HITLER'S BLESSING

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 111, 11 May 1940, Page 12

HITLER'S BLESSING

MESSAGE TO TROOPS

"YOUR HOUR HAS COME"

GERMANY'S FUTURE

DECISION FOR NEXT 1000

YEARS

{By .Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright.)

LONDON, May 10.

Simultaneously with a Berlin radio announcement that Herr Hitler had gone to the frorit, a communique issued from the Fuhrer's headquarters said: "The Fuhrer, as Supreme Commander of the Army, has taken up his headquarters on the Western Front to lead the general operations." Herr Hitler addressed the following message to the troops on the Western Front:

"The hour has come for the most decisive struggle of the German people. '

"Britain and France have aimed for 300 years to prevent any consolidation in Europe, and especially to weaken Germany. France alone has declared war against Germany 31 times in the past two centuries in order to achieve this aim. The British have aimed for many decades to divide Germany into small states in order to rob her of her strength and the necessities for 80,000,000 people.

"Britain and France have followed this policy without considering what German Government is in power. Their plans are always directed against the German people, and their responsible leaders have always admitted openly that they must smash Germany. That is why all my peace efforts have failed and also why war was declared against Germany last year.

"The German people do not hate the British and French peoples, but we. are faced with a question of life or destruction. Our brave troops defeated Poland, whom the Western Powers had incited against Germany. We thus eliminated the danger from the east. Then Britain and France tried to attack from the north and German troops' also ended this danger. Now the danger we always expected has come. After a gigantic manoeuvre in south-eastern Europe, Britain and France have attempted to attack the Ruhr through Belgium and Holland.

"Soldiers on the Western Front, your hour has come. The fight which begins today will determine Germany's future for the next 1000 years. Do your duty. The German people give you their blessing."