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Joyous celebrations occurred througout Austria. There is no doubt looking at the images that Austrians wanted to be part of the new German Reich. German playwright Carl Zuckmayer (1896-1977) had moved to Austria in 1936 fleeing Hitler and the NAZIs. He described what happened in Vienna in his autobiography. Vienna during the first few days of the Anchluss was a city transformed "into a nightmare painting of Hieronymus Bosch." It writes that is was as if, " Hades had opened its gates and vomited forth the basest, most despicable, most horrible demons. In the course of my life I had seen something of untrammeled human insights of horror or panic. I had taken part in a dozen battles in the First World War, had experienced barrages, gassings, going over the top. I had witnessed the turmoil of the post-war era, the crushing uprisings, street battles, meeting hall brawls. I was present among the bystanders during the Hitler Putsch in 1923 in Munich. I saw the early period of Nazi rule in Berlin. But none of this was comparable to those days in Vienna. What was unleashed upon Vienna had nothing to do with seizure of power in Germany ... What was unleashed upon Vienna was a torrent of envy, jealousy, bitterness, blind, malignant craving for revenge. All better instincts were silenced ... only the torpid masses had been unchained ... It was the witch's Sabbath of the mob. All that makes for human dignity was buried." [Zuckmayer] Unlike some such events, this was not an invention of Goebbels's Propaganda Ministry. There was widespread support for Anschluss among the Austrian people. [Davidson, p. 192.] The Anschluss became known as the "flower war" as flowers and arms outstraeched in the NAZI salute greeted the Wehrmacht as they drove toward Vienna. Hitler entered Austria the following day (March 13). Hiter motored into Austria and was jubiantly cheered by people lining the roads and streets. Speaking before a jubilent crowd in Linz, announced the "Anschluss" (Annexation) of Austria into the German Reich.
Davidson, Eugene. The Unmaking of Adolf Hitler (Univesity of Missouri: Columbia, 1996), 519p.
Zuckmayer, Carl. Als wär's ein Stück von mir (As if it were part of myself).
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