Austria's Wwii Alliance: Germany's Comrade-In-Arms?

Austria was part of Nazi Germany from 13 March 1938, when German troops entered the country, until 27 April 1945, when Allied-occupied Austria declared independence. This annexation was known as the Anschluss, which translates as 'joining' or 'connection'.

The idea of a union between Austria and Germany was not new. After the unification of Germany in 1871, which excluded Austria, the notion of a 'Greater Germany' gained traction. In the aftermath of World War I, the new Republic of German-Austria attempted to form a union with Germany, but this was forbidden by the 1919 Treaty of Saint Germain.

By the 1920s, the proposal for a union had strong support in both Austria and Germany, particularly among Austrian citizens of the political left and centre. However, popular support for unification faded over time.

When Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, the desire for unification could be identified with the Nazis, for whom it was an integral part of their ideology. In 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced a referendum on a possible union with Germany, but this was opposed by Hitler, who threatened an invasion and pressured Schuschnigg to resign. On 12 March 1938, German troops crossed the border into Austria unopposed. A plebiscite was held on 10 April, which resulted in 99.7% approval for the union.

During World War II, 950,000 Austrians fought for the Nazi German armed forces. Austrians also served in the SS and participated in the Nazi administration, including in death camps. After the war, many Austrians sought comfort in the idea that their country had been the first victim of the Nazis.

Austria was annexed into Nazi Germany in 1938

On March 9, 1938, Schuschnigg called for a national vote to resolve the question of Anschluss once and for all. However, before the vote could take place, Schuschnigg resigned on March 11 due to pressure from Hitler. The next day, German troops marched into Austria, where they were met by enthusiastic crowds. Hitler appointed a new Nazi government, and on March 13, the Anschluss was officially proclaimed.

The idea of uniting Austria and Germany dated back to the 19th century, when there was debate about grouping all Germans into one nation-state. After the unification of Germany in 1871, which excluded Austria, the idea of an Anschluss gained support, particularly among Austrian citizens of the political left and center. However, by the 1930s, the desire for unification was largely associated with the Nazis and their concept of "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm").

The annexation of Austria was one of the first major steps in Hitler's plan to create a Greater German Reich that included all ethnic Germans and territories lost by the German Empire after World War I. The seizure of Austria also demonstrated Hitler's aggressive territorial ambitions and the failure of Britain and France to take action against him for violating the Versailles Treaty.

The annexation was known as the Anschluss

The annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany, known as the Anschluss, took place on March 13, 1938. The idea of a union between Austria and Germany, resulting in a “Greater Germany”, had been proposed since the unification of Germany in 1871, which excluded Austria and German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire.

The proposal for the union, or Anschluss, gained support after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. The Republic of German-Austria, the new state that emerged after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, attempted to unite with Germany. However, the Treaty of Saint Germain and the Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919, forbade the unification and the use of the name "German-Austria". The treaties also stripped Austria of some of its territories, such as the Sudetenland, leaving it without most of the lands it had ruled over for centuries and amid an economic crisis.

By the 1920s, the proposal for the Anschluss had strong support in both Austria and Germany, particularly among Austrian citizens of the political left and center. However, popular support for the unification began to fade over time, although it remained a concept in contemporary Austrian political discourse.

After Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany in 1933, the desire for unification became closely associated with the Nazis, as it was an integral part of their "Heim ins Reich" ("back home to the realm") concept, which aimed to incorporate as many Volksdeutsche (ethnic Germans outside Germany) as possible into a "Greater Germany".

In early 1938, Austrian chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg announced a referendum on a possible union with Germany, to be held on March 13, 1938. Hitler, portraying this as defying the popular will in Austria and Germany, threatened an invasion and pressured Schuschnigg to resign. On March 12, 1938, a day before the planned referendum, the German army crossed the border into Austria unopposed by the Austrian military.

A plebiscite was held on April 10, 1938, which resulted in a 99.7% approval for the Anschluss. However, the true opinions of the population are unknown, and it is estimated that about 70% of Austrians would have voted to preserve Austrian independence.

The Anschluss marked a significant breach of the post-World War I international order, as it violated the Treaty of Versailles and the Treaty of Saint-Germain, which expressly forbade the unification of Austria and Germany. The other European powers did not intervene or punish the Nazis for violating these treaties, which was a significant act of appeasement, allowing Hitler to continue his expansionary policies unchecked.

The Anschluss transformed Austria almost overnight, as Austrian and German Nazis worked to nazify all aspects of Austrian life. Austrians participated enthusiastically in this process, persecuting the country's Jewish population, enacting Nazi policies, and fighting in World War II. The annexation of Austria was the first step in Hitler's takeover of Europe, and it demonstrated his aggressive territorial ambitions and disregard for international treaties.

