Anschluss — Nazi Germany Annexes Austria

German forces crossed into Austria on March 12, 1938, meeting no military resistance. Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg resigned under pressure and Hitler entered Vienna the following day to thunderous crowds. A sham plebiscite recorded 99.7% support for union. The Anschluss incorporated 7 million Austrians into the Third Reich and brought German forces to the borders of Czechoslovakia. Austria's 192,000 Jews immediately faced Nazi persecution, property seizure, and deportation.