Unfinished Business

Adolf Hitler said last week that he had beaten Russia. He meant that he was beating Russia. He may have had good reason to be sure of the eventual outcome, but he still had a heap of winning to do before he could lay a bearskin on Germany's living-room floor.

He still had to defeat the remaining Ukraine armies of the whiskery horseman, Semion Budenny (see p. 21). He still had to crack Odessa, with its cauterizing artillery. He still had to take the Crimea, with its naval base. He still had to crush Leningrad, with its 16 divisions and millions of angry civilians (see p. 23). Above all, he still had to wrench Moscow, at the center of Russia's web of communications, from its defenders (see p. 21). Unquestionably, he still had work to do.

Why, since these things were so, did Adolf Hitler say he had already beaten Russia?

The clear inference was that he had to say it because his own people were full of anxiety about the way the war with Russia was dragging. The millions at their radios, the thousands who packed Berlin's Sport-palast, the few dozen handpicked disabled veterans who sat close to the podium where Hitler spoke--all knew that this war had already taken a terrible toll in lives and hardship. He had to say it because he himself was full of anxiety lest British and U.S. aid make the war drag even more.

Whether or not Adolf Hitler succeeded in reassuring his own people, only their hearts could tell.

But Hitler had another good reason for declaring that he had beaten Russia: the hope of convincing the U.S. people. The only cogent answer to the democracies' obvious strategic need of aiding Russia is the argument that Russia is already almost defeated--that aid would therefore arrive, as usual, too late.

The nub of Adolf Hitler's confident speech, the passage in which he concentrated on both his aims, native and foreign, was this:

On June 22, in the morning, the greatest battle in the history of the world started. Since then something like three and a half months have elapsed and here I say this:

Everything since then has proceeded according to plan. During the whole period the initiative has not been taken even for a second out of the hands of our leadership.

Up to the present day every action has developed just as much according to plan as formerly in the east against Poland and then against the west and finally against the Balkans.

But I must say one thing at this point: We have not been wrong in our plans. We have also not been mistaken about the efficiency and bravery of the German soldier. Nor have we been mistaken about the quality of our weapons.

We have not been mistaken about the smooth working of the whole organization at the front and extending over a gigantic area in the rear. Neither have we been mistaken about the German homeland.

We have, however, been mistaken about one thing.

We had no idea how gigantic the preparations of this enemy were against Germany and Europe and how immeasurably great was the danger, how by the skin of our teeth we have escaped the destruction not only of Germany but also of Europe.

That I can say now. I say it only today because I can say that this enemy is already broken and will never rise again.

But elsewhere in his speech, Adolf Hitler belied his own pluperfect complacence by a reference to definitely unfinished business:

For the last 48 hours an operation of gigantic proportions is again in progress, which will help to smash the enemy in the east.

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