 Building started immediately after the Austrian Anschluss in 1938 [the annexation of Austria] on order of Adolf Hitler as extension of the German "Reichsautobahn-Strecke 26" from München (Munich) (the present-day Bundesautobahn 8).However, only including the branch-off of the planned Tauern Autobahn had been finished on 13 September 1941.Construction works discontinued the next year due to World War II.