NAZI HIERARCHY

Evening Star, Issue 25471, 30 April 1945, Page 6

NAZI HIERARCHY

MANY RUMOURS AND REPORTS

HITLER AND GOEBBELS SAID TO BE SHOT

LONDON, April 28

A United Press message from Switzerland reports a high diplomat, who has just arrived across the Swiss border, as saying that Hitler and Goebbels were shot three days ago. The same agency also quotes a high British source for the report that Himmler sent the following message through Stockholm to the British and American Governments: " It is feared that Hitler is not vdQfr well and may not live for another 20 hours." Hans Goebbels, brother of Dr Goebbels, was taken prisoner on Saturday at the village of Millrath, on the outskirts of Dusseldorf. cables a United States First- Army correspondent. Hans, who looks like his brother, was meek and frightened as First Army agents dragged him away from his tearful wife. A swarm of villagers gathered round his house as he was led away. . BREMEN COMMANDER.

The commander-in-chief of Bremen, Lieutenant-general Fritz Decker, was captured in a bunker, where he was trying to direct the last defence of the city. He said fifth column activities by richer burghers were one of the factors in the rapid collapse of Bremen. The burghers promised post-war jobs to the German soldiers if they ceased resistance and disruption of communications. Another factor was that the garrison had to relv on the German radio for operationaf news. Becker had to use one civilian telephone line to direct the defence. When the line was damaged all the military communications collapsed. Vice-admiral Kurt Utze, who was captured in Bremen, was an inspector of torpedoes for the German navy and second in command of the North Sea fleet. A PARTY FOUNDER CAPTURED. Cabling from Nuremberg, Renter's correspondent reports that the Americans captured Ludwig Kaefer, who was closely associated with Hitler in the formation of the Nazi Party. Kaefer was one of the founders of the German Workers' Party.

At least 100 people in Leipzig committed suicide or attempted to do so during the past week, says Renter's correspondent in the city. One o[ the Buchenwald guards who shot himself left the following-note:— "1 have been very brutal to many prisoners." The doctor in charge of a sterilisation factory. Where thousands of German deserters and Jews were sterilised, hanged himself.