This 255-page book by Lake Geneva-based author Roger Anthone is more geared to military or history buffs, and makes a fascinating read for those intrigued by the role of Allied forces in Switzerland during World War II. As a neutral country, Switzerland was obliged to intern all Allied and Axis personnel, regardless of nationality, who ended up on Swiss soil. This included shot down British, American and other Allied pilots as well as German pilots who managed to cross over or crash land in Switzerland. Many were interned in Swiss resorts ranging from Davos to Adelboden. Escaped Allied soldiers also made for Switzerland from German or Italian POW camps.
Switzerland, however, was used as a shortcut for the Allies en route to bomb enemy facilities in northern Italy and using Lake Geneva and other known landmarks for guidance. RAF bombs sometimes landed in Switzerland, particularly around Basel or Schaffhausen, because bad weather or blackouts made it hard to discern the border between Switzerland and Germany, which pressured the Swiss to cut their lights as well. Swiss soldiers and civilians alike died in such attacks. Propaganda balloons designed to drop leaflets also regularly drifted into Switzerland, sometimes with comic results.
Infringing Neutrality, whichincludes rare photographs, is the second book in a trilogy; the third will explore the role of the United States Air Force. Anthone’s detailed research covers daring escapes, stories of survival and the tragedies of war.
