HaveBlue From United States of America, joined Jan 2004, 2069 posts, RR: 1 Reply 1, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 4 days 1 hour ago) and read 3498 times:
Revelation From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 10465 posts, RR: 20 Reply 2, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 3 days 18 hours ago) and read 3391 times:
Quoting flyingturtle (Thread starter): I hope it is interesting for some of you, and it would be great if somebody could polish my English up.
I found the article very interesting, and found no issues at all with the English.
KC135TopBoom From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11708 posts, RR: 52 Reply 3, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 3270 times:
flyingturtle From Switzerland, joined Oct 2011, 1283 posts, RR: 2 Reply 6, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 2 days 22 hours ago) and read 3145 times:
Hallo Peter,
I try to track down that serial number... do all U.S. military aircraft have the numbering scheme that includes the financial year, or is that a newer invention?
The USAF was formed in 1947. The C-53 is emblazoned with "EUROPEAN AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE", together with the 1943-1947 USAAF roundel. The Z68846 number can be found on the photos, like here: http://www.lw.admin.ch/internet/luft...ory/premier/alpine_flugrettung.htm - so, is this a civilian plane, just operated by USAAF personnel?
The strains between U.S. and Switzerland - I very much suspect the Marshall plan. Although Switzerland received a tiny little bit of the U.S. aid, Switzerland profited from the war (by providing things like fine mechanics, bomb timers and financial services to both Allies and Axis forces). Switzerland could have supported the Marshall plan, as there were still huge financial assets parked here.
Another idea is that Switzerland could have opened another front in the war, fighting against the Axis - at least when Patton, Patch, Simpson, Devers, Montgomery and their colleages were crossing the Rhine. Either way, the Swiss aren't seen as people that sacrifice something for a higher cause. We're rather a bunch of opportunists...
Now I'll do some proper research...
http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/d/D3380.php explains some things. The U.S. wanted to force Switzerland to take part in economic sanctions against the Axis forces, among other stopping railway transportation for the Germans and Italians (...for example, the famous "singing coal waggons" - German troop transports across Switzerland). Then, the U.S. wanted to secure any German assets in Switzerland, something we were not willing to do.
Another aspect were the bombings of Basel, Schaffhausen and Zurich. Some sources say that the U.S. bombed these cities - although the deaths were numbered only in dozens - deliberately to punish the Swiss for their passivity in the war.
Kind regards,
David
[Edited 2012-02-13 14:55:33]
Even a letdown, if it is thoroughly and final, is a step forward.
The number on the picture is quite clearly 268846. That is short for 42-68846 which is the serial number you should be mentioning for this aircraft. 42 is the fiscal year. This is a fully military registration number.
Quote: 42-68846 (c/n 11773) crashed in Swiss Alps Nov 19, 1946 during flight from Tulln AB (outside Vienna, Austria) via Munich to Istres, France and went badly off course. All 12 aboard survived and were rescued 2 days later after epic search and rescue operation.
I don't think the Allies had any illusions about Switzerland joining the war against Germany. I also don't believe that Switzerland was bombed as punishment for its trade with Germany. Mistakes happened.
This is personal assessment but if you aren't sure why relations were strained, you'd better just say that the rescue operation improved relations, I think.
Peter
[Edited 2012-02-13 17:17:10]
The only difference between me and a madman is that I am not mad (Salvador Dali)
SSTeve From United States of America, joined Dec 2011, 434 posts, RR: 0 Reply 8, posted (1 year 3 months 1 week 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 3092 times:
It certainly sounds like Switzerland was at the mercy of the US in looking for economic normalization after the war. And the idea that they had lots of Nazi gold was in play. And they did not immediately join the UN. The Truman/Dulles administration didn't know immediately how to deal with neutral states. From the US perspective, though, there was little obvious "strain." From the Swiss perspective, I suppose there were some pressing existential issues.
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