Lyla Lindsey
On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This event, known as the Anschluss, saw German troops accompanied by Hitler himself enter Austria and establish a Nazi government. The annexation was met with little resistance, as many Austrians and Germans supported the unification of the two countries. However, the invasion was also an act of open aggression that led to widespread violence against Jewish people and the suppression of any official memory of Austrian existence.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of German invasion of Austria | 11-13 March 1938 |
| German troops accompanied by | Hitler himself |
| Nazi government in Austria headed by | Seyss-Inquart |
| Austria renamed to | Ostmark |
| Austria existed as | A federal state of Germany |
| Number of Jews killed in Vienna | More than 200 |
| Number of Jews who left Austria by 1939 | 100,000 |
| Number of Jews who perished by the end of the war | 65,000 |
| Number of Austrians killed or missing in action | 250,000 |
| Number of Austrians held as prisoners of war | Thousands |
| Number of Austrians killed in US and British bombing raids | 20,000 |
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What You'll Learn
German troops invade Austria in 1938
On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This invasion, known as the Anschluss, marked the incorporation of Austria into the German Reich. The idea of a unified Austria and Germany dated back to the 1871 unification of Germany, which excluded Austrian and German Austrians from the Prussian-dominated German Empire.
In early 1938, Austrian Nazis conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite with Nazi Germany. Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg learned of the plot and met with Adolf Hitler, hoping to assert Austria's independence. However, Hitler coerced him into appointing several Austrian Nazis to his cabinet. On March 9, Schuschnigg called for a national referendum on the issue of annexation, scheduled for March 13.
Hitler, infuriated by this, demanded Schuschnigg's resignation and the appointment of a Nazi replacement, Arthur Seyss-Inquart. He also threatened to invade Austria if Schuschnigg did not comply. On March 11, facing pressure from Hitler and with no support from France or Britain, Schuschnigg resigned and pleaded with Austrian forces not to resist a German invasion.
Hitler accompanied German troops as they crossed the border into Austria on March 12. They were greeted by enthusiastic Austrians with Nazi salutes, flags, and flowers. The invasion, without any resistance or shots fired, was dubbed the Blumenkrieg ("Flower War"). Hitler appointed a new Nazi government, and on March 13, the annexation of Austria was officially proclaimed. Austria remained a federal state of Germany until the end of World War II when the Allied powers reestablished an independent Austria.
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Austria becomes part of the German Reich
On March 12, 1938, German troops marched into Austria to annex the German-speaking nation for the Third Reich. This annexation, known as the Anschluss, saw Austria become a part of the German Reich.
The idea of uniting Austria with Germany was not a new one. Many Germans and Austrians had long wanted the countries to be joined. In fact, Austrian-born Hitler wrote in his 1925 book, Mein Kampf, that "German-Austria must return to the great German motherland... Common blood belongs in a common Reich."
In the years leading up to the annexation, Austrian Nazis repeatedly conspired to seize the Austrian government and unite with Nazi Germany. In July 1934, a pro-Nazi group tried to overthrow the Austrian government with Hitler's approval and assistance from German officials. While they assassinated Austria's chancellor, the coup ultimately failed when Austrian military leaders did not support it. In 1935, Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg used the police to suppress Nazi supporters, gathering them into internment camps. However, the remaining Austrian Nazis continued terrorist attacks against Austrian governmental institutions, resulting in a death toll of over 800 between 1934 and 1938.
By 1938, the Austrian Nazis were gaining strength. In February 1938, Hitler met with Chancellor Schuschnigg and demanded that he appoint members of Austria's Nazi Party to his cabinet and grant them full political rights, threatening invasion by the German army if he did not comply. On March 9, Schuschnigg called for a national plebiscite to resolve the question of the Anschluss once and for all. However, under pressure from Hitler, he resigned on March 11, cancelling the plebiscite to avoid bloodshed.
Hitler ordered the invasion to begin at dawn on March 12, and he accompanied the German troops into Austria, where they were met with enthusiastic crowds. A Nazi government was established in Austria, headed by Seyss-Inquart, and on March 13, the Anschluss was officially proclaimed. Austria became a federal state of Germany and remained so until the end of World War II, when the Allied powers declared the Anschluss void and re-established an independent Austria.
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The Nazis' anti-Jewish violence in Austria
On March 12, 1938, German troops entered Austria and were met with enthusiastic crowds. The annexation of Austria to Germany was proclaimed on March 13, 1938, and this was known as the Anschluss. This incorporation of Austria into the German Reich was preceded by a conspiracy by Austrian Nazis to seize the Austrian government by force and unite with Nazi Germany.
