‘The Fuehrer himself has recognized that we cannot last out a war of long duration. The war must be finished rapidly. Therefore, the great blow was to be launched if possible even before Christmas. Everything had to be wagered on this card, including the use of stocks as well as raw materials [sic]. The necessary requirements were to be taken out of the export sector ruthlessly.’ And Keitel went on to add a further consideration: ‘Everything had to be concentrated so as to finish with the Western powers as soon as possible, since it was not clear how long the Russians would hold to us.’
