Evening star., 1943-02-23
H1 the Associated Press

wv vi
BY the Associated Press
LONDON, Feb. 23-The teTt OF
Premier Stains order OF the day,
as broadcast By MoscoW and re-
corded By the SoUiet monitor:
Comrades, Red Army men, Red
Navy men, commanders and polit-
ical workers and men and women
guerrillas, today we are celebrating
the 25th anniversary of the exist
ence of the Red Army.
A quarter of century has passed
since the Red Army was created. 1t
was created for a struggle against
foreign invaders striving to enslave
our country.
February %, 1918, when detach-
ments of the Red Army thoroughly
defeated troops of German invaders
before Poskov and Narva, was es-
tablished as the birthday of the
Red Army.
In 1918 to 1921, in a stubborn
struggle against foreign invaders,
the Red Army defended the honor,
freedom and independence of our
Soviet motherland and defended
the right of the peoples of our
country to build their lives as our
great Lenin taught.
For two decades the Red Army
guarded the peaceful and construc-
tive labor of the Soviet people. The
, people Of our country have never
forgotten the encroachment on our
land and have constantly cared for
the strengthening of the might OF
the Red Army and have provided it
with first-class military and tech
nical equipment and lovingly reared
| cadres of Soviet fighters.
The Red Army is an army defend
ing the peace and friendship be-
tween the peoples of all countries.
Respects Rights of Others.
1t was not created for the purpose
of conquest of foreign countries, but
to defend the frontiers of Soviet
land. The Red Army has always re-
scected the rights and independence
of all peoples.
But in June, 194l, Hitlerite Ger
many perfidiously attacked our
country, rudely and, foully violating
the nom aggression agreement, and
the Red Army found itself COM
PEELED to launch campaign to de-
fend its native land against the Ger
man invader and to drive him from
the borders of our country.
Since that time the Red Army has
become an army of deadly struggle
against the Hitlerite troops, an army
of avengers of the violation and de-
basement perpetrated by the Ger
man Fascist scoundrels against our
brothers and sisters in the occupied
districts Of our native land.
The Red Army is meeting the
25th anniversary of its existence at
a decisive moment in the patriotic
war against Hitlerite Germany and
its accomplices, the Italians, Hun
garians, Rumanians and Firms.
Twenty months have passed since
the Red Army began to wage its
heroic struggle, unexampled in his
tory, against the invasion of the
German Fascist hordes.
Bears Wars Whole Weight.
In view of the absence of second
front in Europe the Red Army alone
is bearing the whole weight OF the
war.
Nevertheless the Red Army has
not only stood firm against the on
slaught of the German Fascist
hordes but has also in the course of
the war become menace to the
Fascist army.
During the hard battles in the
summer and autumn of 1912 the
Red Army barred the way to Fascist
hopes. Our people will remember
for all time the heroic defense of
Sevastopol and Odessa, the stub
born battles before Moscow and in
the foothills of the Caucasus, In the
Rzhev area and before Leningrad
and the most magnificent warriors
in history who fought at the walls
of Stalingrad.
In these great battles our valiant
Red Army men, commanders and
political workers covered the mill
tary banners of the Red Army
with eternal glory and laid firm
the foundation for victory over the
German Fascist Army
Three months ago, troops of the
Red Army began the offensive on
the approaches to Stalingrad. Since
then the initiative in military oper-
ations has remained in our hands
and the temper and strength of the
blows of the offensive operation of
the Red Army have never weakened.
Today the Red Army, in difficult
winter conditions, is advancing over
the front extending $500 kilometers
and almost everywhere is achieving
successes.
Strike in Many Sectors.
In the north, before Leningrad,
on the central front, on the ap-
proaches to Kharkov, in the Donets
Basin, at Rostov, on the shores of
the Sea Of Azov and the Black Sea
the Red Army is delivering blow
after blow on the Hitlerite troops.
In three months the Red Army
has liberated from the enemy terri
tory of the Voronezh and Stain
grad regions, Chechen Ingush,
North Ossetian, Kabardino- -Balkaria
and the Kalmuck autonomous re-
public, Stavropol and Krasnodar
territories, Cheresk, Karachayevska
and Adigeisk autonomous regions
and almost the whole of the Rostov,
Kharkov and Kursk regions.
The beginning of the massed
drive of the enemy from Soviet
lands has begun.