Heeresgruppe C
Upon hearing that an old friend of his, Generaloberst Heinrich von Vietinghoff, was in command of Army Group C with headquarters in Bolzano, Bonin attempted to contact him in order to ask him to safeguard the prisoners, making the identity of the high-status prisoners known as well as the fear that they were to be executed before liberation by US troops. Not getting hold of von Vietinghoff, he instead spoke to his chief of staff General Hans Röttiger, whom he also knew, who promised to get hold of von Vietinghoff for him.