On May 13, a large number of German troops gathered on the German-Austrian border. The Austrian army could not have known that the army on the opposite side was preparing to invade with live ammunition, but they still maintained restraint and did not allow their troops to provoke the German army. , waiting for the president’s order.
At three o'clock in the morning, Hitler ordered all trains to Austria to stop running and sealed his side of the border.
Arrived at 10 am. Austrian Interior Minister Seth Inquartenau came to Ballhaus Square with written instructions from Hitler and Goering. He loudly reported to the chancellor Berlin's demands: Schuschnigg must resign and the referendum must be postponed for two weeks until a "legal vote" similar to the Saar referendum could be established.
If Göring did not get a reply to his phone call around noon, he assumed that Seth Inquart had been imprisoned or assassinated and therefore unavailable. And he, Hermann Goering, will take "corresponding actions" in the name of the second leader of the German Empire. However, it was already 11:30 at this time, so in order to prevent the time from changing. The latter extended the deadline to 2 pm in the name of the head of state.
The Gestapo lurking in the Austrian army surfaced one after another. They followed Heydrich's orders and came to talk to their superiors. He also promised that if the German army enters Austria, their positions and treatment will not change in any way. Most of the generals made their own decisions.
As for the Austrian police, as the earliest infiltrated agency in Germany, the police already have countless fifth columns lurking inside. In the past, they were afraid to take action due to the Austrian government's tough attitude towards the National Socialist Party. However, since Seth Inquart became the Minister of the Interior, the situation has been completely different. It can be said that the Austrian police department is indeed in the hands of the Germans now.
Schuschnigg lost the support of the two most powerful departments, the army and the police. Without the help of these two departments, Schuschnigg would not be able to do anything on the water, and he would be alone.
Germany's preparations at the border were effective and swift. In Austria, the impression had been created that Germany was making serious military preparations.
After learning that Schuschnigg had returned to Vienna, the Austrian National Socialists followed the orders and followed the methods used by Mussolini and Hitler, wearing National Socialist uniforms and marching along the Austrian roads towards Vienna.
One piece of bad news after another made Schuschnigg seem to have aged ten years immediately. They once hoped that through their own efforts, Austria would escape the fate of being annexed. However, the international community ignored it and the domestic centrifugal forces were strong. After all, He was defeated by internal and external troubles.
Schuschnigg came to the presidential palace with a frustrated face, ready to implement the line he hated most, compromise. So he hurriedly held final negotiations with President Miklas and decided to cancel the referendum.
When it became increasingly clear that the French "actions" were nothing more than empty protests, President Miklas finally gave in shortly before midnight. He appointed Seth-Inquart as prime minister and accepted the list of his cabinet ministers. He later said sadly, "I was completely abandoned both at home and abroad."
In this way, an Austrian chancellor left the political stage and was replaced by a caretaker cabinet headed by Seth Inquart. The new chancellor immediately sent a personal telegram to Hitler. We hope that the other side will quickly send troops to Austria to help restore law and order in Austria. Hitler happily agreed to the request.
Hitler issued a high-sounding statement to the German people and promised that the Austrian people would choose their future in "a real referendum." This statement was read by Goebbels on German Radio and Austrian Radio at noon on May 13. Then Hitler set off for his homeland.
At the same time, the soldiers who had been waiting for a long time finally received Hitler's order to cross the border. In a small town on the German-Austrian border, Lin Wei told the soldiers who were already helpless, "The head of state has issued an order for us to cross the border."
"Hi, Hitler." Every soldier had an excited smile on his face. The Holy Roman Empire, which had been divided for hundreds of years, was about to be resurrected under his own eyes, and he was the witness of this great moment. People, they certainly have reason to be happy.
Lin Wei waited for the cheers of the soldiers. After all, this moment may never happen once in a lifetime, and excitement is inevitable. Seeing the soldiers gradually calming down, Lin Wei continued, "Germany and Austria have been divided for hundreds of years, so when you arrive in Austria this time, you must abide by military discipline and not harass the residents of Austria. Well, God will bless us, Party Guards, advance!".
With a rumble, tanks were launched one after another, knocking down the boundary markers on the border, symbolizing that from now on, Austria, as an independent country, no longer exists. However, the march was not as excessive as Lin Wei thought. The vast majority of Austrians were not hostile to the German army, and some young people even waved to these enemy troops.
In fact, Lin Wei did not fully understand the relationship between Germany and Austria. Germany and Austria can summarize their relationship in more than a few words. You must know that Germany's mountain troops in World War II were basically composed of Austrians. It is hard to imagine that an enemy would have so many people willing to be "puppet soldiers" and sacrifice their lives for it.
