Germany's Power Move: Releasing Austria Post-Anschluss

The Anschluss, or the annexation of Austria into the German Reich, was an important event in the lead-up to World War II. It occurred on March 13, 1938, when German troops crossed the border into Austria, unopposed by the Austrian military. This action was the culmination of a plan by Adolf Hitler, who was Austrian by birth, to unite all Germans into one state and create a Greater Germany.

In the game Hearts of Iron IV, the player can attempt to prevent the Anschluss by playing as Austria and refusing to join the Axis when prompted by Germany. However, this will likely result in war with Germany, as historical events cannot be completely avoided in the game. One strategy to avoid this war is to join a faction with Italy before the Anschluss event, as Germany will not declare war if it means fighting Italy as well. Additionally, becoming a democratic state and joining the Allies before the event can also prevent war with Germany.

Germany can annex Austria as part of its fascist branch

In the game, Germany can increase world tension by +10 and trigger the event 'Germans press for Anschluss' to gain a core if the state is owned by Austria. This will annex Austria and transfer its troops, as well as giving Germany +75 Political Power and modifying MEFO Bills by +0.10 Daily Political Power Gain.

Austria can either give up or fight Germany. If Austria was previously in the Axis, it will be kicked out. Austria cannot join the Axis.

Germany can also annex Austria if it is playing the Hungarian national focus tree and chooses the Monarchist branch.

Germany can restore the Habsburgs as part of its monarchist branch

To restore the Habsburgs, Germany must first elect Otto von Habsburg as the Non-Aligned Habsburg king of Hungary. This can be done through the "Strengthen the Monarchists" sub-branch of the "Balanced Budget/Economic Intervention Branch" of the Hungarian focus tree. Once Otto von Habsburg is in power, Germany can demand a referendum for unification with Austria. If Austria agrees to the referendum, they will be annexed, and the restoration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire will be proclaimed, with Budapest as the capital.

If Austria denies the referendum, Germany can go to war. Germany should station its troops on the Austrian border and capture Vienna and Salzburg to end the war quickly and annex Austria before Germany can perform the Anschluss. After restoring Austria-Hungary, Germany must improve relations with Czechoslovakia, as the "Protect Czechoslovakia" focus gives Czechoslovakia a decision to decline, become an associate, or reintegrate into the empire. Germany needs Czechoslovakia to at least become an associate, so improving relations is crucial.

Germany can then follow a similar strategy with Romania through the "Claim Transylvania" focus. If Romania cedes all of Transylvania, Germany can reintegrate the empire after annexing Yugoslavia, giving them cores on most of their new territory and on some Italian states. If Romania does not cede all of Transylvania, Germany can still proclaim the restoration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire after annexing Yugoslavia.

Germany can ally with Austria as part of its democratic branch

In the game Hearts of Iron IV, Germany can ally with Austria as part of its democratic branch. This is one of the several paths that Germany can take in the game, which also include the fascist and non-aligned paths.

The democratic path for Germany is available through the "Oppose Hitler" branch of the German national focus tree. This branch allows Germany to remove Adolf Hitler and the NSDAP from power via civil war and restore the German Monarchy to pursue a democratic path. This requires the Waking the Tiger DLC to be enabled.

The "Oppose Hitler" branch includes the following focuses:

• Secure the New State
• Revive the Kaiserreich
• Re-establish Free Elections
• The Monarchy Compromise

Completing the "Revive the Kaiserreich" focus will set the German Military Junta to be known as the German Empire. The Non-Aligned party will now be called the "Deutschnationale Volkspartei". The focus also increases base stability by +10% and grants +120 political power.

The "Re-establish Free Elections" focus will set the Non-Aligned party to be called the "Deutschnationale Volkspartei". It will also increase daily support for democracy by +0.10 and grant +120 political power.

The "Monarchy Compromise" sub-branch creates a constitutional monarchy, which can happen under both Kaisers Wilhelm II and Wilhelm III. It creates a faction with Austria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Romania, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland, in order to crush the Soviet Union and other communist factions. It also adds one more research slot than the regular five slots and gives boosts to nuclear technology. This sub-branch requires the Waking the Tiger DLC to be enabled.

Germany can also ally with Austria through the "Anschluss" sub-branch, which is under the "Rhineland" branch of the German national focus tree. This sub-branch is full-on aggressive expansion, as it allows Germany to annex several states and to ally with or declare war on several countries.

Austria can also be annexed by Germany under the "Fascist" branch of the German national focus tree.

Austria can avoid annexation by joining a faction with Italy or Japan

Austria can also avoid annexation by joining the Axis with Germany. However, this is also not a foolproof method. If Austria is already in the Axis with Germany and rejects the Anschluss, Germany will kick Austria out of the faction and get a negative opinion modifier. If Austria is not in the Axis with Germany and rejects the Anschluss, Germany will kick Austria out of the Axis and declare war.

Austria can also avoid annexation by joining the Comintern before the Anschluss. However, this takes a long time and may not be feasible.

If Austria is fascist, it can ask to join the Axis with Germany. Germany will accept Austria into the faction, but this alone will not save Austria. If Austria rejects the annexation request, Germany will kick Austria out of the Axis and declare war. The way around this is to be in a war with another nation that Germany is also at war with. If Austria rejects the request, Germany will still kick Austria out of the Axis, but because both nations have a common enemy and are both fascist, Germany will send an invite to Austria to join the Axis right after kicking them out. Austria is not entirely safe because Germany maintains a war goal against Austria until February 1940, but if Austria can ride that out or strengthen its position, perhaps by forming Austria-Hungary, Germany is likely to look elsewhere.

Austria can also avoid annexation by joining a faction with Italy. Italy can give Austria a guarantee against Germany's Anschluss through its national focus tree.

Austria can avoid annexation by being at war with another nation that Germany is also at war with

In Hearts of Iron IV, Germany can annex Austria through the focus 'Anschluss'. However, if Austria is at war with another nation that Germany is also at war with, Germany can only annex Austria if they are at peace with Yugoslavia. Therefore, if Austria is at war with Yugoslavia, Germany cannot annex them.

Austria can also avoid annexation by joining the Comintern before the Anschluss. However, if Austria joins the Axis, they will be kicked out and conquered.

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