Evening star., 1941-03-17
BERLIN, March T.-The teTt
of Adolf HitIer's memorial ad-

| of Adolf Hitler's memorial dd-
dress yesterday tollo1DS:
For the second time we enter this
room for memorial service to our
people. Even more than year ago
we appreciate how inadequate are
words to express the nations thank
| fulness to its heroes. In times of
long peace, the memory of the ter
rible experiences of war, out of which
rise heroism, gradually grows dim.
1t even happens that a whole gen.
Grafton knows nothing of war as such
and honors its heroes without being
in the least worthy of them.
In such a circumstance the great
est sacrifice of man is acknowledged
with superficial phrases. There is
even danger that while remembering
heroes of times past the men of the
present regard themselves as free
of the obligation to conduct them
selves with a similar spirit Of
heroism.
But if the German people in the
year 1941 honors its heroes it does
so at a time and under circumstances
which give it a right to hold up its
head with pride as it pays tribute
to men of the near and distant past
who sacrificed their lives for the
state.
They Expected to Crush Reich.
AS u months ago in this conse-
Grated hall we turned our thoughts
to our heroes there lay behind us
the thoroughly successful beginning
of a war which Germany did not
want, but which was forced on us
by the same forces which were re-
sponsible before in history for the
great war of the peoples in 1914 and
1918.
They were the elements whose goal
! that time was to rob the German
nation of the most primitive right
of life, who in the years of the Yer
sailles dictate, raised as the dogma
of the new world order political
enslavement and economic impo-
tence, and now are opposed to the
revival of our people with the same
hatred with which they once pur-
sued the Second Reich.
In complete misjudgment of the
situation, in a sadly false estimate
of their own and Germany's power,
and in complete ignorance of the
will and determination of the new
German leadership, they expected
a second crushing of our people
would be easy as the first attempt.
Blame Laid on Churchill.
The fact that the American Gen.
Wood before the Investigation Com
mittee of the American Senate
testified that as early as 1886
Churchill told him Germany was
getting too strong again and must
be destroyed in a new war, estab-
lished firmly in history the real
responsibility for present develop
mentS.
England and France alone wanted
war-not so much the people as
a thin stratum of political and
financial leadership behind which,
welding its last power, stood inter-
national Jewry and it's world con-
spiracies Of democracy and Free
Masonry.
But it was the hope of these
responsible wafmakers which thrust
Poland forward, not only to attain
outward justification for war but
also to make sure in advance that
Poland would play its World War
role of dividing German strength.
The 18-day campaign in Poland
was but the precipitous end of these
hopes. Under these circumstances
the German people were able to
enter the year 1910 with proud con-
fidence. But our people did not
deceive themselves as to the year
lying ahead. The battle in the west,
which remains in the memory of
every living German World War
soldier as an episode of suffering
without end, had to be decided. In
exact knowledge of our prepara-
tions and plans, in boundless con-
fldence in the German. soldier,
his armament and leadership and
ability. and before all in his attitude,
I dared on Memorial Day, 1910, to
predict the battle before us would
end in the most glorious victory in
our history.
Eight weeks later this battle
started.
British French Front Crushed.
But before the defense forces
struck in the West what was prob
ably the most important decision OF
the war was taken. On April 9,
with just few hours to spare, a
dangerous British attempt to strike
German defense powers in the heart
from the north was anticipated. At
dawn on May 10 this perhaps most
dangerous threat to our military
and political position had been
swept aside. So the battle to q de-
cision h the West could begin. y