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World War II #35
The Neutrals
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208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1982
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 9, 2016
It was certainly not easy to be a neutral country in the Second World War. Norway, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, the United States, and the Soviet Union were all neutrals at the start of the war on September 1, 1939, but later came under attack. Some countries were able to maintain their neutrality but it was a most difficult balancing act at best. This book focuses on Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Ireland, and Turkey and their struggles to stay out of the war, but all got involved to some extent.
Switzerland was a most interesting case during the war. Hitler had a plan code-named "Tannenbaum" to invade Switzerland. The Swiss had their own plan- to mobilize their citizen-army and make a last-ditch defense in "the National Redoubt", their Alpine bastion in southern Switzerland. They were prepared to blow mountain tunnels and bridges and make the Germans pay a high price to occupy their small country. In the end, Hitler did not invade-and Switzerland provided a haven for gold that the Germans looted so that it flowed into Swiss banks. The financial services that the Swiss provided gave Germany a very good reason not to invade their small neighbor to the south. In fact, the US saw Switzerland as an enemy in effect and froze Swiss funds in America, amounting to $ 1.5 billion.
On the positive side for the Swiss, the Red Cross was headquartered in Geneva and the Swiss provided the personnel for the Red Cross to carry out inspections of prison camps under the Geneva Convention of 1929. The Swiss were also able to provide relief parcels to prisoners--the Red Cross Care packages. By war's end, the US sent 28 million packages through Geneva to Allied POWs. In Asia, the Japanese were against using the Red Cross and most packages did not get through to Allied POWs in the hands of the Japanese. At the end of the war, Red Cross teams could get to the camps and provide immediate assistance that saved many lives. Russian POWs in German hands and German POWs in Russian hands were beyond the help of the Red Cross. But the Swiss deserve much credit for their hard work in the Red Cross, looking after the welfare of POWs--and internees and refugees as well.
Switzerland was a most interesting case during the war. Hitler had a plan code-named "Tannenbaum" to invade Switzerland. The Swiss had their own plan- to mobilize their citizen-army and make a last-ditch defense in "the National Redoubt", their Alpine bastion in southern Switzerland. They were prepared to blow mountain tunnels and bridges and make the Germans pay a high price to occupy their small country. In the end, Hitler did not invade-and Switzerland provided a haven for gold that the Germans looted so that it flowed into Swiss banks. The financial services that the Swiss provided gave Germany a very good reason not to invade their small neighbor to the south. In fact, the US saw Switzerland as an enemy in effect and froze Swiss funds in America, amounting to $ 1.5 billion.
On the positive side for the Swiss, the Red Cross was headquartered in Geneva and the Swiss provided the personnel for the Red Cross to carry out inspections of prison camps under the Geneva Convention of 1929. The Swiss were also able to provide relief parcels to prisoners--the Red Cross Care packages. By war's end, the US sent 28 million packages through Geneva to Allied POWs. In Asia, the Japanese were against using the Red Cross and most packages did not get through to Allied POWs in the hands of the Japanese. At the end of the war, Red Cross teams could get to the camps and provide immediate assistance that saved many lives. Russian POWs in German hands and German POWs in Russian hands were beyond the help of the Red Cross. But the Swiss deserve much credit for their hard work in the Red Cross, looking after the welfare of POWs--and internees and refugees as well.
June 2, 2020
It is perhaps not surprising that the various neutrals of World War II should find themselves shifting in response to the course of the war and that regardless of their own desire to remain out of harm's way that somewhat embarrassing concessions to reality were necessary that such nations sought to avoid suffering repercussions from in the course of time. In truth, it may be said that with regards to the largest struggles that the world faces that there is no neutrality. One may not be a combatant, but to be neutral is entirely impossible as the weight of events will force certain concessions to be made that will not be in accordance with the independence that one seeks as a neutral. Whether or not anyone in particular is to blame for that, it is only to be expected that powerful nations will seek to push their weight and affect the behavior of those within their influence, and such is what we clearly see here in the case of World War II. If Time-Life is not necessarily always the source of intellectual depth, in many cases (including this one) it certainly provides evidence that can be used for depth in thinking.
