Map of a planned German invasion of Switzerland during World War II (12 August 1940)

Map of a planned Italian invasion of Switzerland during World War II (12 August 1940)

Nazi Germany started planning the invasion of Switzerland during World War II on 25 June 1940, the day France surrendered. The third of these plans was called Operation Tannenbaum. The plan was submitted by 12th Army on 6 September 1940 to Army Group C. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1875x1306, 781 KB) Invasionsplan der Deutschen auf die Schweiz während des 2. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1875x1306, 781 KB) Invasionsplan der Deutschen auf die Schweiz während des 2. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1980x1335, 1046 KB) Invasionsplan der Italiener auf die Schweiz während des 2. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1980x1335, 1046 KB) Invasionsplan der Italiener auf die Schweiz während des 2. ... August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... Nazi Germany, or the Third Reich, commonly refers to Germany in the years 1933–1945, when it was under the firm control of the totalitarian and fascist ideology of the Nazi Party, with the Führer Adolf Hitler as dictator. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... This article or section contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

Operation Tannenbaum was the third of several detailed invasion plans drawn up for the German General Staff after France collapsed, but Hitler never gave the go-ahead, for reasons that are still uncertain today. It has been suggested that the policy of universal male conscription combined with the tactical advantage provided to general Henri Guisan by the alpine terrain was the primary deterrent. But arguably the massive Wehrmacht could have easily overcome those obstacles by a blitzkrieg campaign. The German General Staff or Großer Generalstab was the most important German weapon for nearly two centuries. ... Henri Guisan (21 October 1874 - 8 April 1960) was the most recent General of the Swiss army, as Commander in Chief during World War II. He is best remembered for effectively mobilizing the Swiss army and Swiss people in order to prepare resistance against a possible invasion by Nazi Germany... The West face of the Petit Dru above the Chamonix valley near the Mer de Glace. ... Wehrmacht troops of the Heer (military land forces) marching at a military parade in honour of the 50th birthday of Adolf Hitler, on April 20th, 1939. ... One of the defining characteristics of what is commonly known as Blitzkrieg is close co-operation between infantry and tanks. ...

There are several possible reasons that the Germans did not execute the plan:

• Switzerland was not seen as a threat to Germany. Hitler had his thoughts first with the Battle of Britain (Operation Sealion: where the few available German mountain divisions were allocated) and afterwards with the invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa (Already in August/September 1940 large numbers of troops were moved to the East to counter the Soviet threat to Bessarabia).
• The main window of opportunity for military action against Switzerland was the period between the Fall of France and October/November 1940. After this time, weather would not have permitted a real blitzkrieg attack due to the Swiss terrain. And after the winter 1940/41 Hitler was occupied by Operation Marita.
• Italian dependence on coal imports from Germany after the Italian declaration of war meant the use of an intact Swiss rail network was necessary to meet demand

The Swiss government had a decentralised structure, so even the Federal President was a relatively powerless official with no authority to surrender the country. Indeed, Swiss citizens had been instructed to regard any surrender broadcast as enemy lies and resist to the end. Combatants United Kingdom Germany Commanders Hugh Dowding Hermann Göring Albert Kesselring Strength initially 700; grew to nearly 1000 by the end of the Battle. ... Operation Sealion (Unternehmen (Undertaking) Seelöwe in German) was a World War II German plan to invade the United Kingdom. ... Combatants Germany Romania Finland Italy Hungary Slovakia Soviet Union Commanders Adolf Hitler Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim Joseph Stalin Strength ~ 3. ... Motto: Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Russian: Workers of the world, unite!) Anthem: The Internationale (1922-1944) Hymn of the Soviet Union (1944-1991) Capital (and largest city) Moscow None; Russian de facto Government Federation of Soviet Republics  - Last President Mikhail Gorbachev  - Last Premier Ivan Silayev Establishment October Revolution   - Declared... 1927 map of Bessarabia from Charles Upson Clarks book Bessarabia or Bessarabiya (Basarabia in Romanian, Besarabya in Turkish) was the name by which the Imperial Russia designated the eastern part of the principality of Moldavia ceded by the Ottoman Empire to Russia in the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish... During World War II, Operation Marita was the German invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia on 6 April 1941. ... Switzerland is a federal republic, and perhaps the closest state in the world to a direct democracy. ... The President of the Swiss Confederation is he who leads the federal council of Switzerland, and is considered the primus inter pares (First among equals) of all the ministers of the Swiss Government. ...

Although the Wehrmacht feigned moves toward Switzerland in its offensives, it never attempted to invade. After D-Day, Operation Tannenbaum was put on hold and Switzerland remained neutral for the duration of the war. Actually the Germans were probably in no position to allocate the number of divisions required by Tannenbaum after the beginning of the invasion of the Soviet Union. Wehrmacht troops of the Heer (military land forces) marching at a military parade in honour of the 50th birthday of Adolf Hitler, on April 20th, 1939. ... Land on Normandy In military parlance, D-Day is a term often used to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. ...

Switzerland eventually contributed to the German war effort selling industrialized goods such as bearing balls and parts to torpedo guidance systems, manufactured in facilities that could not be bombed by the Allies due to the country's neutrality status. It is also possible that Switzerland was guarding Nazi Germany's gold and money, because, Switzerland would not be bombed by the Allies and therefore Nazi Germany's riches would be safe.

See also

• Switzerland during the World Wars

Switzerland was surrounded by territory controlled by the Axis Powers from 1940 to 1945. ...

External links

• Swiss & German Operational Planning A Swiss site with research about the Swiss and German operational planning.
• Target Switzerland - lecture by Dr. Stephen P. Halbrook, promoting his book on Axis plans against Switzerland