History WorldWarII / TheNeutralNations

However, the main part of Spain's involvement in the was through volunteers. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Franco agreed, after much diplomatic pressure, to send some manpower to do civilian warwork and volunteers to fight against the Allies. Hence, the Blue Division was sent. The Blue Division was trained in Germany and served, with distinction, in assisting the deaths of half a million Soviet civilians in the Siege of Leningrad. Notably, in February 1943 General Infantes' 6,000 Spanish troops held up as many as 30,000 Soviet troops for a day - sadly, these were attacking under the cover of a flawed artillery barrage and with insufficient direct-fire assets (tanks, self-propelled artillery). By holding out until German SS and Army reinforcements arrived, the Spaniards thwarted the Polyarnya Zvezda offensive to lift the siege. In October 1943, with the German Army under sever pressure in the central-western Ukraine and another winter offensive looming in Army Group North's sector, the bulk of the Blue Division left for home (ostensibly as a result of Anglo-American diplomatic pressure) leaving a token force until March 1944. In all, about 45,000 Spanish served with Army Group North, mostly committed volunteers, and around 4,500 died. The Soviets' desire for revenge against Franco - for contributing as much as a twentieth of the force that killed several hundred thousand Soviet citizens - was frustrated at the Potsdam Conference in July 1945 wherein Stalin's attempt to make an Allied invasion of Spain the conference's first order of business was category rejected by Harry Truman and Winston Churchill. War weary and unwilling to continue the conflict, Truman and Churchill persuaded Stalin to instead settle for a full trade embargo against Spain.

However, the main part of Spain's involvement in the was through volunteers. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Franco agreed, after much diplomatic pressure, to send some manpower to do civilian warwork and volunteers to fight against the Allies. Hence, the Blue Division was sent. The Blue Division was trained in Germany and served, with distinction, in the Siege of Leningrad, and notably at the Battle of Krasny Bor, where General Infantes' 6,000 Spanish troops threw back some 30,000 Soviet troops. In October 1943, under severe Allied diplomatic pressure, the Blue Division was ordered home leaving a token force until March 1944. In all, about 45,000 Spanish served with Army Group North, mostly committed volunteers, and around 4,500 died. Joseph Stalin's desire for revenge against Franco was frustrated at the Potsdam Conference in July 1945, when his attempt to make an Allied invasion of Spain the conference's first order of business was rejected by Harry Truman and Winston Churchill. War weary and unwilling to continue the conflict, Truman and Churchill persuaded Stalin to instead settle for a full trade embargo against Spain.

After the UsefulNotes/NapoleonicWars and the Swedish-Norwegian War in 1814, Sweden became (and still remains) officialy neutral. Such policy has been mantained throughtout this War through a combination of its geopolitical location in the Scandinavian Peninsula, successful {{Realpolitik}} manoeuvring during an unpredictable course of events, and a dedicated military build-up after 1942.

After the war, controversy sparked about Switzerland's financial relationships with Germany. The fact is, Switzerland's trade was blockaded by both the Allies and by the Axis. Each side openly exerted pressure on Switzerland not to trade with the other. Economic cooperation and extension of credit to the Third Reich varied according to the perceived likelihood of invasion, and the availability of other trading partners. Concessions reached their zenith after a crucial rail link through Vichy France was severed in 1942, leaving Switzerland completely surrounded by the Axis. Switzerland relied on trade for half of its food and essentially all of its fuel, but controlled vital trans-alpine rail tunnels between Germany and Italy. Switzerland's most important exports during the war were precision machine tools, watches, jewel bearings (used in bombsights), electricity, and dairy products. Until 1936, the Swiss franc was the only remaining major freely convertible currency in the world, and ''both the Allies and the Germans'' sold large amounts of gold to the Swiss National Bank. Between 1940 and 1945, the German Reichsbank sold 1.3 billion francs worth of gold to Swiss Banks in exchange for Swiss francs and other foreign currency, which were used to buy strategically important raw materials like tungsten and oil from neutral countries. Hundreds of millions of francs worth of this gold was monetary gold plundered from the central banks of occupied countries. [[note]]A total of 581,000 francs' worth of "Melmer" gold taken from Holocaust victims in eastern Europe was sold to Swiss banks.[[/note]] The Swiss contribution to Germany's war effort has been put at some 0.5% of the total German output.

