HITLER’S OFFENCE CHIEF

Evening Star, Issue 23881, 10 May 1941, Page 3

HITLER’S OFFENCE CHIEF

[By Wn.r.i b’liiscii.Mim.]

Intimate friend of Hitler, he is duo for quick promotion. That’s grand news for us, because he is the madman’s chief defence expert. It confirms other signs that the Nazis will soon be turning more urgently to men like Todt than to the blitz and aggression generals. Dr Fritz Todt—exact English translation of his name is “ Death ” —was a fanatical Nazi in 1922. before Hitler made his Munich beerhouse putsch. Be is the same age as his chief. He won Hitler’s friendship by guaranteeing that Germany would be made inviolable to land attack. His solution was the Siegfried Lino. RUTHLESS DRIVING. A vast labour corps was placed at his disposal to do the job. Driving these men ruthlessly, forcing them to work 12 hours a day for poor wages, week in, week out, without a break, Todt certainly performed wonders. Hitler relied on the achievement when he attacked Holland, Belgium, and France. The man who did it is now one ot the most powerful autocrats in Hitler’s evil circle. Barely a year ago he was made a major-general so that he could control all the army engineers if necessary. He can over-ride all decisions about military transport and construction work, and can commandeer any kind of material at any price—or without payment—from official and private

.sources. lie was oven allowed to .pull flown iron railings inside Hitlers ( haneellery without it inurnmr. Appointed Inspector ol’ Roads when Hitler grasped power in Lj.'i.’J. Todt built a network of roads'! TJiey were one ol the tilings in Nazi Germany that were admired, but they have turned out to be, as they wore really intended, nothing bnt a part of tlxo rvazi scheme of conquest. J he moment Poland was conquered lodt and his organisation were rushed there to build another Siegfried Line —this time against the “ friendly '• Russians! .Now the busy Todt is rushing up another wall. It runs along the coastline of Belgium, Holland, and France, and faces —Britain ! . this can only mean that Hitler, behind all his arrogance, seriously fears an invasion, too. this same Todt has also planned new defences on the Llusso-lluraaniau frontier. tie is known to be superintending the three lines of fortifications begun by Hungary on her Russian frontier. Germany is obviously throwing apprehensive eyes north, south, and east, tor all of ho.r talk of a Nazifiou Europe “ peaceful ” under the iron heel of her Prussian conquerors. Even more apprehensively she looks west-ward-—towards Britain. Especially since the daring Norway raid. Todt is the man Hitler has chosen to sec that these raids do not develop into a large-scale offensive against Germany. That is why so many honours have been showered on Todt. In the Nazi Debrett he is shown as holding a dozen offices, among them that ot Cabinet Minister, technical leader ot the Nazi Party, chairman of the Nazi

Technicians’ Association and the Nazi Club of Engineers, and upper group leader of the S.A. storm troops. HIDING THE DAMAGE. To-day Todt is also Hitler’s rebuilding chief, charged with the camouflage of air raid damage to hide the eft eels of British bombs from German eyes as much as possible. Ho is Chief inspector of Spcciaj Tasks in Goering’s Four-year Plan Organisation and Minister of Armaments and Munitions. He would be one of those things if he were not, above all,, a defence oxiport. He would not be half so prominent if a British offensive against Germany were not feared. That_ is why I am glad about Hitler calling in Todt now. And, for once, I agree with Nazi plans. t Remembering the meaning of Todt's name T exclaim happilv; “Todt for Hitler!”-