# Why didn't Hitler take Switzerland ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 8, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334 "2009-09-08T20:40:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/21 "2009-09-08T22:04:54Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Technically, Germany would have had to march through Vichy France to invade Spain Not necessarily. Gascony was part of occupied France, and Germany hypothetically could have invaded through Gascony. Spain’s foreign policy during World War II largely consisted of expressing appreciation and gratitude for German help during the Civil War and then explaining with sincere regret why it was impossible to do any of the things that Germany asked them to do. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/22 "2009-09-08T22:47:08Z")
The Swiss border is so full of holes, it would have been difficult to decide on where to attack from. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/23 "2009-09-08T22:59:27Z")
As noted by all of the above, the question is backwards. It should be “Why would Hitler **want to** take Switzerland?” Since there was zero tactical reason to take the country, and very little strategic reason, the Swiss were left pretty much alone. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/24 "2009-09-08T23:15:22Z")
Switzerland is also a confederacy of 26 separate states. It’s not like there is a central capital to conquer; every state would have to be conquered then and held by occupation forces against a well armed and organized resistance. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2009, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/25 "2009-09-08T23:56:56Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Technically, Germany would have had to march through Vichy France to invade Spain, but Spain was pretty much a German lapdog. Franco fawned over Hitler (so much so that Hitler found it distasteful) and would have done anything Hitler asked at any time. Why invade and set up a puppet government if that’s what you had to begin with? Franco was apparently mostly pretending, on the advice of Admiral Canaris, the head of German Intelligence, and part of the anti-Hitler conspiracy. Franco and Canaris were apparently quite close, and when the Head of Intelligence of a very powerful nation tells you to NOT ally, but rather to kiss ass, then you kiss ass. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/26 "2009-09-09T00:15:25Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > The Swiss border is so full of holes, it would have been difficult to decide on where to attack from. That was the cheesiest joke I’ve read today. Watch it! ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/27 "2009-09-09T00:32:09Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > As noted by all of the above, the question is backwards. It should be “Why would Hitler **want to** take Switzerland?” Since there was zero tactical reason to take the country, and very little strategic reason, the Swiss were left pretty much alone. As revealed in Hugh Trevor Roper’s Table Talk, Hitler’s private conversations with his entourage, the Fuhrer had plans for Switzerland, and intended to deal with the country once Germany had won the war. One of his chief concerns was that Switzerland would not be allowed to serve as a refuge for Jews. They would be “cleared out of Switzerland as they had been cleared out of the rest of Europe”, and this motive alone would have been sufficient for Hitler to send the German army in. It must be remembered that tactical and strategical concerns played little part in Hitler’s decisions, this was a man guided by his own peculiar ‘destiny’ and his vision of a Europe (perhaps a world) free of Jews. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/28 "2009-09-09T00:44:09Z")
Well, according to Mark Kulanski’s **The Secret History of the Basques** , Franco wanted desperately to join the war, but the Germans, having seen the Spanish Army during the Spanish Civil War, didn’t want him. Also, after the Civil War, Spain’s economy was a basket case, so Germany would have had to feed its people and spend years training them to be an effective fighting force (the Germans knew what they were dealing with, having fought the Spanish Civil War for Franco). They might have gotten Gilbraltar, but that would have been a very poor trade. The one meeting between the two men was ultimately a humiliation for Franco. He arrived late, and their talks were a disaster: Franco kept talking about entering the war, but gave Hitler nothing to return; Hitler ended the interview, saying it was pointless and, indeed, did say he’d rather have his teeth pulled and his only direct comment about the meeting was “You can’t do anything with this character.” Of course, Franco claimed he saved the country by standing up to Hitler, but the Germans just didn’t care. And after the war, Franco started spreading rumors about how he really was anti-German all along in a desperate – but successful attempt to avoid Hitler’s fate. The stories of Franco being anti-German\* were repeated so often that many think them the reality. \*Pretty ridiculous on the face of it from a man who used the German army to gain power. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/29 "2009-09-09T00:44:50Z")
Besides blowing up every bridge, every mountain pass, every rail line, every road, making the country worthless, Switzerland also had a policy of no surrender. Most/all of the countries that Hitler took surrendered after a show of force. Swiss law prevented that. Unlike other countries, Hitler could not win 1 huge battle, or make a bloody invasion and expect the survivors to surrender. According to what i read , Target Switzerland, Stephen P. Halbrook(?), that, at that time in the 1930’s/40’s, according to Swiss law, nobody in Switzerland, not the president, not the generals, nobody, had the power to surrender, and therefore, the Swiss would/ had to theoretically fight until literally the very last Swiss man and the very last Swiss woman. It would be a very long drawn all out guerilla fight lasting almost forever, lasting until every Swiss citizen was dead, and to win what?: virtually nothing. War isnt much fun, it isnt very short, and it isnt very profitable, if the other guy will NEVER surrender. Besides nearly everyone in Switzerland was armed. There was a rumor that at some conference, a german general made a nasty “what if” to a swiss general, and asked: “what if we invade your country tomorrow with 100,000 german troops?” The swiss (who had 50,000 men in his command) answered: “we will shoot twice and go home”. ---
**Author:** ![Jerseyman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@Jerseyman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jerseyman)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/30 "2009-09-09T00:50:53Z")
Switzerland was neutral pro-Nazi, just like Spain. Half of it is mountainous valley just not worth the effort of invasion.The other half speaks German. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/31 "2009-09-09T00:54:25Z")
