Hitler Hurls Armies Against The Soviet

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 228, 23 June 1941, Page 7

Hitler Hurls Armies Against The Soviet

ATTACK MADE AT DAWN Moscow Orders All Forces To Resist SEVERAL TOWNS BOMBED Italy, Finland And Rumania To Aid Invasion

> LONDON, June 22. Herr Hitler issued a proclamation announcing that the Germans early this morning had attacked Russia with the Finns in the north and the Rumanians in the southlire Reich Minister of Propaganda, Dr. Goebbels, read Herr Hitler’s proclamation at 5.45 a.m. It bitterly condemned the Russian occupation of the Baltic States as having been directed against Germany, and accused Russia and Britain of working for the same ends. “Russia organized the putsch in Yugoslavia This was not from platonic motives, but still I was silent. Moscow demanded the mobilization of the Serbs I, therefore have today decided to put the fate and future of the German Reich and people into the hands of our soldiers. . May God help us in this battle. In a broadcast some hours later, M. Molotov, Soviet Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister, called on the Russian people to stand firm against the invasion. He revealed that German aircraft have bombed several Russian towns. A Bucharest telegram says that German mechanized forces have begun to advance into Bukovina, a former Rumanian province taken over by the Russians. Rome radio announced earlier that Rumanian troops had crossed the Pruth River into Bessarabia. According to an Ankara message General Antonescu, the Rumanian Prime Minister, has appealed to the army and the nation for support. . 2 , A Rome broadcast announced that Italy has declared war on Russia and that hostilities will begin at 3.30 o clock

this afternoon. The German Supreme Command has broadcast a warning to German people against possible Russian parachute troop landings in the frontier regions for the purposes of sabotage and destruction and has advised the necessity for giving warnings of any such landings. The Berlin radio has announced, as a warlike action, the mining of Finnish and Russian Arctic waters; also the Black Sea. . . . , .. M. Maisky, the Soviet Ambassador in London, today had a long interview with Mr. Dr. Goebbels, after reading Hitler’s proclamation, announced: “One hundred and sixty Russian divisions threaten our frontier. Russia wanted to.occupy Bulgaria, the Dardanelles and the Bosphorous. Russia has betrayed the German-Russian Pact. At this moment the greatest march in history is taking place: German troops with Finnish divisions and the conquerors of Norway under the officer commanding in Norway are marching together from East Prussia to the Carpathians. Along the Danube delta and the shores of the Black Sea the German and Rumanian soldiers are united. Our task is not to protect single countries but to save Europe.” ... In his broadcast M. Molotov said that at 4 o’clock this morning without giving any rea «on to the Soviet Government, and without any declaration of war,. German forces invaded Soviet territory at many places. Towns in the Ukraine and the Crimea were raided and more than 200 people were killed or wounded. Flights of enemy aircraft were seen coming from Finnish and Rumanian territory. „ “This unheard of attack is without example in the history of civilization, said M. Molotov. The attack had been launched despite the non-aggression pact between the two countries which had been conscientiously observed by the Soviet Government.. “The Ambassador of the German Government stated to me at 5.30. 0’c10ck this morning that Germany had decided to open the war against the Soviet Union,” he continued. In reply I pointed out that till the very last moment Germany had made no complaint and was attacking in spite of the well-known peaceful intentions of the Soviet Government, and that at not a single point of the frontier had Soviet troops committed any aggressive M. Molotov branded as a lie a Rumanian report that Soviet planes had attacked Rumanian territory. He also added that the war was not being fought by the people of Germany but‘at the direction of her bloodthirsty leaders. He called on the Russian people to stand firm, and on the army, air force and navy to fulfil their duty.