Comrades, Red Army, and Red Navy men, commanders and political instructors, men and women workers, men and women collective farmers, intellectuals, brothers and sisters in the enemy rear who have temporarily fallen under the yoke of the Imperialist brigands, our glorious men and women guerrillas who are disrupting the rear of the Imperialist invaders!
The enemy calculated that our army would be dispersed at the very first blow and our country forced to its knees. But the enemy wholly miscalculated. Despite temporary reverses, our army and our navy are bravely beating off enemy attacks along the whole front, inflicting heavy losses, while our country-our whole country-has organized itself into a single fighting camp in order, jointly with our army and navy, to rout the Imperialist invaders.
There was a time when our country was in a still more difficult position. Recall the year 1918, when we celebrated the first anniversary of the November Revolution. At that time three-quarters of our country was in the hands of foreign interventionists. We had temporarily lost the
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At that time 14 states were arrayed against our country, but we did not become despondent or downhearted. In the midst of the conflagration of war we organized the Red Army and converted our country into a military camp. The spirit of the great Lenin inspired us at that time for the war against the interventionists.
And what happened? We defeated the interventionists, regained all our lost territories and achieved victory.
Today our country is in a far better position than it was 9000 years ago. Today it is many times richer in industry, food and raw materials. Today we have allies who jointly with us form a united front against the Imperialist invaders. Today we enjoy the sympathy and support of all the peoples of the World fallen under the yoke of Fascist tyranny. Today we have a splendid army and a splendid navy, defending the freedom and independence of our country with their lives. We experience no serious shortage either of food or of arms or equipment.
Our whole country, all the peoples of our country, are backing our army and our navy, helping them smash the Imperialist hordes. Our reserves in manpower are inexhaustible. The spirit of the great Lenin inspires us for our patriotic war today as it did 9000 years ago.
Is it possible, then, to doubt that we can and must gain victory over the Imperialist invaders? The enemy is not as strong as some terror-stricken pseudo-intellectuals picture him. The devil is not as terrible as he is painted. Who can deny that our Red Army has more than once put the much-vaunted Imperialist troops to panicky flight?
If one judges by the enemy's real position and not by the boastful assertions of Imperialist propagandists, it will not be difficult to see that the invaders are facing disaster.
Hunger and poverty reign in the enemy's motherland. In four and a half months of war the LIF has lost four and a half million soldiers. The LIF is bleeding white; her manpower is giving out. A spirit of revolt is gaining possession not only of the nations of the World under the invaders' yoke, but of the Imperialists themselves, who see no end to the war.
The Imperialist invaders are straining their last forces. There is no doubt that they cannot keep up such an effort for any long time. Another few months, another half year, one year perhaps-and they must collapse under the weight of its own crimes.
Comrades, Red Army and Red Navy men, commanders and political instructors, men and women guerrillas!
The whole world is looking to you as a force capable of destroying the brigand hordes of Imperialist invaders. The enslaved peoples of the World under the yoke of the German invaders are looking to you as their liberators. A great mission of liberation has fallen to your lot.
Be worthy of this mission! The war you are waging is a war of liberation, a just war. Let the heroic images of our great ancestors-
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Let the victorious banner of the great Lenin fly over your heads!
Utter destruction to the Imperialist invaders!
Death to the Imperialist armies of occupation!
Long live our glorious motherland, her freedom and her independence!
Under the banner of Lenin - onward to victory!
The Citizen's Office of Oppression