DBWI: Hitler occupies the Rhineland

On March 7th, 1936, the Wehrmacht attempted to occupy the Rhineland but retreated upon the arrival of the French military. The POD is that the French government simply doesn't challenge it, which isn't very hard considering it was a very risky move OTL that some have speculated would have led to the collapse of the French government if it had led to outright war.
 
On March 7th, 1936, the Wehrmacht attempted to occupy the Rhineland but retreated upon the arrival of the French military. The POD is that the French government simply doesn't challenge it, which isn't very hard considering it was a very risky move OTL that some have speculated would have led to the collapse of the French government if it had led to outright war.
Don't have the Socialists win in 1932, and don't have Blum have a stable term as Prime Minister during that time. This would not only make it more likely that France wouldn't call Hitler's bluff, but it'd possibly render France weaker overall, since events like the Matignon Agreements (guaranteeing worker rights among other things) and the Nationalization of MAS and several other military industries gave needed confidence to the French government. It was still fragile, but was willing to at least stand off to Germany over the event.

As to what would happen in Germany; well, Hitler would've had a much stronger base to work on and would not have been deposed by 1938 by the militarists of the DVFP. He'd also probably try something like enacting the Anschluss, since that was a pretty big dream by the German Nationalists and especially to Hitler due to him being Austrian. The demilitarized zone also wouldn't exist far earlier; it took another 12 years for the Germans to finally shrug off that particular clause of Versailles, and that was mainly because of Malenkov's USSR becoming far scarier to the West and wanting Germany as a buffer.
 
Would the Anschluss even succeed though? Kurt Schuschnigg was very heavily opposed to the entire idea of Anschluss and would probably fight as hard as he could to ensure that the Germans wouldn't be able to annex the state, including enlisting the help of Mussolini if it were necessary. I also imagine that countries like France would be a bit alarmed by Versailles being violated so flagrantly again if it did succeed, so they might do something during the Anschluss if they failed to act in 1936.
 
Would the Anschluss even succeed though? Kurt Schuschnigg was very heavily opposed to the entire idea of Anschluss and would probably fight as hard as he could to ensure that the Germans wouldn't be able to annex the state, including enlisting the help of Mussolini if it were necessary. I also imagine that countries like France would be a bit alarmed by Versailles being violated so flagrantly again if it did succeed, so they might do something during the Anschluss if they failed to act in 1936.
Fair enough; I was just thinking what sort of foreign policy a man like Hitler would do beyond repudiating Versailles if Rhineland succeeded for him and he kept the wheels of power longer. I reckon Anscluss would've been one of them. He probably would've also tried gunning for the Corridor besides this, but I reckon he'd never be able to get that without war.
 
It is amusing to speculate on what would have happened if Hitler had sent troops into the Rhineland in 1936. Of course, as we all know what he did in OTL was much more clever: he simply proclaimed that the 14,000 Landespolizei in the Rhineland were hereby incorporated into the Wehrmacht! As he realized, France was most unlikely to have intervened to stop a "militarization" that did not immediately increase by even one the number of armed German forces in the Rhineland. Yet once the principle of remilitarization was established, Germany could and did then gradually add to their number.

I suppose one could imagine an alt-Hitler who was willing to take risks just to give a *dramatic* proof to the Germans that their "slavery" had ended--troops marching across the bridges, aircraft over the Cologne Cathedral, etc. But that's not the cautious Fuhrer of OTL :p
 
It is amusing to speculate on what would have happened if Hitler had sent troops into the Rhineland in 1936. Of course, as we all know what he did in OTL was much more clever: he simply proclaimed that the 14,000 Landespolizei in the Rhineland were hereby incorporated into the Wehrmacht! As he realized, France was most unlikely to have intervened to stop a "militarization" that did not immediately increase by even one the number of armed German forces in the Rhineland. Yet once the principle of remilitarization was established, Germany could and did then gradually add to their number.

I suppose one could imagine an alt-Hitler who was willing to take risks just to give a *dramatic* proof to the Germans that their "slavery" had ended--troops marching across the bridges, aircraft over the Cologne Cathedral, etc. But that's not the cautious Fuhrer of OTL :p
What are you on about? He did send men over; it was about a battalion's worth or so, since he wanted to dip his feet first before doing anything about it. France responded to this by staying firm and moving in, which was why that battalion then shipped out, as indicated in the orders they had. The Landespolizei declaration wasn't until months after that, and was mainly a way to try and save face and create a point where the Wehrmacht could easily recruit and expand from, similar to the Deutschejugend that Canaris and the like set up when Hitler's regime came unstuck in '38.
 
Economically speaking, how would the country fare compared to how it did IOTL? Would the economic troubles of Germany be butterflied away as Hitler would have more time to implement his plans? Maybe his economic policy was half-cocked because of the coup.
 
Economically speaking, how would the country fare compared to how it did IOTL? Would the economic troubles of Germany be butterflied away as Hitler would have more time to implement his plans? Maybe his economic policy was half-cocked because of the coup.
Possibly; he had a bit of a flair for brinkmanship based on his earlier moves. If there was a weaker French government at the time (wouldn't be hard if you change who won 1932), he probably would've gone far.
 
Top