Rudolf Hess's Fanatical Wife: "Eternal Nazi Widow" Ilse Hess

This documentary examines the life of Ilse Hess, wife of Rudolf Hess and one of the most enduring supporters of National Socialism among the women who belonged to Adolf Hitler’s inner social circle. Born Ilse Pröhl in Hanover in 1900, she studied in Munich, where she met Rudolf Hess and became involved in the emerging Nazi movement. She joined the Nazi Party in 1921 and helped prepare material connected with Hitler’s Mein Kampf while Hitler and Rudolf Hess were imprisoned following the failed Beer Hall Putsch. After Hitler came to power in 1933, Rudolf Hess became Deputy Führer and the couple entered the privileged world of Nazi Germany’s leadership. Their only son, Wolf Rüdiger Hess, was born in 1937, with Hitler serving as his godfather. Their lives changed dramatically in May 1941, when Rudolf Hess secretly flew to Scotland in an unsuccessful attempt to establish peace negotiations with Britain. He was taken into British custody, while Ilse and her son remained in Germany under Hitler’s protection. The film follows Ilse through the collapse of the Third Reich and the post-war years. Rudolf Hess was convicted at the Nuremberg Trials and sentenced to life imprisonment, while Ilse herself was detained before eventually settling in southern Germany. Yet Germany’s defeat did not change her political convictions. She continued defending her husband, supported an organisation assisting imprisoned and convicted Nazis, and maintained relationships with other longtime admirers of Hitler. For more than four decades after the Second World War, Ilse remained loyal to the ideology she had embraced as a young woman. This documentary explores her extraordinary life, her relationship with Rudolf Hess and her lasting association with one of history’s most notorious regimes. Join World History channel and get access to benefits: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKKy_pNKZBX4KcCct8505HA/join Disclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not refle