Hitler’s Chief Deputy Lands in Scotland

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 113, 14 May 1941, Page 7

Hitler’s Chief Deputy Lands in Scotland

Astounding 700-mile Solo Flight to Escape Nazi Vengeance Rudolf Hess Now a Prisoner of War United Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. LONDON, May 12. Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy, landed by parachute from a German fighter plane in Scotland on Saturday night. This was announced just before midnight to-night in the most astounding communique of the war to be issued from No. 10 Downing Street, the residence of the Prime Minister. The communique added that Hess was now in hospital in Glasgow with a broken ankle. it stated that on Saturday night a .Messerschmitt 110 was reported by our patrols to have erossed the coast of Scotland and to be flying in the direction of Glasgow. Since it was known that a Mcsserschmitt 110 did not carry enough fuel for a return trip, this report was discounted, but it was later found that the machine had crashed with its guns unloaded. Shortly afterwards a German officer was found with a parachute nearby, and he was taken to hospital. He first said his name was Horn, but later admitted that he was .Rudolf Hess. He had brought with him various photographs taken *t different ages in order to establish his identity, and they Were seen to be photographs of Hess. A member of the Foreign Office who was associated with Hess before the war was sent immediately from London to identify him. The man has now been identified beyond all possible doubt as Hess. Hess landed near a ploughman’s cottage, and the ploughman came out and offered to make him a cup of tea. He replied: "Thank you, but 1 never drink tea at night.” It w as announced over the German wireless to-night that Hess had presumably crashed in a plane while mentally Unbalanced. It was explained that Hess had been expressly forbidden by the Fuhrer to fly, but he had, in contradiction of this order, been able to get hold of a plane and had set out on a flight from which he had not returned. Letters that he had left behind have shown the unbalanced state of his mind, the German wireless added. The adjutant in charge of the aerodrome from which he took off was the only one to know of his departure, and he had been arrested. Berlin pointed out that Hess had been "suffering from a disease that had been progressive for years, and his letters showed his mental disturbance and indicated that he was the victim of hallucinations. ” It was pointed out in London that a flight from Germany to Scotland, with all its navigational difficulties and intricacies, was not the kind of feat to be accomplished by a man mentally Unsound. Hess’s flight across to Scotland has left Hitler without the only man he could completely trust.