In 1920, meanwhile, the newly formed League of Nations officially recognized Swiss neutrality and established its headquarters in Geneva. Like strategic areas in the Jura mountains to prevent the Swiss from using them as a defensive line. You don't need to conquer the whole country; only the main cities and the fields are desirable. every mountain. The Swiss government, like the U.S. government, accepted In both the 1918 and the 1932 incidents, the troops deployed were consciously selected from rural regions such as the Berner Oberland, fanning the enmity between the traditionally conservative rural population and the urban working class. While neutral, Switzerland was prepared to fight a Nazi invasion to the end. Yet Yugoslavia was a mountainous nation populated by extremely fierce people, and the Germans still chose to conquer it in April 1941. It would barely scratch a tank. and were vindicated. Given their neutrality, they were no threat to Germany, and were probably convenient as a neutral middleman. Starting an unnecessary war with Switzerland while World War Two was being fought would have been foolish. The religious conflicts were renewed in 1847, resulting in the Sonderbund War and leading to the formation of Switzerland as a federal state. Why could they not simply occupy the Swiss plateau, then wait and let the Swiss soldiers starve to death in their mountain fortresses? A succession of interventions by the Habsburgs led to the battles of Morgarten (1315) and Sempach (1386), resulting in independence for the confederacy. They had virtually no heavy weaponry, machine guns, artillery, and certainly no air support or anti-aircraft capabilities. @Bregalad Switzerland has a long and successful history of not being part of any of the relevant empires. Nazi Germany had defeated Francereputed to have the finest army in Europein just six weeks. GDPR: Can a city request deletion of all personal data that uses a certain domain for logins? [8] Leading nuclear physicists at the Federal Institute of Technology Zurich such as Paul Scherrer made this a realistic possibility. At the end of the 1950s, reflecting both the threat of possible invasion by the Soviet Union and the realities of nuclear warfare, Swiss military doctrine changed to mobile defense that included missions for the air force outside of its territory, in order to defeat standoff attacks and nuclear threats, including the possibility of defensive employment of air-delivered nuclear weapons. During 1815s Congress of Vienna, they signed a declaration affirming Switzerlands perpetual neutrality within the international community. The Most Risky Job Ever. Reporting on ISIS in Afghanistan. Yes, this almost happenned. WebIn all cases, Switzerland protested but accepted the reason for them as accidental. and a few snipers in the mountains can make your life hell while your chance to get them is effectively zero. So why didnt Nazi Germany invade Switzerland? The idea was to make clear to the Third Reich that an invasion would have a high cost. After Switzerland was surrounded by German and Italian forces of Operation Tannenbaum, General Guisan revealed on 25 July 1940 at the so-called Rtli rapport, a meeting of the Swiss Armed Forces staff at the founding site of the Swiss confederation, that in case of attack the Swiss would only defend the high Alps including the important transalpine roads and rail links. Handlinggold looted by the Nazisin return for minerals that kept the German war machine running, or keeping billions in assets belonging to Holocaust victims, is hardly something for the Swiss to yodel about. Or France's well equipped and significantly larger army? All remaining plans for building nuclear weapons were dropped by 1988.[9]. The rebellion was suppressed, but it led to a series of reforms. Finally the makings of a good answer. There was no So why didnt Nazi Germany invade Switzerland? In the case of an invasion the lowlands in northern Switzerland would have been taken quickly. Late in the thirteenth century, soldiers drawn from the cantons of Switzerland gained a military reputation throughout Europe. In the federal treaty of 1815, the Tagsatzung prescribed cantonal troops to put a contingent of 2% of the population of each canton at the federation's disposition, amounting to a force of some 33,000 men. 1939: Germany is the only fighter of the Axis: it could not invade Switzerland at the same time as Poland, without creating a frank reaction from the French and English armies. By all means disabuse me of this impression if appropriate. You don't need to occupy the whole territory; there is no need for that. militarily Switzerland was considered a 'thorny' problem, as expressed in the question and the, mass murder of millions of deemed 'undesirables', the verified, factual facts are more than sufficient to portrait what horrors humans are capable of, Lack of a good logistic opportunity for the Axis (, North south transportation, through the Gotthard tunnel, and the expected collapse of said tunnel in case of invasion (, Germany's long term strategy of generating support among "Aryan" countries and "Aryan" occupied territories (, Expectation of eventual peaceful annexation (. While Switzerland maintained its independence by promising retaliation in the event of an invasion, it continued to trade with Nazi Germany, a decision that later proved controversial after the war ended. