Switzerland during WWII: Neutral, but not Friendly
Switzerland remained neutral throughout WWII. The country, however, found itself very close to the front in 1940 during the battle of France, with Luftwaffe planes sometimes straying into Swiss airspace due to navigation errors.
From 1942-1943 onward, it was the turn of allied bombers to violate Swiss airspace. These can be classed into three categories: Allied bombers based in Italy or North Africa often conducted raids in Eastern Europe. For them, flying through Swiss airspace on their way back was sometimes deemed safer than flying through German-controlled airspace. Bomber crews of damaged aircraft often opted to bail out over Switzerland, too, rather than take the risk of jumping over German-controlled territory. Others violated Swiss sovereign airspace by mistake.
Enforcing Neutrality
The Swiss enforced their neutrality equally. First against the Germans, then against the allies. In 1940, 11 German planes were shot down. From 1942 onward, 10 allied aircraft were also shot down, killing 36 American airmen in the process. Allied airmen bailing out over Switzerland or landing their damaged airplanes on Swiss airbases were automatically interned.
As such, up to 1,700 allied pilots and air crews spent some time in the country waiting for the war to be over so as to be released. While allied airframes were “interned” at the Dübendorf airfield, allied pilots were usually interned in requisitioned mountain holiday resorts such as the one at Adelboden. Officers were separated from their crews and often sent to a resort in Davos.
Life in Internment Camps
In those camps, POWs had some liberties: For example, they could buy alcohol with the money they received from their respective embassies and they could take hikes (under escort). However, heating was not turned on very often, hot water was only available every 10 days and the food was not very good… Boredom prevailed.
A fate much worse than boredom awaited POWs attempting to escape: Wauwilermoos internment camp! Reminiscent of German concentration camps and Soviet Gulag, Wauwilermoos was hell on earth. There, POWs slept on floors covered in lice infested straw. There was no sanitation, no care, no comfort and no protection: Gang rapes and beatings were common and the Swiss guards never interfered in acts of violence between prisoners.
Impact on the Swiss Population
War was not fun for the Swiss either: Their country was surrounded by belligerents. Food was rationed for the population. There were shortages of all types. Air raid sirens went off an estimated 7,000 through Swiss towns between 1939 and 1945. Furthermore, the allies accidentally conducted 70 bombing raids on Swiss territory, killing 84 people.
-RBM.