Since the iron ore deposits were important for the Nazis, there were various plans by Allied forces to seize those deposits as well as some harbours. Since the Nazis thought that the Allies would not respect Norwegian neutrality, they made their own plans for an invasion of Norway in order to protect their strategic supply lines. On April 9, 1940, launched Operation Weserübung, an operation with the ambitious objective of simultaneously occupying Denmark and Norway, and to stage a Coup d'état in Norway. This move had several far-reaching consequences for Sweden. Sweden was in effect cut off from trade with the western world and therefore more dependent on German goodwill, ultimately leading to ''permittenttrafik'', but it also lessened the immediate risk that Sweden would become a theater of war between the Axis and the Allies. 50,000 Norwegians fled to Sweden and were sent to refugee camps in the southeastern part of the country. There was also some training among Norwegian and Danish forces in order to recover the respective nations.

Due to repeated violations of their airspace[[note]] During the Invasion of France, German aircraft violated Swiss airspace at least 197 times[[/note]], Switzerland had to shoot down several German aircraft. The Swiss shot down 11 Luftwaffe planes between 10 May 1940 and 17 June 1940. Germany protested diplomatically on 5 June 1940, and with a second note on 19 June 1940 which contained clear threats. Hitler was especially furious when he saw that German equipment was shooting down German pilots. He said they would respond "in another manner". On 20 June 1940, the Swiss air force was ordered to stop intercepting planes violating Swiss airspace. Swiss fighters began instead to force intruding aircraft to land at Swiss airfields. Anti-aircraft units still operated. Later, Hitler and Hermann Göring sent saboteurs to destroy Swiss airfields, but the sabotage team was captured by the Swiss army before it could cause any damage.

However, this figure is (deliberately) deceptive in much the same way as the way that Anglo-American Lend-Lease aid has been valued at some 4% of the Soviet war effort. The goods provided to both were sophisticated and expensive to produce, meaning their ''real'' value to their war efforts was out of proportion to both the amounts provided and their market price. Both powers also avoided the 'opportunity cost' of producing the goods for themselves; every good given to them allowed them to focus on other goods. For example, Swiss detonators allowed the Germans to pour more of their armaments-funds into the other components of the shells and bombs they used to kill Allied civilians and soldiers. Likewise, the provision of boots and spam to the USSR allowed Soviet agriculture to forgo animal husbandry and focus almost exclusively on producing the grain they needed to feed their people.

However, the main part of Spain's involvement in the was through volunteers. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Franco agreed, after much diplomatic pressure, to send some manpower to do civilian warwork and volunteers to fight against the Allies. Hence, the Blue Division was sent. The Blue Division was trained in Germany and served, with distinction, in the Siege of Leningrad, and notably at the Battle of Krasny Bor, where General Infantes' 6,000 Spanish troops threw back some 30,000 Soviet troops. In October 1943, under severe Allied diplomatic pressure, the Blue Division was ordered home leaving a token force until March 1944. In all, about 45,000 Spanish served on the Eastern Front, mostly committed volunteers, and around 4,500 died. Joseph Stalin's desire for revenge against Franco was frustrated at the Potsdam Conference in July 1945, when his attempt to make an Allied invasion of Spain the conference's first order of business was rejected by Harry Truman and Winston Churchill. War weary and unwilling to continue the conflict, Truman and Churchill persuaded Stalin to instead settle for a full trade embargo against Spain.

At the start of the German invasion of the Soviet Union in the early summer of 1941, codenamed Operation Barbarossa, the Germans asked Sweden to allow the transportation of armed German troops, the 163rd Infantry Division, commanded by General Erwin Engelbrecht, along with all its military equipment, through Swedish territory by train from Norway to the eastern front in Finland. The Swedish government granted this permission. In Sweden, the political deliberations surrounding this are known as the ''Midsommarkrisen'' ("Midsummer Crisis").[[note]]however, according to research by Carl-Gustaf Scott there never was a "crisis", he argues that "the crisis was created in historical hindsight in order to protect the political legacy of the Social Democratic Party and its leader Per Albin Hansson."[[/note]]

