Map of the Sudetenland(courtesy of 'Virtual Saskatchewan')
In 1936, as Chancellor of Germany, Hitler began his territorial expansions by remilitarizing the Rhineland, a region in western Germany. Hitler and his army then annexed Austria on March 12, 1938, and later he turned his attention to the Sudetenland, a region of Czechoslovakia. The Sudetenland had previously belonged to Germany, but at the end of World War One, under the Treaty of Versailles, it became part of Czechoslovakia. It was Czechoslovakia’s largest minority, with about 3 million Germans and only about 800,000 Czechs. Many people in the Sudetenland supported Hitler and wanted him to take control of the region. The Sudeten German Party became violent in the spring of 1938, as it “Demanded economic improvements based on regional autonomy, while protesting its loyalty to the Czechoslovak State and maintaining a discreet distance from the Nazis across the border in Germany” (The Third Reich in Power, by Richard J. Evans). To Hitler, conquest of this region would be the key to his conquest of Eastern Europe. Unknown to European leaders, Hitler began planning what he called Operation Green in May of 1938. Germany was not necessarily ready for war with Czechoslovakia, as its military power had degraded since World War One. "In no way are we ready for war" (Admiral Raeder). The German army and air force had few weapons, and the navy had no battleships. Despite this, Hitler still pushed for war. "It is my unalterable intention to smash Czechoslovakia by military action in the near future" (Hitler). The Czechoslovak government did not want the Sudetenland to end up in Germany’s hands because of the region's valuable military fortifications. The Sudetenland was heavily industrialized with a leading armaments industry, and it would have devastated Czechoslovakia's economy and military if they lost it. Czechoslovakia had a well-equipped and disciplined army which was focused on defeating Germany as well. Ironically, they thought the French were their allies. They were soon to find out that this was not the case, however, as higher powers from other countries became involved in the Sudetenland crisis.