Why did the Germans respect the neutrality of Switzerland in WWII?

Question

This is similar to another question, I know.

I'm just wondering, the Germans seemed to honestly believe they would be able to completely eradicate Europe of Jews and other "subhumans". They conquered country after country without mercy.

Why did they respect Switzerland's neutrality?

Wouldn't the fact that Switzerland took in as many as 7000 (almost all of) the Danish Jews in the weeks following the intended roundup of the Jews in Denmark be seen as an active anti-Nazi mentality of Switzerland?

Answer 1

Nazi Swiss bank accounts.

Sad but true.

You don't poop in your own food trough.

Answer 2

Germany did not invade or confront Switzerland before and during World War II because of the tremendously influence Swiss banks had on the German War Machine, and also because Hitler knew that the Swiss Army could seriously challenge the German Army.

Although Switzerland is a neutral nation, they had (and still have) one of the best armies in the world. If Germany would have invaded, the German War Machine would have came to a grinding halt fighting the well-trained Swiss in the Alps.

Another point worth adding is that all Swiss citizens are required to serve in the military at some point. If Germany would have attacked, the entire population would have been called into active duty.

One last interesting point is that Switzerland served as the only escape for some high-ranking officials of the Third Reich towards the end of the war as the Allied forces started to surround Germany. Many were able to flee to Switzerland in order to avoid the brutal Russians coming from the East. Many Nazis who were able to flee to Switzerland were able to avoid prosecution, and for some even death, after the war.

Answer 3

Well all of the above are true, about the banking and the neutrality.

They ignore the most important reason.

It would have been a PAIN to conquer Switzerland.

Switzerland is allmost all Alps. Tanks don't work well in Alps. Tanks need broad flat plains (like Poland or Russia or northern France) to run across. Mountians restrict where you can and can't go and make it easy for the defender to pick the time and the place of the battle. (See Thermopyle). They are also one of the best sort of terrain for resistance fighters to hide in. (Look at the Russian war in Afghanistan in the 80s.)

If the mountians are high enough, they can even cause problems for your air force. (In Afghanistan the air is thinner so our helos can't carry as much as they can at sea level. Some of the WW2 era air craft may well have had similar problems. The thin air won't ground you, but it will hamper your performance.)

Also Switzerland has, and has had, a very strong Army. They have a strong militia and military tradition. IIRC they have mandatory military service for all males, so almost the entire manpower of country would have known the basics of shooting, making homemade bombs, etc. It would not have been pretty.

So the Germans would have had a large well trained (albeit poorly equipped after the first few weeks) force fighting them in mountian terrain. Look at all the problems they had in Yugoslavia, or Norway where the situation was similar. It would have tied up thousands of troops that were badly needed in Russia.

Also, they didn't NEED to invade Switzerland, it was surrounded by Axis powers, no Allied Army was going to land on the Swiss coast and use it as a base against Germany.

So there was no upside to taking out Switzerland, lots of downside, and don't forget... Hitler could always have taken Switzerland AFTER the war. The Third Reich was supposed to last for a thousand years... I'm thinking that sometime before 2933 Switzerland would have been on his agenda.

Good queston though! Very good question

Answer 4

In a nutshell, Switzerland's banks. Immense amounts of Nazi money and bullion headed in their direction. A bank in a neutral country would always be a 'safe' place no matter what happened in the War.

Another reason is that a neutral country was no particular threat to Germany. Switzerland would have required at least a garrison force, that would have had to be taken from the Eastern Front. Sweden was neutral as well, and some might say that Sweden's iron ore exports to Germany kept it 'that way'.

And as for the 'insult' of giving refuge to Jews, plenty more were turned back at the Swiss border while seeking refuge. To give the Swiss credit, however, they have moved in recent years (sometimes prodded by lawsuits) to return money belonging to jews that was 'frozen' in their banking system since the war, and offered compensation to refugees who were refused entry or deported.

Answer 5

to be honest, neither Germany nor any other nation completely neutral with Swizterland. All sides had spies in Switerland and both sides communicated with each other in there too. There was also a certain amount of skulldurgy going on such as assisanitions and kidnapping here........

the swiss tried to stay totally neutral in reference to the jewish problem because in the past they had also taken anti-semitic actions and did not really like having more jews in their country

Answer 6

Money