Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels‘ speech on February 18, 1943 at the Berlin Sportpalast is often considered his most important of the war.
Unlike previous Nazi propaganda that claimed incontestable German victories, the Sportpalast speech acknowledged, for the first time, that Germany was in danger and the war would be long and difficult. Calling for total war, Goebbels exhorted the entire population to fight for Germany and the survival of a non-Bolshevist Europe.
Goebbels concluded the speech with: “Now, people rise up, and let the storm break loose!”