This book is about 200 pages long and it is divided into five chapters with numerous picture essays. The author begins with a discussion of the neutrals who sought to deter war through claiming their total peaceful intent but which got overrun by Hitler, especially the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Norway (1). After that comes a discussion of Switzerland in arms as well as its status as a perpetual neutral (2). A discussion of the legacy of the Spanish Civil War and the difficult diplomatic dance undertaken by both Spain and Portugal regarding staying neutral in the face of competing pressures by the Allies and Axis (3), including the sending of Spanish volunteers to fight on the Eastern front follows next. After that the author discusses Sweden's trading as a price of it keeping neutrality as well as the way that Sweden's course during WWII showed how the war was going (4). Finally, the book ends with a discussion of Ireland and Turkey as two stubborn holdouts against the war for various reasons as well as the red cross and its actions and the limits of what it was able to do in some cases (5). After this there is a bibliography, picture credits, acknowledgements, and index.
What is it that led nations to be useful? The motives of neutrality are diverse, ranging from a desire to avoid having people fight over their territory, concerns about the well-being of the people and in a high degree of hatred for the parties that one would have been expected to support. By and large the various nations that remained neutral in World War II have not suffered for their neutrality. Some of them were invaded anyway because they were not strong enough to resist. Many are a part of NATO and the EU and represent economically or militarily powerful nations that command the respect of others. Perhaps for some nations there has been a bit of soul-searching about the way that these nations lost a bit of honor when it came to how they treated Hitler when he was powerful, but at the same time those nations were quick to turn towards the allies when the war changed its complexion, so that they ended up being invited to the UN and receiving the full blessings of nations in good standing with the world at large. And so, I suppose, those nations who were able to stay neutral did get what they wanted out of it, more or less.
This book is about 200 pages long and it is divided into five chapters with numerous picture essays. The author begins with a discussion of the neutrals who sought to deter war through claiming their total peaceful intent but which got overrun by Hitler, especially the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, and Norway (1). After that comes a discussion of Switzerland in arms as well as its status as a perpetual neutral (2). A discussion of the legacy of the Spanish Civil War and the difficult diplomatic dance undertaken by both Spain and Portugal regarding staying neutral in the face of competing pressures by the Allies and Axis (3), including the sending of Spanish volunteers to fight on the Eastern front follows next. After that the author discusses Sweden's trading as a price of it keeping neutrality as well as the way that Sweden's course during WWII showed how the war was going (4). Finally, the book ends with a discussion of Ireland and Turkey as two stubborn holdouts against the war for various reasons as well as the red cross and its actions and the limits of what it was able to do in some cases (5). After this there is a bibliography, picture credits, acknowledgements, and index.
What is it that led nations to be useful? The motives of neutrality are diverse, ranging from a desire to avoid having people fight over their territory, concerns about the well-being of the people and in a high degree of hatred for the parties that one would have been expected to support. By and large the various nations that remained neutral in World War II have not suffered for their neutrality. Some of them were invaded anyway because they were not strong enough to resist. Many are a part of NATO and the EU and represent economically or militarily powerful nations that command the respect of others. Perhaps for some nations there has been a bit of soul-searching about the way that these nations lost a bit of honor when it came to how they treated Hitler when he was powerful, but at the same time those nations were quick to turn towards the allies when the war changed its complexion, so that they ended up being invited to the UN and receiving the full blessings of nations in good standing with the world at large. And so, I suppose, those nations who were able to stay neutral did get what they wanted out of it, more or less.
May 1, 2025
One thing that's great about the Time-Life WWII series is that it isn't a strictly chronological history so you get thematic volumes like this one that are really quite good.
In this case you get an interesting and appropriately grey perspective of the war from the viewpoint of several neutral countries and how they fared. (There's a notable omission here which I'll come to in a bit.)
What's covered?
Belgium: the defeatist betrayal of their king isn't covered here but is covered enough in the Blitzkrieg volume that it's forgivable that for Belgium and the Netherlands the focus is on the diplomatic shenanigans leading up to the violation of their neutrality.
Netherlands: Amply covered here and combined again with the Blitzkrieg volume it's well covered.
Switzerland: It's a pretty extensive chapter on them here and even so the age of the book shows insofar as where it winds up in terms of Swiss complicity with German thievery (and genocide).
Sweden: See above. Like the Swiss they had more ties to the Germans than other neutrals and like the Swiss they ran a course that shifted with the prevailing winds. Same issues.
Norway and Denmark are covered like Belgium and the Netherlands. As neutrals that were invaded and occupied by the Germans they get a deservedly better hearing. All of these countries are covered further in the Scandinavia volume that looked at other aspects of the war in the region.
