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How is switzerland able to stay neutral in every war?

Schadenfroh

Schadenfroh

Elite Member
title says all. Why did the allies not invade them during WW2 to sieze nazi financial assets, etc. seems like they never take any side in any war. How is their military?
 
The swiss banking system has been about extremely strict anonymity for a long time up until very recently. The Nazi assets were in unmarked numbered accounts that could belong to anybody.

As to how they could stay neutral, they say, "We are not going to fight on anybodies side" and since everybody has their money is Switzerland nobody is going to mess with them.
 
Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
The physical terrrain is not the easy to operate in.
Click to expand...

That was my understanding too. I thought the two main reasons were that

a) their banking system was so anonymous that nobody wanted to mess it up b/c both allies and axis (so to speak) could hide stuff there.

b) they are surrounded by mountains and have some nasty terrian and climates.
 
The question is how can they stay neutral in Bush's "war on terror", when he declares "you're either with us or against us"?
 
Originally posted by: TheNinja
Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
The physical terrrain is not the easy to operate in.
Click to expand...

That was my understanding too. I thought the two main reasons were that

a) their banking system was so anonymous that nobody wanted to mess it up b/c both allies and axis (so to speak) could hide stuff there.

b) they are surrounded by mountains and have some nasty terrian and climates.
Click to expand...

This was always my understanding. Although if either side really wanted to, the terrain and climates werent going to stop them, especially Germany.
 
Originally posted by: welst10
The question is how can they stay neutral in Bush's "war on terror", when he declares "you're either with us or against us"?
Click to expand...

wow that was fast....
 
Originally posted by: welst10
The question is how can they stay neutral in Bush's "war on terror", when he declares "you're either with us or against us"?
Click to expand...

Cuz they're sissies. 😛

They sit around and make watches and chocolate .... and they're darn good at both.
 
They have a really well trained military, actually. And they also have a lot of very well hidden defensive placements all over the country. add that to a pretty unwelcoming terrain for invasion, and you've got a pretty tough customer.

 
Strong militaristic society. Impenetrable terrain. Little natural resources to motivate conquerers.

It would cost an invader a huge amount of resources & casualties to take something worth little.
 
Originally posted by: elektrolokomotive
They have a really well trained military, actually. And they also have a lot of very well hidden defensive placements all over the country. add that to a pretty unwelcoming terrain for invasion, and you've got a pretty tough customer.
Click to expand...

exactly, the the defensive enplacements could tear an opposing army to shreds since it is just artillery fired point blank at natural choke points.

edit: i kan spel relie gud.
 
Since Switzerland had been a neutral country for a while, such as during WWI, so Hitler didn't hold a grudge against the Swiss. Switzerland was a place where the Nazi could put their loots, you wouldn't want to burn down your own bank. And the Swiss, in general, were compliant in handing the Jews to the Nazi. Talking of a tough place to fight, Russia is the toughest place to fight, vast terrain to cover, nasty winter, endless supply of Russian peasants as troops, yet Napoleon and Hitler didn't get it.
 
Originally posted by: BigJ
Originally posted by: TheNinja
Originally posted by: EagleKeeper
The physical terrrain is not the easy to operate in.
Click to expand...

That was my understanding too. I thought the two main reasons were that

a) their banking system was so anonymous that nobody wanted to mess it up b/c both allies and axis (so to speak) could hide stuff there.

b) they are surrounded by mountains and have some nasty terrian and climates.
Click to expand...

This was always my understanding. Although if either side really wanted to, the terrain and climates werent going to stop them, especially Germany.
Click to expand...

Not too sure about that. The Swiss have a history of tough fighters. You don't wanna mess with them in the mountains, there's one mountain which is nearly just a shell and they have tons of stuff in there. There are also alot of secret bunkers all over the country. We're small but that doesn't mean we're weak. But MY guess is it's only because of the banks 🙂
 
Originally posted by: Pocatello
Since Switzerland had been a neutral country for a while, such as during WWI, so Hitler didn't hold a grudge against the Swiss. Switzerland was a place where the Nazi could put their loots, you wouldn't want to burn down your own bank. And the Swiss, in general, were compliant in handing the Jews to the Nazi. Talking of a tough place to fight, Russia is the toughest place to fight, vast terrain to cover, nasty winter, endless supply of Russian peasants as troops, yet Napoleon and Hitler didn't get it.
Click to expand...

Swiss is a bank to EVERYONE. We also saved some jews, we didn't "hand them over" to the Nazis.
 
Originally posted by: Scouzer
Strong militaristic society. Impenetrable terrain. Little natural resources to motivate conquerers.

It would cost an invader a huge amount of resources & casualties to take something worth little.
Click to expand...
 
Originally posted by: Pocatello
Isn't the Pope still have Swiss as guards?
Click to expand...

Isn't you speak in English?

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City to provide security and protect the Pope
Click to expand...
 
The swiss were not really as neutral during WWII as many are led to believe.

They were not bombed during WWII because not only were they a great money launderer, but also their factories made all the parts for tanks and weapons... and ammo.. for all the stuff that Germany needed, much of it seized from Russia. There is also strong evidence surfacing that they also transported Holocaust victims and Italians forced into slave labor in german factories.

There are many sites online about this, but two that came up first on Google are:

Text
Text

🙂
 
Well, every able bodied man in Switzerland has an assault rifle... They've all been in the military... They're surrounded by mountains.... They've had plenty of time to plan out the defense of their country... And there's really nothing there to take.

Taking Switzerland without razing it to the ground would be next to impossible.
 
Originally posted by: Schadenfroh How is their military?
Click to expand...
Pretty good from what I have heard and read. A friend of mine went there and said 1 out of every 10 houses has a "war room" that is used in times of war by the military. So they have "places" everywhere to hide/sleep/fight/etc. All men do military service at a certian age, and is never really "discharged" per se, as they can all (men) called up for duty until a certian age. Because of that they all have uniforms and guns in their houses. Then there is the terrain...

Feel free to counter ANY of this info, since some of it I heard *years* ago and I'm just recalling things.

 
Doesn't every male citizen (as part of compulsory 'service' in the military) get an automatic weapon for their home? I think that'd be enough notice to not mess with the Swiss.
 
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