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Rating: 
Summary: A spirited defense of a nation and its traditions
Review: At one point in his narrative, Stephen Halbrook quotes Philipp Etter, a Swiss federal counselor from the 1930s through the 50s. In 1937, Etter wrote, 'The armed defense of the country is a primary and substantial task of the state. The mental defense of the country falls primarily not on the state but on the person, the citizen. No government and no battalions are able to protect right and freedom where the citizen himself is not capable of stepping to the front door and seeing what is outside.' No one familiar with Halbrook's other works should be surprised that this seems to be one of the key lessons Halbrook wants us to learn from his history of Switzerland in World War II. Halbrook makes it clear that Switzerland walked a tightrope during the War. Fierce and well trained as the Swiss citizen-army was, it was not eager to tangle with Hitler's Wehrmacht. Though unquestionably sympathetic to the allies, the Swiss were determined to maintain their neutrality. If that meant making some economic concessions to Germany in order to keep the Nazis from overrunning the country, the Swiss were willing, reluctantly, to do that. It's easier to second-guess that decision from half a century's distance than it must have been at the time, when national-socialist armies dominated the continent and liberation was still a distant dream. As other reviewers have noted, Halbrook is clearly sympathetic, not only to the Swiss nation generally, but specifically to its armed-citizenry approach to national defense. With Switzerland being so greatly maligned in recent years, it's not surprising that voices have been raised in its defense as well. While not perhaps perfect, 'Target Switzerland' is a fascinating and enlightening explanation of the dilemma in which Switzerland found itself in the 1930s and 40s, and why and how that nation chose to do the things it did.
Rating: 
Summary: David and Goliath
Review: I am a history buff and have always been interested in World War II, especially in Europe. In TARGET SWITZERLAND, Stephen P. Halbrook gives a fascinating explanation of Switzerland's role in that epic conflict. I had never given much thought to the Swiss experience in the Second World War. About the only current material I had seen on Switzerland tended to be critical of it for staying neutral and maintaining a certain level of commercial cooperation with Hitler and his allies. Jean Ziegler's THE SWISS, THE GOLD AND THE DEAD, is an example of contemporary Swiss bashing. Halbrook's book provides a well-written, thorougly researched antidote. He describes how a polyglot republic with a population of only 4 million could defend its territory while surrounded by 120 million Nazis and Fascists devoted to Hitler's and Mussolini's dreams of conquest. Switzerland placed an unprecedented one-fifth of its population under arms in the process. That didn't leave enough people for agriculture so the Swiss were hungry throughout most of the war, and cold. German coal heated most of their homes. Yet, when Luftwaffe aircraft invaded Swiss airspace they came under attack and several were shot down. It is interesting to compare the Swiss response to that of the Great Powers and their policy of Appeasement. I enjoyed this book and came away with a new found respect for the Swiss and their determination to keep the Holocaust off of their soil.
Rating:
Summary: David and Goliath
Review: I am a history buff and have always been interested in World War II, especially in Europe. In TARGET SWITZERLAND, Stephen P. Halbrook gives a fascinating explanation of Switzerland's role in that epic conflict. I had never given much thought to the Swiss experience in the Second World War. About the only current material I had seen on Switzerland tended to be critical of it for staying neutral and maintaining a certain level of commercial cooperation with Hitler and his allies. Jean Ziegler's THE SWISS, THE GOLD AND THE DEAD, is an example of contemporary Swiss bashing. Halbrook's book provides a well-written, thorougly researched antidote. He describes how a polyglot republic with a population of only 4 million could defend its territory while surrounded by 120 million Nazis and Fascists devoted to Hitler's and Mussolini's dreams of conquest. Switzerland placed an unprecedented one-fifth of its population under arms in the process. That didn't leave enough people for agriculture so the Swiss were hungry throughout most of the war, and cold. German coal heated most of their homes. Yet, when Luftwaffe aircraft invaded Swiss airspace they came under attack and several were shot down. It is interesting to compare the Swiss response to that of the Great Powers and their policy of Appeasement. I enjoyed this book and came away with a new found respect for the Swiss and their determination to keep the Holocaust off of their soil.
Rating: 
Summary: Good intention - unfortunately not very correct historically
Review: It is nice to hear or better, read, something positive about Switzerland and its role during WWII after so many discussions and a rather bad impression we made during the discussions about returning money of dormant accounts of Jewish people... Only pressure from the outside really pushed the Swiss to think about ALL aspects of this tragic years... Unfortunately the myth of a armed and well motivated Swiss army as a major deterrent for the German forces to invade Switzerland is still holding up and this book does not really contribute to give a more balances account on the reasons why Switzerland wasnt invaded. New information made available in the last months from the archives of the German secret service during WWII shows that the Germans had very precise and detailed knowlege about the organization of the Swiss army, it's units, orders and fortifications. Unfortunately a large number of Swiss did in fact spy for the Germans during WWII which resulted also in more than a dozen executions during this period. All in all are we still waiting for a book that really puts Switzerland in its place... Between exagerated criticism accusing Switzerland of collaboration with Germany and the exagerated glorification of the role of the Swiss army. The way the author insists in the fact that Swiss men keep their weapon at home makes me wonder if this isnt a semi-hidden attempt to justify the legal right to own guns in the USA. He seems to forget that the reason why Swiss soldiers keep their weapons at home is that we do not have any professional army... We have a milita system and therefore need the soldiers to be mobilized within hours and days. Therefore his personal equipment must be available at home. Its nothing more than that.
Rating:
Summary: A must read for the ex-patriot living in Switzerland
Review: Living in Switzerland and having known some of the people involved, the author presents an interesting account of wartime Switzerland, but does not do a very good job analyzing the facts he has presented. Switzerland escaped invasion due to the deterrent effect of her army ? Not probable. More probable is the diplomatic, strategic and political situation of the country. 60% of industrial output of Switzerland (including chemicals used for manufactuiring of poison gas used in concentration camps), was to Germany in 1940-1945...with no real choice of doing otherwise. So was it an army, probably tough to crush, (but not tougher than Russia's), or the poissibility of having a diplomatic, neutral, semi-"friendly", country, with banks to put the spoils of war in, to deterr invasion. And why invade ? This would assume Nazi-germany was in a world-invading plan, which facts suggest otherwise.
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