Hitler'sOrderoftheDaytotheGermanTroopsontheEasternFront

IssuedOctober2,1941.
Filledwiththegreatestconcernfortheexistenceandfutureofourpeople,I
decidedonJune22toappealtoyoutoanticipateinthenickoftime
threateningaggressionbyoneopponent[theSovietUnion].
ItwastheintentionoftheKremlinpowersasweknowtodaytodestroy
notonlyGermanybutallEurope.
God'smercyonourpeopleandtheentireEuropeanworldifthisbarbaric
enemyhadbeenabletomovehistensofthousandsoftanksbeforewe
movedours!
AllEuropewouldhavebeenlost,forthisenemydoesnotconsistofsoldiers,
butamajorityofbeasts.
Soldiers,whenIcalledonyouonJune22towardofftheterribledanger
menacingourhomelandyoufacedthebiggestmilitarypowerofalltimes.
Withinafewweekshisthreemostimportantindustrialregionswillbe
completelyinourhands.Yournames,soldiersoftheGermanarmedforces,
andthenamesofourbraveallies,thenamesofyourdivisionsandregiments
andyourtankforcesandairsquadrons,willbeassociatedforalltimewith
themosttremendousvictoriesinhistory.
Youhavetakenmorethan2,400,000prisoners,destroyedorcapturedmore
than17,500tanksandmorethan21,600piecesofartillery.Fourteen
thousandtwohundredplaneswerebroughtdownordestroyedonthe
ground.
TheworldhithertoneverhasexperiencedsimilareventsSinceJune22the
strongestfortificationshavebeenpenetrated,tremendousstreamshavebeen
crossed,innumerablelocalitieshavebeenstormedandfortressesand
casematesystemshavebeencrushedorsmokedout.
Fromfarinthenorth,whereoursuperblybraveFinnishalliesgaveevidence

oftheircourageasecondtime,downtoCrimeayoustandtodaytogether
withSlovak,Hungarian,ItalianandRumaniandivisionsroughly1,000
kilometersdeepintheenemy'scountry.
Spanish,CroatandBelgianunitsnowjoinyouandotherswillfollow.This
fightperhapsforthefirsttimeisrecognizedbyallEuropeannationsasa
commonactiontosafeguardthefutureofthismostculturalcontinent.
Thisoutstandingachievementofonestrugglewasobtainedwithsacrifices
that,howeverpainfulinindividualcases,inthetotalamounttonotyetfive
percentofthoseoftheWorldWar
Duringthesethreeandahalfmonths,mysoldiers,theprecondition,atleast,
hasbeencreatedforalastmightyblowthatshallcrushthisopponentbefore
Wintersetsin.
AllpreparationshavebeenmadeWecannowstrikeadeadlyblow.
Todaybeginsthelastgreatdecisivebattleofthisyear.Itwillhitthisenemy
destructivelyandwithittheinstigatoroftheentirewar,Englandherself.For
ifwecrushthisopponent,wealsoremovethelastEnglishallyonthe
[European]Continent.
ThuswewillfreetheGermanReichandentireEuropefromamenace
greaterthananysincethetimeoftheHunsandlateroftheMongoltribes.
TheGermanpeople,therefore,willbewithyoumorethaneverbefore
duringthefewensuingweeks.Whatyouandalliedsoldiershaveachieved
alreadymeritsourdeepestthanks.
Withbatedbreath,theblessingoftheentireGermanhomeland
accompaniesyouduringtheharddaysahead.WiththeLord'saidyounot
onlywillbringvictorybutalsothemostessentialconditionforpeace.
TheFuehrer'sHeadquarters:Oct.2,1941.
AdolfHitlerFueherandSupremeCommanderoftheArmedForces.