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/news/why-is-switzerland-a-neutral-country. It has never joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the European Union, and only joined the United Nations in 2002. Currently, it is illegal for Swiss citizens to join another country's armed forces except as members of the Swiss Guard protecting the Vatican. Three workers were killed, and a rather larger number of soldiers died of the Spanish flu during mobilization. Not in the age of artillery. or iron ore and coal? So the question you really should have asked was "How Hard Would it Have Been for the Axis to Invade and conquer Switzerland During World War II?". The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? As with Sweden, Swiss neutrality was an armed neutrality (in the fifteenth century, Swiss mercenaries were the most feared in Europe). These traditions were put to the supreme test in World War II I am asking about if the Swiss military of WW2 is clearly overrated. How did it earn its unique place in world politics? At the end of the war, Germany and Japan surrendered and no longer occupied any territories. Connect and share knowledge within a single location that is structured and easy to search. He decided on an infantry feint in the Jura in order to draw out the Swiss Army and then cut it off in the rear, as had been done in France. Had Germany invaded Switzerland between the conquest of France in July 1940 and the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Switzerland would have been alone. FRONTLINE reports from Iraq on the miscalculations and mistakes behind the brutal rise of ISIS. Here's What You Need to Remember:After the defeat of France in the summer of 1940, which left the Third Reich the undisputed ruler of western Europe, the German military devised a plan to conquer Switzerland. Netherlands, Poland or most of Europe. It is a myth that Switzerland was impossible to invade or occupy. Without Swiss cooperation you would be far more liable to get a situation such as with the French art treasures which were very largely spirited away by the French (with assistance by the German assigned to "protect them for the Germans). What factors were Hitler's / Germany's motivations for WW2? Revanchism, stealing raw materials, and racial hatreds. The Swiss are largely German-sp and neutrality. Switzerland would have been harder to conquer per unit of territory or per unit of poplulation than many other European countries were. 1945: No way! More to the point, the Low Countries, as Switzerland, also adopted, initially, a position of neutrality, so your question is certainly reasonable. du reduit--an initial opposition followed by a retreat into the Alps, where a For centuries, the tiny Alpine nation of Switzerland has adhered to a policy of armed neutrality in global affairs. Several islands where ignored, while only the important ones were invaded. It was explained that in this time, no country in the world wanted to be paid in mark for trade, and Germany desperately needed some raw materials for its war effort. web site copyright 1995-2014 Then, that also means that the Swiss army would not be able to destroy all the roads, railways and other means of communications before retreating from regions close to the borders. The first complete mobilization, under the command of Hans Herzog, was triggered by the Franco-Prussian War in 1871. The Swiss are largely German-speaking / Germanic, so there's no "racial superiority" factor to promote invasion and de facto depopulation/extermination and colonization. I can't parse the final paragraph. As for Denmark, it would have been disadvantageous to, I suspect this may be more important that many answers are considering. How can I delete in Vim all text from current cursor position line to end of file without using End key? //-->Why Switzerland wasn't invaded | WW2 - YouTube We must force the quick subjugation of Switzerland by using extremely superior forces. While that is Japan and not Germany, I'd be surprised if the idea came to them that late in the piece. But the Swiss also emerged under a cloud of collaboration with the Third Reich. Yeah, Germany would have pretty much a third front right in their backyard for years, which would have been unacceptable. Once the war is started, anything spent or destroyed by the enemy won't be replaced. And B) would be costly. @JMS As soon as the war began, Switzerland started massively electrifying its train network that was still not already electrified to stop importinc coal. This answer is counter-factual. That is what happened in Yugoslavia and in the early stages of the invasion of Russia. My question is not about an alternative scenario, nor about the reasons that caused Switzerland to not get invaded (as could be seen here: Why was Switzerland not attacked during the two World Wars?). Why is Switzerland a neutral country? | HISTORY Idiom for someone acting extremely out of character. There was no easy ideological justification for annexing Switzerland. freedom in self-defense among her mountains, and in thought, in spite of race, If I remember well, they talked about a last deal which was paid by gold molten from teeth taken in the camps A deal was signed in Washington in May 1946, unfreezing Swiss assets blocked by USA and withdrawing from blacklist name of Swiss companies who traded with Axis during the war, in exchange of 250M CHF. some Jews fleeing the Holocaust and, unfortunately, expelled others. Image: Wikipedia. They colluded with the Japanese to divert a substantial proportion of the funds intended for Red Cross Food Parcels intended for Allied prisoners of War in Japanese hands, and divided the spoils between them. partisan war against the occupation. World War II | Switzerland Tourism While Switzerland was indeed not self sufficient when WWII began, they radically transformed their agricultural sector as part of the. Swiss soldiers were noted for their combat skill and ferocious attacks in the phalanx, or deep column formation using pike and halberd. Germany also enjoyed the ability to transport goods through Switzerland on her railways to Germany's primary ally in Italy. Fall of France saved Switzerland from Nazi invasion. 