The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-02
Hitler Lived
 In Cold Fear Of Air Raids
By JACK FLEISCHER

Berchtesgaden, June 2.-(UP)-- Adolf Hitler lived in deadly fear of Allied air raids.
 In the last half of the war, when Allied planes were attacking in full force, German civilians guardedly remarked that the fuehrer seldom was caught in raids because he pur- posely avoided cities.
 It is known that Hitler never used the superb shelter in the basement of the building housing his Munich apartment. As far as is known he was caught only once in a Munich raid and Sweated that one out in his bombproof super shelter under the Fuehrerhaus.
 While civilians had to be satis- fled with whatever shelter base ments and insufficient public shell ters provided, Hitler saw to 1t that wherever he had headquarters there were tremendous underground bunk CTS.
 These bunkers consisted of sev- eral underground levels, connected by tunnels, with enough rooms to house Hitler and his personal staff, headquarters officer, Nazi bigwigs or representatives permanently assign ed to headquarters.
 These bunkers, costing millions Of reichsmarks and until man hours of labor, were constructed of steel and reinforced concrete with walls and ceilings from three to 12 feet thick.
 Installations were elaborate, in- cluding power plants, excellent ven- tilation and publing, telephone switchboards and radio apparatus.
 Furnishings in the offices and private quarters were first class and there always were large stores of food, wines and liquors.
 Such underground headouarters existed, among other places, at the Berghof estate at Obersalzburg. the summer chancellery outside Berch- tesgaden, the Berlin chancellery, the eastern front headquarters, western front headquarters, and the high command headquarters at Zossen. 25 miles south of Berlin.
 But a stenographic record of a conference in the Berlin bunker revealed that Hitler was worried even in these quarters.
 He was afraid that they no longer were safe against raids, especially the block buster and 11-ton bombs.
 The subject arose when a Luft- waffle briefing officer, von Buelow asked:
 During the time when you, mein Fuehrer, are not at Obersalzburg. may we save on using the artificial fog there?
 Now, artificial fog is used every time a plane approaches it's a great drain on chemicals"
 "Ja,' Hitler said, but naturally then everything will be lost-one must realize that. That's one of the last refuges we have. Nothing Will happen to the bunker and it doesn't matter about nv house, but the entire establishment will be lost"
 Hitler was afraid the bunkers could not withstand the impact of the new, heavy Allied bombs and kept repeating, when the size of the bunkers was mentioned, that its not entirely safe
 The real question is," he said, "can headquarters function if all the installations above ground are gone?"
 His staff replied afirmatively.
 Hitler then said that the Germans must reckon that above ground installations would be destroyed for they (the Allies) naturally get re- ports about what's destroyed"
 T fear that here too many for eign workers were used to remove debris,' he said, probably in the same genius-like fashion they used at the chancellory. Then they (the Allies) will receive report on dam age then the attack will be repeated.
 That's entirely natural and if the attack is repeated then one must reckon that one day they'll blow away the place"
 A brief discussion followed about details of the construction at Zossen, with Hitler still very skeptical.
 Hitler did not get around to giv- ing any decisions on whether the use of articficial fog should be continued at Obersalzburg. An American air raid restroyed large part of the town but Hitler's bunker Withstood the attack.