World War II Nazi Figure. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, he moved to Germany when he was young and was injured in World War I. He was an early member of the Nazi Party and was imprisoned with Adolph Hitler after the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. There he helped Hitler write and edit "Mein Kampf". During World War II he became a leader in the Nazi Government and rose to the title of deputy Fuhrer. When the success of the the German war effort in 1941 looked doubtful, Hess took a secret flight to Scotland where he jumped from a plane and planned to discuss the war with the British. Hitler labeled him a traitor and Hess remained a prisoner of the British for the rest of the war. Tried at Nuremberg as a major Nazi war criminal, he refused to speak or even recognize the court and was found too insane to receive a death sentence. He spent the rest of his life in Spandau Prison until he died at age 93. His death as suicide was disputed by his son and others, who believed he was murdered. Over the years Hess's burial site in the small town of Wunsiedel, Germany became a shrine for neo-Nazis. In July 2011 his remains were exhumed and cremated for scattering at sea. The gravesite was razed.
World War II Nazi Figure. Born in Alexandria, Egypt, he moved to Germany when he was young and was injured in World War I. He was an early member of the Nazi Party and was imprisoned with Adolph Hitler after the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. There he helped Hitler write and edit "Mein Kampf". During World War II he became a leader in the Nazi Government and rose to the title of deputy Fuhrer. When the success of the the German war effort in 1941 looked doubtful, Hess took a secret flight to Scotland where he jumped from a plane and planned to discuss the war with the British. Hitler labeled him a traitor and Hess remained a prisoner of the British for the rest of the war. Tried at Nuremberg as a major Nazi war criminal, he refused to speak or even recognize the court and was found too insane to receive a death sentence. He spent the rest of his life in Spandau Prison until he died at age 93. His death as suicide was disputed by his son and others, who believed he was murdered. Over the years Hess's burial site in the small town of Wunsiedel, Germany became a shrine for neo-Nazis. In July 2011 his remains were exhumed and cremated for scattering at sea. The gravesite was razed.
Bio by: Peter McKelvie
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