From late 1941 and into 1942, Germany began to meet with a series of military reverses after its losses at the battles of Smolensk, Moscow, the Caucusus, Stalingrad, and El Alamein. After August and September 1943, however, Sweden became increasingly able to resist German demands and to soften its stance to Allied pressure. Despite Germany's new, defensive posture, Sweden's constant fear was that the unexpected would happen, an attitude that continued until the very end of the war. With Germany's weakening position came stronger demands from the Allies, who pushed for Sweden to abandon its trade with Germany and to stop all German troop movements over Swedish soil. Sweden accepted payments from the Allies to compensate for this loss of income through reduced trade with Germany, but continued to sell steel and machined parts to Nazi Germany at inflated smugglers' rates.

In 1943, Sweden received nearly all of Denmark's 8,000 Jews. With the dissolution of the Danish government in the summer of 1943, the German authorities had decided to deport Denmark's Jewish population to concentration camps. However, the Danes successfully ferried all but 450 of the Jews across the straits between Copenhagen and the Swedish mainland, across waters that were patrolled by German Schnellboots, in an unprecedented rescue effort. Once in Sweden, the Danish Jews were granted asylum and taken in by Swedish families. Many stayed in Sweden after the war. Sweden also received refugees from Finland and Norway, including some of Norway's Jews. All this, as well as the protection of Sweden's own Jewish population, was made possible by Sweden's neutrality.

In the aftermath of the War, Winston Churchill accused Sweden of ignoring the greater moral issues and playing both sides for profit during the conflict, including its supply of steel and machine parts to Nazi Germany throughout the war. Such claims, however, use a different definition of the word "neutral" from that defined in the 1907 Hague convention, which set out the rights and duties of belligerents and neutral countries.

In January 1946, Sweden forcibly transferred to the Soviet Union over 146 Baltic and 2,364 German soldiers who had been interned in Swedish prison camps. At least seven of the internees committed suicide at their camp in the village Rinkaby, Kristianstad, Skåne, rather than allowing themselves to be sent by Sweden to near certain death in the Soviet Union.

The Spanish State under Franco was officially non-belligerent during the War. This was meant to show two things: 1) That it was still reeling from the effects of the UsefulNotes/SpanishCivilWar. And 2), that it could manage to offer some degree of economic, material and military assistance to the Axis Powers without pissing off the Allies. Only after the 1942 Allied victories in Eastern Europe and North Africa did the government started leaning slowly towards the Allies.

While indeed the world was at war, not all the countries in it were at war[[note]]Even if, in some cases, it was only ''officially''[[/note]]. Some states and nation-states deliberately decided to remain neutral or non-belligerent throughout ''the whole war''. We will only take into account[[note]]as historians do[[/note]] the states that retained their neutral status from beginning to end[[note]]even if some troops from some of these states volunteered (e.g. Republican-Irish volunteers in the British Army, Spanish volunteers in the Wehrmacht) or were sent to fight alongside the Allied or the Axis forces[[/note]] and which were not invaded or occupied by Allied or Axis forces and that was in some way in the line of fire (so not Afghanistan, which was far away from any battle lines).

While indeed the world was at war, not all the countries in it were at war[[note]]Even if, in some cases, it was only ''officially''[[/note]]. Some states and nation-states deliberately decided to remain neutral or non-belligerent throughout ''the whole war''. We will only take into account[[note]]as historians do[[/note]] the states that retained their neutral status from beginning to end[[note]]even if some troops from some of these states volunteered (e.g. Republican-Irish volunteers in the British Army, Spanish volunteers in the Wehrmacht) or were sent to fight alongside the Allied or the Axis forces[[/note]] and which were not invaded or occupied by Allied or Axis forces.

This military agreement led to Portugal allowing British and American flights landing in airbases in the Azores archipelago, and, later, the lease of bases to the British (the Lajes Air Base being the most noteworhty case, which was later leased to the USAAF and USN). This was a key turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic, allowing the Allies to provide aerial coverage in the Mid-Atlantic gap and helping them to hunt U-boats and protect convoys. In 1945, a new air base, called Lajes Field was built in the Azorean island of Terceira, and it is still being used today for American and Portuguese military operations (though to a lesser extent when compared to this War and the Cold War). As the war became more and more in favour of the Allies, Portugal started to sell less tungsten to the Germans, in spite of protests from the German ambassador.

