Zeitung für Soldat und Arbeiter im Westen

Submitted by AWL on 6 June, 2008 - 12:29

No. 2 Summer 1943

[Illegible] I came back from leave a few days ago and I was amazed by the situation in Germany. What I saw is not easy to describe.

First off, the town where I grew up has been totally destroyed. Only very few houses are still habitable — you could count them — and only a few have been spared by bombs thus far. Next, the morale of the population. You can only imagine what has happened. Our women and daughters have been totally morally corrupted by the many workers from abroad [illegible].

And then there are the traffickers, who have set themselves up almost openly in the streets to run their black market, offering their seedy wares with price increases of 500% or 1,000%. So the situation in Germany is catastrophic. It is clear to everyone that morale is sinking day by day.

In brief, the people want an end [illegible] to the war.

Comrades, the Fourth International has shown me the way forward, and you too can participate in it and add your contribution to the effort to bring an end to the war without delay.

Listen to what I say, because things are not getting better for your wives and children back home. Join us, join the Fourth International. We are fighting for peace, freedom and bread.

by a German soldier

Can things go on like this? My wife and children write me letter after letter to complain about the situation, and I can do nothing for them. They can’t even console themselves with the idea that the end of the war is near. It breaks my heart when I read that.

That is why I believe that we must put an end to this appalling war. And we soldiers on the front can do something about it. I know a sure means of doing so, which will be good for you too. Alone I can do nothing, but you can co-operate and work with me. Listen carefully and think about what follows.

I am a member of the Fourth International and my main priority is to put an end to the war. We fight against capitalism and for fraternisation the world over. Fighting for this goal we will make it impossible for any state to rule or exercise its dictatorship over Germany, which would result in the partition of the country and massive tax increases.

Comrades, the Fourth International fights so that no-one should have to fear another even worse way of life.

Think of your wives and children.

Imagine a real and [illegible] peace.

Do you not want to fight for that?

Join the Fourth International.

by a comrade.

The famished and martyred proletariat of Europe cannot put a rapid end to its distress unless it makes a clear break with world imperialism, avoiding any collaboration with its own bourgeoisie and rejecting Stalin’s so-called “union sacrée”. Destroy fascism by destroying capital.

For the real freedom of the dictatorship of the proletariat.

Only under the banner of the Fourth International will the masses be able to establish the dictatorship of the proletariat across the world, in Germany, Poland, Spain, Belgium, [illegible], Greece and above all [illegible] in Italy and in France [illegible] sections of the Fourth International [illegible] for the building of the struggle for socialism in Europe and proletarian revolution across the world.

by the Fourth International.

Comrades!

It is rather difficult to understand all this at a glance, but fundamentally it is quite simple. These are nothing other than the ideas of the Fourth International. Above you will see the little cartoons representing our German capitalists. There are not many of them, but they are some of the biggest ones. There are hundreds of such capitalists whose constant aim is to fill their wallets with our money. The government is under their thumb and produces the propaganda these capitalist dogs need. To prolong the war, for more and better armaments, etc. Do we soldiers want to fight for these people? No.

Think about it. Join the Fourth International.

Fight for peace, freedom and bread.

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