Evening star., 1943-01-31

to the "camouflaged' Russian war
against Finland before Germany at
tackled Russia the following year.
Goering said:
While the Russians had few
armies fighting Finland with partly
equipped obsolete arms they spent
the last decade and half building
up the most powerful armaments
which ever had been made by any
nation
Still later: The strength of the
Russians was known, but the Fueh-
rer's intuition warned him we must
attack all the same"
Recounts Hardships.
He recounted the hardships en-
countered in the Russian campaign
year sgo-When "the Fuehrer. with
his display of toughness, held the
whole German front himself
| hiAi SoiiNiilCcu, ile Sdlu III an
obvious reference to Russia's present
and even greater winter offensive,
that Russia is now using her last
reserves"
| At another point he said Russian
losses were SO huge that "icy-cold
onudders run down ones back if one
sees these losses
He did not mention German cas-
/ ualties.
The man who once boasted that
Germans had their choice between
guns and butter and chose guns,
kept emphasizing Russias strength
and the need of German unity to
combat 1t.
Russia hardly had pencils for
the people in general" he said. The
whole industry worked with a single
aim and Russia placed emphasis
only on the four branches of her
| arms, namely, tanks, anti-tank guns,
alrplanes and anti-aricraft defense
ut is not easy to fight Russia.
Our enemy is hard, his leadership
barbaric, and disobedience means
death"
Stresses Soviet Danger.
Goering kept stressing, too, what
he said was the danger to'all Europe
Of Russian victory. This was seen
as an appeal to Axis allies to stand
firm, and also an attempt to recruit
presently neutral States against
Russia.
"Bolshevism would not halt at the
Swedish or Swiss or any other bor-
der" In the event of a German col
lapse, he said. "Bolshevism would
flood Europe to its extreme corner"
He recalled the visit to Berlin of
Foreign Minister Molotov of Rus
sia. That was after Germany had
sought and gained non aggression
pact with Russia, only to attack
the Soviets on June %, 1941.
Goering said Molotov hinted that
a good understanding was possible
If Germany would close her eyes
to second attack on Finland.
"The Russian would have imme-
diately stretched out his hand to
the Swedish ore fields and secure
for himself ice free ports,' he said
in developing this theme He
wanted to take Rumania and from
there advance into the Balkans via
Bulgaria"
In what may have been refer
ence to increasing discomfort in
Germany over reverses in Russia,
Goering next said:
ut must be the greatest shame
for a German if he, instead of
working or fighting, is gas-bagging
and criticizing. He must be ex-
posed to the disdain Of the whole
nation"
Stalingrad Fight Cited.
OF the situation at Stalingrad,
where the Russians trapped 100000
men of Col Gen. Friedrich Paulus'
9th Army and now are killing or
capturing the last few thousand
survivors, Goering said:
The fighters of Stalingrad have
now taken the burden of this heroic
struggle on their shoulders Had
they not brought these 60 or 10 or
even 80 Russian divisions On them
selves, had they also broken out
then with the others, the Russians
would probably have attained their
objective.
Now they are too late German
resistance has been organized. 1t
could be organized and new lines
fortified because out therein the
wreckage of that town heroes
fought and are still fighting.
And even if there are only
few of them, as long as one single
one remains the fight goes on and
| the Russians know It,"
This law everyone must obey"
he added, "the law to die for Ger
many whenever the life of Ger
many makes this demand upon
YOU
A concluding promise was that
'the Fuehrer will lead us to the
greatest of all German victories"