Switzerland vs The Netherlands

fallin SG

This is not a thread about a possible war between this two countries

I'm very interested about the stark difference between Switzerland and the Netherlands during the Second World War. Both declared their neutrality during the conflict but one was invaded and occupied and the other remained near completely neutral for the duration. Can somebody explain and enlighten me in regards to this contrast?

I know the Netherlands was a part of German plans for an invasion of France. That I acknowledge is one factor but how about policies? Did the Swiss government enact any particular laws to ensure the effectiveness of their neutrality?

beavan SG

national service.

datafuser SG

Geography.

If Switzerland and the Netherlands swapped their places, Switzerland would have been invaded by the Germans instead.

It's extremely difficult for a weak neutral country in between two opposing great powers to escape being sucked into a war.

BTW, a German historian from the Martin Luther University in Germany claimed France's capitulation to the Germans in May 1940 saved Switzerland from Nazi invasion.

http://www.swissinfo.org/eng/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=111&sid=751270

July 14, 2001 - 1:02 PM
Fall of France saved Switzerland from Nazi invasion

Adolf Hitlers plans for a surprise attack and occupation of Switzerland, which were due to take place at the start of 1941, have been brought to light by a German historian.

In his book Hitler und die Schweiz (Hitler and Switzerland), Stefan Schäfer examines documents stored in the Federal Archives and in the German Military Archives containing details of a planned attack, which he believes posed a serious threat to Switzerlands independence.

According to Schäfer, a historian from the Martin Luther University in Germany, one of the main reasons why Switzerland was not invaded was because of the ceasefire between France and Germany, which France was forced to accept following the German offensive in May and June 1940.

Schäfer maintains that if the campaign against France had continued, Switzerland would have suffered a full military onslaught by Nazi forces, which planned to use the territory to reach the unoccupied zone in the south of France and the Mediterranean as quickly as possible.

Switzerland had mobilised some 450,000 troops in anticipation of a German invasion.

The Swiss tend to believe that they survived the Second World War because the country supplied Germany with the hard currency necessary for its war effort, says Schaefer. However, the military threat hanging over Switzerland at the time would suggest the opposite.

Ceasefire with France

Hitler apparently ordered his military staff to start drawing up plans for what would later be known as operation Tannenbaum, just days before a ceasefire with France was signed, on June 22, 1940.

The plans for the invasion were finally approved in October 1940. The date for the offensive was kept under the strictest military security as the Germans aimed to use the element of surprise to break Swiss resistance as swiftly and effectively as possible.

The Nazis aimed to destroy the Swiss Confederation army and invade the central part of Switzerland, which was important for strategic and economic reasons. The Solothurn region, for instance, was considered an important base for the production of armaments.

While the occupation of Switzerland was not one of Hitlers primary objectives in the campaign against France, its location between the Third Reich and its ally, Italy, made it likely that the Nazis would eventually annex Switzerland.

Had this been the case, concludes Schäfer, Hitler would have successfully rounded off his campaign in Western Europe.

swissinfo

Cheers,
Sunho

mozzi190 SG

Firstly, you only have to look at the geographical difference between the two countries.Netherlands was an important port in Europe with link to both Scandinavia and Great Britian while Switzerland was a land lock country in Europe with no geographical importance for the Nazis. In fact, the occupation of the Netherland by the Nazis was essential due to the importance of ports such as Rotterdam and Antwerp in order to suffocate the British in trade and secure shipping routes from Scandinavia which supplied important iron ores etc. In terms of the point of an invasion, the Netherlands is generally a flat country with no strong defences on it's border and had a pretty prehistoric land force with only one World War One flak gun and it's air force was pretty much made up by old Allied World War One plane. Thus, when invasion came, the German took all but two days to succumb the Dutch forces into surrender. For Switzerland, it's surronded by the Alps on it's border, the Swiss had already planned for the defences of ít's land by building forts and strongholds in the mountains. The doctrine for the Swiss forces became a deterrance force from a static defene force. In fact, if memories didn't fail me, there were as many as eight level of defences in the Swiss Alps border with Germany. The system of defence fortress was called the Reduit. A large militia force was also mustered by General Henri Gusain.The German probably realise that an invasion would have resulted in large number of casaulties for a country that would have gain zero advantage for the them. Additionally, the Germans would probably have realised that the Swiss as bankers would probably be able to help them lauder the money they made through the explusion and murder of the Jews.These were pretty much the economic concession they gave to the Nazis.

In World War Two, neutrality is pretty much a grey thing. Thailand although declared neutral assisted the Japanese in the invasion of Malaya and Singapore.Sweden actively traded with the Nazis in iron ore and other important resources that helped the Nazis in their war effort. Ireland as a neutral country actively assisted the Allies in the Normandy invasion and in shipping. In Switzerland, due to it's close proximity with Germany, like any other neighbours of Germany, they have a Nazi sympathise group which called for a union with Germany in 1938. However, it must be noted that it is now common knowledge that Swiss police actively assisted the SS and the Gestapo in regards to Jews or political enemy going over to Swiss border. In banking, the banks actively assisted and helped lauder Nazi loot and blood money, with some of it still in some of Switzerland's banks.

I hope this reply wil give u some inside to the interested but little known history of Switzerland and the Netherlands during World War Two

Fingolfin_Noldor SG

The reason for the conquest of the Netherlands is simple. It's location allows the Nazis to have airfields to deploy aircraft towards Britain. Also, they were planning to invade the Soviet Union, and thus it made plenty of strategic sense to control the Baltics and prevent any possible Allied intervention etc. etc. As it is, it allowed the German Kriegsmarine to station warships there to intercept convoys heading for Russia.

As for the Swiss, why isn't it obvious that they have the biggest treasure chest of goods? Obviously they will be annexed eventually!