Chapter 4 Telegram congratulating the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Soviet Red Army[1]

(February 21, 1943) Comrade Stalin, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the soldiers of the Red Army: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China warmly celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Red Army and the great victory of the Red Army's counter-offensive on behalf of all Party comrades and the Chinese people. After 25 years of struggle, especially after 20 months of struggle against fascist aggression, the Red Army Day has developed from a "Carnival" for the international working masses to a "Carnival" for all mankind.Freedom-loving people of all nationalities on the five continents have unanimously recognized from personal experience that the Red Army and the Soviet people are the mainstay of resistance to fascist violence and the vanguard of creating a new peaceful world.The offensive of the Red Army in the past three months has aroused cheers and praises all over the world.The military and political lessons of the Red Army's victories are being studied all over the world.The Red Army's offensive is undoubtedly unprecedented in history, and its scale and speed are still increasing.The Red Army launched a counter-offensive on November 19 at the dangerous city[2] on the Volga River, and three months later it jumped to the vicinity of the Dnieper River, more than 600 kilometers west.It was only a matter of time before the Red Army drove the Hitler bandits completely out of the country.Since the Red Army started its war against Germany, the world situation has undergone significant changes. Now, thanks to the victory of the Red Army, the future of the new world has become clearer and more certain.All forms of fascist systems and fascist ideology have lost forever their place in the world.National freedom and political democracy have become the unshakable principles of the new world. We Chinese people welcome the arrival of this new era, and we welcome the unity and efforts of all anti-fascist forces in the world to fight for this new era.Simultaneously with the victory of the Red Army, Britain and the United States also won important victories in North Africa and the United States in the Pacific Ocean.Britain and the United States are actively preparing to fulfill the promise of the second front in Europe[3].For China, both the United States and Britain abolished unequal treaties.The first task of the Chinese people for this new era is to unite themselves more and prepare to expel the Japanese aggressors just as the Red Army expelled the German aggressors.We believe that thanks to the united struggle of the Chinese people, thanks to the victories of the Soviet Union, Britain and the United States and their assistance to China, we will also be able to switch to the counter-offensive and win final victory.

Long live the Red Army and its Supreme Commander Stalin! Long live the victory of the anti-fascist war of aggression! Long live the unity of China, the Soviet Union, Britain and the United States! Mao Zedong, Central Committee of the Communist Party of China According to the publication of "Liberation Daily" on February 22, 1943. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] The Soviet Red Army was established on February 23, 1918. [2] Refers to Stalingrad, which is now Volgograd. [3] The second front in Europe refers to the anti-fascist German battlefield opened up by China, Britain and the United States in World War II on the European continent.On July 18, 1941, in a letter to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Stalin, chairman of the Soviet People's Committee, formally proposed the issue of opening a second front in the west or north of the European continent.After repeated negotiations between the governments of the Soviet Union, Britain, and the United States, an agreement was reached in June 1942. Britain and the United States agreed to open a second European front in 1942.Since then, due to repeated delays by the United Kingdom and the United States, it was not until June 1944 that British and American troops landed in the Normandy region of northwestern France, officially opening the second European battlefield.