Hess, Hitler & Churchill: The Real Turning Point of the Second World War: A Secret History

by Peter Padfield

When Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess set off for Britain on a peace mission in May 1941, he launched one of the great mysteries of the Second World War. Had he really acted alone, without Hitler’s knowledge? Who were the British he had come to see? Was British intelligence involved?

Award-winning historian Peter Padfield presents striking new evidence that demands the wholesale reappraisal of the episode. For, allied to a powerful argument that Hess must have had both Hitler’s backing and considerable encouragement from Britain, Padfield demonstrates that he also brought with him a draft peace treaty committing Hitler to the evacuation of occupied European countries. Made public, this would have destroyed Churchill’s campaign to bring the United States into the war.

Expertly woven into a compelling narrative that touches on Lord (Victor) Rothschild and the Cambridge spy ring, possible British foreknowledge of Operation Barbarossa and the ‘final solution’, MI6’s use of Hess to prevent the bombing of London and the mysterious circumstances of his death in Spandau prison – including the previously unseen witness accounts from that day – Hess, Hitler and Churchill is among the most important history books of recent years.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Politics, World War II

428 pages, Hardcover

First published October 3, 2013

Reviews

[Peter Jowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was 9 years old when Hess landed in Scotland. Long been intrigued as to why he came over. The author has done a good job of detective work! I think we have known for years that he came over to suggest a peace agreement between the UK and Germany but as to who else was in on the scheme on both sides may still be questionable! Read on?

[Bill Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exhaustive account of perhaps the weirdest incident in World War 2, Padfield explores many tangents to find a probable narrative of how and why the #3 Nazi piloted a plane to Scotland on a peace mission based on . . . something? Astrology-induced madness? A belief that there were enough crypto-Fascists in England to snuggle up to Hitler? That common Aryan values would prevail over any sense of human decency? Apart from the author's conclusions, which are mostly convincing, what this book does very well is to recreate the hall of crazy mirrors that characterizes high level intelligence work in dire times. Viewed across the decades one can only conclude that no one is telling the truth and that any history to be discovered lies in the shadows no one is clearly seeing and that some are obfuscating to this very day. As such, it's an excellent book about a very difficult subject. Minor criticisms are that it's also somewhat repetitive and that the author is perhaps not inclined or even willing to see the flaws and -- to my mind -- the amoral duplicity that characterized Winston Churchill throughout his entire career.

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

In May 1941, Rudolf Hess, deputy to the Führer, Adolf Hitler, flew alone to Britain on a peace mission. His plan was to fly to Dungavel in Scotland and come into land at an airstrip on the Duke of Hamilton's estate. But unable to find the site in the twilight, he bailed out and was apprehended by the Home Guard.

His mission, allegedly, was all his own initiative. Hitler, supposedly, knew nothing about it. Neither, so it was said, did the Duke of Hamilton. Hess, idealistic and romantic, had just cracked under the strain of war.

Padfield painstakingly pieces together various testimonies, enigmatic comments and official records (as well as points out the contradictions in them, along with pointing out documents that have gone missing-in-action) to show with great likelihood what really happened. How did Hess evade the German fighters, not to mention the British ones? Who was waiting for him at Dungavel? It wasn't Hamilton, but some "Duke" was present according to eyewitness testimony.

A conspiracy of the highest order seems to have been planned - and when it unravelled it became a secret so deadly that when Hess, incarcerated for decades, was in his nineties and about to be released, he was allegedly murdered. He was said to have committed suicide, but he was so frail, that seems to have been beyond his capability.

A compelling book.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A event that is rather taken on face value by even the most serious and academic of historians but Padfield digs below the surface to raise a number of interesting questions that have not been fully answered by the offical history of Hess's flight to Scotland.

The author has done a lot of digging and reaseach and while some of the issues may never been known (and others a closed door due to secrecy) this is a fascinating read that helped open my eyes up to potential further investigation, which hopefully, others will build on in the future, who knows, maybe one day the files will be released and the truth, or some part of it, will be revealed.

[Derek Holmes · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exhaustive and occasionally exhausting read about this fascinating, pivotal moment in recent history. Padfield seemingly leaves no stone unturned and while this is admiral, it can also be slightly tedious. He does helpfully provide a who's who at the start of the book and it is much needed, all those German sounding names become difficult to follow and you find yourself referring to it often.

By the end you almost feel sorry for Hess, a prisoner and political pawn for over half his long life, then you remember he was deputy Furher to Hitler, and an unapologetic Nazi.

[Louise Fry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very detailed and very long winded - brilliant research by the author on a more than fascinating topic

[Roland Hamblin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting insight into maybe who did and didn't know!!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really good history. The writer makes clear what facts are disputed and what interpretations are possible without leaping to wild conclusions. The book covers not only Hess' flight to Britain but also the Nuremburg trial and his subsequent imprisonment in Spandau and the odd circumstances surrounding his death. A really interesting read.