Austrians welcomed the German troops

On the morning of March 12, 1938, the 8th Army of the German Wehrmacht crossed the Austrian border. The troops were greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers. The Austrian government had ordered the Austrian Bundesheer not to resist.

The enthusiasm displayed toward Hitler and the Germans surprised both Nazis and non-Nazis, as most people had believed that a majority of Austrians opposed Anschluss. Many Germans from both Austria and Germany welcomed the Anschluss as they saw it as completing the unification of all Germans into one state. Hitler had originally intended to leave Austria as a satellite state with Seyss-Inquart as head of a pro-Nazi government. However, the overwhelming reception caused him to change course and absorb Austria directly into the Reich.

Hitler's popularity reached an unprecedented peak after he fulfilled the Anschluss because he had completed the long-awaited idea of a Greater Germany. Bismarck had not chosen to include Austria in his 1871 unification of Germany, and there was genuine support from Germans in both Austria and Germany for an Anschluss.

Hitler's forces suppressed all opposition. Before the first German soldier crossed the border, Heinrich Himmler and a few Schutzstaffel (SS) officers landed in Vienna to arrest prominent representatives of the First Republic. During the few weeks between the Anschluss and the plebiscite, authorities rounded up Social Democrats, Communists, other potential political dissenters, and Austrian Jews, imprisoning or sending them to concentration camps. Within a few days of March 12, 70,000 people had been arrested.

The plebiscite was subject to large-scale Nazi propaganda and to the abrogation of the voting rights of around 360,000 people (8% of the eligible voting population), mainly political enemies such as former members of left-wing parties and Austrian citizens of Jewish or Romani origin. The plebiscite was neither free nor secret. Officials were present directly beside the voting booths and received the voting ballot by hand.

The Anschluss was widely popular in both Germany and Austria. The Nazis held a controlled plebiscite (Volksabstimmung) in the whole Reich within the following month, asking the people to ratify the fait accompli, and claimed that 99.7561% of the votes cast in Austria were in favor.

The Anschluss was the Nazi German regime’s first act of territorial aggression and expansion. It was a watershed moment in Nazi Germany’s foreign policy. The international community did not intervene to try and stop the Anschluss. Nor did they punish Nazi Germany for violating international treaties. Thus, the Anschluss is one of the earliest and most significant examples of the international community’s appeasement of Adolf Hitler’s aggressive foreign policy.

Austria was renamed Ostmark

The name Ostmark, which means "Eastern March", was chosen to refer to Austria as the new ""eastern march" of the Reich. This name change was meant to harken back to the 10th-century Marcha orientalis, a medieval frontier march. The Nazis used the name Ostmark in their propaganda to justify the union between the two countries.

The official name used for Austria from the Anschluss until 1939 was Land Österreich, or "State of Austria". In 1939, the former states of Austria were reorganized into seven Reichsgaue of the German Reich. The term "Ostmark" was still used occasionally until 1942, but it was replaced by Alpen- und Donau-Reichsgaue ("Danubian and Alpine Reichsgaue") as it was too reminiscent of the old, independent state of Austria.

Austria remained part of Germany until the end of World War II, when a provisional government in Allied-occupied Austria declared the Anschluss "null and void".

The Anschluss was the result of a referendum

Hitler was infuriated by the plebiscite and decided to take action. On March 11, Hitler gave the Austrian government a series of ultimatums: Chancellor Schuschnigg must call off the plebiscite; Schuschnigg must resign as chancellor; Austrian president Wilhelm Miklas must appoint Austrian Nazi Arthur Seyss-Inquart as the new Austrian chancellor. If these demands were not met, the German military would invade Austria.

Faced with no support from other European powers and little choice, Schuschnigg gave in. That evening, Austrian radio announced the cancellation of the upcoming plebiscite on Austrian independence. Shortly thereafter, at 7:47 pm, Chancellor Schuschnigg announced his resignation in the face of German pressure. He instructed Austrians and the Austrian military not to resist German troops if they invaded.

On March 12, German troops crossed the Austrian border and were met with cheers and flowers. Austrians welcomed Hitler warmly as he traveled first to Linz and then on to Vienna. On March 13, Austrian Nazi Chancellor Seyss-Inquart signed the "Reunification of Austria with Germany" law, formally incorporating Austria into Nazi Germany.

A new plebiscite on the issue of Austrian unification with Nazi Germany was scheduled for April 10. This vote was neither free nor secret. Officials were present directly beside the voting booths and received the voting ballot by hand. Threats and coercion were employed to manipulate the vote, resulting in 99.7% approval for the Anschluss. While the population's true opinions are unknown, it has been estimated that about 70% of Austrians would have voted to preserve Austrian independence.

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