18.5. 1938 German troops appeared at the border

The first agency report that German troops were massing in Saxony and Bavaria near the Czechoslovak border came on 18 May 1938. Whether they were planning to attack at that time is still a matter of speculation.

At the same time, municipal elections were being held in Czechoslovakia, and according to some, Hitler just wanted to show his "strength". Fear spread among the population, which resulted in the partial mobilisation agreed by the government on 20 May.

"The report of the presence of the German army at the border was said to have been confirmed by the British Intelligence Section for Central Europe. At the same time, the slogan "AMTSWALTER" was intercepted, which meant a declared alert for senior functionaries"Milan Jenčík recounts the events of that time in his book The Wild Sudetenland: A New Look at the Dramatic Year 1938.

The riots in the border region and the signals of their preparation in Chomutov and elsewhere were also part of the context. At the same time, the recent annexation of Austria by Germany and the fear of a repetition of the same scenario undoubtedly played a role. It was this threat and the number of not very optimistic reports that triggered the need to respond adequately.

At exactly 9.20 p.m. on 20 May 1938, the General Staff ordered the execution of the "Zborov" slogan. The first year of the First Reserve was called up and the closure of the state border was carried out. "Shortly thereafter, the instruction to call up technical and special...for a four-week special military exercise in arms. At the same time, a command and intelligence alert was declared under 4949. For SOS units, the slogan meant intensifying intelligence activities and ensuring continuous enemy reachability. The government declared the alert at 23.40 hours," writes Jenčík.

In Germany, the mobilization was considered a huge provocation. Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop threatened Ambassador Mastny that any dissemination of similar messages by the Czech side could lead to their fulfillment by the German side. Hitler convened a meeting of his leading advisers on 28 May 1938, where he issued instructions on preparations for an attack on Czechoslovakia.

"He made himself quite clear to the public on 30 May when he said that it was his unalterable decision to destroy Czechoslovakia by military action, and on the same day he signed a new directive according to which the military attack was to be launched no later than 1 May. October 1938," writes Ivan Kazimour in his book Edvard Benes Without Adoration.

At the end of September 1938, however, the Munich Agreement was concluded between Germany, Italy, France and Great Britain on the cession of the border territories of Czechoslovakia by Germany.

Milan Jenčík: The Wild Sudetenland - A New Look at the Dramatic Year 1938, Ivan Kazimour: Edvard Benes without Adoration, www.unob.cz