Really, it had nothing to do with the Swiss being able to raise a militia - do you really think Nazi Germany was afraid of a bunch of Swiss guerrillas but not, say, Norwegian guerrillas in a colder and more mountainous area? Or Greeks and Yugoslavs in the Balkans? Nazi Germany raised a significant amount of money selling goods and materials looted from occupied Europe through Switzerland. Keeping Switzerland “neutral” was profitable. Even crazy Adolf understood basic economics. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/32 "2009-09-09T01:10:53Z")
Besides the rough terrain, you have a high percentage of blue eyed blonds. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/33 "2009-09-09T01:13:59Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > Switzerland is also a confederacy of 26 separate states. It’s not like there is a central capital to conquer; every state would have to be conquered then and held by occupation forces against a well armed and organized resistance. No. It is worse than that. No Swiss state could be “conquered” because surrender was not an option. The Swiss promised to fight to the death of the very last Swiss man and Swiss woman. (Target Switzerland, page 103) Guisan’s order: “the Swiss resistance to German attack would be total” …informed swiss officers and soldiers that no one was authorized to surrender" “As long as a man has another cartridge or hand weapons to use, he does not yield” “the Swiss would die fighting even if only with the bayonet” “no one thought of retreat; even if they were surrounded, surrender was out of the question” “the no surrender order expressed exactly what the soldiers felt” (page103) “The rifles in the home were visible and easy to operate, and Swiss women would not have hesitated to use them in event of an invasion…” (page 96) “The (Swiss)junior officers had organized themselves so that if, in an invasion, a commanding officer showed signs of giving way before overwhelming enemy forces, these officers have mutually pledged themselves to shoot such a commander on the spot” (page 96) ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/34 "2009-09-09T01:20:25Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > - do you really think Nazi Germany was afraid of a bunch of Swiss guerrillas but not, say, Norwegian guerrillas in a colder and more mountainous area? Or Greeks and Yugoslavs in the Balkans? Yes! …because unlike the Norwegians, the Greeks, the Yugoslavs, not to mention the french, polish, checks, Belgium, etc, etc, etc, the Swiss would never surrender and would fight tooth and nail to the last Swiss citizen standing. Its just not worth it to invade Switzerland. The cost is too high and there would be nothing left to win. There would be nothing to win if there is nothing left. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/35 "2009-09-09T01:25:19Z")
Well, so, given the Swiss policy of no surrender, if the Germans did invade Switzerland in, say 1940, after France fell, how long could the Swiss have held out? And could Americans conceivably resupply the Swiss guerrillas? ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/36 "2009-09-09T01:30:00Z")
Has there ever been any other country in the world who had a total non-surrender policy like Switzerland? How do you defeat a country that actually does that? Has any other country besides Switzerland ever done it? …in particular, a country where every citizen is armed? Has any other citizen armed country besides Switzerland ever done it and lost(i.e. complete anniliation of its population)? (I am thinking maybe?? current day Isreal would never surrender to the arabs?) ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/37 "2009-09-09T01:38:04Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > Well, so, given the Swiss policy of no surrender, if the Germans did invade Switzerland in, say 1940, after France fell, how long could the Swiss have held out? And could Americans conceivably resupply the Swiss guerrillas? I would think if Hitler was going to tie down an army and invade Switzerland wouldnt it have been better to wait until after he had defeated and secured both England and russia first?..don’t you think? Needlessly tying down a German army in Switzerland in 1940 gives Hitler nothing besides casulties and a waste of his limited resources. Defeating Russia would give him slaves and huge natural resources. …and that is probably why the Switzerland invasion was put off… ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/38 "2009-09-09T01:42:23Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > Besides blowing up every bridge, every mountain pass, every rail line, every road, making the country worthless, Switzerland also had a policy of no surrender. Oh yeah, I forgot the tunnels. The Swiss were ready to blow up all their tunnels also. ---
**Author:** ![Kevbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e47774/32.png) [@Kevbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kevbo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/39 "2009-09-09T01:47:19Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > Has there ever been any other country in the world who had a total non-surrender policy like Switzerland? Yes Japan, in the same era. > [@Susanann](#): > > How do you defeat a country that actually does that? Apparently, you develop atomic weapons, nuke two of thier cities to cinders, and politely suggest that they modify their view of surrender. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334/40 "2009-09-09T01:48:03Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > Switzerland is also a confederacy of 26 separate states. It’s not like there is a central capital to conquer; every state would have to be conquered then and held by occupation forces against a well armed and organized resistance. I don’t want to question the bravery of the Swiss reservist or their organizational capabilities, but do you really think that this would have been the deciding issue for Nazi Germany to not invade Switzerland? **At the time** , one hundred out of every one hundred German officers and leaders you polled, including Der Fuhrer himself, would have laughed themselves into convulsions if you’d told them Switzerland would be a tougher nut to crack than France. And France fell in five or six weeks. D’ya really think Switzerland scared Germany? Not a chance; there is absolutely no reason to believe Germany wouldn’t have happily squashed Switzerland had they had a reason to. The Nazis were not afraid of Swiss housewifes with rifles. They didn’t invade Switzerland because they had no reason to. The Swiss were their de facto allies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-didnt-hitler-take-switzerland/509334.md?page=3)