HITLER SPEAKS

Evening Star, Issue 24007, 4 October 1941, Page 9

HITLER SPEAKS

Claims Russia Collapsing TURGID BOMBAST AND THREATS Mystery Voice Interruptions ( Press Association —By Telegraph—Copyright (Received 12.20 p.m.) LONDON, October 3. " Enormous things are shaping on the eastern front. For 48 hours gigantic operations have been in progress which will help to defeat the enemy in the east,” said Hitler in a speech at Berlin, in augurating the winter help campaign. ” The decision in this war will decide the fate of Europe for the next hundred years. It is clear that England’s friendship cannot be secured, for which reason I decided that it was better to have war when I was in charge of the affairs of Germany. “In May we saw that the Russians would undoubtedly take the first opportunity to strike, so I decided to take the first step myself, and the greatest struggle in history began. Thus far everything has gone according to plan. This enemy is already broken and cannot lift his head again. “ The full attack against Britain, for which we needed the entire Luftwaffe, was impossible while the Russians were at our backs, massing armies and building aerodrome after aerodrome. Now three German armies have gone into Russia, and our first task is mainly solved. “ Russian prisoners number 2,500,000, and we have captured or destroyed 22,000 guns, 18,000 tanks, and 44.500 aeroplanes. “ We have occupied Russian territory twice the size of Germany in 1933, and 15,000 miles of Russian railways have been reconstructed, 10,000 of them converted to the German gauge. “ In contrast to the last war, we have unlimited ammunition at the front. It is only a question of the transport of our ammunition. The factories were producing so much that I ordered some to cease production, because there is no enemy with whom we have to deal who. is not overwhelmable with existing stocks. “ Particularly cordial friendship unites me to Signor Mussolini, and our relations with. Japan are continually improving. ” Hitler spoke for 65 minutes. He maintained an even tone except when he mentioned the Democracies or the Soviet—then it rose to a scream. The “ mystery ” voice frequently interrupted Hitler’s broadcast. The voice was unintelligible, but it succeeded in rendering passages of the speech obscure.

NIGHT FIGHTERS SQUADRON LEADER'S SIXTH VICTORY (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 11.55 a.m.) RUGBY. Oct. 3. In the crashing of a Jlinkers 88, which he saw silhouetted against the sea in the moonlight, the commanding officer of a 12-gun Hurricane squadron stationed in Scotland recently raised the number of his night victories over German bombers to six. The Junkers was flying about 20 miles out to sea when it passed the squadron leader, who was going in the opposite direction. “ It was going very fast, and looked as though it was hurrying home to its base, I overtook it, and after my first burst of fire one of the enemy gunners was silenced, and my third set the fuselage on fire. The Junkers dived steeply, and as I followed it down from about 7.000 ft to 2,000 ft at over 300 miles an hour the whole fuselage became alight

from end to end. The machine dived straight into the sea.” Ths squadron leader, who was recently awarded a bar to the D.F.C., has now 17 confirmed victories. SYRIA AND LEBANON GENERAL RAINiKG'S VISIT (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 1 p.m>) RUGBY, October 3. General Sir Robert Earning, Intendant General in the Middle East, recently visited Syria and Lebanon with a view to studying personally the civil, military, and supply problems of these countries. He collaborated closely with Major-general Spears, head of the British Mission to Syria, and conferred with General Catron's, with whom he reached complete agreement on the measures to be taken. He has now returned to Cairo.

AIR ATTACKS R.A.F. DAYLIGHT RAIDS EAGLE SQUADRON IN ACTION (British Official Wireless.) HUG BY, Oct. 3. . In a sweep over enemy-occupied territory on Thursday the American Eagle Squadron destroyed four fllE luy’s without loss to itself, says the Air Ministry. One pilot destroyed two, and another shot a wing off one, and his cannon shells made great holes in the cockpit as the machine dived to earth. A fourth was shared by two pilots. Tho rest of the Messerschmitts fled. One of '•he Eagle pilots came out of a dogfight very low and saw a group of French workmen standing on a platform. He said: 11 They had a grand stand view of the whole scrap, and they waved so excitedly that 1 thought they would fall off the platform. I would not have risked it.” Earlier in the day four cannon and one machine gun Hurricane attacked a camouflagedTbarge at Knock. In the first attacks its front 1 cannon was silenced, and a second barge was left on fire and well down in the water. BOMBERS’ BUSY DAY. Beaufort aircraft ol the it.A.lf. Coastal Command set out on Thursday afternoon on a tour of the Norwegian coast. When it returned with very little petrol left it had bombed two merchant ships, machine-gunned ! a third tied up to the quay, and blew up a factory, says the Air Ministry News Service. Off the Norwegian coast the weather was so bad that the pilot had half a mind to return to the base. In places clouds were almost down to sea level. He decided, however, first to explore the coast, which was barely visible in haze and cloud. Almost immediately he came upon two ships. He attacked each in turn, allowing u bomb for each, from below mast height. The bombs had delayed action, but the rear gunner just had time to see no ship lurch and a great wave thrown up' by an explosion over it. The pilot flew on, and in a few minutes found a factory near a town on the coast. He let it have the remaining bombs. The rear gunner and one of his side gunners who was hanging out of an open window in the aircraft saw the factory blow up in a fountain of bricks, smoko, and dust. Anti-aircraft fire opened up promptly, and to avoid it the pilot hid in cloud. He carte down again a little later and continued to fly at some 30ft. The nest part of his trip took him over a harbour where a ship was moored to the quayside. Having no more bombs, the Beaufort pilot raked the ship with machine-gun fire. The harbour defence guns opened up, but were silenced when the Beaufort gunner repaid thetn vigorously. Then the pilot, anxiously watching tho petrol gauges, set off for home. BREST DOCKS BOMBED (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 9.50 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 3. An Air Ministry communique states f “ Last night a small force of heavy bombers attacked the docks at Brest, where the German warships are still lying. The Coastal Command bombed docks and shipyards at St. Nazaire. Fighters on offensive patrols bombed aerodromes in enemy-occupied territory. None of our planes is missing.” LATEST OPERATIONS OSTEND DOCKS BOMBED (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 11.45 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 3. Blenheim bombers, escorted by fighters, attacked the docks at Ostend this afternoon and started several fires. Au enemy fighter, was destroyed. Three* of our fighters are missing from this and other operations to-day, ENEMY SUPPLY SHIP SET ON FIRE V (British Official Wireless.) (Rec. 10 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 3. Hurricanes attacked an enemy supply ship escorted by seven flak ships off Gravelines this morning. One flak ship was sunk, the supply ship and three flak ships set on fire, and the remaining three badly damaged. j