Switzerland in a post-war Nazi ruled Europe.

What would be the fate of Switzerland in a post WWII Europe where continental Europe is under Nazi control?


Would they be permitted to remain neutral or?
 
Would they be permitted to remain neutral or?
Define Neutrality?

I think most likely like OTL Isle of Man/Monaco ie a de-facto protectorate that's a useful tax haven for the elite but actually follows 99% of instructions from Berlin when told to.
(still probably better for most of the "natural true" Swiss inhabitants than the rest of occupied Europe)
 
Define Neutrality?

I think most likely like OTL Isle of Man/Monaco ie a de-facto protectorate that's a useful tax haven for the elite but actually follows 99% of instructions from Berlin when told to.
(still probably better for most of the "natural true" Swiss inhabitants than the rest of occupied Europe)

That's the best possible outcome. OTOH, Hitler had plans made up for an invasion of Switzerland. If that went ahead, it probably gets split between Germany and Italy.
 

Dave Shoup

Banned
What would be the fate of Switzerland in a post WWII Europe where continental Europe is under Nazi control? Would they be permitted to remain neutral or?

The Germans and Italians had plans to invade and divvy up the country; although it undoubtedly would have been costly at any point after 1940, presumably the Axis could have done so. The question is, if the Axis were able to manage what amounted to a stalemate with the British in the Med and (possibly) the Soviets "somewhere" in the East (absent anything further in the OP), would the Axis have seen conquest as not worth the cost, and - for that matter - maintaining Swiss neutrality as a cover for diplomatic conversation between the Axis and the Allies?

Portugal certainly could have served the same function, as could Turkey, and both did to a degree.
 
That's the best possible outcome. OTOH, Hitler had plans made up for an invasion of Switzerland. If that went ahead, it probably gets split between Germany and Italy.
Might there be a possibility for Switzerland to develop it's own nuclear program (with clandestine assistance from the US) to build it's own nuclear arsenal to deter Germany from invading post war in the 50's-60's?
 
They get invaded, crushed, looted and broken up with German and Italian speaking Switzerland going to those countries and French speaking Switzerland becomes a puppet state.
 
Might there be a possibility for Switzerland to develop it's own nuclear program (with clandestine assistance from the US) to build it's own nuclear arsenal to deter Germany from invading post war in the 50's-60's?

Hrm. I suppose it's just barely possible, but I doubt the Reich would leave them alone that long.
 
They get invaded, crushed, looted and broken up with German and Italian speaking Switzerland going to those countries and French speaking Switzerland becomes a puppet state.

I don't know about that. If the Nazi domination of Europe leads to a coldwar with the US/UK/Other's and trade restrictions I could see Switzerland remaining somewhat independent. Mostly as a mechanism for the Germans to covertly trade outside of Europe. Sort of like the role that the Netherlands played for Germany in ww1.
 
Which they only lose if the Swiss win, which they won't. On the other hand when the Germans win the government gets to loot everyone else's secret bank accounts.
 
Switzerland would be entirely at Germany's mercy. Germany was Switzerland's primary trading partner and source of coal. Germany would squeeze Switzerland for concessions until they went broke, or until the Nazis found some sort of case for an invasion. With that said, the Swiss would have the potential to bloody the Germans' nose, but I don't think they'd have much hope of staying independent. Unless, of course, they're able to wait it out until the Nazi regime inevitably implodes.
 

Deleted member 94680

I know Fatherland has a neutral Switzerland as a meeting ground / frontline of the espionage war setup, but I just don’t think the Nazis were that clever, subtle or farsighted.

If they win the War (as the OP stipulates) then I very much doubt Berlin is going to leave an independent nation at the heart of Europe. Turkey had already fulfilled that role OTL so why have the risk of a safe haven for undesirables so close to Germany’s borders? Also, as @varyar has said, there are ethnic Germans in Switzerland. That means they’re becoming part of the Reich.
 
I don't know about that. If the Nazi domination of Europe leads to a coldwar with the US/UK/Other's and trade restrictions I could see Switzerland remaining somewhat independent. Mostly as a mechanism for the Germans to covertly trade outside of Europe. Sort of like the role that the Netherlands played for Germany in ww1.

Did you read Father Robert Harris' excellent novel of a Germany in which Hitler DID win WWII, FATHER-
LAND? The reason I'm asking is because this book lays out EXACTLY your scenario for Switzerland.
 
Being eaten up by Germany, Italy and Vichy on their respected ethnic/ lingual Swiss internal regions and annexed by all three? Or maybe just by the Germans as Himmlers planned a massive Burgundian SS State of sorts, either way Switzerland is doomed as their neutrality only was good for the Axis during the war, afterwards it's Operation Tannenbaum season.
 
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