World War II Diaries:The Complete War Report
1944 May
E57 Mar 4, 2018
Stalin claims that Germany has been defeated during a speech delivered during the May Day celebrations. He calls for Romanians, Bulgarians, and Hungarians to rise against Hitler and his occupation forces. He ends by saying: “the Nazi beast is wounded; we must now chase to its lair and destroy it. German journalist Erich Knauf is decapitated in the Brandenburg prison after having been sentenced to death by judge Roland Freisler under the accusation of defeatism. While hiding in a bomb shelter during an air raid with his friend Doctor Erich Ohser, he had commented that “the greatest catastrophe would be a German victory. The work of the British secret services and their team of cryptographers continues to intercept and decode the German encrypted communications system called “Ultra. The Allied strategists are aware of the enemy troops movements and can plan the landings in northern France with greater precision.