Along the way, the young SS men kept offering gifts to the girls they could see along the way, and the hospitable Austrian girls took out their own gifts. At the same time, many people took out food and forced it to be given to the soldiers. They shook hands with the soldiers, hugged the soldiers, and even kissed the soldiers. Many of them shed tears of joy. There were no accidents along the way. From their point of view, they were originally a family, but they were separated for so long due to unfortunate political mistakes, and now they are finally reunited.
This is not a war to swallow up gangs and destroy the country, it looks more like a military parade, and another object of the military parade is to show the Austrians the power that Germany now possesses.
Although things are moving in a good direction, Lin Wei feels a headache about this kind of thing. Although there is no unexpected emergency, this situation is not what Lin Wei wants to see. The happy atmosphere makes the soldiers feel intoxicated. , but Lin Wei didn't want it to really turn into a military parade. Because at the current speed of travel, it would take who knows how many days to control the entire territory of Austria.
If any special situation occurs during this period, it is not something Lin Wei can afford. So Lin Wei bit the bullet and issued an order to speed up the advance of the SS and control the entire territory of Austria as soon as possible. Fortunately, the SS soldiers were all elites who came out of Lin Wei. They were able to understand Lin Wei's words and knew the importance, so they quickly resumed their normal marching speed.
Finally at 5 o'clock the next morning, they arrived at the suburbs of Vienna. Standing on the tank, holding a telescope, they could already see the spire of Stephen's Cathedral in the distance.
After entering Vienna, Lin Wei immediately began to rectify the public security in the city to prevent the recurrence of the murders that had started a few days ago.
After 220,000 German troops entered Austria, they followed the map that had been prepared and went to their target to occupy. Soon, Lin Wei got the news and the progress was smooth. The Gendarmerie Division and the Imperial Division were stationed in the state of Vienna, and the Totenkopf and Police Divisions were stationed in the states of Burgenland and Kainten respectively.
Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, and Vorarlberg, these states and regions have also been occupied by the Wehrmacht.
After receiving the news that everything went well, Lin Wei finally breathed a sigh of relief. But immediately Lin Wei's exclusive adjutant Heinz hurried in and said, "Leader, the head of state has arrived from Berlin and has now arrived at the German-Austrian border."
After hearing what Heinz said, although Lin Wei was thinking of countermeasures, he still corrected him and said, "Heinz, there is no Austria anymore."
After thinking for a long time, Lin Wei said, "Heinz, go to the National Socialist Party headquarters in Austria and ask them to provide information on the unstable elements in Austria, and then go to the Minister of the Interior Seth Inquart and ask him to order the Austrian police department. Cooperate with our actions to eradicate unstable factors."
"Yes, leader!" Heinz raised his hands and prepared to go out, but he came back immediately and said, "Leader, do you want to bring a few more people to protect you?"
Lin Wei smiled and said, "It's not necessary yet, I still want to meet our old friend, Xu Schnigg."
Lin Wei soon arrived at Schuschnigg's residence under the guidance of the Gestapo. Schuschnigg's residence was not as grand as imagined. It was an ordinary building with some daily necessities. It was obvious that Schuschnigg was an upright official.
The person who opened the door was not Schuschnigg himself, but a middle-aged woman, probably Schuschnigg's wife. When Schuschnigg's wife saw the SS men in black uniforms, although she tried her best to look calm, Lin Wei could still tell that she was scared. So he said politely, "Hello, madam. Is Mr. Schuschnigg at home?"
"Who is here? Anna?" Before the woman could speak, Schuschnigg's voice came from the room. Then Lin Wei immediately said, "Hello, Mr. Schuschnigg."
When Schuschnigg heard Lin Wei's voice, he immediately remembered the young man next to Hitler when he met with Hitler in Germany. After learning about Lin Wei's arrival, Xu Schnigg knew that it was definitely not a good thing, but he could only take one step at a time.
Now that the whole of Austria is controlled by Germany, even if he wants to escape, where can he escape? Knowing this, Schuschnigg immediately invited Lin Wei in. Lin Wei frowned slightly after he came in and saw Xu Schnigg. Just a few days ago, when he met with Hitler, Schuschnigg gave Lin Wei the impression that although he was weak, he was not as lifeless as he is now. After not seeing each other for just a few days, Schuschnigg now felt like a dead person to Lin Wei.
Although Lin Wei was unwilling to talk to a lifeless person, he still had improved etiquette. After performing the Juncker etiquette, Lin Wei said, "Mr. Schuschnigg, this incident should make you understand that Austria has been completely conquered." The world has abandoned you. And you have done your best for Austria, so there is no need for you to blame yourself."
Although Lin Wei was a bit embarrassed to stand and talk without pain in his back, Schuschnigg was already like this, and Lin Wei was embarrassed to add insult to injury.
"No, God will bless Austria." When it came to Austria, Schuschnigg finally stopped looking so lifeless. He stood up excitedly, his trembling body just like Lin Wei explained how Schuschnigg was. Excited.