Hitler's Table Talk

418 RETREATING COMMANDERS MUST BE SHOT
disguise, charged with the mission of preparing for the entry
of our troops. In actual fact Boris is by temperament a fox
rather than a wolf, and would have exposed himself to so great
a danger only with the utmost reluctance. The fox, as we all
know, prefers to pursue a course which will allow him, if danger
threatens, to eliminate all trace of his passing.
At the time of the Italian difficulties on the Albanian front,
I pondered for some time over the best thing to do if an army
started to retreat without orders and could not be brought to
make a stand ; and the conclusion I reached was that summary
executions by shooting would be the only remedy. But it is not
the little infantryman who should be shot, the poor, wretched
little devil who bears the brunt of war, the pangs of hunger and
the plague of fleas. The man to shoot is the commander of the
unit in retreat, regardless of who he may be.
187 gth April 1942, at dinner
The God of the Christians protects the Japanese pagans—
Japanese religion and the cult of hero-worship—The
unhealthy character of Christianity—Superstition—
Brutality of the Catholic Church—The maintenance of
morale without the aid of the Church.
It is very curious that devout Christians like the British and
the Americans should, despite their constant and fervent
prayers, receive such a series of hidings from the pagan
Japanese ! It rather looks as if the real God takes no notice of
the prayers offered day and night by the British and the
Americans, but reserves His mercies for the heroes of Japan.
It is not surprising that this should be so, for the religion of the
Japanese is above all a cult of heroism, and its heroes are those
who do not hesitate to sacrifice their lives for the glory and
safety of their country. The Christians, on the other hand,
prefer to honour the Saints, that is to say, a man who succeeds
in standing on one leg for years at a time, or one who prefers
to lie on a bed of thorns rather than to respond to the smiles of
inviting maidens. There is something very unhealthy about
Christianity.
Another peculiarity of the Christian faith, as it is taught by