| Original caption: “Hitler accepts the ovation of the Reichstag after announcing the “peaceful” acquisition of Austria. It set the stage to annex the Czechoslovakian Sudetenland, largely inhabited by a German-speaking population.” Führer und Reichskanzler (“Leader and Reichchancellor”) Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945) receives chants of Sieg Heil (“Hail Victory”) after announcing the Anschluss (“Union”) of Austria and Nazi Germany at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin, the meeting place of the Reichstag after the fire of February 27, 1933, burned the original building. In early 1938, under increasing pressure from pro-unification activists, Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg (December 14, 1897 – November 18, 1977) announced that there would be a referendum on a possible union with Germany versus maintaining Austria’s sovereignty to be held on March 13. Portraying this as defying the popular will in Austria and Germany, Hitler threatened an invasion and secretly pressured Schuschnigg to resign. A day before the planned referendum, at 0230 Hours on March 12, the Nazi German Heer (“Army”) crossed the border into Austria, unopposed by the Austrian military, starting at Braunau am Inn, Hitler’s birthplace. At 0800 Hours on March 12, Hitler departed from the Reich Chancellory; 25 minutes later, he took off with a large entourage from Tempelhof Aerodrome. After a short layover in Munich, he drove to Austria, past the house where he was born. He met for 2 hours with the officers of the VII Army Corps. That night, in Linz, he addressed 80,000 Austrian Nazis. The crowds chant: Ein Volk, ein Reich, ein Führer! (“One people, one Reich, one Führer!”) Witnesses report tears in Hitler’s eyes. On March 13, Hitler visited his family home in Linz and was greeted by the Burgomeister and his former guardian and his 5 daughters. Hitler visited the grave of his parents for 20 minutes. That night, he signed the papers to incorporate Austria into the 3rd Reich. Hitler entered Vienna on March 14. On the balcony of the Hofburg Hotel March 15, he announces Anschluss to 250,000 Austrians. Hitler left Vienna on March 16. Cheering crowds greeted his limousine upon his return to Berlin. He made a short speech from the balcony of the Reich Chancellory. At 0800 Hours on March 18, Hitler announced Anschluss to the assembled Reichstag deputies, who are now all Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP – “National Socialist German Workers’ Party”) representatives. Hitler justifies the annexation of Austria before the Reichstag and thanks Italian Duce and Dictator Benito Mussolini (July 29, 1883 – April 28, 1945) for his support during his speech. At the same time, he threatens western democracies with war in no uncertain terms. He dissolves the Reichstag and enacts a general public vote in Austria on April 10, 1938, which is referred to as the “sole approval or rejection of the enacted reunification of Austria with the German Reich.” Attendees at Hitler’s speech that day included: Reichswirtschaftsminister (“Reich Minister of Economics”) Richard Walther Darré (July 14, 1895 – September 5, 1953); Reichsleiter (“Reich Leader”) Otto Dietrich (August 31, 1897 – November 22, 1952), Vice-President of the Reich Press Chamber; Reichsminister Hans Frank (May 23, 1900 – October 16, 1946), Governor-General der Generalgouvernement; Reichsminister des Innern Wilhelm Frick (March 12, 1877 – October 16, 1946); Reichswirtschaftsminister (“Economics Minister”) Walther Funk (August 18, 1890 – May 31, 1960); Präsident des Reichstags Hermann Goering (January 12, 1893 – October 15, 1946); Reichsjustizminister (“Reich Justice Minister”) Franz Gürtner (August 26, 1881 – January 29, 1941); Reichsminister Rudolf Hess (April 26, 1894 – August 17, 1987), Stellvertreter des Führers (“Deputy Führer”); General der Artillerie Wilhelm Keitel (September 22, 1882 – October 16, 1946), Stabschef der Oberkommando der Wehrmacht (OKW); Reichsminister Hanns Kerrl (December 11, 1887 – December 14, 1941) Stellvertreter Präsident des Reichstags (“Deputy Reichstag President”); Generaladmiral Erich Raeder (April 24, 1876 – November 6, 1960) Stabschef der Oberkommando der Marine (OKM); Reichsminister für Wissenschaft, Erziehung und Volksbildung (“Reich Minister of Science, Education and Culture”) Bernhard Rust (September 30, 1883 – May 8, 1945); Präsident des Reichsbank Hjalmar Schacht (January 22, 1877 – June 3, 1970); Finanzminister (“Finance Minister”) Lutz Schwerin von Krosigk (August 22, 1887 – March 4, 1977); Reichsarbeitsminister (“Reich Labor Minister”) Franz Seldte (June 29, 1882 – April 1, 1947); Minister without Portfolio Konstantin von Neurath (February 2, 1873 – August 14, 1956); Reichsminister des Auswärtigen (“Foreign Affairs Minister”) Joachim von Ribbentrop (April 1893 – 16 October 1946). The Parteiadler (“Party Eagle”) hangs behind the podium. This modified Reichsadler (“Imperial Eagle”) became the symbol of Nazi Germany. This Parteiadler was destroyed, along with the Kroll Opera House, Royal Air Force (RAF) bombing on November 22, 1943. The remains of the building were demolished in 1951. The referendum was held in Austria on April 10, in which the ballot was not secret, Communists, Roma, and Jews were forbidden to participate, and threats and coercion were employed to manipulate the vote, resulting in over 99 percent approval for Anschluss. The campaign against the Jews began immediately after Anschluss. Jewish men were driven through the streets of Vienna as their homes and shops were plundered. These events reached a climax in the Kristallnacht pogrom of November 9-10, 1938. All synagogues and prayer houses in Vienna were destroyed. Over 6,000 Jews were arrested overnight, the majority deported to Dachau concentration camp in the following days. Allied occupied Austria declared independence from Nazi Germany on April 27, 1945. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0806.jpg |
| Image Size | 922.79 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2908 x 2041 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | March 18, 1938 |
| Location | Kroll Operahaus |
| City | Berlin |
| State or Province | Berlin |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-208-N-39843 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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