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Why No One Ever Invades Switzerland...
Reaganite Republican ^ | 24 April 2014 | Reaganite Republican

Posted on 04/24/2014 8:29:30 AM PDT by Reaganite Republican

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To: Reaganite Republican

Switzerland has incredible defensive capabilities almost unique to it. To start with, about the only ground entrances to Switzerland are tunnels. Very long tunnels. And tunnels the Swiss are more than willing to dynamite if threatened by invasion. Likewise lots of very high bridges that would become impassable if blown up.

Attack by air? Not recommended, in that airborne forces would basically have to deploy with HALO jumps, on oxygen, in extremely cold and violent air.

Oh, and the Swiss are also firm believers in anti-aircraft weaponry.

Then, and only then, do you have to contend with a whole bunch of armed Swiss. Kind of the icing on the cake.


21 posted on 04/24/2014 8:53:04 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (WoT News: Rantburg.com)
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To: longfellow

Best. Self. Correction. Ever.


22 posted on 04/24/2014 8:55:57 AM PDT by newfreep
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To: Sam Gamgee
On the other hand if Europe became the new Reich how long would Hitler have tolerated a independent Swiss territory?

Hitler seriously considered invading Switzerland. Plans were drawn up and units were assigned. Then Hitler got distracted by Russia.

Wikipedia has an interesting article about this. I came across it by accident awhile back.

Operation Tannenbaum

23 posted on 04/24/2014 8:57:02 AM PDT by Leaning Right (Why am I holding this lantern? I am looking for the next Reagan.)
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To: Reaganite Republican

Also they never attack anyone.


24 posted on 04/24/2014 8:59:28 AM PDT by DManA
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To: newfreep

not enough coffee.


25 posted on 04/24/2014 9:00:09 AM PDT by longfellow (Bill Maher, the 21st hijacker.)
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To: longfellow

Assume it was a typo dink.


26 posted on 04/24/2014 9:01:01 AM PDT by DManA
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To: newfreep; longfellow

Agreed!

At first I thought ‘who IS this jerk coming down on some poor guy so harshly for a spelling mistake’ but then I figured it out lol


27 posted on 04/24/2014 9:01:10 AM PDT by Reaganite Republican
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To: skinkinthegrass

They also have really, really nice ranges to shoot those weapons on.


28 posted on 04/24/2014 9:02:38 AM PDT by USNBandit (sarcasm engaged at all times)
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To: Defiant

If he did he wouldn’t have caught the mistake.


29 posted on 04/24/2014 9:03:15 AM PDT by longfellow (Bill Maher, the 21st hijacker.)
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To: Leaning Right
Interesting. A few lessons to be learned. Those nations that relied on another’s charity to protect their neutrality like Belgium, were squashed like bugs
30 posted on 04/24/2014 9:04:29 AM PDT by Sam Gamgee (May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - Patton)
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To: JoeProBono
How about the French Army Knife?


31 posted on 04/24/2014 9:04:49 AM PDT by Former Fetus (Saved by grace through faith)
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To: Reaganite Republican

Wrong.

It’s because they let international banking have their run of the place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_International_Settlements

is the debt collection “accountant” for internatonal governments.

I know it’s so much to ask people to read source documents, but for the non-clueless, BIS, on their website

http://www.bis.org

have annual reports going back to pre-WWII that have a lot of information in them.

Speaking of WWII, during the war, an AMERICAN was in charge of BIS, and BIS was essential for German payment transfers and gold shipments during the war.

FYI, Allen Dulles was posted in Switzerland during the war.


32 posted on 04/24/2014 9:07:15 AM PDT by PieterCasparzen (We have to fix things ourselves)
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To: Reaganite Republican
A couple of things you overlooked. Every person having one of those assult rifles had to go through military training first. You cannot purchase a firearm without a permit from the government, except for single shot rifles, antique firearms or some hunting rifles. You cannot purchase more than three firearms. Private sales of guns requires the seller do a background check and establish citizenship by checking IDs. You cannot buy automatic weapons or silencers. You cannot get a carry permit unless you can prove a need to carry to the government and complete a training course. You cannot open carry a loaded rifle or any rifle unless you can show a valid reason for doing so.

All in all I'll take our laws over the Swiss ones.

33 posted on 04/24/2014 9:07:54 AM PDT by DoodleDawg
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To: Reaganite Republican
I'm as pro-gun and pro-militia as anyone... and I'm a big fan of the Swiss and their model of government. But can we please dispense with the myth that Switzerland wasn't invaded by Nazis because they had guns? If Hitler really thought Switzerland was an important invasion target, he'd have taken it in a week. I'ts not like Germans and Austrians are unfamiliar with mountain warfare.

Hitler... and everyone else... left Switzerland alone for reasons that had nothing to do with guns: it's small in area, and doesn't have much in the way of natural resources compared to other tempting targets like the fertile fields of Poland or the vast, black soil steppe of Russia. Switzerland has money, but gold in banks is not enough reason to invade a country alone. Hitler would have eventually gotten around to Switzerland on general principles, but he never invaded them simply because he didn't consider them very important and didn't thing Swiss territory was of any strategic importance. His troops were needed much more elsewhere... namely that minor territory he was trying to steal called the Soviet Union.
34 posted on 04/24/2014 9:08:32 AM PDT by DesScorp
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To: longfellow

35 posted on 04/24/2014 9:10:28 AM PDT by null and void (...if you are too sure of your place in heaven you might be too arrogant to actually get there.)
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To: Former Fetus


36 posted on 04/24/2014 9:13:21 AM PDT by JoeProBono (SOME IMAGES MAY BE DISTURBING VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED;-{)
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To: JoeProBono

Beautiful! But I love the built-in white flag of the French army knife.


37 posted on 04/24/2014 9:15:05 AM PDT by Former Fetus (Saved by grace through faith)
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To: longfellow
‘their’ you moron.

Don't be so tough on yourself! You probably typed "their" correctly in the first place. But then it was changed to "they're" by the NSA snoops, just to make you upset.

38 posted on 04/24/2014 9:15:19 AM PDT by Leaning Right (Why am I holding this lantern? I am looking for the next Reagan.)
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To: DesScorp
Believe what you will.

I've been to Switzerland. I've seen the fortifications (everywhere!).


39 posted on 04/24/2014 9:15:41 AM PDT by null and void (...if you are too sure of your place in heaven you might be too arrogant to actually get there.)
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To: Reaganite Republican

In point of fact, about 29% of Swiss households have a gun of some sort, compared to about 43% in the US. Also, Switzerland has a higher burglary rate, 758 per 100K population, than the US (714 per 100K).


40 posted on 04/24/2014 9:16:50 AM PDT by Bubba Ho-Tep ("More weight!"--Giles Corey)
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