Lisbon became, according to several American reports, "the Capital of Espionage". The Portuguese secret police, PVDE (later PIDE) allowed both Allied spies and Axis spies to act in the city, hereby retaining their neutral status, ''as long as'' no one interfered with local politics. Writers such as Creator/IanFleming were based there, while other prominent people such as the Duke of Windsor and the Spanish Royal Family were exiled in Estoril. German spies attempted to buy information on trans-Atlantic shipping to help their submarines fight the Battle of the Atlantic, while a Spanish double agent, Juan Pujol Garcia, better known as Codename Garbo, passed on misinformation to the Germans, hoping it would hasten the end of the Franco regime. William Colepaugh, an American traitor, was recruited as an agent by the Germans while his ship was in port in Lisbon.

Speaking of the Troubles, there was a real danger of the IRA provoking an end to Ireland's status and re-opening the wounds of the Civil War[[note]] as well as the fear of the United Kingdom, eager to secure Irish ports for their air and naval forces, using the attacks as a pretext for an invasion of Ireland and a forcible seizure of the assets in question[[/note]], since the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Plan S-Plan]] was devised and was being carried out at the orders of Seán Russell. De Valera, who had tolerated the IRA throughout TheDirtyThirties, responded with the Offences Against the State Act, which led to an increasing fight against any subversive activity that might endanger the security of the state.

After the war, controversy sparked about Switzerland's financial relationships with Germany. The fact is, Switzerland's trade was blockaded by both the Allies and by the Axis. Each side openly exerted pressure on Switzerland not to trade with the other. Economic cooperation and extension of credit to the Third Reich varied according to the perceived likelihood of invasion, and the availability of other trading partners. Concessions reached their zenith after a crucial rail link through Vichy France was severed in 1942, leaving Switzerland completely surrounded by the Axis. Switzerland relied on trade for half of its food and essentially all of its fuel, but controlled vital trans-alpine rail tunnels between Germany and Italy. Switzerland's most important exports during the war were precision machine tools, watches, jewel bearings (used in bombsights), electricity, and dairy products. Until 1936, the Swiss franc was the only remaining major freely convertible currency in the world, and ''both the Allies and the Germans'' sold large amounts of gold to the Swiss National Bank. Between 1940 and 1945, the German Reichsbank sold 1.3 billion francs worth of gold to Swiss Banks in exchange for Swiss francs and other foreign currency, which were used to buy strategically important raw materials like tungsten and oil from neutral countries. Hundreds of millions of francs worth of this gold was monetary gold plundered from the central banks of occupied countries. [[note]]A total of 581,000 francs' worth of "Melmer" gold taken from Holocaust victims in eastern Europe was sold to Swiss banks.[[/note]] The Swiss contribution to Germany's war effort has been put at some 0.5% of the total German output. However, this figure is (deliberately) deceptive in much the same way as the way that Anglo-American Lend-Lease aid has been valued at some 4% of the Soviet war effort: in both cases the industrial machinery given allowed German and Soviet industry to both re-tool their factories to produce war goods and allowed their industrial production to focus on critical products. For instance purchasing Swiss detonators allowed the Germans to focus on the other components of the shells and bombs they used to kill Allied civilians and soldiers, and the provision of boots and spam to the USSR allowed Soviet agriculture to focus entirely on producing the grain they needed to feed their people.

After the war, controversy sparked about Switzerland's financial relationships with Germany. The fact is, Switzerland's trade was blockaded by both the Allies and by the Axis. Each side openly exerted pressure on Switzerland not to trade with the other. Economic cooperation and extension of credit to the Third Reich varied according to the perceived likelihood of invasion, and the availability of other trading partners. Concessions reached their zenith after a crucial rail link through Vichy France was severed in 1942, leaving Switzerland completely surrounded by the Axis. Switzerland relied on trade for half of its food and essentially all of its fuel, but controlled vital trans-alpine rail tunnels between Germany and Italy. Switzerland's most important exports during the war were precision machine tools, watches, jewel bearings (used in bombsights), electricity, and dairy products. Until 1936, the Swiss franc was the only remaining major freely convertible currency in the world, and ''both the Allies and the Germans'' sold large amounts of gold to the Swiss National Bank. Between 1940 and 1945, the German Reichsbank sold 1.3 billion francs worth of gold to Swiss Banks in exchange for Swiss francs and other foreign currency, which were used to buy strategically important raw materials like tungsten and oil from neutral countries. Hundreds of millions of francs worth of this gold was monetary gold plundered from the central banks of occupied countries. [[note]]A total of 581,000 francs' worth of "Melmer" gold taken from Holocaust victims in eastern Europe was sold to Swiss banks.[[/note]] Overall, the trade between Germany and Switzerland contributed about 0.5% to the German war effort and did not significantly lengthen the war.

