Evening star., 1947-02-16
By Georue Allen
Copyright, 1947, by North American News
paper Alliance, ine.)

By George Allen
Copyright Is47, by North American News
paper Alliance, ine.)
PHILADELPHIA, Pa, Feb. 15.-
The leader of Germanys war effort
had few of the qualities of an army
commander. In World War he had
been q messenger between regiment
al headquarters and the front; his
highest rank was PFC dance COR
poraD.
The Iron Cross of which he boast
ed, he won toward the end OF that
war when it was not hard to get
but what he won it for remains
mystery.
Hitler was in hospital during the
1914-191S struggle-but the symp-
toms he described suggest some
mental upset rather than a wound
as the cause.
That is the man who built up
military machine which-thanks, in
part, to Allied ineficiency-overran
much Of Europe and held off the
might of the worlds great powers for
i've years.
Fragments Retrieved.
Now, for the first time. we can see
something Of the warped mind that
carried this out. Fragments have
been saved of the stenographic notes
OF Hitler's "lagebesprechungen" (dis-
cussions Of the military situation). E.
These, rounded out with details
picked Up while interrogating some
of the men closest to Hitler. show
how the Germans conducted the wa1
at the highest level.
Unfortunately, less than half Of ]
per cent Of the total has been saved;
and Of these s00-odd pages, four
fifths are Of interest only to profess
sional soldiers. But the balance
gives good picture of Hitler and his
methods.
Hitler held at least two staff meet
inss o day, one about noon and
less important one in the evening,
at any time from 5 o'clock to an
hour or two after midnight. These
sessions lasted anywhere from five
minutes to three hours, but usually
about two hours.
Report Read First.
The Luftwaffe, weather, military
or political report was read first.
During the reading and after it,
Hitler asked questions, gave orders,
and made comments, relevant and
otherwise. -.t
When Hitler planned the invasion
Of Cxechoslovakia, he did not know
the composition of a German divi-
sion, he had to have 1t explained to
him by his military adviser, Gen.
Wilhelm Keitel.
Hitler's greatest contribution to
the tactical side of the war was
confusion. He ordered outfits about
with q nonchalance which would
frighten experienced soldiers. He
had favorite outfits, like the 1st SIS
cHitler's BodyguardD Division and
the Hermann Goering" Division,
and would put them or other
favorite units into action where he
felt their effect would be greatest,
upsetting the unity of entire fronts.
Hitler Often Quibbled.
He quibbled to such a degree, that
when an officer reported that two
guns had been destroyed in a harbor
in North Africa, he said, "You mean
silenced. How do you know that
they were destroyed? How can you
determine that?" The officer then
pointed out that they had received
direct hits from dive-bombers.
Hitler often used the prefix "sau"
(meaning pig" or about equal to
our slang use Of "dirty") in his
speech. His encourage says he often
insulted important persons to their
faces, and was always "outspoken"
in his opinions.
In the attack on Moscow in 1941,
he forced the troops to keep on in
December, despite the protests of
men like Gen. Heinz Guderian who
advocated retreat to prepared
defenses and an all-out attack the
next spring. Hitler continued the
attack because he had promised
the German nation a victory by
Christmas.
From 1912 on, German troops
withdrew steadily, but Hitler always
forced them to fight to the last.
Last Stand Ordered.
As late as March %, 1945, Hitler
ordered the citizens of Breslau to
keep fighting, even though they
were surrounded. AS a gesture, he
ordered six guns flown in to help
the Breslau garrison resist the Rus
sian armies.
In his staff meetings, Hitler
always showed himself an incurable
optimist. 1t was not until March
1945, that he confessed to Gauleiter
Fritz Sauckel of Thuringia, that
Germany had lost the war. Later,
when President Roosevelt died, he
thought that Truman might stop
fighting as soon as he took over.
Hitler never mingled much with
the rest of the world, he still went
to an occasional concert, and he
often went to the movies given at
his headquarters in Berlin. The
general staff could be excused for
their pessimism because they were
acquainted with the military situa-
ton, and had the skill to evaluate It.
Hitler felt that pessimism was
the cause Of Field Marshal Erwin
Rommels defeat in North Africa
and this because Marshal Rommel