SPEECH BY HITLER

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 58, 5 September 1940, Page 11

SPEECH BY HITLER

REGARDED AS SIGNIFICANT

Answer to Germans

DELAY OF PROMISED VICTORY

Anger at British Raids

("±sy Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.)(Beeeived September 5, 9.40 a.m.) LONDON, September 4. In an unexpected speech at the opening- of the winter relief campaign Hitler said: "I know only one date as the date of the English collapse. If it is said in England, 'Why doesn't it come?' then I say 'Be sure that it will come.' " .

Hitler announced: "Hundreds of thousands of pounds of bombs will drop from the sky on England every night after this, in retaliation for the British night raids." He added: "For three months I have waited for the British to cease the nuisance of nightly haphazard bomb-throwing. Now we will give the answer night after night. If the British have thrown down 2000 or 3000 kilograms of bombs, we will unload 150,000 or 180,000—yes, 200,000. If the British attack our cities we will simply erase theirs. We will call a halt to the night pirates.

"The hour is coming when one of us two will break up; it won't be Nazi Germany."

The Berlin correspondent of the Associated Press of America says that Hitler, who spoke at the Sports Palace, made fun of England when he was not threatening her. He described "General Revolution" as his chief ally, "General Winter" as his second ally, and "General Hunger" as his third. He added that the British ought to make "General Bluff" their Reichsmarshal.

Most of the speech was devoted to contrasting Nazism with British plutocracy, and he urged the German people to make a renewed effort for the most gigantic social Avork of all time.

According to a later version of the speech, Hitler declared that Britain described "General Revolution" as her chief ally, then "General Winter," and thirdly "General Hunger." He added: "The British should not forget to raise their most important general—'General Bluff'—to the rank of Field Marshal of the Empire. When the hour comes we shall substitute 'General Fact' for all these generals." He asserted that the R.A.F. bombed Germany at night time beqause it was unable to fly, over the Reich in the daytime.' LONDON, September 4. Hitler said that Germany achieved only partial measures in the first year of the last war, but in the first year of this war she had achieved a final and complete solution. Only Britain's exceptionally speedy withdrawal from France, and her fortunate geographical situation, had saved her so far from being swept aside by other German victories. He assured his people that* England's collapse would come.

He referred to the old story of how he had offered his hand to the British people so often, and that his foreign policy had always been directed at understanding. He now preferred to fight till a clear position was reached.

A London commentator pointed out that in the summer Herr Hitler's propagandists had promised that in September Herr Hitler would address the Nazi Party "Victory Congress" at Nuremberg, but today he hadl spoken in Berlin. There were three j main points in his speech, the first of which was a pledge that Britain would be defeated on a date, "the only date I know," but he was careful not to relate it to the calendar, j Then there was a long diatribe against British news and what he called British propaganda. He attacked the 8.8.C., and warned people of the horrid fate of those who relied on British news bulletins. He then referred to threats about what he would do to Britain if the R.A.F. I continued raids on Germany. For| three months, he said, he did not reply to the raids because he believed they would stop. The British would know they were getting the answer night after night. There was every sign that the size of the bombs would increase, remarked the commentator, but Hitler was stopped by the shouts of the crowd. . ,

In London the points of the speech are regarded as significant. Hitler's assurance that Britain would be defeated is taken to be an answer to Germans who are now perplexed in view of the fact that they thought the war would be over this summer. His diatribe against British news is taken to indicate that the German people are growing more and more to distrust the news from Dr. Goebbels, and that reliable reports are filtering through.

The reference to the Royal Air Force is not surprising, as the German people more than once have been assured that no British bombers could ever cross the German frontier.

His threats do nojt impress the British people. The German air force has lost more than a thousand planes, and it will take more than threats to shake the British people.