NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 114, 10 November 1939, Page 8

NOTES ON THE WAR NEWS

ATTACKS ON HITLER

PREVIOUS INSTANCES

WAS HE WOUNDED LAST

YEAR?

The attack on the life of Hitler is not the first that has been made even though the leader of the Nazis is probably the most closely-guarded man in the world. It has been estimated that up to 8000 men find their main employment in ensuring the survival of the "Bohemian corporal," as Hindenburg used to call him. Hitler always rides in the front seat when on a motor-car journey; behind him are three crack guardsmen and in a following car are extra guards who close ujy around him if he halts. At meetings he is backed by four guards. Not long ago, it will be remembered, he spoke from behind a bullet-proof glass screen. Habitually, there are 100 guards at the Chancellery. His plane is _ guarded night and day on the ground and escorted by fighters in the air. There have been several attempts on his life, though the facts are difficult to ascertain. A bomb was thrown at his car in Nuremberg in 1932. A year ago he was reported to have been wounded in the arm in an attack by a woman. He cancelled all his engagements after this attempt was reported, but attended the New Year reception of the Diplomatic Corps. A film of that event shows him holding his left arm stiffly by his side. Another attempt to kill Hitler was reported in 1936, when it was announced that his chauffeur and double, Julius Schreck, had died of meningitis. According to reports Hitler and Schreck were seated in front of a car approaching Bernau when they were fired on and the man at the wheel was killed. Since then, it is declared, Hitler has been without a double, as no one wants to succeed Schreck. When the German leader was in Berlin before the war he sometimes took afternoon tea in the public lounge of the Kaiserhof Hotel. On those occasions the tables around him were always empty and there were some dozen or so of his guards, all armed, lounging about to deal with possible assassins.

What the Nazis are said to fear most are the murder clubs. There are at least two of these. One of tjiem is the "R.lf." (Revengers of Roehm, the companion of Hitler and Brdwn Shirt leader who was murdered by Hitler's orders on the famous "Night bf the Long Knives.") The other is reported to consist of former trade union leaders, Little is known of it, but it operates from abroad, moving its headquarters from country to country, and last Christmas was believed to have spent quite a large sum in Berlin for propaganda purposes and to give aid to likely recruits.