Declaration of FIR to 65th Anniversary of the victory of Stalingrad

27. Januar 2008

On February 2, 2008 we celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Red Army’s
victory of Stalingrad. On this day the German 6th Army under general field
marshal Paulus capitulates in front of the troops of the 62nd and 64th Red Army
under general Zhukow. The destroying balance for the German armed forces: Over
100.000 soldiers went into war shank, 165,000 left their life into this battle
for the fascist war goals.

The International Federation of the Resistance fighters (FIR) – Association
of Anti-fascists uses this date as an opportunity, in order to remind the
sacrifice of the Red Army and the soviet peoples to the Great Antifascist
Peoples’ Struggle during the 2nd World War and the large achievements of the
military part of the anti-Hitler coalition. The war plotted by German fascism
aimed from the outset at murder, homicide, exploitation, suppression and
destruction. Coventry, Rotterdam, Warsaw and Belgrade are the symbols of the
air terror, which carried the armed forces over the cities of Europe.
Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Majdanek, Sobibor have themselves in mind of mankind
entrenched as “monuments” of the Holocaust – a holocaust produced by
Nazi “Superior Race” theories against all peoples, regardless of
colour and race. Babi Jar, Oradour, Lidice: Places of the National Socialist
terror, which do not require any explanation. Stalingrad stands against it for
hope for liberation and the resistance against murderous German fascism.

This hope was paid with countless human lives. The Soviet side registered
approximately one million victims among the civilian population and the
fighters of the Red Army in this battle. We remind the dead ones and
commemorate all of those, which used themselves with their life and their
health for the liberation of its country from the fascist occupation and
smashing the fascist beast.

This battle of Stalingrad was not only of military importance. It
represented a historical turning point in the fight of the anti-Hitler
coalition with the expansionistic requirement of German fascism:

• From a military-strategic point this defeat of the German troops was a
  turning point, because hereby for the first time the advance was stopped and
  the “unconquerable” Wehrmacht had to accept a destroying defeat.
• For the development of the anti-Hitler coalition in this battle has been
  proven that the common efforts of all allied could defeat the murderous beast
  of fascism and its military apparatus. Red Army’s victory in Stalingrad and
  afterwards had strong signal effect for Great Britain and the USA to speed up
  the preparations for the opening of a second front. Stalingrad knows to be
  regarded therefore with joins and right as beginning of the end of the robbery
  and murder campaign of the Wehrmacht through half Europe.
• For the resistance movement in all occupied countries and in Germany the
  battle of Stalingrad was the symbol for the coming defeat of fascism. The women
  and men in the resistance drew from it strength, motivation and optimism for the
  continuation of their anti-fascist fight in the political clearing-up work and
  in the armed Resistance.

In this sense is and remains the victory of Stalingrad an anniversary of the
International Federation of the Resistance fighters (FIR) – Association of
Anti-fascists. We connect our thanks to the fighters with the promise to pass
this memory on of the today’s generations.