The Transit of People by Rail through Switzerland during the Second World War

Gilles Forster

This study examines, on the one hand, the question of whether or not Jewish deportees passed through Switzerland, and delves into the topic of Italian workers transiting through Switzerland on their way to Germany, on the other.

As to the first point, the study concludes that no deportation train coming from France made use of the Swiss railway network. With respect to the train convoys coming from Italy and representing a total number of 43, the itineraries taken by 40 of them have been reconstructed, and none of them pass through Switzerland. We have every reason to believe that the three remaining convoys also transited the Alps via the eastern passes which, by way of Austria, provide a more direct route between Italy and Poland. This hypothesis is based on the fact that the Brenner rail line remained in function. Indeed, during the period in which these transports took place, it suffered no damage from bombing. And furthermore, the political context of the time was far from conducive: in the critical period of late 1943–1944, the Swiss authorities were becoming more strict and as of the summer of 1943, refused to allow the transit of Italian workers. The supposition that deportees transited through Switzerland is founded on rumors which till recently have often been echoed.

As for Italian workers, more than 180,000 of them crossed Switzerland on their way to Germany between 1941 and the summer of 1943. As citizens of an Axis state, they cannot be considered as forced labor. Their status can be compared neither to that of workers from Eastern Europe, nor to that of those Frenchmen who were assumed as workers within the framework of Mandatory Work Service (STO). The Italians in question were attracted to Germany primarily because of the better salary conditions. Just the same, their situation was not to be envied as they were victims of discrimination and bad treatment.

The study examines the requests made for transit authorization. The Axis powers emphasized the political aspects of this migration. The Swiss authorities reacted with caution, fearing that these convoys might possibly be of a military nature. With the overthrow of Mussolini and the German invasion of the northern and central portions of the Italian peninsula, the situation changed in the period from July to September 1943. From then on, workers in Italy were recruited by force. Nonetheless, our research has not uncovered any transit of this kind through Switzerland following the events of the summer of 1943.