Doenitz Prepares

Twelve feet of reinforced concrete protect Admiral Karl Doenitz' U-boats when they put into Lorient and Brest for rest, repairs and refueling. Some Allied sources say that constant air raids, by smashing more poorly protected surface shops and power stations, have lowered the efficiency of Lorient and Brest as much as 75%, but the U-boats in packs still prowl forth into the Atlantic.

Last week there were signs that Admiral Doenitz, newly upped to command of all Hitler's naval forces, may fear a bold attempt to seize the coast of Brittany, smash the submarines at their source, just as Allied air raids on Germany have attempted to choke off submarine construction. German broadcasts announced that civilians had been ordered out of Brest and Lorient. From Brest alone the evacuation of 22,000 nonessential civilians already was under way.

Other sources reported that a huge section of Marseille's Old Port area, also cleared of civilians (TIME, Feb. 8), was being converted hastily into a new U-boat lair. Marseille would have the advantage of distance from British airfields and relative safety from sea assault. If the Allies invaded Europe's soft underside, Marseille-based submarines would be in a position to make the Mediterranean even more perilous than the torpedo-infected Atlantic.

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