Chapter 108 Lessons from History[1]

(October 14, 1942) On October 4, Stalin responded to an American journalist's question about "how much resistance existed in the Soviet Union" and said: "I think that the Soviet Union's ability to resist German bandits is no less, if not greater, than fascist Germany or any other pursuit. The aggressive country that dominates the world." On October 5, Moscow's "Pravda" editorial said: "The war of resistance in Stalingrad shattered Hitler's huge plan. , Baku, advance." These words were proved by October 8th and 9th.On October 8, the spokesman of the German army announced: "We will no longer use artillery and engineers to attack Stalingrad." One of the reasons is that, as announced by the Soviet Intelligence Agency on October 9: "The Soviet army has already broken through the Stalingrad industrial zone. The encirclement line and hold the new position." The second reason is that, as stated in a Reuters telegram on October 10: "Yesterday, the German army was forced to transfer part of its attack on Stalingrad to the northwest sector, because the area was being attacked by the Soviet Liberation Army. All this, that is to say, the attack of the Red Army from both the front and the northern flank of the city forced Hitler to despair of the attack of the city and to put himself practically on the defensive day by day.More than a month ago, some people were hastily discussing the situation after the fall of the Caucasus. They misjudged the strength of the Soviet and German armies.Hitler had a "huge plan", but this plan, as "Pravda" said, was shattered by the Stalingrad War of Resistance.

The contradiction between Hitler's strength and his ambition was an important reason for his failure.This contradiction is manifested in his policy of avoiding the real and striking the false.Leningrad and Moscow were considered to be avoided, so he concentrated his forces on a corner of the southern front.In July he fought desperately for Voronezh, failed to open it, and avoided it.Desperately fighting for Kretzky, unable to open it, and avoiding it.As a result, the attack points were concentrated on Stalingrad and the northern foot of the Caucasus. This was unavoidable.But this was a last escape, that is to say, a forced abandonment of the offensive and a defensive position, as Hitler was now in.Hitler hadn't issued a general cessation of the offensive today, and he might have tried to make a final push, but the game was over, irrevocably.All the places he avoided became the starting point for the Red Army to attack him. At present, the Red Army is attacking the German army from Kretzky to the north corner of the city.This would force Hitler to give up finally all his strategic offensives.

The direct battle to defend the city of Si began on August 23 when the German army crossed the meander of the Don River, but the significance of the battle of the meander to the city of Si was extremely great.Throughout July, the Germans fought from Kharkov to the Don River.During this period, the Red Army took a strategic retreat, and the Germans gained nothing.On July 30, Berlin announced that the German army would cross the Don River on the 250-kilometer front from Chimryansk to Rostov and the lower reaches of the Don River.I don't know if it was the original plan of the German army, or because the victory of crossing the river dazzled the German general Bock's mind, he divided 20 divisions from the entire field army, and chased the retreating Red Army in the direction of the Caucasus, and reached Kuban in mid-August. River Basin, but because the German army unexpectedly encountered the tenacious resistance of the Red Army.Until today (October 14th) the German army has only obtained a small oil field in Maykop.There is also a relatively large oil field called Grozne in the northern Caucasus. On August 13th, the League said: "The road to Grozne is very smooth. The only concern at present is that the German army Whether the offensive can give the Red Army enough time to completely destroy the oil field.” However, it has been two full months since he said this and today, Hitler is still elusive about this oil field.As for the desire to reach the Baku area to eat the fattest swan meat, the German army did climb the Caucasus mountain pass unjustly.On August 23, the Haitong News Agency declared, "At ten o'clock in the morning on August 21, the German Mountain Army raised the German battle flag on the 5,630-meter-high Mount Elbrus", indicating that the fascists The ecstasy of vampires.However, I don't know whether this battle flag was given to the Red Army or dragged down the mountain by the fascists themselves. In short, it was an empty joy.I heard that Polk has now been dismissed by Hitler (Reuters, October 9), so where is his mistake? Perhaps the first point is the division of troops to the Caucasus.On the one hand, the Red Army resolutely guarded the meander of the Don River, but on the other hand, it induced the Pokfu water to flow to the Kuban River, thus reducing the pressure on Stalingrad.

The Battle of Hequ began at the turn of July and August. The Red Army fought bravely until August 23 before abandoning its position in the area around Kerch on the east bank of the Don River.Without this battle, if the German army did not have the 23-day obstruction and great consumption of Hequ, the direct defense of Sicheng would be difficult. From August 23rd, when the German army crossed the river to September 15th, when the German army entered the industrial zone of Sicheng, the Red Army spent another 23 days in the area between the Don River and Sicheng with a depth of 50 to 60 kilometers.Without the second twenty-three days, the defense of Sicheng would be difficult.

From September 15, when the German army broke into the industrial area, to October 9, when the Red Army's Ludinshev troops broke through the German line in the area, during the 24 days, it was a period of extremely fierce street fighting. The pressure crushed the German attack. From then on, Hitler completely turned into a passive position. The contradiction between his strength and his ambition was finally exposed, and he would be crushed by this contradiction. On September 30, when Hitler mentioned the Red Army in his speech at the Sports Palace in Berlin, he had no choice but to say, "That is an enemy who does not know mercy. They are not human beings but beasts", indicating that he seemed to have hoped that the Red Army would pay him Talk about compassion.The entire Soviet-German War has proved that as long as people do not show mercy to fascists, that is to say, if they have more courage, fascism will fail. This is the lesson of history.

How would the Japanese fascists feel after seeing Hitler's disastrous defeat? Or should they go to Vladivostok to try it out? It is reliable but not merciful.The contradiction between Japan's strength and its ambition must crush Japanese fascism to pieces. According to the publication of "Liberation Daily" on October 14, 1942. -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ note [1] This is an editorial written by Mao Zedong for the Yan'an "Liberation Daily".