Hitler's Celebration
The tenth anniversary of Hitler's accession to power was an occasion on which the leaders of the Nazi party did not conceal their gloom. Hitler himself made a lame excuse for not reading his own proclamation, and Goering, once so profuse in promises of immunity from British bombing, suffered the indignity of post- poning his broadcast for an hour till the British bombers had gone. The crushing defeats of the German armies in Russia, and their lack of success elsewhere, have compelled the Nazis to change the technique of their propaganda. Hitherto Hitler has been represented as the infallible organiser of victories, confronted by enemies power- less to stand up against his irresistible strength. But now his appeal is not to the success-motive, but to fear. Russia, says Goering, has " three, four, or five times as many tanks, and ten times as many aeroplanes as we thought she had." Hitler sees themehace of the Central Asiatic flood let loose to " surge over'4-tfie oldest civilised continent." The appeal, then, is in the first place to the German people to work harder and fight harder against an enemy who now threatens their very existence ; and in the second place to all and sundry to join Germany in defence of culture against barbarism. Both leaders refrain from their usual taunts at Britain's expense. Goering is content to remark that "England has never understood Europe," implying that if she had she would have sided with Germany against the barbarian invader. But even the Nazi leaders cannot imagine that today any but Germans will accept Germany as the citadel of culture. They are faced with the bitterness not only of being beaten by Russia, but of seeing all the neutral world applaud Russia's victory.
