It was not a declaration of war.
Not in formal terms.
But for the chancelleries and ministries across Europe, Moreau's speech on May 20, 1937, sounded like thunder rolling across the continent.
France was marching again, and the ground itself seemed to tremble beneath her.
Adolf Hitler stood in silence at the Reich Chancellery as the translated transcript was read aloud to him.
His jaw tightened with every phrase.
The words "The Lion returns... We march for Spain" rang in his mind.
Goering was the first to break the silence.
"It is not just intervention. It is theater, Mein Führer. The people of France are not protesting. They are cheering."
Himmler narrowed his eyes. "We must delay our plans for now. Direct confrontation would risk more than we are ready for."
Hitler seethed. "That man Moreau does not speak like a bureaucrat. He speaks like a soldier."
The generals were summoned.
The Wehrmacht was told to re-review its southern mobilization.
