Switzerland

[Locke]

When I was in Switzerland in summer I talked a lot to our friend, at whom we were staying and we were also talking about WWII.
She said that there were plans for blowing up the tunnels in case of German attack. Does anybody know if such plans existed?

Sorry if this has been already discussed before...

Regards,
Polona

[Maxime_Penen]

Not discussed before IIRC... It would seem logical that if the Germans attacked the Swiss would've blown up the tunnels and fought the Germans from the mountains... The Swiss army is really extraordinary in that aspect... Highly advanced, high mobilisation possibility, good defensive possibilities due to total military bases *inside* mountains

[Andy H]

I agree that if the Swiss retreated into some form of mountain redoubt it would costly work to defeat them. That's why I would imagine the Germans would occupy all the area's vacated by the Swiss Army, and then basically just wait till the entrapped army ran out of Logistical support & supplies.

Andy H

[Locke]

Thank you for your answers. I've also thought that blowing up tunnels would be logical.

Best wishes,
Polona

[Windward]

I read on historical books, CinC of Swiss Army, General Henri Guison planed blow up some important Alpine tunnels. Dynamites were fixxed in them. Swiss army will give up all plain areas and draw back to mountain area to resist German and Italian invasion.

On 25 July 1940, General Guisan gathered 600 of his highest ranking officers at Rutli Meadow -- by legend, site of the birth of the Swiss Confederation -- on the shores of Lake Lucerne. There he impressed upon the leaders of his army that they must gird themselves for a long period of struggle and uncertainty, that they must expect to fight to the bitter end to preserve their way of life, and they must imbue their fighting men with the same spirit. Switzerland would never surrender. This dramatic occasion is generally cited as the emotional turning point of the war for Switzerland.

After the fall of France, the Wehrmacht drew up a series of contingency plans for invading Switzerland. General Guisan, now that his forces could be attacked from any and all directions, revised his defensive plans. In the event of invasion, his army would fight a delaying action with light forces along the border while his main body withdrew into a well-prepared and well-stocked redoubt in the Alps from which it could deny Axis use of the vital St Gotthard and Simplon rail tunnels and resist for an extended period of time. Such a scheme would have abandoned much territory and population, but would have made a German invasion relatively expensive; in any event, Hitler had other plans in the East for his armies.

[Locke]

Thank you, Windward, that's what I was looking for!

Regards,
Polona

[K.Kocjancic]

Does anyone has any numbers how many men (and which (Army) units), were stationed in Swiss-German border and Swiss-Italian border during the war?

TIA,
Kocjo

[PanzerPeter]

Hi all!

the swiss army had a size of aprox. 400'000 men. there where 4 Korps, one in the western part of the country (geneva, lake geneva, Porrentruy, Montreux ...) , one in the centre and north west (Bern, Basel ... ) and one in the north east (zurich, St.Gallen, lake constance, Rhine ...) and the last was a mountain korps that was sitting in the south (Gotthard, Tessin [this is the Italian border], Davos, St. Moritz (Must have been fun!)...)

There where some strongpoints in the alps (St. Maurice, St. Gotthard and Sargans) where big fortificationa were built. Spread around were dozends of smaller forts. Arms where from 5 cm to 15 cm as I remember. Some of these forts are possible to visit as museums today. See example here: http://www.festungsmuseum.ch/inhalt.htm

It is correct, that tunnels (and bridges!) where loaded during the whole conflict, as are some even today. The Germans, knowing the Swiss to blow up the most interesting infrastructure, had only smaller interest in taking that risk.

Peter (from Switzerland)

[K.Kocjancic]

Hi all!

the swiss army had a size of aprox. 400'000 men. there where 4 Korps, one in the western part of the country (geneva, lake geneva, Porrentruy, Montreux ...) , one in the centre and north west (Bern, Basel ... ) and one in the north east (zurich, St.Gallen, lake constance, Rhine ...) and the last was a mountain korps that was sitting in the south (Gotthard, Tessin [this is the Italian border], Davos, St. Moritz (Must have been fun!)...)

There where some strongpoints in the alps (St. Maurice, St. Gotthard and Sargans) where big fortificationa were built. Spread around were dozends of smaller forts. Arms where from 5 cm to 15 cm as I remember. Some of these forts are possible to visit as museums today. See example here: http://www.festungsmuseum.ch/inhalt.htm

Thanks!

What about German/Italian border units there?

Regards,
Kocjo

[PanzerPeter]

perhaps I don't really understand your question?

as in the south was the Mountain Korps (Mountain Divisions, - Regiments, - Bataillons and - Companies) and also in the south of my country is the border to Italy, the Mountain Korps was resposible for the Italian border.