1940: The best year considering the strategy: While attacking Belgium, Germany could also creates a new front on the right flank of the Allies. Or perhaps Switzerland was too useful as a middleman between Nazi Germany and the global economy. Concentrated surprise penetration from Lake Geneva to Lake Constance toward the center of the country with strong and fast outer wings, stated the plan. There were many practical reasons why Switzerland was not occupied of which none of the first answer of @AmorphouBob apply Some of these reasons Was Switzerland really impossible to invade during WW2? @Hobbamok, some information is certainly there: Germany did detailed planning on what it would take to invade Switzerland as "Operation Tannenbaum". So they could not afford to loose their only way to trade abroad and left them alone. Switzerland would have confronted Germany with what was essentially a popular militia, lacking tanks, artillery and aircraft. In 1798 the French army overran Switzerland and proclaimed the Helvetic Republic. When literally everything can be an anti-tank gun waiting for you to come into range, you can either accept terrible casualties or make your invasion a crawl. With the 11 German divisions and roughly 15 more Italian divisions prepared to enter from the south, the Axis plans were to invade Switzerland with somewhere between 300,000 and 500,000 men. Hitler was busy with the allies. Or Britain with her Navy, RAF and Channel? Truth be told, these things didn't stop Hitler from invading Austria. [citation needed]. Based on what I've read over the years: Invading Switzerland is a hard problem due to geography. The whole point of the Swiss military strategy, as I understand it, is to give up the land, but make it too costly for any invader to keep it. ''The romantic idea of the Swiss citizen army standing between it and disaster in the war was always nonsense,'' said Arno J. Mayer, a professor of history at Princeton University. I believe these answers are based on factual accounts of Swiss actions. Unlike Greece or Yugoslavia, most of the country is that kind of territory. Claiming that taking them means the country is conquered would be like an invader taking the Boston/Washington and San Francisco/San Diego metro area, and then claiming that they'd conquered the US. @ryukyu as answered as comment in the other answer: they, internaly, did not think themselves as 'invincible', but had a pragmatic accessment of what could be achived. The Axis would have faced formidable opposition. After the defeat of France in the summer of 1940, which left the Third Reich the undisputed ruler of western Europe, the German military devised a plan to conquer Switzerland. Exactly how these were divied up is unknown to me, but one can safely assume that the Nazis did not get 100% of the take. Oberst Hermann Bohme's 1943 memorandum warned that an invasion of Switzerland Either way, Switzerland almost became another one of Hitlers conquests. Loss of lowlands, retainment of heighlands. The Gazala line in May 1942 stretched nearly 80 miles into the Sahara, and Rommel won by extending his forces further into the desert than Wavell, isolating and cutting British supply. In case of invasion, the Axis would benefit from the surprise effect, given that they would be the one attacking: As pointed out by User @Mastrem and after doing some research, another very important argument that I was completely unaware of is that the German Secret Service, led by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, knew A LOT about the Swiss military defence system. No country is impossible to invade. Any of those alternatives are valid. @meriton: But major population centers are not Switzerland, which is what the question asks about. They could simply retaliate on the village or region, thus causing the rebels to think twice before deciding to do something. The other European nations were easily toppled and had little means to wage a But the point in the answer is different, is about the need of occupy the whole territory, instead of just defeat the enemy's army or occupy the useful territory. 1944: The advance in Italy would lead Switzerland to be an opportunity for the Allies: so maybe the Axis will not take the risk to have a front in the back of Kesselring's troops in Italy. Why didn't Germany attack Turkey during WW2? Every Allied country and every neutral country had deplorable policies that I cover this in. WebPlay Call of War for FREE on PC or Mobile: https://callofwar.onelink.me/q5L6/8c02c4a5Receive an Amazing New Player Pack, only Hitler in 1940 described Switzerland as a "pimple on the face of Europe", as he developed his plans to invade. * 20mm cannon? nation of sharpshooters would be sniping at German soldiers at long ranges from Was Switzerland neutral or a Nazi ally in World War Two? In the same period Switzerland sold electric power to Germany equivalent to 6,077,000 tons of coal. Switzerland emerged from World War II unconquered but not untarnished. Civilian guns were banned in the Soviet Union, so no partisan activity was possible until those were supplied. So overall there was very little to entice Germany to invade, they already realized the benefits of good trade, travel and cooperative relationship with Switzerland. Switzerland mobilized 435,000 citizen