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In the autumn of 1939, several terrifying "low roars" were heard in the Polish sky - these sounds came from the Stuka bomber, the main fighter of the German army. Immediately afterwards, hundreds of thousands of German troops crossed the border line and launched a fierce attack on Poland.
Since then, World War II has officially begun. In the years that followed, German forces were gaining ground on the European continent. France, once the self-proclaimed number one power in Europe, was even defeated in front of Germany.
Surprisingly, however, Germany's attitude towards several neutral countries during World War II was not bad, and the German army did not invade the territory of these neutral countries. Why, then, did the ferocious German army let these neutrals go?
Countries not worth occupying
During World War II, many European countries declared their neutrality. But when Luxembourg declared neutrality, Nazi Germany launched an aggressive campaign against Luxembourg almost immediately.
Because Luxembourg was located on a major communication route in Europe, the Germans had to take it to ensure the safety of the follow-up troops. In Hitler's eyes, there was no such thing as "neutrality" in such a contested place.
But when faced with the "neutral" Switzerland, the Germans suddenly made a mistake. Because Switzerland was so poor at that time, it was a good loss for the German army to attack Switzerland.
It was not that the German military leaders had not made a plan to attack Switzerland, but after careful calculations, they found that after the German occupation of Switzerland, not only did they spend a lot of money to maintain their rule over the region, but the German government could not get even the slightest reward from the local area.
Because Switzerland has a small population, there are no mineral resources in the region. After the German occupation of the place, there was little means to recover the military and economic costs that had been incurred before.
Moreover, the Swiss government's performance during World War II was also quite satisfactory to Germany. Slowly, the top brass of Nazi Germany gave up on attacking Switzerland.
Exceptionally obedient neighbors
Having seen the German offensive all the way, the Swiss government immediately showed a deferential attitude towards Germany.
The Swiss government ordered its military factories to be run at full capacity to produce the necessary military supplies for the German army, and Swiss banks also provided trade transit and money laundering services for the German government at this time.
During World War II, the Allies imposed a very strict trade ban on Germany, and Switzerland happened to act as a transit platform for trade between Germany and other countries, which made Switzerland's importance in Germany's strategy increase dramatically.
The Germans gradually discovered that the rewards of not occupying Switzerland were much higher than those of occupying Switzerland. The former was a zero-cost profiteering business, while the latter was a bottomless pit of loss-making, and the Nazi top brass certainly knew what to choose.
After seeing Switzerland's courtesy towards Germany, the Nordic country of Sweden also acted as a transit point for Germany's oil trade.
During World War II, oil and energy products from other countries were shipped to Germany via Sweden and Switzerland. The platforms provided by these two neutral countries have become, to some extent, the lifeline of the German army.
Therefore, there was absolutely no reason for the Germans to occupy them.
Of course, the so-called policy of neutrality also gives these countries ample room for change. After successive German defeats on the European continent in 1944, both Switzerland and Sweden quickly renounced their support for Germany and threw themselves into the arms of the Allies.
In this way, the "neutral countries" that had helped Germany in the past also firmly cheated Germany. But apart from the value of neutrals to Germany, there is an indescribable reason why Germany should not attack certain neutrals.
Special allies
It is known that in 1936 Germany sent the Condor Legion to join the Spanish Civil War. At that time, the "International Column", composed of a group of idealists, fought to the death against the Spanish fascist forces led by Franco.
Later, for various reasons, the fascist forces under the command of Franco won the civil war. But during the Second World War, Franco, who had been greatly helped by the Nazis, declared neutrality.
This put Germany in a very embarrassing situation. Politically, Spain and Germany are half allies. Spain, however, refused to support Germany in the war.
If Germany sends troops to attack Spain, it will inevitably cause a lot of shock within the entire fascist camp, but if Germany does not send troops to attack Spain, Spain's important strategic position makes Germany feel that it cannot be ignored.
In desperation, senior officials of Nazi Germany believed that as long as Spain remained neutral in the true sense of the word and did not help the Allies, then Germany would not interfere in its neutrality.
It was precisely because of Spain's neutrality during World War II that Franco became one of the few fascist dictators to escape political liquidation after World War II. Neutrality during World War II. , which is also regarded by many as the most correct political decision Spain has ever made in history.
Putting aside the political concept of a neutral country, in fact, it is easy to find that in a contest between fascist forces and anti-fascist forces, there is never such a thing as "neutrality" at all.
Because this is a war of a people trying to enslave more peoples. Where there is oppression, there will inevitably be resistance, and where there is aggression, there will inevitably be a struggle against aggression.
There has never been such a thing as neutrality in the face of justice and conscience, which are universally recognized by mankind. When the anti-fascist war was won, countless people from different countries and different feelings and beliefs showed the same smile, which is the best interpretation of the anti-fascist war.
Bibliography:
1. European neutrals and the British economic war against Germany in the early years of World War II (1939-1940) Journal of Shaanxi Institute of Technology
2. On the reasons why Switzerland avoided being invaded by Germany in World War II Journal of Anhui Radio and Television University