When was Memel given to Lithuania?
A large portion of its population, particularly outside the port city of Memel, however, was Lithuanian; and after the war the newly formed state of Lithuania requested that the Allied Powers at the Paris Peace Conference grant it possession of the Memel territory (March 24, 1919).
What is Memel?
Memel. / (ˈmeːməl) / noun. the German name for Klaipeda. the lower course of the Neman River.
When did Germany seize Memel?
March 23, 1939
Little more than a week later, on March 23, 1939, German troops suddenly occupied Memel. Lithuania was unable to prevent this occupation. Hitler also raised territorial demands on Poland in the spring of 1939.
Why was Memel given to Lithuania?
The division of Prussia was also promoted by Poland’s Roman Dmowski in Versailles who acted by orders of Józef Piłsudski: the purpose was to give the lower part of Neman River and its delta, which was located in Germany and called the Memel River, to Lithuania as this would provide her access to the Baltic Sea, while …
When was Memel annexed?
22 March 1939
Germany annexed the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory) from Lithuania on 22 March 1939 after an ultimatum. On 23 March the occupation of the city and district was carried out by German Army troops. This area of East Prussia, with 160,000 inhabitants, had been turned over to Lithuania in the aftermath of World War I.
Why did Germany want Lithuania?
Germany hoped that Lithuania would voluntarily give up the troubled region, and a public stance could have disturbed the sensitive discussions it was then engaged in with Poland over an anti-Communist alliance against the Soviet Union.
When did Germany retake Memel?
KAUNAS, Lithuania, March 22, 1939 (UP) – Lithuania surrendered Memel to Nazi Germany today under an implied ultimatum which said that if the annexation was effected peacefully Germany would “generously consider” Lithuania’s economic interests.
When was Memel invaded?
The offensive drove remaining German forces in the area that is now Lithuania and Latvia into a small bridgehead in Klaipėda (Memel) and its port, leading to a three-month siege of that position….Battle of Memel.
| Date | 5–22 October 1944 (main offensive); 28 January 1945 (end of siege) |
|---|---|
| Result | Soviet victory |
Where is the city of Memel located in Lithuania?
Memel is today known as Klaipeda, Lithuania. Klaipeda, Lithuania’s port city [1] on the Baltic Sea, is the third largest town in the country. It is located on the southernmost seashore of the Baltic Sea, at a strait connecting the Curonian lagoon with the sea. The name “Memel” is Curonian and refers to the river and the lagoon .
Where was the first Jewish settlement in Lithuania?
MEMEL (Lith. Klaipėda ), a Baltic port in W. Lithuania. The town was founded in the 13 th century; the earliest existing document in which Jews are mentioned is dated April 20, 1567, and refers to an edict expelling the Jews from the city.
When was Memelland returned to Lithuania after World War 2?
The Memel Statute remained in effect until March 23, 1939, when Lithuania was forced to accept a German ultimatum demanding the return of Memelland. At the close of World War II, it was returned to Lithuania, which by then had become part of the U.S.S.R.
Where is the Memel River in the Baltic Sea?
It is located on the southernmost seashore of the Baltic Sea, at a strait connecting the Curonian lagoon with the sea. The name “Memel” is Curonian and refers to the river and the lagoon .