On this day, 87 years ago, on March 14, 1938 (February 13, 1938 in the lunar calendar), Germany annexed Austria. Austria's new master Adolf Hitler received a warm welcome in Vienna March 14, 1938. For Adolf Hitler, today is a day of unprecedented glory. The German leader was a penniless artist when he left Austria in his early years. Today, when he returns to Vienna to announce the "German-Austrian Union", he is warmly welcomed by thousands of people. Hitler arrived in the Austrian capital from Linz, where his temporary headquarters was located, with 40 tanks leading the way and police cars full of officers serving as guards. Along the way, Hitler was welcomed by Nazis from all over Austria, who in the past had guaranteed the inviolability of Austria's borders. For most of the road, Hitler stood in the convertible car, wearing a brown commando uniform, waving almost hysterically to his fanatical supporters. His supporters, many of whom waved flags decorated with Nazi symbols. Some Nazis sewed the sign onto the Austrian flag. "What we feel at this moment," Hitler declared in Vienna,"is also the feeling shared by all other German people. No matter what happens, the unified German Empire that we claim today will never be divided by anyone, never be divided." Hitler had signed a decree appointing him commander-in-chief of the German and Austrian forces, and all Austrian soldiers must swear loyalty to the Nazi boss, the Fuhrer who led more than 70 million people. Hitler led his army through the Brooke Theater in Vienna. Hitler's victory was Kut and Schuschniger's defeat. The Austrian chancellor had tried to prevent the National Socialists, or Nazis, from taking power since 1934, but in 1936, his patron Benito Mussolini, allied with Hitler and Schuschnig's rule began to falter. Schuschniger tried last Tuesday to save his government by holding a referendum to give Austrians a choice between the Nazis and him, but the vote failed to take place. Hitler contacted Austria's Nazi Interior Minister Atul Seth Inquart and ordered him to cancel the referendum. Schuschnig tried to respond, but when he heard that German troops had entered the country, he had to give up. Tonight, Schuschniger and thousands of his supporters will learn about the situation facing Adolf Hitler's opponents. They have all been arrested. Hitler and the new Austrian Chancellor Seth Inquart (first from right) held a military parade