DELIGHTFUL FANTASY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 139, 14 May 1941, Page 7

DELIGHTFUL FANTASY

LIKE THE HESS EPISODE,

When Peter Fleming, a well-known traveller and writer, decided to write a short book which set out in extreme fantasy the landing of Hitler in England, tie could have had little thought that Hitler’s deputy, Herr Hess, would actually follow such a course. There has been the slight variation that the landing was in Scotland and not in England. In this book Air Fleming turns irom tbe East, with its alligators, bandits and lice for the first time, as the publisher puts it, and devotes his attention to the less savoury subject of Hitler. Hitler, so the fantasy goes, decides to fly over London for purposes of publicity. Of course, lie flew by night and flew very high, but- by extraordinarily bad luck an infernal machine destroyed the plane over the Chiltern Hills. Everybody except Hitler was killed, and he, like Hess, floated down to good British soil under the spread of a parachute. He could not speak English, lie was in the uniform of a field-marshal. A'et even a man dressed as a German field-marshal may feel hungry, and Hitler came to sitting under a, tree munching swedes. He was chased viciously by a small dog; he blundered into a fancy dress gathering where he was presented with a pound of butter for the best fancy dress—a representation of himself. Eventually, of course, his presence was discovered (by American newspaper i men). Downing Street considered the i matter. The solution of the most aw- ! Ful problem of what should he done j with this person was at length found, i lie should be put back. He was not j doing England any good, lie was not ! doing Germany any good cither. So ! the Royal Air Force Hew him back ' over Berlin and tipped him out near | the capital, equipped with a para- ; clmtc and a nice present from one of the men, a stick of milk chocolate.