HITLER’S BOASTS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20660, 10 January 1942, Page 5

HITLER’S BOASTS

INSPIRED LEADERSHIP

FAILURES OF LAST YEAR

LONDON, Dec. 31

Hitler has now staked his own fortune and the .destiny of the German people upon the promptings of his intuition, but his failure to make good his boasting of 1941 has proved the “inner voice” claim to be “well out.” During the year his main prognostications were: —

(1) Britain would be starved into submission by U-boats. (2) The Germans would walk over Russia as they did France. Asking if Hitler’s “infallibility” can still deceive Germany, J. C. Johnstone, in an article in the Daily Telegraph, points out that, according to Hitler’s recent proclamation, it was in response to an “inward call” that he appointed himself generalissimo in February, 1938, and thus enjoyed the preponderant say in the Supreme War Council.

The Fuehrer last new year announced: “The New Year will bring the completion of the greatest victory in history.” He said on March 17: “Cool and determined, we will not fail, in 1941 to complete what we began last year.” Thereafter, he gave prophecy for the rest of the six months, lout on October 10 issued his notorious order of the day, announcing that Russia would receive the coup de grace before winter. Instead, whenever the Germans survey their front, whether at Leningrad, Moscow, Rostov or Libya, they behold their armies at various stages of retreat, differing from one another only in velocity and degree of peril.