Repatriation from Switzerland

Discussion in 'Prisoners of War' started by LesCM19, Jun 25, 2018.

  1. LesCM19

    LesCM19 "...lets rock!"

    Reading Brigadier James Hargest's book "Farewell Compo 12" I was surprised that having reached Switzerland he then had to be smuggled across Vichy France to Spain.

    Was this standard procedure? Seems risky.
     
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  2. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    This item should interest you:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_McGeoch

    Splendid left Malta for the last time on 17 April 1943. Her sixth patrol would take her to the waters off Naples and Corsica. Off Capri 21 April 1943, she ran into the German destroyer Hermes (formerly the British-built Greek destroyed Vasilefs Georgios) . Splendid's periscope was spotted in the calm conditions in the Tyrrhenian Sea. Three accurately-dropped patterns of depth charges forced Splendid to the surface, where McGeoch ordered the crew to abandon ship and scuttled the vessel. Five officers, including McGeoch, and 25 ratings were picked up; 18 men were lost with the ship. McGeoch suffered a wound to his right eye, and never recovered its sight. McGeoch and the other survivors from her crew became prisoners of war in Italy. Despite blindness in one eye, McGeoch nevertheless made several escape attempts. After the surrender of Fascist Italy in September 1943, he was able to walk out of the camp gate and travelled 400 miles (600 km) to Switzerland, where a metal fragment was removed from his sightless right eye. He travelled across occupied south France in December 1943 to Spain. He was interned in Figueres but British diplomats arranged for his release to Gibraltar, and he returned to England on the old battleship HMS Centurion. His escape won him a mention in dispatches.

    Vitellino
     
  3. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    It was the standard for those british officers held in german camps , at least in 1941.
    Stefan.
     
  4. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

    Hi Stefan

    From what I have read those who reached Switzerland then stayed there for the duration, as the Swiss did not want to upset the applecart. I would guess its possible for an escaped POW who reached Switzerland to then decide on his own to take the risk of leaving and crossing France to Spain.

    There is an interesting part of this web site run by Bill Rudd (who was an ex POW in Switzerland) 1. Switzerland | ANZAC POW Free Men in Europe

    Much the same happened in Ireland where is captured by the Irish you basically had to sit out the rest of the War

    TD
     
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  5. horsapassenger

    horsapassenger Senior Member

    There were numerous escapers, such as Airey Neave, who, after reaching Switzerland, had their journey onwards through Vichy France into Spain arranged for them by the British legation. Most then returned to the via Gibraltar.
     
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  6. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Thanks TD, never seen this before, Stefan.
     
  7. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    4 officers, part of the Great Escape of Biberach OFLAG 5B in Sept. 1941, stayed only for a short spell in Switzerland, and then went home via Gibraltar and informed MI ?? about how they did it.

    Stefan.
     
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  8. TriciaF

    TriciaF Junior Member

    Fascinating TD - I love these escape stories.
     
  9. Chris C

    Chris C Canadian

    There was an interesting episode of WW2 Podcast about POWs in Ireland. I think a few managed to get away? British POWs got treated a little better than German despite Ireland being neutral.

    Military Internees and the Irish Free State

    Angus also did an episode with the author of the book about Hargrave and the other high ranking officers trying to escape.
     
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  10. Robert-w

    Robert-w Banned

    International conventions stated that a POW escaping into a neutral country should not be interned but should be allowed to be repatriated usually by his own embassy. Sweden certainly honoured this and flights in British civilian Mosquitos were used. Spain tended not to and MI9 officers often had to smuggle escapers in car boots into Gibraltar or Portugal. But what happened in Switzerland? From mid 1940 to latish 1944 she was surrounded by Axix controlled or Axis friendly territory. How were they got out? Or did they have to loaf around eating chocolate and admiring cuckoo clocks?
     
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  11. vitellino

    vitellino Senior Member

    There's lots of stuff on the net on this topic. Start with Trevor Smallman on this forum.

    Vitellino
     
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  12. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    To the best of my knowledge there were dozens of Brits using the Singen Route to reach Switzerland and later Gibraltar.
    Stefan
     
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  13. Tricky Dicky

    Tricky Dicky Don'tre member

  14. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

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  15. ‘’They also got a great deal on Swiss watches when they left as long as they obtained a guarantor in the UK.’’

    Seriously a Swiss report says those arriving were in a ‘’bad mental and physical state’’ in dads case ‘’He was shot at by the Swiss guards as he crossed the border as he mistook them for Germans as he dived for cover as their uniforms were very similar in the colour of slate grey’’

    You can imagine the feeling that must have been following the trek over the Italian part of the Alps as reports indicate bad weather conditions including snow. He was with an Yugoslavian officer at one stage in a hail storm which so disfigured their faces you would not have recognised them

    Told an aunt that he did not want to see any potatoes and cheese again as that was the basic diet in Adelboden with little meat.

    He was repatriated by coach and train from Adelboden to the French port of Marseilles then by ship to Newcastle arriving late October 1944.

    The Adelboden site shows a small video clip of one of the repatriations

    Trevor
     
  16. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Trevor,
    I know of these cases as well.

    Another strange case is the one of an officer walking across the border, but walking too far and walking back to The Reich. In some parts the border line was and still is "snake like"
    Stefan.
     
  17. alieneyes

    alieneyes Senior Member

    That was 122441 F/O Dennis Herbert Cochran, MiD of No. 10 OTU, one of the 50 in the "Great Escape".

    Dennis Cochran

    Regards,

    Dave
     
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  18. Lindele

    Lindele formerly HA96

    Dave,

    this is not the one I was referring to, but interesting it happened to others as well.
    Stefan.
     
  19. tedfromscrubs

    tedfromscrubs Junior Member

    This book, recently published, describes the trek many Australian PoWs took over the Alps to Switzerland, and their internment thereafter:
    Shooting Through – Echo Books
     
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