Austria, the Sudetenland, Czechoslovakia: more of the same

Encouraged by the easy victory over the Rhineland, Hitler made further plans for expansion, convinced his opponents would never try to stop him. In March 1938 German troops marched into Austria and Hitler declared that from now on Austria was part of the new Germany. This Anschluss, or union with Austria, was also forbidden by the Treaty of Versailles. There were protests from the British and French but nothing more.

Six months later, Hitler demanded that the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia be handed over to Germany. He claimed that because some three million Germans lived in the region, they had the right to be part of the new German Reich, or state. The Sudetenland also contained vital raw materials and the Czechs' impressive weapons factories. The British Prime Minister, Chamberlain, and Daladier of France agreed to meet Hitler in Munich along with Mussolini to discuss Hitler's demands.

The Munich Conference in September 1938 gave Hitler everything he wanted. The Sudetenland was handed over to Germany. The Czechs were not consulted and neither was the Soviet Union - a country which had an alliance with Czechoslovakia and was prepared to help her. The Czechs were told that they were free to oppose the agreement, but Britain and France made it clear that the Czechs would have to fight Germany on their own. The Czech army of some 35 divisions (about 500,000 men) was modern and well equipped, but it could not fight Hitler on its own.

Hitler promised that he would make no further demands in Europe. Chamberlain returned to Britain and was heartily cheered as a hero and peacemaker. Six months later, in March 1939, German troops seized the whole of Czechoslovakia. Chamberlain and Daladier at last realised that the German leader could not be trusted. Both countries signed an alliance with Poland, promising to help the Poles if they were attacked by Germany.

Neil Demarco: The era of the Second World War; Oxford University Press, 1993/2000, page 18