Memelland

The Oxford Companion to World War II | 2001 | 652 words | Copyright

Memelland, an area on the Baltic sea north of the River Neman which belonged to East Prussia before the First World War. However, much of its population, particularly those who lived outside the port of Memel, was Lithuanian and under the Versailles settlement it was detached from Germany and put under French administration. It was then proposed that it become a free state, but in January 1923 it was seized by Lithuanian forces and Memel was renamed Klaipeda. It became an autonomous region within Lithuania until 23 March 1939 when a German ultimatum forced its return to Germany. In 1945 it was returned to Lithuania, by then part of the USSR.

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I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Memelland." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Memelland." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-Memelland.html

I. C. B. DEAR and M. R. D. FOOT. "Memelland." The Oxford Companion to World War II. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O129-Memelland.html

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