kennyc wrote:GeeRam wrote:FredB wrote:There is anold story about the Swiss Ambassador to the 3rd Reich. At a reception in Berin, he was introduced to Hitler, "Ah yes!" said Hitler: "Switzerland! What is the population of your country?" "Just over two million" replied the ambassador. "Do you realise that next Monday morning I could put four million stormtroopers into your country? What would you do then?" The ambassador repied:" In that case, Herr Reichfuher, everybody would have to shoot twice!"
Hitler never invaded Switzerland.
Fred
Switzerland as a neutral was more useful to Herr H as his banker, than if it had been occupied........
or more likely he needed the troops for his Russian trip, and the cost of invasion in troops,materiel and time was more than he was willing to pay at that point in the proceedings
Post 1940, this was certainly a factor. Prior to 1941, they certainly had a plan drawn up to invade Switzerland (called Operation Tannenbaum)
The story is that they weren't expecting the French to capitulate so quickly, and thus the idea was to invade Switzerland in the Autumn, after taking France by the end of the summer.....but France's quick capitulation and our losses at Dunkirk etc., made them focus on Operation Sea Lion instead, thinking we'd be an easy push over as well.
The focus was always Soviet Union in 1941....
LL