History crash course
Messerschmitt engine in East Lothian has links to Hitler deputy
AN AIRPLANE engine on display at the
National Museum of Flight (NMOF) at
East Fortune has a big story attached to it.
On 10 May 1941, a plane flown by the deputy leader of the Nazi Party, Rudolf Hess, crash landed in East Renfrewshire.
Hitler's right-hand man was rumoured to be flying to Scotland to meet the Duke of Hamilton after the pair originally met at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Some experts believe that Hess was acting independently to initiate peace negotiations between the UK and Germany, while others questioned his sanity.
Hess was subsequently arrested and later convicted at the Nuremberg Trials, and the real reason for the visit was never uncovered.
Eighty years later, one of the Messerschmitt Bf 110's engines is on display in the NMOF's Military Aviation hangar, on loan from the board of trustees of RAF Museum.
Steve McLean, General Manager at NMOF, said: “The engine belonging to the aircraft
carrying Rudolf Hess is one of the most thought-provoking items on display at the Museum. It is a popular object due to its rich history and we love sharing with our visitors details of the mysterious events that unfolded that day 80 years ago.”
Located at East Fortune Airfield in East Lothian, the museum displays a range of historic aircraft, from Concorde to a Spitfire.
It is open seven days a week between 10am-5pm. Timed entry tickets are available to purchase in advance from the website.
In line with Scottish Government guidelines, a range of measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of visitors and staff including pre-booked timed entry, face coverings, enhanced cleaning, sneeze screens, handsanitising stations and one-way routes.