The Jewish community in Vienna was allowed to resume activities in May 1938, but with a specific goal: to accelerate the mass emigration of Jews from Austria. The Central Office for Jewish Emigration was established in August 1938 under Adolf Eichmann, and about 62,958 Jews emigrated that year, with another 54,451 leaving in 1939.
In addition to emigration, the Nazis also deported thousands of Jews from Austria to occupied Poland and other parts of eastern Europe. The deportations began in October 1941, and about 35,000 Jews were sent to ghettos in eastern Europe, with most of those sent to Minsk and Riga being shot shortly after arrival. By November 1942, only about 7,000 Jews remained in Austria. The Holocaust resulted in the deaths of between 60,000 and 65,000 Austrian Jews, with fewer than 800 surviving until the liberation of Vienna in April 1945.
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Austria's chancellor is assassinated by Austrian Nazis
On 25 July 1934, Engelbert Dollfuss, the chancellor of Austria, was assassinated by Austrian Nazis. Dollfuss was a conservative politician who had become the head of a coalition government in May 1932. He dissolved Austria's parliament a year later and became a dictator.
Dollfuss was concerned that with German National Socialist leader Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany, the Austrian National Socialists (DNSAP) could gain a significant minority in future elections. In June 1933, Dollfuss outlawed the Nazi Party in Austria. In September 1933, he merged his Christian Social Party with elements of other nationalist and conservative groups, including the Heimwehr, to form the Vaterländische Front. However, this did not prevent an assassination attempt on Dollfuss in October 1933 by Rudolf Dertill, a 22-year-old with pro-Nazi views. Dertill was sentenced to five years in prison for attempted murder.
In February 1934, Dollfuss's government prevailed in a brief civil war with Austrian socialists. However, Austrian Nazis believed that the public would support them if they staged a coup. On 25 July 1934, a group of Austrian Nazis, including Otto Planetta, Franz Holzweber, Ernst Feike, Franz Leeb, Josef Hackl, Ludwig Maitzen, Erich Wohlraab, and Paul Hudl, entered the Chancellery building and shot Dollfuss. Another Nazi group seized the Austrian national radio station and forced the broadcasters to announce that Dollfuss had resigned and that Anton Rintelen, a pro-Nazi minister, had been appointed chancellor. The Nazi assassins surrendered after threats from the Austrian military and were subsequently tried and executed.
Dollfuss's successor, Kurt von Schuschnigg, was also opposed to Hitler's goal of absorbing Austria into the Third Reich and wished for Austria to remain independent. However, he was coerced into naming several top Austrian Nazis to his cabinet and eventually resigned on 11 March 1938. German troops marched into Austria the next day, and Hitler appointed a new Nazi government. On 13 March, the annexation of Austria into the German Reich, known as the Anschluss, was proclaimed.
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The Austrian vote to join Germany
On March 11, 1938, German troops invaded Austria and incorporated the country into the German Reich, an action known as the Anschluss. The next day, Adolf Hitler entered Austria with German troops, where they were met with enthusiastic crowds.
On April 10, 1938, a referendum was held in German-occupied Austria to ask the population if they agreed to the annexation. The official result reported an overwhelming majority—99.73%—in favour of the unification. However, it is important to note that the referendum was not anonymous, and opponents did not dare vote against. The high percentage in favour of the Anschluss was likely due to this intimidation factor.
The vote allowed Austrian Nazis to openly express their antisemitism. They visited Jews at home, robbed them, and destroyed their property. In Vienna, Nazis forced Jews to scrub pro-Austrian slogans off the streets, leading to an increase in Jewish emigration and suicides.
The referendum was held after the annexation had already taken place. The Nazis used it to legitimise their military action and make it appear as though the unification was a popular decision. The unification of Austria and Germany had been a long-standing desire for many Germans and Austrians, and the referendum exploited this sentiment to gain support for the Nazi regime.
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Frequently asked questions
German troops invaded Austria on March 12, 1938.
The annexation of Austria by Germany was known as the Anschluss.
The Austrian chancellor at the time of the invasion was Kurt von Schuschnigg.
Public opinion on the annexation was mixed. While many Austrians and Germans were enthusiastic about the union, evidence suggests that the pro-Anschluss movement would have only received a slim majority in a plebiscite.
France and Great Britain protested against Hitler's methods but accepted the annexation. The United States followed a similar policy of appeasement, while the Soviet Union demanded that the West stop further German aggression.
