Remilitarisation of the Rhineland
On 7 March 1936, Hitler ordered 22,000 German troops to march into the demilitarised Rhineland zone, directly violating both the Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact that Germany had voluntarily signed. Hitler later admitted that the 48 hours following the remilitarisation were the most nerve-racking of his life — his generals had orders to withdraw if France mobilised, and the French army vastly outnumbered the German force. France declined to act militarily without British support, and Britain was unwilling to risk war over 'Hitler going into his own backyard', as the popular press put it. The non-response was the pivotal failure of appeasement: it confirmed to Hitler that the western powers lacked the will to enforce the treaty system, emboldened him to pursue further violations, and gave Germany the strategic depth to build fortifications that would later complicate any French counter-offensive.
- Year: 1936 CE
- Category: Military
