The War Illustrated, Volume 8, No. 196, Page 494, December 22, 1944.

Fantastic as has been the career of "that man," the circumstances of his death may be even more so. The sordid climax approaches, and from information gathered from various sources Dr. EDGAR STERN-RUBARTH pieces together details of the possible manner and place of the of the passing of the ignoble Fuhrer, after a final outburst of terror and destruction.

It is safe to say that Hitler was never at any time quite sane, and excesses and privations during his early life have not improved an unbalanced brain. It appears now that he has a fantastic scheme to end his career in an "adequate" way. A mosaic of detailed information makes it possible to visualize this; allusions to a sort of neo-Teutonic "Twilight of the Gods" tally perfectly with the material facts.

The story starts, appropriately, with a cave. Caves have always played a great part in German legends. The Emperor Frederick Barbarossa-drowned, in fact, during a crusade in 1190, in the river Kalykadnos in Asia Minor-sits, according to German saga and poetry, forever in a cave under the Kyffhaeuser Mountain, his beard grown through the table, until a day when, as guardian of the German people, he will be called by a raven to mount his horse and lead Germans to their final victory. Tannhauser, the Wagnerian hero, woos Venus in the "underworld" beneath Mount Hoersel, in Thuringia. The treasure of the Nibelungs is made and hoarded in their subterranean kingdom, and so forth. Germany possesses many mysterious or interesting caves, some natural, others remnants of forgotten mining operations. The caves where Hitler’s own "last battle" is to be fought-with all the means of modern warfare-belong to the latter category.

At and around Hallein, a town some five miles from Hitler’s mountain haunt at Berchtesgaden and about the same distance from the Austrian town of Salzburg, are enormous caves where, from prehistoric days until two or three centuries ago, rock salt was mined. Inter- connected by new tunnels, and linked with fortifications built all around that area between mountains ranging from 6,000 to 10,000 feet in height, these former salt-mines constitute a bombproof strong hold. There, Hitler intends to assemble his most important lieutenants, his best strategists and technicians, and an army of, say, 100,000 men. From there, by short-wave transmitter, he intends to direct the huge network of underground and guerrilla fighters which Himmler commenced to organize many months ago.

The army is a most elaborate and sinister creation. As far as details are available, it may ultimately consist of three different elements: (1) Nazi, especially Gestapo and S.S. leaders, whose faces, voices and mannerisms are not generally known; (2) selected Hitler Youth trainees, now between 14 and 18 years of age; (3) fervent and proved Nazis of foreign nationality or descent; plus, as many minor handymen, cut throats, spies and liaison-men as possible.

The No.1 men, many of whom have "died" of late, according to obituary notices in the Volkischer Beobachter and other newspapers, in the prime of life, are going to be camouflaged. They may have "died" in order to be provided with authentic identity papers of an inconspicuous-possibly a previously penalized anti- Nazi-citizen of similar size, age, eye and hair colour, his photograph exchanged, if necessary, for that of the new holder, and duly stamped. The real owner of such papers and passports, killed in an air raid, is meanwhile buried as an "unidentified body." Or they may obtain cleverly forged passports from satellite, even neutral, authorities, duly visa-ed. The tasks of the holders may be manifold: acting as deputies or successors to the present set of Nazi leaders; permeating the future administration of a democratic Germany with subversive and destructive conspirators; directing, in secret, acts of terror and violence, and so on.

Such acts will be the main job of the second category of Himmler’s disciples, the cream of the "Ordensgurgen" -the dozen or so special training schools for future Nazi leaders. To get into one of them and, finally, after another severe test as to complete fanaticism, discipline, unreasoning obedience, and physical fitness (in short, dehumanization), into one of the secret training camps created earlier this year by the Gestapo boss, a boy must hail from indubitable Germanic peasant or minor civil servant stock, must be strong and healthy, possibly blue-eyed and fair-haired, and brought up to sneer at Christianity, democracy, and other established beliefs.

With awe-inspiring midnight ceremonies, he is eventually sworn in and learns how to use all sorts of weapons, explosives, and other paraphernalia of underground warfare.

He learns how to forge documents and identity papers; how to use invisible inks, Morse and light signals, word and cipher keys; how to preserve, by mnemonic tricks, messages and other confidential, unwritten information; how to apply psychological dodges in dealing with enemies, victims and friends-in order to gain their help, their knowledge, or their silence. First aid and emergency surgery, chemistry and a number of crafts complete that unique curriculum, based upon a highly developed experience gleaned by Nazis in fighting the underground movements in France, Poland, Greece and other countries.

Together with the third group, these boys, goaded, misguided, perverted from early youth, are destined to be "Nazi survivors" and tools for continuing, or reviving, the Swastika gospel. This third group has a similar training and task. As non-Germans, non-Nazis, possibly even well-prepared former victims of the Gestapo with authentic scars and forged release- papers from a concentration camp-some even, like a number of high Nazi officials, having voluntarily suffered the torture of such a camp, as a proof of their fanatical loyalty to Hitler-they have to go abroad. Mixing with fugitive foreign workers, or travelling officially by way of neutral countries, theirs is the "holy mission" of spreading discontent and rebellion, of rebuilding, or bringing underground, existing Nazi cells in many countries.

Some of the most trusted among them, as well as the future leaders among the Hitler Youth special trainees, are provided with secret watchwords, with lists of liaison officers in German and foreign government departments, and with access to the millions in foreign currency salted away abroad in the name of faithful citizens of the respective nationality. They have to finance, to direct, to assemble their subordinates; to pass on the orders, maybe for the assassination of this or that future member of government or parliament, this or that "collaborator" with the Allies; or for acts of terrorism, sabotage and, where possible, guerrilla warfare against the victorious powers.

The system, which can be given here only in outline and which is still in development, is meant to be directed from Hitler’s or should he be eclipsed by disease or death-from Himmler’s headquarters in the "Alpine Fortress," that network of impregnable caves and fortifications in sight of the Fuhrer’s eyrie. The gang outside this citadel, in Germany as well as abroad, should by now be well camouflaged.

As for a Nazi "Maquis," whatever Himmler’s cunning preparations, he cannot produce by magic that enthusiastic support of the population, that outside help and ultimate assault, which all through the bitter years of oppression kept the patriotic guerrillas fighting, and sacrificing themselves. Yet for anti-Nazi and democratic Germans themselves, when trying to rehabilitate their country under Allied occupation, such fanatical thugs may constitute a danger.

But, unable to hold his fantastic underground fortress forever, even though it possesses food, water, medical supplies and all comforts in sufficiency for years, Adolf Hitler himself and a number of his most frenetic apostles plan an ultimate sacrifice by blowing up caves and mountains and fortifications with a bang, compared which the Wagnerian "Twilight of the Gods" would appear as no more than a mere Guy Fawkes display.