This April Fool’s joke was no joke: Allied bombers raided neutral Switzerland in 1944
What could be the worst April Fool’s joke a neutral country could ever get in the midst of warring nations? For the people of Schaffhausen, it was around 60 tons of explosives that 50 American B-24H Liberators dropped on their city during the Second World War. While the timing is scary, this wasn’t an April Fool’s joke as the incident was purely coincidental.
Switzerland’s neutrality
Getting involved in a war is no easy business. Resources are being diverted, the country’s priorities are changing, and the armed forces are slowly being exhausted. Fortunately, neutrality in warfare became an accepted “stance” during a conflict. Being under neutrality spares your country from the devastation of either side, and you could help in the form of humanitarian aid if the government so desires.
During World War II, Switzerland chose to remain a neutral country. It wasn’t the first time they did it. Their self-imposed military neutrality can be traced back to 1515 after losing to French forces at the Battle of Marignano. When the First World War broke out, they took no sides, although they brought refugees into the country. This remained until World War II, when they became active in helping those who fell victim to the ongoing conflict.
Switzerland was not alone. Thirteen other countries chose to remain neutral during World War II: Afghanistan, micro-states of Andorra, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Portugal, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Vatican City and Yemen.
However, Switzerland’s location put them at significant risk of falling victim to the attacks, as they share a 225-mile border between Lake Constance and Basel. An agreement exploited by the German city of Konstanz. German cities usually turned off their lights during bombing, so the pilot couldn’t bomb them. By leaving their lights on along with the residents of Krüzlingen, the British night bombers would believe they were part of Switzerland during the air raids.
Accidentally bombed
Switzerland was no stranger to being accidentally bombed. They reportedly suffered no fewer than 70 accidental bombing raids by the US Army Air Forces and British Royal Air Force from 1940 to 1945.
One of them occurred on April 1, 1944, when a group of 50 American B-24H Liberators flew in from Britain to bomb the German city of Ludwigshafen am Rhein near the border.
There was reports that the sky was clear that day. However, there were claims that the strong winds and overcast skies combined with the failure of the new G and GH radar systems confused pilots, who misidentified terrain features. Unsure of where they were and not seeing the bottom clearly, the lead navigator was said to have to base his judgment on wind speeds, which we now know didn’t work.
Instead, the liberators dropped 371 bombs on the Swiss city of Schaffhausen. Below, the air raid alarm for the city began its loud din, dutifully warning residents of the bombs.
Previously, there had been several instances where the panic alarm was triggered without an attack or emergency. It made people think that the air raid warning that day was just another false alarm and maybe a sick April Fool’s joke. They decided to dismiss it and didn’t seek cover until they realized it wasn’t a joke.
The bombardment, which began at 10:58 a.m., lasted 40 seconds. After all the bombs had fallen and the dust settled, Switzerland was left with 37 dead, hundreds wounded and much of the city destroyed.
Intention?
There were some rumors during this time that what happened was intentional Switzerland supplied the Nazis with ammunition and was a means of pressuring the country to sever ties with Germany. This speculation had been debunked by historical research and agreed that it was in fact an accident. General Carl Spaatz personally delivered the official apology from the US Army Air Forces. The US government also paid $4 million for the mistake and an additional $14.4 million in compensation for all other accidental bombings after the war.
An article published by The national interest says that “the only person who was disciplined was the lead navigator of the formation, who was never allowed to lead again” and that the two countries did not push the matter too far.
CONTINUE READING:
How Konstanz, a German city, avoided WWII bombing raids by keeping its lights on