Figure 1.--The Wehrmacht as agreed to in the Munich Agreement began moving into the Sudetenland (October 1). Hitler followed (October 3). The boys here are enthusiastically welcoming Hitler. As Germany has just seized the Sudetenland, they do not yet hve their Hitler Youth uniforms. Notice the boy at the fronton tip toes, the boy learnng hoping to shake Hitler's hand. Girls are also present. Put the cursor on the imsge to see a triumphant Adolf Hitler in his Mercedes.

The Wehrmacht as agreed to in the Munich Agreement began moving into the Sudetenland (October 1). Hitler followed (October 3). The Wehrmacht was received with jubilation. The Times in London published accounts of the jubilation of the Sudebten Germans along with photographs showing the cascade of flowers greeting the German soldiers. It was simiar to the greeting received erarlier in theyear when the Wehrmacht entered Austria. These are not the images of Germany and World War II that readily come to mind. One has to be careful how to assess the images of cheering Sudenten Germans welcoming the NAZIs. To us the NAZIs and the swastica represent the Holocaust, unimaginable attrocities, and the murder of millions. This is of course not what these peoples are cheering about. The jubilation is largely one an outburst of nationalism and patriotism. The people in the images saw themselves being liberated and finally united with the German Reich. One of the Sudenten Germans impressed with the NAZIs was a young Oskar Schindler. He came from a Catholic family in the Sudetenland and welcomed the NAZIs. Schindler joined the NAZI Party shortly after the German annexation of the Sudetenland. After Schindler went to Poland he began to see just what the NAZIs program entailed.

Created: 7:48 AM 9/10/2006
Last updated: 7:48 AM 9/10/2006