FLYING FOR THE FUHRER

THE FLIGHT PLAN & FLIGHT OF RUDOLF HESS

THE AIRCRAFT

We know from various sources that Hess used a specially modified Bf-110. He could not be sure that he wouldn't be intercepted over England, so he would have used the fastest aircraft he knew could accomplish the mission. Therefore he must have used a standard Bf 110D, fitted with two 66 gallon drop tanks for the final leg of the journey. No ammunition was carried in order to save weight and increase speed and endurance. Somehow a Knickbein Receiver was fitted to be operated by the pilot (rather than the gunner/navigator that usually operated it).   

THE FLIGHT PATH

Hess took off at 17.45hrs from Augsburg. He flew low and north, at about 238mph to an airbase in northern Germany, perhaps Cologne, where he refuelled. From here he took off at about 19.35hrs, heading for a few minutes North East across the islands off Holland, where he would have linked up with 4 Me109E 's, led by Reinhard Heydrich, head of SS Intelligence. It is unlikely the escort pilots were ordinary Luftwaffe servicemen, because this mission had to be top secret. These were probably SS pilots, Heydrich's flying henchmen.

Heydrich had flown into Dutch airspace from northern France, and both pilots would have had to rely on flying parallel on a bearing over the chain of islands stretching across northern Holland to make contact. This slight deviation would have cost Hess a few minutes, and thus reduced his overall average speed for the journey.

Once the escort had been established they turned North-West until Hess found the signal from the Kleve Knickbein radio direction signal. Then he banked, following this north at about 220mph. At this point they probably climbed slowly to 15000ft.

Heydrich would have followed him about half way. There was no way Heydrich could have flown to Scotland and then to Norway, because an Me-109E did not have the necessary navigation equipment or fuel capacity for such a flight.

Why did Hess need an escort this far out? Hitler did not want to take any chances. It was reasonable to say that if Hess' aircraft had no engine trouble by the time it reached the middle of the North Sea, it would have no trouble from then on. If Hess had to ditch, or bale out, Heydrich was there to plot his position and arrange a seaplane rescue. Also, the Luftwaffe would have been aware that Southern England was far better protected by fighters than northern England. Hess might have been intercepted before he was able to enter the airspace controlled by the Duke of Hamilton. Heydrich was there to lure away interceptors.

As it was, Hess' aircraft was trouble free, and would have proceeded north, until he intercepted the Stavanger Knickbein radio direction signal. The time would have been about 21.24hrs. Here he would then have had to bank sharply to the West. Over the North Sea he would have noticed the lack of clouds: it was perfect flying weather, with a tail wind to help him make landfall. The northern sunset sets later than in Munich or Nuremburg, and Hess later said he worried about being intercepted by British fighters, perhaps meaning those not under the control of the Duke of Hamilton. By following the Stavanger Knickbein radio direction signal he would have been heading for RAF Acklington. As the dusk became twilight and the slow curtain of night descended over the Scottish Moors, Hess would have found himself nearing Scotland. The moon would have lit up the sea and with good visibility Hess would have been able to dimly recognise key coastal features.

Hess said he dived for cover amongst the clouds on approaching Scotland, till he reached about 5000ft. This would have increased his speed. He crossed the coast at  22.25hrs. He was too far North. Why? About 40 miles away from Scotland he had been on the correct heading for the RADAR observation posts at Cresswell, and with a little adjustment would have flown slightly north to land at RAF Acklington. But here, Hess suddenly flew towards Holy Island, which may have been visible in the distance.

This manoevre was largely because Hess made a miscalculation. He may have seen Holy Island in the distance, and decided that it was distinct enough for him to take a new bearing for RAF Acklington. On arriving in the dark over nearby Farne Island Hess flew in a tight circle near to Holy Island, analysing his new position. Perhaps briefly the moon was covered by cloud. Everything became much darker, and he knew that finding  and landing at RAF Acklington in the dark would be very difficult. Already he could see how much of the coastline looked very similar. In any case, landing in the dark onto a runway he was not familar with must have felt a very daunting task for Hess. Hess now became desperate, a victim of darkness in more than one sense.

Hess quickly decided on flying according to the spirit of his mission. He headed for Dungavel Castle, the home of the Duke of Hamilton, overshooting it so he could use the waterways and glistening ribbons of railway lines that he knew as distinct landmarks over Western Scotland to find his way back. Once over the sea near Ardrossan, he could simply follow the silvery railway lines, the river valleys, and the features that he had memorised that would take him to Dungavel. He desperately looked for Dungavel, probably aware that an Me 110 could not land there safely. He had already decided on baling out.

Hess flew over Dungavel, missing it in the dark, before running out of fuel. There is evidence to suggest that Dungavel's landing strip lights came on and went of again upon Hess' arrival. Whatever happened, he baled out, rolling over to fall out of the vertically aligned aircraft. He hurt his foot during this phase, chipping a bone probably due to striking it on the cabin or tail as he fell out of the upside-down aircraft. He landed by parachute in a field near Eaglesham Moor, not far from Floors Farm.  An explosion briefly lit up the night sky as his plane crashed into a field. It would have been the end of a thrilling mission. The time was 23.09hrs.

OBSERVER CORPS

What the Observer Corp heard and saw verify all of the above. We can discount any faint sounds of aircraft flying away or other aircraft not accounted for as false readings from a primitive RADAR systems and inaccurate sound observations. (See above RAID 42 flying away from the Scottish Coast.) What we do know is that Hess' plane fell into a field with an abrupt explosion. An eerie silence followed over the wild and lonely moors.

That same night marked the heaviest night Blitz on London. Hitler was sending England a message. Agree to peace or be bombed into submission. In fact it heralded the end of the Battle of Britain, and whatever happened with Hess, meant that Hitler's forces were bound to invade Russia.

What brought Rudolf Hess to Great Britain? Why was Hess convinced that a Peace Party headed by the Duke of Hamilton waited for his arrival? Was British Intelligence behind his flight, as Stalin believed? How did they fool Hess into flying to Britain to meet a Peace Party that didn't exist?

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Peter Padfield (1991) Hess: Flight for the Fuhrer

John Harris & M J Trow (2000) Hess: The British Conspiracy

James Leasor (1962) The Univited Envoy