Figure 1.--The Wehrmacht marched across the Rhine bridges in the morning of March 7, 1936. Here we see a ceremony in a town plaza in the afternoom after they marched cross the bridges. Perhaps our German reader will recognize the town. Notice that there are no heavy weapons and the use of horses. A contingent of Hitler Youth boys are at the center of the square. Source: Imperial War Museum. MH13118.

The NAZI dominated press coverage focused on the frenzy of exileration with which the German popilation treated the arrival of the Wehrmacht. The Whermacht today has a well-deserved sinsister repulation. But in its wearly operations involving areas with German populations, the Wehrmacht was seen largely as an army of national liberation. And the remilitarization of the Rhineland was one of these occassions. The population received the Wehrmacht as the arrival of long lost bothers and an act of liberation. There was no previous announcenent beause Hitler did not want to give the Allies time to react. As was so often the case, the idea was to present them a fait accompli. NAZI officials may have been informed. As soon as the operation began in the morning, it would have dominated the radio. Pelope along the streets cheered energetically and threw flowers if they were handy. I do not know if the crowds at the bridges grew sponateously or if they were orgazied. There were more formal ceremonies in city squares. The NAZI aperatus already existed in the Rhineland, onlt the military had been absent. Local NAZI officials organized rallies to welcome the troops. The crowds sang patriotic songs and NAZI anthems. The joy of the people at the bridhes and along the streets seems geuine. The clebrations in the squares are carefully orchestrated NAZI pagentry. Here we see a ceremony in a town plaza (figure 1).

Created: 6:35 AM 12/3/2011
Last updated: 2:13 AM 4/16/2019