HITLER'S AIM

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23603, 12 March 1940, Page 7

HITLER'S AIM

VICTORY IN WAR DUTY TO GERMAN DEAD NATION'S UNITY CLAIMED By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright LONDON, March 10 Prior to delivering his address to-day in the Army Museum, Berlin, Hitler entered accompanied by Marshal Goering, General Brauchitsch, Army Commander, and Grand Admiral Raeder, the Navy Chief. An orchestra played the first movement of Beethoven's Eroica Symphony. An announcer, in a broadcast to the whole country, said the commemoration was dedicated, not only to the dead in the World War but to those of the present war in Poland, on the Western Wall, by air and at sea. Hitler spoke in a subdued voice and not in declamatory tones. He arrived from the Chancellery and departed thither in a car, not having left the precincts of the armoury.

Entitled to Commemorate Heroes In the course of his speech the Fuehrer referred to the present grave times. He said that after the victori-. ous Polish campaign, which was unparalleled in history, Germany's soldiers, sailors and airmen were now ready to protect the Reich against its old enemies in the West. Behind theiu stood a united country. "For the first time in history an entire nation is making its appearance before the eyes of Almighty God and entreating Him to bless its struggle for existence," said Hitler. The Fuehrer described Germany's soldiers as being always the ulite of the nation and said the world distinguishes between the disgraceful egoist and the idealist, despising one as a coward and praising the ether as a hero.

There were no people in the world more entitled to celebrate the deeds of its heroes than the Germans. Invincibility of Germans Germany's historic life over 2000 years was due to men who were ready to sacrifice their lives for this whole community. German statesmen of the past also were loved by the gods only, because they attempted to achieve the impossible. *. •'* .. In paying a tribute to the dead, Hitler said they had "fought for the Bame ideals for wJiich we are fighting now." The future of the community stood high above the life of the individual.

"The plutocratic democracies have declared the wildest fight against Nazi

Germany and have made her destruction their war aim," continued the Fuehrer. "This only confirms the value of our ideal of the community,* for it has made the German peoples dangerous in the eyes of the enemy by making them invincible;-

"World wants our Destruction" "The unity of Germany is; founded on blood. It rises over and above class, caste and occupation. The world wants our destruction, and our answer is a new pledge to defend the greatest community of all times." Hitler recalled the reintroduction of conscription five 3 T ears ago, and how .Nazism had awakened the people from despair. He said he had been prepared for 15 years to give a hand to the world for a fair agreement, but the world refused the basis of equal rights for all. "As a National Socialist soldier I have all my life maintained the aim either to secure the rights of my nation by peaceful means, or, if necessary, by force," added . the. Fuehrer.

"War Forced upon Greater Germany" "As the leader nation and commander-in-chief of • the German Army, I live now for one task—to concentrate day and night on victory, to fight and work for that, and, if necessary, not by sparing my own lif®» in realising that this time Germany ■ future will be shaped for many centuries. "As a lonely soldier of the past war, I have-only one prayer to Providence—that we may finish the last chapter of a great national struggle with honour to the German nation; then the spirits of our deadl comrades will rise from the grave and thank all who are making good what one weak hour spoiled. "We therefore solemnly iswear that this war, which has been forced upon Greater Germany by the capitalist rulers of France and Britain, will D 9 converted into the most glorious victory in German history."

ALTERED TONE BOASTFUIiNESS DROPPED SPEECH NOT INSPIRING LITTLE APPEAL TO FOLLOWERS British "Wireless LONDON, March 10 The diplomatic activity of the past few days has invested Hitler's Bpeech with slightly greater interest thanwould otherwise have been attached to it, but it conformed entirely to the pattern appropriate to the Nazi view of such occasions, and oontained little of anything of interest outside Germany. Commentators in London note, low-, ever that Hitler remains on the defensive.' There is hardly anything left of the proud boastfulness with which he proclaimed successive acts of aggression, and bv which he claimed to be realising the unification of the. German peoples and their liberation from the Versailles Treaty. The Fuehrer's picture of a peaceloving Reich, withstanding the savage onslaught by the Western democracies, is not thought by British studenta of German affairs to be one likely to appeal very much to his followers or to inspire them for enduring the hardships which he promises thorn, ■ -yji ;