HIMMLER'S RECORDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 81, Issue 24824, 22 February 1944, Page 5

HIMMLER'S RECORDS

FOREIGN FILES BTJRNEI) 200 HIGH OFFICIALS KILLED (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) LONDON. Feb. QO Information which has filtered through the rigid German censorship regarding the recent R.A.F. raids on Merlin reveals that the foreign department of the Berlin police headquarters was destroyed, says the Stockholm correspondent of the Daily Express. All files relating to Jews and foreigners in Germany, which Himmler had built up in the course of several years, were lost, also thousands of French, Bulgarian. Hungarian and Slovakinn passports. The Berlin police suffered another heavy loss when a shelter under-their headquarters collapsed, burying over 200 high officials, including some of Himmler's best men. BALLOON COMMAND (Reed. 0.35 p.m.) LONDON. Feb. 20 Air-Commodore W. C. C. Bell has been appointed air officer commanding the R.A.F. Balloon Command, with the rank of acting air vice-marshal. For the past two years he has commanded a balloon group. He is the first Auxiliary Air Force officer to attain the rank of air vice-marshal and to bo appointed to an R.A.F. command. REAUFIGHTERS EFFECTIVE LONDON, Feb. 20 The Royal Air Force Bristol Beaufighter. which is operating so effectively on the Burma front, is called by Japanese soldiers "whispering death." These heavilv-armed machines sweep in without warning' and the first indication of an attack is the death rattle of their guns. On one occasion a Beaufigliter strafed two squads of enemy soldiers on a parade ground. "As I pressed the firing button," said the pilot. "I was surprised to see that they were still standing at attention. They, could not have heard me."