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Encyclopedia of Invasions & Conquests, Fourth Edition

Rhineland, Nazi Occupation of the

One of the results of the Versailles Treaty, which brought about the end of World War I, was that the territory known as the Rhineland was to be occupied by Allied troops for a period of time and demilitarized indefinitely. No German troops, military installations, or fortifications were to be located in the demilitarized zone, which included all German territory west of the Rhine, along with the territory on the east side of the Rhine River to a depth of 50 kilometers. Though the Germans were forced to accept these terms in 1919, in 1925 they willingly agreed to a demilitarized Rhineland when they signed the Locarno Pact.

As early as May 1935, Adolf Hitler ordered the German High Command to create a plan for the reoccupation of the Rhineland. During this period, the French government received reports that the Germans were constructing barracks, ammunition depots, airfields, rail lines, and roads in the demilitarized zone, but failed to do anything about these warnings. By the beginning of 1936, Hitler believed the time was nearing for a German move into the Rhineland. Hitler watched closely how the League of Nations dealt with Mussolini’s aggressions in Ethiopia. He rightly concluded that if the League could not get together on this problem, it would lack the resolve needed to confront Germany for its violations of the Versailles Treaty and the Locarno Pact.

Treaty of Versailles, front page.

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Photo via Wikimedia Commons. [Public domain.]

On Hitler’s command, the Minister of War and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces General Blomberg issued on 2 March 1936 the preparatory orders for the reoccupation, codenamed Winterubung (Winter Exercise). Three days later, on 5 March, the date for Z-Day (D- Day) was set for Saturday, 7 March. Historians believe that Hitler purposely planned many of his important actions to begin on Saturdays to take advantage of the long weekends enjoyed by many European diplomats.

The military leaders, including Army Chief of Staff General von Fritsch, did not believe the army was ready for such a move, and that the French and British would easily force the German troops out of the Rhineland. At this time, the German army was inferior to the those of the Allies in numbers, equipment, and training, and a German defeat would be a severe blow to Germany’s rearmament program and growing political strength. On the day of and immediately after the invasion, the German generals urged Hitler to recall the troops west of the Rhine for fear of French reprisals. This was the first open conflict between Hitler and the army, and after the success of the German reoccupation, Hitler placed less value on his generals’ opinions and more on his own intuition.

At dawn on 7 March, elements of the German army moved into the Rhineland, supported by two squadrons of fighter aircraft. These soldiers entered the zone undeployed for battle. Only three battalions of infantry crossed the Rhine River, and German panzers never entered the demilitarized zone. The total number of German troops was 36,000, which included 14,000 local police organized as infantry.

The consequences of the reoccupation were enormous. First, many historians believe that France and England could have easily prevented Germany from fortifying the Rhineland. If France alone or in conjunction with England had used force against the Germans, the German army would have been forced to retreat. In fact, the soldiers on the west side of the Rhine had orders to conduct a fighting withdrawal if they encountered French troops. However, the only response from the Allies was a formal protest to the League of Nations. A number of important consequences occurred by allowing Germany to regain control of the Rhineland. The Allies failed to strike a crucial blow against the rising power of Nazi Germany and Hitler’s influence at home by neglecting to act against Hitler’s aggression. After the reoccupation of the Rhineland, a plebiscite was conducted in Germany that showed a 98.8 percent approval rate for Hitler and his actions. The German fortification of the Rhineland allowed Germany’s western frontier to be protected with only a minimum number of soldiers, and provided cover for Germany’s industries and mineral deposits located in the Ruhr, thus providing security for Germany’s rearmament program. With Germany firmly entrenched in the Rhineland, France could no longer come to the aid of its allies in central and eastern Europe. Now, with the remilitarization and reoccupation a fait accompli, Hitler would be able to begin expansion in the east to achieve lebensraum (living space) for the German people with little interference from the Western allies.

See also: Ethiopia, Italian Invasion of; Hitler, Adolf.

References:

1 

Kagan, Donald, On the Origins of War (New York: Doubleday, 1995); Shirer, William, The Collapse of the Third Republic (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1969); Taylor, Telford, Munich: The Price of Peace (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1979).

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MLA 9th
, . "Rhineland, Nazi Occupation Of The." Encyclopedia of Invasions & Conquests, Fourth Edition, edited by Paul K. Davis, Salem Press, 2023. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=GHInv4e_0241.
APA 7th
, . (2023). Rhineland, Nazi Occupation of the. In P. K. Davis (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Invasions & Conquests, Fourth Edition. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
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,. "Rhineland, Nazi Occupation Of The." Edited by Paul K. Davis. Encyclopedia of Invasions & Conquests, Fourth Edition. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2023. Accessed October 15, 2025. online.salempress.com.