Today, August 17, 2026, marks exactly 39 years since the mysterious death of Rudolf Hess — one of the most controversial and sinister figures in the Third Reich.
His life was filled with fanatical loyalty, unexpected twists and secrets that still excite historians around the world. Called the “Deputy of the Führer“ (Stellvertreter des Führers), he remains in history not only as the architect of Nazi ideology, but also with his insane solo flight to Britain in 1941.
In the following lines, we present to you five little-known and curious facts about the life of Rudolf Hess, including the most closely guarded secrets of MI-6 and the conspiracies surrounding its end.
Born in Egypt: Early Years and Geopolitical Views
Contrary to expectations, Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was not born in Germany, but in Alexandria, Egypt, to the family of a wealthy German merchant. He moved to his homeland only at the age of 14. Later, he studied geopolitics at the University of Munich under the guidance of the famous professor Karl Haushofer. It was from Haushofer that the young Hess adopted the concept of “Lebensraum“ (living space), which later became a main pillar of Nazi expansion and aggression.
Prisoner No. 16: Who wrote “My Struggle“ (Mein Kampf)?
Hess met Adolf Hitler in 1920 and became a member of the Nazi Party under number 16. After the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, the two ended up in Landsberg prison. During this stay, Hitler dictated his infamous book “My Struggle“ (Mein Kampf). A curious fact is that Hess did not just write down, but actively edited, structured and added geopolitical concepts to the text, becoming the closest confidant of the future dictator.
The Secret Mission: The Mad Flight to Scotland in 1941
The biggest enigma in the Nazi's biography is his solo flight on May 10 1941. Without Hitler's knowledge, he pilots a modified Messerschmitt Bf 110 fighter jet to Scotland, where he parachutes. His goal? To negotiate a separate peace with Britain before Germany's impending invasion of the USSR (Operation “Barbarossa“). The mission fails miserably — the British arrest him immediately, and Hitler publicly declares him insane and mentally unstable.
The only prisoner in “Spandau“ for millions of marks
During the Nuremberg Trials, Rudolf Hess avoided the death penalty, but was sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against peace. He served his sentence in “Spandau“ prison in Berlin. From 1966 onwards, after Albert's release Speer, Hess remains the only prisoner in the entire vast complex. The prison, guarded in rotation by the four Allied powers (the United States, Great Britain, France, and the USSR), cost millions of German marks a year just for its comfort and isolation.
Murder or Suicide: The Mysterious Death in Prison
On August 17, 1987, at the age of 93, Rudolf Hess was found dead, hanging from an electric cable in the summer house in the prison yard. The official Allied version was “suicide“. The son However, Wolf Rüdiger Hess, his personal carer Abdullah Melawi and a number of independent investigators dispute this.
They claim that due to advanced arthritis and weakness, Hess could not even raise his arms above his head, let alone hang himself. Revelations about the presence of two mysterious men in US army uniforms on the day of his death have emerged, strengthening the theory that Hess was liquidated by the British secret services (MI-6) in order not to reveal inconvenient truths.
Why is Britain hiding the files on Rudolf Hess?
The “Spandau“ prison was demolished immediately after his death so that it would not become a place of pilgrimage for neo-Nazis. For the same reason, in 2011 his official grave in Bavaria was destroyed, his remains — exhumed and cremated, and the ashes — scattered at sea.
The most suspicious thing in this case remains London's behavior. Britain classified a huge part of the documents about Hess's flight and his interrogations. Although by law many state archives are opened after 30 or 50 years, London extended the secrecy of key files until the end of the 21st century. What is so dangerous for the British crown and government that MI6 documents about Rudolf Hess hide? This question remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of World War II.