundation for the Holocaust.

In May 1941, while World War II was raging, Hess made the curious decision to fly a Luftwaffe aircraft across the English Channel and land in Scotland. Upon landing, Hess asked to meet with the Duke of Hamilton for reasons no one ever learned. It was suggested at the time that he wished to open peace negotiations with the Duke, but if he did he did so without Hitler's consent.

Instead, Hess was arrested and held prisoner in Britain for the duration of the war. After the war, he was tried and convicted at Nuremberg for war crimes, a somewhat controversial event given his status as a prisoner. He was found dead in 1987 in his cell in Spandau Prison at the age of 93. His death was officially ruled a suicide, but this, like nearly everything else about Hess, is the center of debate. Hess has become a hero to the Neo-Nazi movement.

Rudolf Hess in The Man With the Iron Heart[]

The Man With the Iron Heart
POD: May 29, 1942;
Relevant POD: May, 1945
Type of Appearance: Direct

In 1945, Rudolf Hess was extradited to Germany, where he would have been tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity by the Allied Forces in the Nuremberg Palace of Justice had the German Freedom Front not destroyed that building.[1]

The Allies tried again in 1946, preparing to try Hess and several other German leaders in Frankfurt. This failed when the GFF destroyed the American residency compound with a radium bomb. Again Hess and his colleagues were spared.[2]

The Soviet Union prepared a trial in Berlin the following year, but that was stopped when agents of the GFF crashed a cargo plane into the courtroom.[3]

Rudolf Hess in Worldwar[]

Worldwar
POD: May 30, 1942
Appearance(s): Upsetting the Balance
Type of Appearance: Contemporary(?) reference

Straha's defection from the Race's Conquest Fleet to American soil in 1943, mirrored the flight of Rudolf Hess from Germany to Great Britain two years earlier. Barbara Yeager, whose husband Sam was one of Straha's main interrogators, noted this comparison for Sam's benefit.[4]

Rudolf Hess in The War That Came Early[]

The War That Came Early
POD: July 20, 1936;
Relevant POD: September 29, 1938
Appearance(s): The Big Switch;
Last Orders
Type of Appearance: Direct (TBS); Contemporary reference (LO)
Military Branch: SS (World War II)

In 1940, with the Second World War stalemated in the west, Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland with the blessing of Adolf Hitler and the German government to negotiate an alliance between Germany and Britain. Hess injured his ankle when he landed, and was immediately taken into custody by Welsh Sgt. Alistair Walsh, who'd just happened to be in Scotland on leave. Walsh escorted Hess to the authorities. During much of their journey, Hess, who spoke fluent English, tried to convince Walsh of the value of an alliance between their two countries in the fight against the Soviet Union. Walsh finally ordered Hess to be silent.[5]

While Walsh was not receptive, the government of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was, despite protests from War Minister Winston Churchill. By mid-1940, after Churchill was hit and killed by a drunk driver, the British and the French governments concluded a peace with Germany and began a war with the USSR.

However, the achievement was short-lived: by the spring of 1941, Britain had undergone a military coup, and was quickly back at war with Germany. France turned again against Germany in the winter of 1941.

The war continued to turn against Germany throughout 1942 and 1943. Dissatisfaction with the course of events at home and abroad led to a group of senior military and political leaders to form the Committee for the Salvation of the German Nation. After Hitler declared war on the United States in March 1944, the Committee decided the war was unwinnable and took action.[6] The following month, when Hitler gave a broadcast speech in Münster about the insurrection taking place there, he was killed by a bomb planted by the Committee. Immediately the Committee took over the radio broadcast and their leader Heinz Guderian announced Hitler's death and the Committee's takeover.[7] Hess was the only Nazi leader successfully arrested by the Committee; Heinrich Himmler was killed, Hermann Göring went missing, and Josef Goebbels took refuge in the Italian embassy in Berlin.[8]

Literary comment[]

Some speculation is required, as Hess is the only Nazi leader whose fate is not discussed. As the text pointedly tells the reader what happens to the other Nazi leaders, the administrators have taken this to mean that Hess was in fact arrested without incident.

References[]

  1. The Man With the Iron Heart, pg. 108.
  2. Ibid., pg. 260.
  3. Ibid., pg. 407-8.
  4. Upsetting the Balance, pg. 85, mmp.
  5. The Big Switch, pg 150-51.
  6. Last Orders, pg. 311, HC.
  7. Ibid, pgs. 299-300.
  8. Ibid., pg. 300, HC.
Party political offices
(OTL)
Preceded by
Position created
Deputy Führer of Germany
1933-1941
Succeeded by
Martin Bormann
(as Chief of the Parteikanzlei)
Party political offices
(The War That Came Early)
Preceded by
Position created
Deputy Führer of Germany
1933-1944
Succeeded by
Position abolished