After entering 1936, the world was immediately concerned by a major event, that is, the German army once again entered the Rhine Demilitarized Zone.
In the early morning of February 29, a German army composed of 19 infantry battalions and 12 artillery companies (about 30,000 people in total) entered the Rhine Demilitarized Zone. Three of the battalions crossed the Rhine River and headed toward the border between Germany, Belgium, and France.
Advance to Aachen, Trier and Saarbrücken.
At 10 a.m., the German Foreign Minister summoned the ambassadors of France, Britain, and Italy to Germany in Wilhelmstrasse (the seat of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and handed them a note abrogating the Locarno Convention and a notice of the German troops stationed in the Rhine Demilitarized Zone. At the same time,
There is also a new "peace" plan proposed by Germany.
French Ambassador François Poncet, who attended the summons, later recalled: "Hitler slapped his opponent in the face, and when he did so he also said: 'I made you a peace proposal.
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Two hours after the German army entered the Rhineland, Hitler once again demonstrated his provocative speech genius on the podium of the Congress. William Shirer, a famous American journalist who attended the speech to the Congress, recorded the scene at that time.
After talking a lot about the disadvantages of the Treaty of Versailles and the threat of Bolshevism, Hitler calmly declared: Since the Franco-Soviet Mutual Assistance Treaty came into effect, Germany was no longer bound by the Locarno Convention; "The German government has
This re-establishes Germany’s absolute sovereignty without any restrictions in the demilitarized zone!”
Although Hitler pretended to be very calm in his speech to the Reichstag, he was very guilty and nervous inside.
He later admitted: "The 48 hours after entering the Rhineland were the most nerve-wracking moments in my life. If the French had also entered the Rhineland at that time, we would have had to retreat with our tail between our legs, because we had all the resources available to us.
That little military force, even if it is used for a little resistance, is completely insufficient."
When the German General Staff Headquarters received the initial information from Paris that France ordered the deployment of 13 divisions to the Maginot Line of defense on the Franco-German border, the German Army Chief of Staff, General Baker, requested that the 3rd Battalion of German troops that had crossed the Rhine be withdrawn. These
Senior German generals believe that the French will not fail to take action on major issues related to their country's security this time.
However, Hitler, with his gambler's mentality and special political acumen, continued to bet on the expectation that Britain and France would not take actual sanctions, and rejected the generals' proposal to withdraw troops. Although if Britain and France really carried out the
In the event of military intervention, not only would the German army "have to retreat with its tail between its legs," but it would also likely mean the downfall of Hitler himself and the communist regime.
But I have to admit that Hitler was indeed very far-sighted and he seized the best opportunity.
Italy began to change its attitude. Even if it did not support Germany, it would not oppose it.
Italy and Germany had sharp conflicts over the Austrian issue before, and they had been opposing Germany's military expansion and war preparations together with Britain and France. However, when Italy invaded Ethiopia, Britain advocated the League of Nations to impose sanctions on Italy, while Germany adopted neutrality and also carried out attacks on Italy during the war.
A large amount of aid. Therefore, in 1 private Italy assured Germany that it would not interfere in future German marches.
The UK has recently obtained satisfactory results from the Germans on the issue of naval arms control, and will not take military action against Germany on this issue. You must know that the UK has always adopted a continental balance of power approach to Europe, and
France was originally suspected of being the dominant player in Europe, so it would be beneficial to have a German team in England that could contain France's strength.
In addition, the British economy is also in a mess. In the second half of 1931, it abandoned the gold standard system that had been implemented for centuries. The British economy has not yet recovered.
As for France, which has the greatest stakes, the French political arena has been extremely chaotic for many years. The left-wing and right-wing political parties pointed fingers at each other, which has seriously hindered the development of the French economy. Moreover, the Franco-Soviet Mutual Assistance Treaty just passed by the French House of Representatives gave Hitler an excuse.
He attacked the Franco-Soviet Mutual Assistance Treaty as "introducing communism onto the European stage" and was incompatible with the obligations stipulated in the Locarno Convention, claiming that it "brought a factor of legal insecurity".
The treaty stipulates that when either France or the Soviet Union becomes the target of aggression by a European country, the two countries promise to immediately provide mutual support and assistance.
The Franco-Soviet Mutual Assistance Treaty did violate the Locarno Convention's agreement that Germany and France should resolve their disputes by peaceful means.
However, Hitler deliberately ignored the fact that France chose to get closer to the Soviet Union because of concerns about Germany's return to compulsory military service in 1935. Germany, which restored the compulsory military system, quickly expanded its military strength to 350,000. It was precisely because of the rapid expansion of Germany's military strength that it was seen
After recovering, France chose to approach the Soviet Union.
Therefore, when faced with the German army's entry into the Rhine Demilitarized Zone, France did not give a strong response. It only transferred 12 divisions to the French-German border to strengthen defense.
In fact, France also has its own difficulties, in addition to the above reasons. France suffered too many casualties in World War I, and the general public's war weariness was very serious. Politicians did not dare to do things that made the people dissatisfied, so they could only watch Germany.
The army occupies the Rhine demilitarized zone.
As for Germany's eastern neighbor, Poland, the mood is even more complicated. Despite the 1934 German-Polish non-aggression treaty, the Poles are still deeply wary of Germany. As a long-term ally of France, Poland believes that France will never tolerate Germany's invasion of the Rhineland.
Therefore, on March 9, he proposed to France that the military alliance between the two countries should come into effect.
When it was discovered that France did not intend to take action, the Polish government was very embarrassed for its own presumption and had to explain itself to Berlin (Hitler, however, said he was well aware of the Polish government's difficulties).
Britain and France (especially France) and other allies in Europe felt chilled by this and began to adjust their policies to adapt to the new balance of power in Europe. Even Belgium and the Netherlands, which had always been allies with Britain and France, also
Declared neutrality one after another.
Faced with Germany's invasion of the Rhine Demilitarized Zone, what does Romania, as an important member of Europe, think about it?
Edel said, move a bench and sit down and watch. At present, Germany and Romania have good relations, and the military cooperation between the two countries satisfies each other. Hitler, as an excellent politician, will certainly not forget Romania. Before the march began, Hitler once communicated through the ambassador through the ambassador.
I tested Romania’s attitude.
For this reason, Edel said that Romania believed that Germany should have the right to station troops on its own territory. Hitler, who was overjoyed, publicly said to others, "Romania is Germany's true friend."
Yes, Edel was willing to see Germany rearm. Without Germany breaking the Versailles system, how could Romania be allowed to fish in troubled waters?
For this reason Edel also needs a magic weapon to ensure Romania's interests.
