Occupation of the Rhineland

On 7 March 1936 Adolf Hitler sends troop divisions from the Wehrmacht to enter the demilitarised Rhineland – a step which violates the 1919 Peace Treaty of Versailles as well as the 1925 Treaty of Locarno.

Quelle: br-online.de German soldiers marching into the demilitarised Rhineland in 1936 (here probably crossing the Rhine in Cologne)

The „Führer“ justifies this occupation of the Rhineland as a counter-reaction to the mutual assistance agreement of 2 May 1935 between France and the Soviet Union. This agreement allegedly means that the Reich’s western neighbour has already violated the Treaty of Locarno. As with Hitler’s other violations of Versailles Treaty provisions, there is no military reaction by the western powers.