61340 Vorabseiten_e - Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz

4.2 The Armaments Industry and the Export of War Material
Between 1940 and 1944, Swiss industry exported arms and ammunition valued
at 633 million francs to Axis countries such as Germany, Italy, Romania and
Japan, and similar goods to (later) Allied countries including France, the UK,
the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway before their occupation by the German
army, for a value of 57.5 million francs, as well as exporting products for
60.9 million francs to neutral countries which were involved in arming
Germany such as Sweden, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Spain and Finland. In addition,
Swiss companies provided detonator fuses for some 177 million francs to
Germany alone. Overall, Switzerland exported arms and weapon components to
the value of 340 million francs, ammunition valued at 412 million francs and
detonators for the value of at least 228 million francs between 1940 and 1944.
Table 1: Export of arms, ammunition and fuses
(Customs items 811–813, 1084, 948a*),1940–1944, by country (in 1,000 francs)
1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1940–1944
Germany 34 618 153 778 174 382 200 250 43 221 606 249
Italy 34 713 62 016 35 787 15 636 32 148 183
Sweden 17 486 17 381 14 784 4 471 6 359 60 481
Romania 4 012 1 607 14 439 23 153 3 010 46 222
France 33 079 418 4 071 392 74 38 034
UK 28 156 198 0 0 42 28 396
Japan 675 1 594 14 319 609 0 17 198
Yugoslavia 8 051 0 0 5 0 8 056
Netherlands 6 643 99 131 70 57 7 000
Finland 3 776 35 35 20 10 3 876
Denmark 2 788 482 91 49 140 3 550
Turkey 511 25 566 1 922 59 3 083
Spain 72 285 238 1 004 575 2 173
Dutch East Indies 1 034 0 0 0 0 1 034
Hungary 36 95 265 396 229 1 021
Bulgaria 712 88 22 44 14 880
USA 469 206 32 64 9 780
Belgium 233 85 205 52 92 667
Norway 484 16 11 1 2 514
Others 773 562 331 480 392 2 538
Total exports 178 321 238 972 259 709 248 617 54 316 979 935
Total imports 2 107 5 037 6 502 5 856 3 011 22 628
* Customs item 948a (fuses) also includes small quantities of gas-meters. These were more than compensated
for by the export of fuse parts not included here which were booked under item 934a which also
covered components for pocket watches. Between 1940 and 1944, item 934a showed total exports valued
at 81.6 million francs, of which 26.3 million francs were for Germany.
Source: AfZ, Homberger records, file 10.8.6.3; Federal Customs Office, Foreign Trade Statistics.
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