Hitlers Secret Plan to Invade Switzerland

Operation Tannenbaum: Hitlers Secret Plan to Invade Switzerland

Hitler had made plans to capture Switzerland. But he delayed and that was the saving grace for Switzerland.

A Plan Never put into Effect

Switzerland is a small country in the heart of Europe. It is small but has maintained strict neutrality since 1818. When the Second World War broke out, the Swiss cabinet declared itself neutral between the Allies and Axis powers. The Swiss were however under no illusion. Denmark, Belgium, and Holland had also declared their neutrality, but Hitler had invaded them. In a matter of 7 days, these nations were overrun by the Wehrmacht.

The Swiss saw all this and drew their lessons. They mobilized and raised active service duty from 18 up to 60. The Swiss thus could put into battle some 500,000 troops. These were formed into 3 corps for the defense of Switzerland. This is in sharp contrast to the nations like Denmark and Belgium, who just relied on Hitler's assurances. The Swiss were not convinced and put their corps in the national defense grid and got ready for a German offensive.

Hitler held the Swiss in contempt. His general staff was instructed to make plans for an invasion of Switzerland. The OKW on Hitler's instructions earmarked 13 divisions for the invasion. Intelligence reports reached Hitler and considering the mountainous terrain and 3 corps, Hitler delayed the attack. In the meantime, Hitler launched his invasion of Russia in 1941. He accordingly delayed his invasion of the Alpine state.

Once the going got tough on the Eastern front, the invasion of Switzerland went on the back burner and after 1944 was shelved altogether. The plan to invade Switzerland in 1940 and 41 was real, but the knowledge that the Swiss would fight, the OKW wanted to avoid needless casualties. This is an abject lesson for all nations who do not realize the importance of military preparedness.