RUSSIA AT WAR

Wairarapa Times-Age, 10 March 1943, Page 4

RUSSIA AT WAR

PEOPLE UNITED & FULLY CONFIDENT UNDER STALIN’S LEADERSHIP. SOME REASONS FOR HATRED OF GERMANS. Mr Alexandre Soldatov, First Secretary to the Soviet Legation in Canberra, who recently arrived in Australia, said in an interview with the “Sydney Morning Herald” that some people wondered why the Russians were confident of victory. “I could give a number of reasons,” he said. “The main reason is our belief in our leadership and our great leader, Stalin.” Mr Soldatov said that he hoped relations between his country and Australia would be very successful both during the war and after. In answer to a question whether the Russians had any intention of stopping at the border, he replied: “It is very difficult to say anything about future developments in the war operations. This is a matter tb be decided by the High Command. One thing is clear—we are going to rout the Hitlerite Germans. We are not going to spare any efforts and we are putting all our energy into the complete defeat of the Germans.” “As to the conditions in our country now,” Mr Soldatov said, “the main impression is that all our people are working for the war. Industry is well planned and switched over to war production and everything unessential has been eliminated. “Take our manpower: It is engaged not only on the front, but in all branches of war work. Our women are fully engaged not only on war production, in the fields, and in harvesting, and so on, but in the military field as nurses and doctors. I think you have heard about our medical service on the front. “I recently met a friend of mine in Moscow who had come from the front. He is commander of a Guard Regiment there. He was twice seriously wounded and recovered at that time. He was going to join his regiment. The fact that he recovered was wonderful. “He told me about his parents. He came to a little town where his parents were living, and he was told by the people who remained that his parents had been burned by the Germans because the Germans knew that he was commander of a Red Army regiment. Therefore, you can understand his hatred of the Germans and his determination to destroy all Hitlerites. “Our hatred of the Geramns is so great because we feel that our Socialistic achievement in the field of construction of a new and happier life for our people has been endangered by the Germans, who would dare to destroy it. Our people feel towards our way of life as a mother feels for her child. You understand the feeling of the mother to the enemy who tries to kill her child. All men, women,. and children have been affected by the' war. “The Germans thought they would easily frighten our people into capitulation. But they have failed. Our people from the outset of hostilities were sure of our victory in spite of our great losses.”