Remembering the King and the Deputy

The King

The media are always good for reminding us of anniversaries. And being part of the media, we at Festung Europa are no different. In this case, let's commemorate the anniversaries of the deaths of two historical figures. By the way, the Germans, that quite precise tribe, have a great word for this: Todestag = day of death. Just as you have a Geburtstag at the beginning, you get a Todestag at the end. Makes sense. "Death day" or "day of death" doesn't quite cut it in English, so we are stuck with "anniversary of the death of..."

August 16th, of course, was the thirtieth anniversary of the death of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley, who gave up the ghost back then in the upstairs bathroom of Graceland. A traveler's note to gentle Festung Europa readers: Visit Graceland. It is the best museum this writer has ever encountered (and I have been to a few), even when you are not a die-hard Elvis fan. What made it so good? In a word: realism. I visited just before Christmas in 1998, and after having looked at all of the King's cool motorcycles, automobiles and even aircraft (complete with bed), I walked across the street to the mansion. Inside, it was decorated with Elvis' original Christmas decorations in not so classic but definitely tacky 70's style. The tour guide even opened one of the kitchen drawers to show that his silverware was still in place. You get a weird feeling on the tour that perhaps he indeed survived his trip to the bathroom and at any moment he'll be bringing his paunchy self downstairs to greet you in the Jungle Room. Peanut butter and banana sandwiches for everyone!

August 17th is the twentieth anniversary of the death of Rudolf Hess, the Nazi Deputy Führer, who ended up being one of the most confusing (and probably confused) figures of the Third Reich. After getting sidelined a bit after the start of the war, Hess gets the idea that he can bring peace between Germany and the UK before Hitler invades the Soviet Union. He takes off in an Messerschmitt Bf-110 (Hess was a WWI pilot) and crash lands in Scotland, sitting out the rest of the war in British captivity. Condemned to life in prison at the post-war Nürnberg trial, Hess whiles away the rest of his days in the now-destroyed Spandau prison in Berlin, where he dies a controversial death at the age of 93 (some maintain the Brits had him killed). Today's Todestag is still creating controversy here in Europa as there are a few folks who want to commemorate the man with a good old-fashioned march and rally. The German authorities have banned demonstrations in the town of Wunsiedel (not far from Festung Europa) where Hess is buried, but some others may take place, should the courts allow them. Armbands and marching music for everyone!

The Deputy