Which Companies (by number) that were there exactly - I really don't know! To be honest - I don't care

[K.Kocjancic]

perhaps I don't really understand your question?

That's it.

I'm looking info on AXIS UNITS - German and/or Italian units (you've already provided me info on Swiss units ), which were stationed near borders with Switzerland. So units on the other side of the border (from your view ).

Regards,
Kocjo

[AJK]

Hi PanzerPeter,

I would like to ask you whether you have a complete Order of Battle for the Swiss Army during World War II? I am looking for details of the units (Corps, Divisions, Brigades) and their commanders during this period. I already have some information (not complete) on the Corps and Division commanders, but nothing on the Brigades and their commanders. Any further information that you could supply would be very much appreciated. I have listed the information that I currently have, below.

Thanks in advance, and happy New Year!

AJK


Feld Armee Korps I
1933 - 1939: General Henri GUISAN
1939 - 1940: Oberstkorpskommandant Renzo LARDELLI
1940 - 1949: Oberstkorpskommandant Jules BOREL


Feld Armee Korps II
1935 - ?: Oberstkorpskommandant Friedrich PRISI

:
Feld Armee Korps III
1934 - 1944: ?
1944 - 1951: Oberstkorpskommandant Herbert CONSTAM


Feld Armee Korps IV
1940 - ?: Oberstkorpskommandant Jakob LABHART


Felddivision 1
1932 - 1941: ?
1941 - 1946: Oberstdivisionär Edouard PETITPIERRE


Felddivision 2
1938 - 1940: Oberstkorpskommandant Jules BOREL
1941 - 1945: ?


Felddivision 3
1938 - 1940: Oberstdivisionär René von GRAFFENRIED
1940: Oberstdivisionär Ivo GUGGER
1941 - 1944: Oberstdivisionär Hermann FLÜCKIGER
1945 - 1951: Oberstdivisionär Walter JAHN


Felddivision 4
1935 - 1945: ?


Felddivision 5
1935 - 1942: Oberstdivisionär Dr. Eugen BIRCHER
1942 - 1944: Oberstdivisionär Rudolf von ERLACH
1944 - 1950: Oberstdivisionär Paul WACHER


Felddivision 6
193? - 1939: Oberstkorpskommandant Renzo LARDELLI
1939 - 1944: Oberstkorpskommandant Herbert CONSTAM
1944 - 1946: Oberstdivisionär Marius CORBAT

Felddivision 7
1939 - 1940: Oberstdivisionär Hermann FLÜCKIGER
1941 - 1944: Oberstkorpskommandant Hans FRICK
1945 - 1951: Oberstbrigadier Richard FREY


Felddivision 8
1938 - ?: Oberstkorpskommandant Alfred GÜBELI

[PanzerPeter]

sorry, I don't have them.

one information you have is not correct:
Feld Armee Korps I
1933 - 1939: Oberstkorpskommandant Henri GUISAN

one information missing:
Schweizer Armee
1939 - 1945: General Henri GUISAN

one information may be wrong, but I don't know:
(Wrong: Feld) Gebirgs Armee Korps III

and I think your Felddivision 6 has wrong commanders, because the names are not from that region or has a wrong number.

[AJK]

Hi PanzerPeter,

Thanks for your reply. I agree that Guisan was only Oberstkorpskommandant at the time he commanded Feldkorps I. In my files, to make things easier, I have shown each commander with the highest rank reached, hence Guisan is listed as General, a rank which he attained in 1939 when he was named Commander-in-Chief.

I suspect that you are right about the denomination of the III Korps. I have seen it referred to as both a Feldkorps and a Gebirgskorps, but during the war I am pretty sure it was indeed a Gebirgskorps, as you state.

Regarding the commanders of Felddivision 6, please see the extracts from various documents, below, and their sources, which provided the basis for my list:

Lardelli: “Graub��n stellten die verantwortli-hen hohen Milit䲳 (Div Jakob Labhart, Chef der Generalstabsabteilung, Oberstlt Rudolf v. Erlach, Sektionschef im Generalstab, Div Otto Hilfiker, Waffenchef der Genietruppen, Div Renzo Lardelli, Kommandant der 6. Div, und Oberst Hans Hold, Kommandant der Grenzschutztruppen) fest, dass die Einfallsachsen in den Kanton Graub��n an den verschiedenen P䳳en durch permanente Verteidigungsanlagen zu sch��n seien.
Source: http://www.sogart.ch/downloads/SOGAFLAS ... ort-CH.pdf

Constam: “1938 Kommandant der 6. Division, 1943-51 Kommandant des 3. Armeekorps”
Corbat: “1944-46 Kommandant der 6. Division”
Source: Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz

Best wishes,

AJK