USSR's President of the National Defence Commission radio speech - July 3, 1941
| USSR President of the National Defence Commission radio speech - July 3, 1941 (1941) by (unknown translator) |
| July 3, 1941. Stalin's first radio speech |
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Radio Speech
President of the National Defence Commission
I.V STALIN.
July 3, 1941.
Comrades! Citizens, Brothers and Sisters! Men of our army and navy!
I am addressing you, my friends!
The perfidious military attack of Nazi Germany in our country, which began on June 22 - continues. Despite the heroic resistance of the Red Army, despite the fact that the enemy's finest divisions and finest airforce units have already been smashed and have met their doom on the battlefield, the enemy continues to push forward, hurling fresh forces. Hitler's troops succeeded in capturing Lithuania, a considerable part of Latvia, the western part of Belarus, part of western Ukraine. The fascist airforce is extending the operations of its bombers, bombing Murmansk, Orsha, Mogilev, Smolensk, Kiev, Odessa, Sevastopol. Hangs over our country in grave danger.
How could it happen that our glorious Red Army surrendered a number of Nazi troops in our cities and regions? Is the German troops are indeed invincible army, as is ceaselessly trumpeted boastful fascist propagandists?
Of course not! History shows that no invincible armies and never have been. Napoleon's army was considered invincible, but it was beaten by Russian, English and German armies. Wilhelm's German Army during the First World War, was also considered invincible, but it's beaten several times by the Russian and Anglo-French forces and was finally smashed by the Anglo-French forces. The same is true of the current German-fascist army of Hitler. This army had not yet met with serious resistance on the continent of Europe. Only on our territory, it met serious resistance. And if as a result of this resistance, the finest divisions of the German fascist army have been defeated by our Red Army, it means that Hitler's fascist army can be defeated and will be defeated, as were defeated by the armies of Napoleon and Wilhelm.
With regard to the fact that part of our territory having nevertheless been seized by Nazi troops, it is mainly explained by the fact that the war of fascist Germany against the USSR began under conditions favorable for the German forces and unfavorable for the Soviet troops. The fact that the troops in Germany as a country at war, were already fully mobilized, and 170 divisions hurled by Germany against the USSR and brought to the borders of the Soviet Union were in a state of complete readiness, only awaiting the signal for action, whereas Soviet troops was more mobilization and move to the frontier. Considerable importance in this respect is the fact that fascist Germany suddenly and treacherously violated the Non-Aggression Pact, signed in 1939 between her and the Soviet Union, ignoring the fact that it will be recognized by the world as the aggressor. Naturally, our peace-loving country, not wanting to take the initiative in breaking the pact, could not resort to perfidy.
One might ask how it could happen that the Soviet Government decided to conclude a nonaggression pact with such treacherous fiends as Hitler and Ribbentrop? Was this not an error on the part of the Soviet Government a mistake? Of course not! Non-aggression pact is a pact of peace between states. It was such a pact Germany proposed to us in 1939. Could the Soviet Government have declined such a proposal? I think that no peace-loving state could decline a peace treaty with a neighboring state, if the head of this power are even such monsters and cannibals as Hitler and Ribbentrop. And it certainly is one indispensable condition - if the peace agreement does not infringe either directly or indirectly on the territorial integrity, independence and honor of the peace-loving nation. As you know, non-aggression pact between Germany and the USSR is precisely such a pact.
What we gain by concluding the German non-aggression pact? We secured our country peace for a half, and the opportunity to prepare their forces to repulse fascist Germany should she risk an attack on our country despite the pact. This is a definite advantage for us and a disadvantage for fascist Germany.
That won, and that Nazi Germany was defeated by treacherously tearing up the pact and attacking the USSR? She has gained a certain advantageous position for her troops for a short period of time, but she has lost politically by exposing herself in the eyes of the world, as blood-thirsty aggressor. There can be no doubt that this short-lived military gain for Germany is only an episode, while the tremendous political gain of the USSR is a serious and long-term factor, on which development of decisive military successes of the Red Army in the war against Nazi Germany.
That is why all our valiant army, all of our valiant Navy, all of our falcons, all the peoples of our country, all the best people in Europe, America and Asia, finally, all the best people in Germany - condemn the treacherous acts of German fascists and sympathetic to the Soviet Government, approve the conduct of the Soviet government and see that our cause is just, that the enemy will be defeated, that we must win.
By the imposed war our country has entered into mortal combat with his arch-enemy and treacherous - German fascism. Our troops are fighting heroically against an enemy armed to the teeth with tanks and aircraft. The Red Army and Red Navy, overcoming many difficulties, selflessly fight for every inch of Soviet soil. In the battle enter the main forces of the Red Army, armed with thousands of tanks and aircraft. The bravery of the Red Army - unprecedented. Our resistance to the enemy is growing and growing. Together with the Red Army to defend the homeland ascends the entire Soviet people.
What is required in order to eliminate the danger hanging over our country, and what measures must be taken in order to defeat the enemy?
