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What I believe Werthmann intends to teach us is that Austria willingly allowed itself to join the Third Reich believing that to be in Austria's best interest.
There is no Wethmann and this entire letter is bogus. It's a parable constructed for domestic politics but it's a factually incorrect parable.
"Werthmann" writes:
Here's what happened:
I cannot tell you that Hitler took Austria by tanks and guns; it would distort history. We elected him by a landslide - 98% of the vote.. I've never read that in any American publications.
In a desperate gamble to halt the demise and to stave off Hitler, Schuschnigg announced there would be a national plebiscite on Sunday, March 13, allowing Austrians to vote on whether or not their country should remain independent from Germany. . . .
By Friday morning, March 11th, Chancellor Schuschnigg had become aware of the pending invasion. At 2 p.m. that afternoon, he informed Seyss-Inquart in Vienna that the plebiscite would indeed be canceled to avoid any bloodshed. . . .
At dawn on Saturday, March 12, 1938, German soldiers in tanks and armored vehicles roared across the German-Austrian border on schedule. . . .
Upon returning to Germany, Hitler scheduled another plebiscite, just as he had done after occupying the Rhineland. The people of Germany and Austria were now asked to approve the Anschluss. On April 10th, ninety-nine percent voted 'Ja,' with most afraid to ever vote no, knowing their vote might easily be discovered.
Some idiot who doesn't understand history is writing a fable.
There is indeed a Werthmann.
Freedoms can disappear in a hurry if we aren t careful
The historical account you linked is one version. Here is another that is much closer to the account she relates of her memory as a young girl growing up in that era of history.
Austria-Absorption of Austria into the Third Reich THE ANSCHLUSS AND WORLD WAR II