Ulster's Fighter Pilots had Hess in their Sights

Ulster's Fighter Pilots had Hess in their Sights
Hitler's deputy seconds away from death...

Exclusive by John McGurk
Sunday Life, 27th June 1999

ULSTER-based fighter pilots were within seconds of killing Hitler’s deputy fuhrer, Rudolf Hess, it has been sensationally revealed. Former RAF fIight mechanic, Francis ‘Mac’ MacCormack, has shed new light on one of the major mysteries of the Second World War.

His claim, that two Aldergrove pilots were ordered to break off their attack on Hess’s plane, adds fuel to allegations of collusion between England and its German enemies. Hess - Hitler’s faithful servant - flew over 800 miles to Scotland, in May 1941, on an apparent lone peace mission, without being intercepted by the RAF.

It has never been established how Hess’s Messerschmitt fighter plane managed to crash land near Glasgow, without being attacked by British air defences. But British magazine, Lobster, has recently unearthed startling new evidence, backing collusion claims.

Journalist Andrew Rosthorn revealed that one of the Ulster-based pilot’s log books recorded his flight from Aldergrove, to intercept Hess’s twin-engined plane. No official record of the pilots’ search and destroy mission exists.

But, according to Rosthorn, the log book of Sgt Vaclav ‘Felix’ Bauman was signed by his squadron leader - apparently verifying the Czech pilot’s version of the bizarre incident.

And war veteran MacCormack, who is based at Clacton-on-Sea, confirmed to Lobster and to Sunday Life that the two Czechs had been forced to abort their mission. Mr MacCormack told Sunday Life: “I remember the excursion well. I was in the crew room in Aldergrove, at the time when they said that two pilots had gone up on a scramble.

“Later, we got the commentary that they were coming back, and that their target had turned back over Scotland. We didn’t realise, until a day or two later, that it had been Hess. When it was announced that he had landed in Scotland, we knew then that it must have been him.”

Mr MacCormack, who served with the 245 Squadron for a year at Aldergrove, said he later realised “some more shady work had been going on’ He added: “My own personal opinion now is that our people knew that Hess was coming. When you reflect on it, how on earth was a person like Hess allowed to come over the country, over northern England and over the borders without being intercepted?”

Periodical historian, Andrew Rosthorn, is concinved that Mr MacCormack’s recollections - allied to the Czech evidence - proves RAF collusion in the Hess flight. Next year, as part of a planned TV documentary on the Hess incident, plans are underway for a top RAF navigator to recreate the Nazi’s infamous flight, from Bavaria to Scotland.

Mr Rosthorn appealed to anyone in Northern Ireland with RAF Aldergrove connections, to ring him on 01254-705225. Rudolf Hess died at the age of 93. as Spandau Prison’s sole inmate in August 1987 - the world’s longest jailed war criminal. Hitler’s confidante and secretary - plagued by mental illness and paranoia - went to his grave without ever fully revealing the reasons for his flight to the UK.

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