April 26th, 1942 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
GERMANY: Hitler tells of "Great Victories" to come this summer while
addressing the Reichstag. He calls for a "Supreme Effort" to accomplish
this. They confirm his absolute power and make him "Supreme
Judge" of the Reich, giving him powers to act independently of the law.
In a speech full of foreboding and intimations of catastrophe, Hitler today assumed absolute power of life and death over every German, and abolished all laws that might stand in his way.
A proclamation read to the Reichstag and endorsed by the deputies said that the Führer "without being bound by existing legal regulations, in his capacity as Leader of the nation, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, Head of the Government, and supreme executive chief, Supreme judge and Leader of the Party, must be in a position to force with all means at his disposal every German, whether common soldier or high official, to fulfil his duties."
In the hour-long speech, the familiar histrionics were almost completely absent. Although the Führer claimed to have mastered "a peril unexampled in history" and averted disaster on the eastern front by ruthless action, he had many references to nerves at breaking point, obedience wavering and sense of duty lacking. His voice rose to a scream when he threatened: "I will ruthlessly eliminate everybody who does not stand up to the task."
He admitted that German forces had been compelled to retreat - he called it "a backward movement". This move, he said, enabled his army to hold the front against "vast masses of new, highly-trained" Soviet troops.
Ominously, Hitler compared the plight of the German forces last winter with the fate of Napoleon's army in 1812. But, he argued, "We have mastered a fate that broke Napoleon." He promised that next winter - an admission that the war would continue for another year - the troops would have better clothing, transport and equipment. "The Bolshevik colossus will be fought by us until he is smashed," Hitler said. "The loss of this war would be the end of us."
His speech was dutifully applauded, but the usual frenzied acclamation were noticeably absent. Göbbels noted afterwards that the Führer was at times "rather difficult to understand ... the terrific physical and spiritual exertions have taken their toll." After the speech Hitler told Göbbels that he felt numb.
FINLAND: The severely injured Aarne Snellman, CO of the Finnish 17th Division, is promoted to major-general.
COMMONWEALTH OF THE PHILIPPINES: Japan reinforces its taskforce on Mindanao.
PACIFIC OCEAN: Japanese submarine RO.30 is sunk by USS Tautog west of Hawaii. (Mike Yared)(144 and 145)
U.S.A.: San Francisco: Admiral's
King and Nimitz meet. Kings asks Nimitz to consider stationing one division of
battleships, preferably Batdiv 3 (Idaho, Mississippi, New Mexico) in New
Zealand. Nimitz persuaded King to return all the old battleships to San
Francisco. (John B. Lundstrom)(225)