On 2 Oct 1941, the Germans began their surge to Moscow led by the 1st Army Group and Gen. Fedor von Bock. When Hitler first invaded Russia on 22 Jun 40 the Russian peasants greeted his army with bread and salt—the way liberators were treated—Stalin was a terrible dictator; but Hitler treated them like dirt, so they returned their loyalty to Russia. Now, these same peasants in the path of Hitler’s army employ a “scorched-earth” policy. This made it tough as Hitler wanted to cover quickly the long miles to Moscow. The first setback came in August, when the Red Army’s tanks drove the Germans back from the Yelnya salient. Hitler confided to General Bock at the time: “Had I known they had as many tanks as that, I’d have thought twice before invading.” But there was no turning back for Hitler–he believed he was destined to succeed where others had failed, and capture Moscow. He almost made it, but he failed, just as Napoleon did.
Leaders of very powerful central governments tend to be told only what they want to hear, thus they are prone to make big mistakes. Our nation has survived because, until recent decades, our government hasn’t been that big and powerful. Let’s go back to government “of the people, by the people, and for the people.
