On 10 May 1941 Deputy Führer of the Third Reich, Rudolf Hess, provoked widespread intrigue and speculation when he embarked on an astonishing flight to Scotland. In one of the most bizarre episodes of World War II, Hitler’s deputy flew solo for almost 1,000 miles from Bavaria in a Messerschmitt Bf110 before parachuting into a field near Eaglesham in Scotland, apparently on a one-man peace mission in the days leading up to Germany’s invasion of Russia.
Captured by the British, the prominent Nazi was held prisoner for the rest of the war, before being convicted of war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials in 1946. He died in 1987, aged 93, in Spandau Prison. Shrouded in mystery, the story of Rudolf Hess’s daring flight has spawned endless tales, notions and myths ever since. Here are 10 of these conspiracy theories:
1. The Duke of Hamilton was associated with Hess and implicated in his flight
Upon being captured in Scotland, Hess gave a false name and said he had an important message for the Douglas Douglas-Hamilton, the Duke of Hamilton, a fellow aviator whom he had never met. Hess mistakenly believed that the Duke was part of an anti-government faction and prominent in opposition to war with Germany.