soldiers out of a population of 4.2 The best answer so far - but recall that mountains are very poor tank country, and the lesson of the Tyrolean rebellion against the Bavarians in 1809 is that suppressing rebels in the Alps is a long and difficult process. Production figures for Swiss service rifles, which had firepower Article 58.1 of the 1999 constitution repeats that the army is "in principle" organized as a militia, implicitly allowing a small number of professional soldiers. Operation Tannenbaum called for German troops to invade from France, Germany and Austria, while the Italians invaded from the south. Also, Switzerland is much closer to Germany than Greece and Norway, so bringing new troops and supply would have been quicker and easier. During the Cold War, Swiss authorities considered the construction of a Swiss nuclear bomb. Thus, the German army would potentially advance relatively quickly in the first few hours. How can one know the correct direction on a cloudy day? Was Switzerland neutral or a Nazi ally in World War Two? I've been climbing and skiing in the Alps and there are so many places I've been to that were completely invisible from below. Does a constant Radon-Nikodym derivative imply the measures are multiples of each other? All Swiss men were liable for conscription and all were issued with rifles that they kept at home in case of mobilization. But there was no chance of that happening in 1940-41. All Rights Reserved. Shields up!!! It was advantageous for the Germans not to conquer Switzerland, and this would be a major factor in deciding the merit of doing so. A Given the close proximity to the border with occupied France, wouldn't the German army then be able to quickly secure the Jura Mountains, thus having free room for an invasion of the plateau? Only in Switzerland was the entire populace armed and prepared to wage a NY Times: The (Not So) Neutrals of World War 2 Because the World isnt a strategy Game where you win as soon as the capital is taken. A more likely reason was the invasion of Russia, though the Germans still mustered the resources to invade the Balkans in the spring of 1941. [12] However, the referendum failed with over 73% of the electorate voting against it, showing the strong support for conscription in Switzerland. rev2023.6.29.43520. Tom Bower's Nazi Gold requires a historical reality check ("What Forget about the mountains; you don't need them. Despite this, it is clear that Hitler intended to invade eventually and that the Allied landing at Normandy as well as the difficulties faced in invading Russia were pivotal in merely delaying an invasion. I mean is "hypothetical" under the rules of this site. Because the tensions between the western countries and the USSR cooled down and bunkers became more or less obsolete because of newer weapon systems, a great number of the Reduit buildings were closed. Further details about Switzerland in World War II, dealing with the first 3 points in more detail. WebThe outbreak of World War II. However, why would the German and Italian armies need to attack those strongholds in the mountains? Fall of France saved Switzerland from Nazi invasion This means that Germany considered a force of 11 of its own and 15 Italian divisions enough to invade and conquer Switzerland. The cantonal armies were converted into the federal army (Bundesheer) with the constitution of 1848. B) endure the terrorism. So you would have to run continuous patrols in a difficult terrain that your enemy knows like the back of his hand. Copyright 2023 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. Totally new to this site, and not an historian. Holocaust on Swiss soil, something that can not be said for France, the That seems scarcely credible. On September 22, 2013, a referendum was held that aimed to abolish conscription in Switzerland. propertag.cmd.push(function() { proper_display('nationalinterest_content_12'); }); They don't have a excessive amount of arable land for "true German" settlers. Even in an authoritarian dictatorship you need a. occupying the country would be relatively easy for the same reasons, hunger humbles even the most determined. @Bregalad - Isn't that what the next 4 paragraphs address? Then, there is the argument that, given the vast majority of Swiss men who own guns at home, even in case of German victory, there would be guerrilla warfare. How Hitler Almost Invaded Switzerland | The National Interest . Many people claim that the country was impossible to occupy, I just want to know if this is not clearly exaggerated. The war only happened near the coast and in some oasis, not in the whole Sahara, and there isn't any need to fight there. WebSorted by: 46. As with Sweden, Swiss neutrality was an armed neutrality (in the fifteenth century, Swiss mercenaries were the most feared in Europe). In 1989, the status of the army as a national icon was shaken by a popular initiative aiming at its dissolution (see: Group for a Switzerland without an Army) receiving 35.6% support. Joseph Goebbels called Switzerland Switzerland is neutral, so it has no allies to provide them with weapons/ammunition, and even if they are/were rich enough to purchase abroad, there are procurement delays, and the enemy can intercept the delivery. Switzerland did survive as a free, democratic state in a Europe prostrate under the Nazi jackboot. -1: Not only Switzerland manufactured it's weapons (and exported them) back then, but it still does now. Yet Yugoslavia was a mountainous nation populated by extremely fierce people, and the Germans still chose to conquer it in April 1941. Why was Switzerland Neutral in World War 2 - YouTube