1939 German ultimatum to Lithuania — 1939 German diplomatic demand on LIthuania
Germany's ultimatum forced Lithuania to cede the Klaipėda Region on 23 March 1939, marking the last German territorial acquisition before World War II.
Key Facts
- Date of ultimatum
- 20 March 1939
- Lithuania accepted ultimatum
- 23 March 1939
- Territory demanded
- Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory)
- Days after Czech occupation
- 5 days
- Governing convention
- Klaipėda Convention of 1924
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following World War I, the Klaipėda Region was detached from Germany and placed under Lithuanian administration. Years of rising tension, increasing pro-Nazi propaganda in the region, and Germany's pattern of territorial expansion — culminating in the occupation of Czechoslovakia on 15 March 1939 — created the conditions for Germany to press its claim on the territory.
On 20 March 1939, German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop delivered an oral ultimatum to Lithuanian Foreign Minister Juozas Urbšys, demanding Lithuania surrender the Klaipėda Region or face a Wehrmacht invasion and the bombing of Kaunas. The four signatories of the 1924 Klaipėda Convention offered no material support, with Britain and France pursuing appeasement and Italy and Japan backing Germany.
Lithuania accepted the ultimatum on 23 March 1939, ceding the Klaipėda Region to Germany without armed resistance. The loss caused a major downturn in Lithuania's economy and further escalated pre-war tensions across Europe, representing Germany's final territorial acquisition before the outbreak of World War II.