First of all, it is necessary that our people, the Soviet people understood the depth of the danger that threatens our country, and abandon all complacency, from complacency, the mood of peaceful construction, it is clear before the war, but harmful at the present time, when war has fundamentally changed position. The enemy is cruel and implacable. He is out to seize our lands, watered with our sweat, to seize our grain and oil secured by our labor. It aims to restore the rule of landlords, to restore the tsarist, destroy national culture and national statehood Russian, Ukrainians, White Russians, Lithuanians, Latvians, Estonians, Uzbeks, Tatars, Moldovans, Georgians, Armenians, Azerbaijanis and other free nations of the Soviet Union, to Germanize them into the slaves of German princes and barons. The point is, therefore, of life and death of the Soviet state, of life and death for the peoples of the USSR, about that - the peoples of the Soviet Union free or fall into slavery. It is necessary that the Soviet people must realize this and abandon all heedlessness, they must mobilize themselves and reorganize all their work on new, wartime bases, no mercy to the enemy.
Further, there among us that there was no place whimperers and cowards, panic-mongers and deserters, so that our people know no fear in the fight and must selflessly join our national war of liberation against the fascist invaders. Lenin, the great founder of our state, said that the chief virtue of the Soviet people must have the courage, valor, fearlessness in struggle, readiness to fight with the people against the enemies of our country. It is essential that this is the excellent quality of the Bolsheviks became the property of millions of Red Army and our Red Navy and all the peoples of the Soviet Union.
We need to immediately rebuild all of our work on war footing, all subordinated to the interests of the front and the task of organizing the defeat of the enemy. Peoples of the Soviet Union now see that the taming of German fascism in its savage fury and hatred of our country, ensured all workers labor in freedom and prosperity. Peoples of the Soviet Union must rise to defend their rights and their land against the enemy.
The Red Army, Red Navy and all citizens of the Soviet Union must defend every inch of Soviet soil, fight to the last drop of blood for our towns and villages, to show courage, initiative and intelligence that are inherent in our people.
We must organize all-round assistance to the Red Army, ensure powerful reinforcements for its ranks, ensure the supply of everything necessary to organize the rapid transport of troops and military freight and extensive aid to the wounded.
We must strengthen the Red Army's rear, subordinating the interests of this business all their work with greater intensity to the work of all plants to produce more rifles, machine guns, artillery, ammunition, missiles, aircraft, and to organize the guarding of factories, power plants, telephone and telegraph lines, to establish local air defense .
We must wage a ruthless fight against all disorganizers rear, deserters, panic-mongers, rumor-mongers, to destroy the spies, saboteurs, enemy parachutists, rendering rapid in all of this to our destroyer battalions. Must bear in mind that the enemy is crafty, cunning, experienced in deception and the dissemination of false rumors. Need to consider all this and not succumb to provocations. Must be immediately haled before the military tribunal of all those who by their panic-mongering and cowardice hinder the work of defense, no respect of persons.
In case of forced retreat of Red Army must be evacuated, all rolling stock, not to leave the enemy a single engine, single car, do not leave the enemy a single kilogram of bread or gallon of fuel. The collective farmers must drive off all their cattle, grain to the safety of the public authorities for transportation to the rear. All valuable property, including non-ferrous metals, grain and fuel, which can not be withdrawn, must certainly be destroyed.
In the areas occupied by the enemy, guerrilla units, mounted and on foot, to create diversionary groups to combat the enemy troops, to foment guerrilla warfare everywhere, to blow up bridges and roads, damage telephone and telegraph lines, set fire to forests, stores, transports. In the occupied areas to create unbearable conditions for the enemy and all his accomplices, to pursue and destroy them at every step, to thwart all their activities.
This war with fascist Germany can not be considered an ordinary war. It is not only a war between two armies. She is also a great war of the entire Soviet people against Nazi forces. The aim of this national war against the fascist oppressors is not only the elimination of the danger hanging over our country, but also help all European peoples groaning under the yoke of German fascism. In this war of liberation we shall not be alone. In this great war we shall have loyal allies in the peoples of Europe and America, including in person at the German "kind of enslaved Nazi bosses. Our war for the freedom of our fatherland, will merge with the struggle of the peoples of Europe and America for their independence, for democratic freedom. It will be a united front of peoples standing for freedom and against enslavement and threats of enslavement by Hitler's fascist armies. In this connection the historic utterance, the British Prime Minister Churchill's Aid to the Soviet Union and the declaration of the U.S. government's readiness to render assistance to our country, which can only evoke a feeling of gratitude in the hearts of the peoples of the Soviet Union - are fully comprehensible and symptomatic.
Comrades! Our forces are numberless. The overweening enemy will soon learn this. Together with the Red Army many thousands of workers, farmers and intellectuals to fight the enemy aggressor. Rise vast masses of our people. Working people of Moscow and Leningrad have already begun to create many thousands of militia to support the Red Army. In each city, which is in danger invasion of the enemy, we must create such a militia, to raise the struggle of all workers to his chest to defend their freedom, their honor, their country - in our patriotic war against German fascism.
In order to quickly mobilize all the forces of the USSR and to repulse the enemy treacherously attacked our homeland - a State Committee of Defence, in whose hands now concentrated all power in the state. State Defense Committee began its work and calls upon all people to unite around the Party of Lenin and Stalin, the Soviet government for around the selfless support of the Red Army and Red Navy, to defeat the enemy, to win.
All our forces - to support our heroic Red Army and our glorious Red Navy!
All powers of the people - to defeat the enemy!
Forward to our victory!
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