16th of March 1938 - Wien, Former Bündesstaat Österreich
Agence France-Presse Socialiste, Wien, 7am: Our correspondents at the Austrian Reichsratsgebäude have reported that last night Kurt von Schussnig has resigned as president of Österreich. In his place has been appointed an ardent Nazi, Arthur Seyss-Inquart. The resignation of von Schussnig has come after severe pressure from neighboring Germany, which had threatened to invade Österreich If he refused to step down. Hitler had set an ultimatum for von Schussnig at 7pm last night. Despite the resignation of von Schussnig, there have been reports that large formations of the German Army have crossed the German-Austrian border. There have also been reports of the Austrian units surrendering themselfs to the Germans, refusing to shed German blood. Currently it isn't clear what is exactly happening in the border region, but in Wien thousands of Nazi supporters have taken it to the streets and are shouting for the Anschluss of Österreich with the Altreich.
Reuters, Wien, 4pm: A delegation of German officials has signed the surrender and incorporation of Österreich into the German Empire at the Reichsratsgebäude of Österreich. The Treaty of Wien has been signed between Arthur Seyss-Inquart, representing the Bündesstaat Österreich, and Hermann Göring, representing the German Empire. Österreich will cease to be an independent nation, and will become a state within the German Empire. All Austrian Army units will be retrained and incorporated into the Wehrmacht. The German Eighth Army invaded Österreich in the night of 15 March at approximately 11pm in the evening, crossing the border at strategic locations such as Salzburg. The Austrian Army didn't resist, and certain units even offered their services to the invading German forces. In several cities, such as Innsbrück, Linz and the capital Wien, Austrian Nazi's took it to the streets, seizing local power, arresting local police and other Austrian authorities. By the late morning German forces entered Wien and at this very moment there are German troops parading through the streets of Wien. Hitler is due to make an appearance in Wien, after appearing in his hometown of Linz this morning, to make a statement on the return of Österreich to the German Empire.
Armoured cars of the German Eighth Army are parading through the streets of Wien. Österreich has been welcomed back into the Altreich.
16th of March 1938 - Palais du Peuple, Paris, Socialist Republic of France
In the night of the 16th of March, at 1am in the morning, Léon Blum called an emergency meeting of the cabinet at the Palais du Peuple. An hour earlier, French intelligence services had picked up an emergency signal coming from a police station near the German-Austrian border. The message it transmitted wasn't coded, and was clear:
"Reque.. backup assistanc.. German invasi... begu... oh glorious Österrei.. DOOMED!". At the same time, the French spy ring stationed in Berlin reported that orders had been given to units of the German Eighth Army to prepare for a possible intervention in Österreich at approximately 10.30pm. As more reports came in, all pointing towards a German invasion of Österreich, alarm was raised in Paris. In 1929, in an attempt to strengthen the position of socialist parties throughout Eastern Europe, the Socialist Republic of France had guaranteed the borders of Österreich in the Red Rose Treaties.
As Blum entered the cabinet room in the Palais du Peuple, the atmosphere became even darker: a few minutes ago, Germany had issued a statement verifying they had intervened in Österreich to protect "the will of the people". The cabinet room was a large room, with the French tri-colour draped across the walls; in the center of the room stood a huge oak table, with in the middle the Red Rose of Socialism. Blum quickly moved to his place in the middle of the table while other cabinet members were unfolding a large map of Southern Germany and Österreich.
"At which points do we have confirmed crossings?", asked Blum.
"At Innsbrück, Salzburg and near Braunau.", replied Marcel Cachin, Chief of Staff of the French Army,
"and we have intelligence reports that might indicate that the entire German Eighth Army is involved.".
"What do you think, Marcel?", asked Blum, while gazing over the map, taking up all the information it provided.
"It is impossible for us to intervene at this moment. Our Army is understrength, under equipped and unprepared for war. We are still training our much needed officer cadre, and the Karl Marx-line isn't finished either. Starting a war over Österreich right now would mean the end of our glorious Republic", replied Cachin,
"our only chance would be If the Germans really did shift an entire field army in Österreich. But this seems a very unlikely, and If implemented a foolish decision by the German High Command." "But we CAN'T let this go past uncontested! This is a blow to our already fragile credibility towards the outside world!", protested Jean Longuet. Blum stood up, and paced around the room. He slowly turned away from the cabinet, still sitting at the oak table, and started talking in a very calm, soft voice:
"We should be realistic here, Jean. We simply do not have the means to sustain a prolonged war, we're hardly capable of delivering a quick blow. Waging war against a token opponent such as Belgium isn't the same as waging war against a major industrial power, which military power greatly surpasses our own. From this moment on, the border to Germany will be closed. We will not allow anyone to travel to Germany, to do business with Germany and we will recall all French citizens in Germany. L'Union Française will be closed to Germany until they reinstate a legitimate and sovereign government in Österreich. We will also partially mobilize our armed forces.". The cabinet was shocked by this decision, but directly started preparing the necessary orders. They realised that this wasn't the end, but only the end of the beginning.