A NOBLE CAUSE

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 46, 24 February 1942, Page 5

A NOBLE CAUSE

RED ARMY'S STRENGTH

STALIN'S ORDER OF THE DAY

LONDON, February 23

"The Red Army knows it is fighting for a noble cause, namely, a war of liberation.; Therein lies the Red Army's strength and th% German army's weakness," said M. Stalin iri an Order of the Day to the Red Army.

"When Hitler treacherously attacked us last June he under-estimated his new enemy. We retreated, but while

doing so dealt telling blows. We never doubted that the enemy would be halted and eventually routed. . The war will now. be different, because the enemy is no longer able to surprise us. The Soviet people do not delude themselves that the enemy is already beaten. On the contrary, a stern struggle is still ahead.

"The Red Army does not aim at the destruction of the German people. It is probable that this war will end Hitler's clique, but it would be ridiculous to identify Hitler's clique with the German people and the German

State. History teaches that Hitlers come and go, but the German people and the German State remain.

"The Red Army is sometimes accused of annihilating the Germans out of hatred for everything German, and that no prisoners are therefore taken. Thats is a stupid lie, and a libel on the lied Army, which is free from all sentiments of racial hatred. The Bed Army annihilates Germans not because they are Germans but because they want to enslave our country.

"During recent operations, the German garrisons at Klin, Sukhinichi, Andreapol, and Toropets were sumnioned to surrender. Their life was promised them. They refused, and many lost their lives. The Red Army takes prisoners when they surrender. It remembers Gorky's words: 'When the enemyrefuses to surrender he is annihilated.'

"Comrades, I congratulate you on the Red Army's anniversary, and wish you complete victory over Germany. Long live our glorious motherland. Under Lenin's banner, forward!

"We have liberated completely the Moscow and Tula regions, and dozens of towns and hundreds of villages in other regions," M. Stalin continued. "The Germans no longer have the advantage of surprise. The following factors are now the deciding ones: solidity of the 'rear/ the morale and spirit -of the army, the quantity and quality of the divisions, armament, and the ability of the High Command.

"The Germans thought their army unbeatable, and that they would defeat the Red Army by themselves. Now they are supported* by Italian, Rumanian, and Finnish armies. For the present, the Red Army has no similar support, but the German army is suffering defeat after defeat and the Red^ Army is driving the Germans westward.

"The hour is not far distant when the Red Army will drive the enemy from the approaches to Leningrad and clean up White .Russia, the Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Karelia, and the Crimea.

"Nevertheless, we know* the enemy is still strong. We must not forget it. It is essential to increase «the stream of new reserves and arms production."