GERMAN LEADERS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24837, 10 February 1942, Page 5

GERMAN LEADERS

DEATHS “BY ACCIDENT” A GROWING LIST PASSING OF FRITZ TODT (Rec. 10.50 p.m.) LONDON, Jan. 8. Herr Fritz Todt, builder of the Siegfried Line, was killed in an aeroplane accident “while carrying out military duties.” Hitler has ordered a State funeral. ~ m u According .to the Berlin radio Todt was killed on the Eastern Front. He is believed to have gone there to select the German Army’s winter defence line. The radio described Todt as one of the Fuhrer’s closest collaborators. A curiously large number of German leaders have died suddenly in recent weeks. Even many Germans are finding it hard to believe that it is a pure accident that death has begun to claim so many, says the diplomatic correspondent of The Times. From what was known of Todt he was one of Hitler’s most valued, most energetic and most loyal lieutenants. His death at the age of 50 is a heavy loss. Todt’s work last summer and autumn enormously helped to make the German victories possible. Todt s organisation was much criticised at the end of 1941 because, like .other parts of the German war machine, it had not prepared for the Russian winter. . , Todt was recently praised for the rapidity in which his organisation brought up 60,000,000 articles of warm clothing from Germany to the Eastern Front. RADIO STATIONS CLOSED MOURNING FOR TODT (Rec. 0.50 a.m.) LONDON, Feb, 9. All the German radio stations, closed down for three minutes last night as a sign of mourning for Todt. Afterwards, more serious programmes were given instead of the light entertainments advertised.