While indeed the world was at war, not all the countries in it were at war[[note]]Even if, in some cases, it was only ''officially''[[/note]]. Some states and nation-states deliberately decided to remain neutral or non-belligerent throughout ''the whole war''. We will only take into account[[note]]as historians do[[/note]] the nations that retained their neutral status from beginning to end[[note]]even if some troops from some of these states volunteered (e.g. Republican-Irish volunteers in the British Army, Spanish volunteers in the Wehrmacht) or were sent to fight alongside the Allied or the Axis forces[[/note]] and which were not invaded or occupied by Allied or Axis forces.

While indeed the world was at war, not all the countries in it were at war[[note]]Even if, in some cases, it was only ''officially''[[/note]]. Some nations deliberately decided to remain neutral or non-belligerent throughout ''the whole war''. We will only take into account[[note]]as historians do[[/note]] the nations that retained their neutral status from beginning to end[[note]]even if some troops from some of these states volunteered (e.g. Republican-Irish volunteers in the British Army, Spanish volunteers in the Wehrmacht) or were sent to fight alongside the Allied or the Axis forces[[/note]] and which were not invaded or occupied by Allied or Axis forces.

Lisbon became, according to several American reports, "the Capital of Espionage". The Portuguese secret police, PVDE (later PIDE) allowed both Allied spies and Axis spies to act in the city, hereby retaining their neutral status, ''as long'' as no one intervened in internal policies. Writers such as Creator/IanFleming were based there, while other prominent people such as the Duke of Windsor and the Spanish Royal Family were exiled in Estoril. German spies attempted to buy information on trans-Atlantic shipping to help their submarines fight the Battle of the Atlantic, while a Spanish double agent, Juan Pujol Garcia, better known as Codename Garbo, passed on misinformation to the Germans, hoping it would hasten the end of the Franco regime. William Colepaugh, an American traitor, was recruited as an agent by the Germans while his ship was in port in Lisbon.

While the economical and social conditions got very harsh, there was an increased boom in the black market and cross-border smuggling, which would have an impact later on during UsefulNotes/TheTroubles.

While most of the population supported this stance, there was a minority that favoured fighting against the Axis powers. Irish citizens could serve in the [[UsefulNotes/BritsWithBattleships British armed forces]], as at least 50,000 in the British Army did, as well as in the Merchant Navy and Royal Air Force. Sadly, there were also members of the Defence Forces who deserted to fight with the British and Allied forces, who, after the War, suffered discrimination, lost their rights to pensions and were barred from holding government jobs.[[note]]They were finally pardonned in 2012.[[/note]]

While indeed the world was at war, not all nations were at war[[note]]Even if, in some cases, it was only ''officially''[[/note]]. Some nations deliberately decided to remain neutral or non-belligerent throughout ''the whole war''. We will only take into account[[note]]as historians do[[/note]] the nations that retained their neutral status from beginning to end[[note]]even if some troops from some of these states were sent to fight alongside the Allied or the Axis forces[[/note]] and which were not invaded or occupied by Allied or Axis forces.

After her Empire in the Baltic was dismantled by the Kingdom of Russia in the late 18th century Sweden became (and still is) officialy neutral. Such policy has been mantained throughtout this War through a combination of its geopolitical location in the Scandinavian Peninsula, successful {{Realpolitik}} manoeuvring during an unpredictable course of events, and a dedicated military build-up after 1942.

