World War II Database

The Lithuanian port city of Klaipeda, or the Prussian name of Memel, had been a part of the Prussian and German empires before the signing of the Versailles Treaty in 1919. The city at the mouth of the River Niemen was dominated by ethnic Germans, though the surrounding Memelland region was predominantly Lithuanian. Between 1919 and 1923, Memel and Memelland had been governed by an autonomous Landtag government, under supervision of a French High Commissioner as well as the League of Nations. In 1923, Lithuanian troops occupied the region, and Lithuanian sovereignty over the region was recognized internationally. On 20 Mar 1939, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop demanded the return of Memelland to Germany, citing the ethnic German population in the city as the reason. The German Navy steamed toward Memelland with Adolf Hitler aboard the pocket battleship Deutschland, threatening to invade if Lithuania did not give in. On 22 Mar, Lithuanian representatives boarded Deutschland as the Germans demanded, and they attempted to resist German demands. Ultimately, threatened with a German attack, the Lithuanians gave in in the early hours of 23 Mar, signing Klaipeda and the surrounding regions over to Germany. Later on the same day, Hitler gave a passionate speech from a theater balcony, announcing the bloodless reconquest of Memel. It was to be the last of such bloodless conquests for Germany.

Annexation of Memelland Timeline

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