AUGUST 22 - DAILY CHRONICLES OF HISTORY

AUGUST 22

1939

Hitlers Obersalzberg Speech: A week before Germany invaded Poland, Hitler gave this speech to the commanders of the Wehrmacht. He included details of the invasion and the planned, systematic extermination of the Polish people.  The content and precision of these plans indicated his knowledge of the methods of extermination, and his intention of carrying out this genocide.  Nazi documents provided as evidence at the Nuremberg Trials (Nov 20, 1945 – Oct 1, 1946) included the Hitler's Obersalzberg speech. Here is an excerpt, translated to English: ".....Our strength consists in our speed and in our brutality. Genghis Khan led millions of women and children to slaughter – with premeditation and a happy heart. History sees in him solely the founder of a state. It’s a matter of indifference to me what a weak western European civilization will say about me. I have issued the command – and I’ll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a firing squad – that our war aim does not consist in reaching certain lines, but in the physical destruction of the enemy. Accordingly, I have placed my death-head formation in readiness – for the present only in the East – with orders to them to send to death mercilessly and without compassion, men, women, and children of Polish derivation and language. Only thus shall we gain the living space (Lebensraum) which we need. Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?....."

1944

SECRET AND PERSONAL FROM PREMIER J. V. STALIN TO THE PRIME MINISTER, Mr W. CHURCHILL AND THE PRESIDENT, Mr F. ROOSEVELT (no.323)  "The message from you and Mr Roosevelt about Warsaw has reached me. I should like to state my views.  Sooner or later the truth about the handful of power-seeking criminals who launched the Warsaw adventure will out. Those elements, playing on the credulity of the inhabitants of Warsaw, exposed practically unarmed people to German guns, armour and aircraft. The result is a situation in which every day is used, not by the Poles for freeing Warsaw, but by the Hitlerites, who are cruelly exterminating the civil population.   From the military point of view the situation, which keeps German attention riveted to Warsaw, is highly unfavourable both to the Red Army and to the Poles. Nevertheless, the Soviet troops, who of late have had to face renewed German counterattacks, are doing all they can to repulse the Hitlerite sallies and go over to a new large-scale offensive near Warsaw. I can assure you that the Red Army will stint no effort to crush the Germans at Warsaw and liberate it for the Poles. That will be the best, really effective, help to the anti-Nazi Poles." (August 22, 1944)


Stalin did not give the Allies permission to use Soviet airports as a base in flying emergency airdrops of supplies to the Poles in the Warsaw Uprising.  American pilots were forced to use air bases in the UK and Italy at a great distance, and made it necessary to reduce their carrying weight, and limit the number of sorties. The Allies made the request on August 20, but Stalin waited two days before refusing their request. He refered to the Polish insurgents as " a handful of criminals" and was clearly opposed to a free and independent Poland.