RUDOLF HESS The Last Enigma of the Third Reich

Drawing on unpublished British and German archives, an exhaustive bibliography and a thorough knowledge of the intelligence services and the inner workings of the Second World War, Pierre Servent delivers the first biography in French of Hitler's designated successor. It puts to rest a whole series of conspiracy theories that cling to this strange figure, steeped in occultism, whose dark legend was born on a May evening in 1941, when he fell from the sky onto Scottish soil, an olive branch in hand.

And first of all, what was the exact nature of his relationship with Hitler, of whose earliest and closest companions he was one? What was his precise role within the IIIrd Reich? Did Hitler secretly encourage this incredible attempt at peace with Albion? Is the man the «madman» described at Nuremberg? Did he conceal «secrets» until his death at the age of 93 in Spandau prison?

Finally, did he take his own life or was he «suicided» because he knew too much? These questions, among many others, find their answers at last in this compelling book — a biographical investigation written with a sharp pen, marshalling witnesses and documents to reveal the full truth about one of the most enigmatic figures of the IIIrd Reich.

The author:

An officer and journalist, former ministerial adviser and spokesman for the Ministry of Defence, lecturer at the École de guerre for twenty years, Pierre Servent has published numerous works on military history and defence matters, including Le Siècle de sang, 1914-2014 (co-ed., Perrin), Extension du domaine de la guerre and Les présidents et la guerre (« Tempus »). He has also published a well-received biography of Manstein in the « Maîtres de Guerre » collection.