HITLER’S SPEECH

Grey River Argus, 17 March 1942, Page 5

HITLER’S SPEECH

FUTURE OF EUROPE

Spring Offensive to Decide

[Aust. & N.Z. Cable Assn.] LONDON. March 15.

In his speech at the annual ceremony in memory of the Germans killed in the last war. Hitler saitt: Only to-day do we realise the full extent of the preparations of our enemy, but there is only one possible solution—to fight until victory is assured and the enemy destroyed. The German army has been able to avoid the fate of Napoleon, and summer will decide whether the tremendous loss of lives of Russians thrown into the fight has been justified. There can only be one end to the war —the total destruction of the enemy. The Bolsheviks, who could not defeat the German troops and our allies in one winter, will be annihilatingly defeated in the coming summer. The Bolshevik Colossus must be held at a remote distance in its definitive frontiers. While in the Far East the heroic Japanese nation, provoked, scorned and economically strangled, like the German and Italian peoples is destroying the democratic and plutocratic oppressors in vast battles on land and sea and in the air. Here in Europe the ground is being prepared for the true independence of this continent. How the rest of the world runs its life is a matter of indifference to the German people, but any attempt of a non-continential Rower to interfere in the internal affairs of Europe, particularly of our people, must be stopped. What sort of a world Mr Roosevelt chooses to live in is a matter .of indifference to us, but his idea of exploiting Europe for his own requirements, and overthrowing our world which we love, will not only fail, but will collapse. The French war-guilt trial at Riom is characterised by the fact that these responsible for this wax- have not. been mentioned in a single word of the proceedings, which merely deal with insufficient preparations for war. The mentality appears to us incomprehensible, but reveals perhaps bettei’ than anything else the causes of this war.

Hitler concluded: M(ay God give us strength to continue to carry out what duty demands of us. Hitler spoke in the Zeughaus, Berlin, where captured Russian standards are reported to have been displayed.

Later, Hitlex' placed a wreath on the war memorial in the Unter den Linden, and took the salute when picked battalion, preceded by 60 regimental colours, marched past.