Rudolf Hess was the Deputy Führer to Adolf Hitler and the third most important politician in Nazi Germany after Hitler and Hermann Göring. He was an un-ambitious man who exhibited unparalleled loyalty to Hitler. After participating in World War I, he joined the Nazi party in 1920 and became a close associate of Hitler. He served as Hitler’s private secretary for nine years and was often rewarded by the Führer for his persistent loyalty. However, he lacked the ability to take independent actions and hence, never got to exercise influence in matters of the state. Over time, he was destabilized by other Nazi officers vying for personal power. He gradually lost his coveted position to his assistant and eventual successor, Martin Bormann. Hoping to regain importance in the eyes of his Führer, in 1941 he flew a fighter plane alone towards Scotland on a 'peace' mission, just before the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. He wanted to prevent Germany from a two-front war with the Soviets and Britain. His mission was short lived; after he landed, he was imprisoned by the British who concluded he was partially mad because of his frequent spells of disorientation, amnesia and paranoia. Even Hitler disowned him, struggling hard to explain his action. However, even in the face of trouble, Hess remained true to his Führer. After the war was over, he was tried at Nuremberg and sentenced to life imprisonment at Spandau, Berlin. Following repeated suicide attempts, he finally passed away at the age of 93 in 1987.