English Translation

15 I/3a No.244/43 ε (I/5) 5260 Karlovy Vary, 4 June 1943. Secret! L a ge ge b e ric h t H of the President of the Government in Karlovie Vary 9 about the month M a i 1943. //04/03. I. Political part. 1.) Political situation in the general mood of the population. The current military situation is judged seriously by the German people. After the great sacrifices to people and material due to the loss of Stalingrad and the Caucasus in the past winter, it feels the task of Africa as a new serious setback. Full resignation must be noted that German troops had to sacrifice themselves at the last outpost in Africa, because the supply of troops, ammunition and food was insufficient due to the superiority of the opponents at sea and in the air. It is true that the German soldier, through his heroic six-month resistance in Tunis, has disrupted the enemy's strategic plans, but this success of the last fighting episode in Africa has not forgotten that German troops were still in the El Alamein position in Egypt last year and seriously threatened the Suez Canal, the batter of the Empire, and the Middle East. It does not close our eyes to the fact that the task of Africa has lost a strategically very important position, which was fought hard for almost three years, and that a very strong hostile power, which could be pulled together despite the German submarines, is now ready to attack Europe in Africa. It has the appalling feeling that, at least in the Mediterranean, the law of action has passed over to the opponents, that the Achsa is pushed into the defensive and that the opponents determine at what point this fighting space will take place in the next fights. The absence of submarine successes, which could certainly be expected after the omissions of the propaganda in this period of the year, is another disappointment.In addition, the air war takes on an ever more menacing form. Since the terrorist attacks, despite the heavy losses suffered by the opponent, stop with undiminished force and cause the most serious damage to one city after another and ebanso even rural districts, the German people must feel that the devout air superiority is no longer available to the British and Americans at present, especially since the retribution so often denounced remains. The German people, on the other hand, know that the individual attacks have caused tremendous damage, although recently there has been an increase in the number of shootings.