Wehrmacht Rearmament and Military Expansion (1933–1939)

1. Germany leaves League and Disarmament Conference

   Oct 14, 1933Labels: League of

   • UPI Archives

2. German–Polish non-aggression declaration signed

   Jan 26, 1934Labels: Germany, Poland

   • Nonaggression Pact

3. State sovereignty abolished under Reconstruction Law

   Jan 30, 1934Labels: Reconstruction Law, Reich government

   • Reconstruction Law

4. Saar plebiscite votes for return to Germany

   Jan 13, 1935Labels: Saar Territory

   • Saar Basin

5. Secret decree authorizes founding of Luftwaffe

   Feb 26, 1935Labels: Luftwaffe

   • HISTORY

6. Conscription reintroduced in violation of Versailles

   Mar 16, 1935Labels: Conscription

   • UPI Archives

7. Anglo-German Naval Agreement signed in London

   Jun 18, 1935Labels: Anglo-German Naval, United Kingdom

   • Britannica
   • USHMM

8. Four Year Plan launched to prioritize rearmament

   Jan 1, 1936Labels: Four Year, Hermann G

   • Four Year Plan

9. Wehrmacht marches into demilitarized Rhineland

   Mar 7, 1936Labels: Rhineland, Wehrmacht

   • USHMM
   • HISTORY

10. Hossbach meeting outlines aggressive expansion aims

    Nov 5, 1937Labels: Hossbach Memorandum, Hitler

    • Hossbach Memo

11. OKW established after Blomberg–Fritsch affair

    Feb 4, 1938Labels: OKW, Blomberg Fritsch

    • OKW

12. German troops enter Austria in Anschluss

    Mar 12, 1938Labels: Anschluss, Austria

    • HISTORY

13. Munich Agreement enables annexation of Sudetenland

    Sep 30, 1938Labels: Munich Agreement, Sudetenland

    • Britannica
    • USHMM

14. Germany occupies Bohemia and Moravia

    Mar 15, 1939Labels: Protectorate of, Moravia

    • HISTORY
    • Czechoslovakia Occupation

15. Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact signed

    Aug 23, 1939Labels: Molotov Ribbentrop, Soviet Union

    • Britannica

16. Germany invades Poland, triggering European war

    Sep 1, 1939Labels: Invasion of, Wehrmacht

    • HISTORY