While indeed the world was at war, not all countries were at war[[note]]Even if, in some cases, it was only ''officially''[[/note]]. Some countries deliberately decided to remain neutral or non-belligerent throughout ''the whole war''. We will only take into account[[note]]as historians do[[/note]] the countries that retained their neutral status from beginning to end[[note]]even if some of troops from some of these states were sent to fight alongside the Allied or the Axis forces[[/note]] and which were not invaded or occupied by Allied or Axis forces.

Germany had some plans drawn by their military command to invade Switzerland, such as Operation Tannenbaum, but they never materialized. The Swiss military strategy was changed from one of static defence at the borders, to a strategy of organized long-term attrition and withdrawal to strong, well-stockpiled positions high in the Alps known as the National Redoubt. This controversial strategy was essentially one of deterrence. The idea was to cause huge losses to German forces and render the cost of invading too high. During an invasion, the Swiss Army would cede control of the economic heartland and population centres, but retain control of crucial rail links and passes in the National Redoubt.

From late 1941 and into 1942, Germany began to meet with a series of military reverses after its losses at the Battle of Smolensk, The Battle of Moscow, The Battle of Stalingrad, and El Alamein. After August and September 1943, however, Sweden became increasingly able to resist German demands and to soften its stance to Allied pressure. Despite Germany's new, defensive posture, Sweden's constant fear was that the unexpected would happen, an attitude that continued until the very end of the war. With Germany's weakening position came stronger demands from the Allies, who pushed for Sweden to abandon its trade with Germany and to stop all German troop movements over Swedish soil. Sweden accepted payments from the Allies to compensate for this loss of income through reduced trade with Germany, but continued to sell steel and machined parts to Nazi Germany at inflated smugglers' rates.

From late 1942 and into 1943, Germany began to meet with a series of military reverses after its losses at the Second Battle of El Alamein, the Battle of Stalingrad and elsewhere. After August and September 1943, however, Sweden became increasingly able to resist German demands and to soften its stance to Allied pressure. Despite Germany's new, defensive posture, Sweden's constant fear was that the unexpected would happen, an attitude that continued until the very end of the war. With Germany's weakening position came stronger demands from the Allies, who pushed for Sweden to abandon its trade with Germany and to stop all German troop movements over Swedish soil. Sweden accepted payments from the Allies to compensate for this loss of income through reduced trade with Germany, but continued to sell steel and machined parts to Nazi Germany at inflated smugglers' rates.

After her Empire in the Baltic was dismantled by the Kingdom of Russia in the late 18th century Sweden became (and still is), officialy neutral. Such policy has been mantained throughtout this War through a combination of its geopolitical location in the Scandinavian Peninsula, successful {{Realpolitik}} manoeuvring during an unpredictable course of events, and a dedicated military build-up after 1942.

Sweden had been (and still is), since the early 19th century, neutral. Such policy has been mantained throughtout this War through a combination of its geopolitical location in the Scandinavian Peninsula, successful {{Realpolitik}} manoeuvring during an unpredictable course of events, and a dedicated military build-up after 1942.

In order to not piss off Nazi Germany, Portugal had to keep diplomatic and trade relations intact, hereby leading to basically PlayingBothSides: by selling tungsten[[note]]which played a significant role in background political dealings and pretty much ensured the neutrality of both Portugal and Spain. It's also worth pointing out that it had a resistance to high temperatures and that its strengthening of alloys made it an important raw material for the arms industry to both sides.[[/note]] while being put under pressure from both sides (Portugal was the main European producer during the War), Portugal ensured that it profited both economically and militarily, the latter by both receiving German aircraft and signing an agreement of military co-operation with Britain that led to accepting direct British support in the rearmament and modernization of the [[UsefulNotes/PortugueseMenOfWar Portuguese Armed Forces]].

-->--'''Sir Ronald Campbell''', British Ambassador in Lisbon, November 1943[[note]] He didn't know, as we do now, that Franco stayed out of the war because he was aware of the weakness of Spain's trade-dependent economy - Joining the war would have cut her off from her supplies of food and raw materials in the Americas. Even when Germany seemed to be doing very well (in late 1940, when she had yet to try to exterminate the Soviets and US involvement seemed unlikely) Franco still refused to join the Axis because of this. [[/note[[

-->--'''Sir Ronald Campbell''', British Ambassador in Lisbon, November 1943