- Association antifasciste
- Association of Anti-fascists
- Bund der Antifaschisten
Declaration of FIR to 65th Anniversary of the victory of Stalingrad
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.