Finland is covered in other volumes more extensively and as a more active (if reluctant) combatant their story is appropriately complicated.
Spain: There's a lot here about Spain and a good chunk about the Blue Division that Franco sent to fight the USSR. Like the Swiss and the Swedes this is another topic that merits a deeper dive with more recent scholarship and perspectives.
The Vatican gets a little looked at here but the Red Cross gets a more extensive treatment.
Turkey gets half a chapter that gives it a fair hearing for navigating a course that kept it safely out of the war until they were brought in at the very end as a condition of joining the UN.
Argentina has a short snippet.
Ireland. What can I say? Here's a chance to really hate Churchill even more than usual. The authors here leave out a lot of context as to just how awful Churchill was with a lot of countries and with Ireland in particular. But even if all you have is what's here you get a taste of the results of his awfulness even if you don't get the full story.
One notable omission is Iran. And it's a huge absence since the Iranian involvement mirrors so many of the other narratives and no doubt informed some of the behavior of the other neutrals described here that the absence is a glaring gap.
In this case you get an interesting and appropriately grey perspective of the war from the viewpoint of several neutral countries and how they fared. (There's a notable omission here which I'll come to in a bit.)
What's covered?
Belgium: the defeatist betrayal of their king isn't covered here but is covered enough in the Blitzkrieg volume that it's forgivable that for Belgium and the Netherlands the focus is on the diplomatic shenanigans leading up to the violation of their neutrality.
Netherlands: Amply covered here and combined again with the Blitzkrieg volume it's well covered.
Switzerland: It's a pretty extensive chapter on them here and even so the age of the book shows insofar as where it winds up in terms of Swiss complicity with German thievery (and genocide).
Sweden: See above. Like the Swiss they had more ties to the Germans than other neutrals and like the Swiss they ran a course that shifted with the prevailing winds. Same issues.
Norway and Denmark are covered like Belgium and the Netherlands. As neutrals that were invaded and occupied by the Germans they get a deservedly better hearing. All of these countries are covered further in the Scandinavia volume that looked at other aspects of the war in the region.
Finland is covered in other volumes more extensively and as a more active (if reluctant) combatant their story is appropriately complicated.
Spain: There's a lot here about Spain and a good chunk about the Blue Division that Franco sent to fight the USSR. Like the Swiss and the Swedes this is another topic that merits a deeper dive with more recent scholarship and perspectives.
The Vatican gets a little looked at here but the Red Cross gets a more extensive treatment.
Turkey gets half a chapter that gives it a fair hearing for navigating a course that kept it safely out of the war until they were brought in at the very end as a condition of joining the UN.
Argentina has a short snippet.
Ireland. What can I say? Here's a chance to really hate Churchill even more than usual. The authors here leave out a lot of context as to just how awful Churchill was with a lot of countries and with Ireland in particular. But even if all you have is what's here you get a taste of the results of his awfulness even if you don't get the full story.
One notable omission is Iran. And it's a huge absence since the Iranian involvement mirrors so many of the other narratives and no doubt informed some of the behavior of the other neutrals described here that the absence is a glaring gap.
August 4, 2021
An in-depth look at the various countries that strove for (and somewhat succeeded) in remaining neutral. Chapters focusing on Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland, Turkey, Spain, and Portugal. The political, economic, and social challenges are detailed for each nation. Moreover, the role of the diplomat and negotiation takes center stage in this account of World War II.
May 31, 2021
A lot of new material in here for me; I didn't know that Ireland was so staunchly neutral during the War, and each neutral country navigated challenges and external pressures in its own way.
April 20, 2012
A novel approach of telling the story of World War Two. Most people think neutrals were hardly affected by World War Two, but you'd be surprised how much it did. Highly recommended. Also tells the strain the war put on those countries and the immense challenges and obstacles they faced maintaining their neutrality and the price they paid for it. And also how they quietly aided the Allies or Axis in some way or another.
March 3, 2015
Bought this Life Time series in the early 1980's on WWII, a volume came to the house every 2 or 3 months so I could take my reading. It was very informative and enjoyable read, I still use it for reference.
August 2, 2016
This volume discusses the roles of the World War II neutral countries. A chapter is given to each of the major neutrals. And as always, the photo essays in this series are fantastic.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews