{"id":27727230,"date":"2026-10-12T11:05:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T09:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/?p=27727230"},"modified":"2026-10-12T11:05:29","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T09:05:29","slug":"us-bomber-crews-interned-switzerland-ww2-wauwilermoos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/es\/us-bomber-crews-interned-switzerland-ww2-wauwilermoos\/","title":{"rendered":"Interned in Switzerland: The US Bomber Crews Who Landed in a Neutral Country"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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Between August 1943 and April 1945, 166 US bombers came down there. Their crews were safe from the war, but not free: under international law, a neutral country had to intern them until the fighting ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The story is getting fresh attention in Switzerland this year, with a book by historian J&uuml;rg Fl&uuml;ckiger, features on Swiss television and a September 2026 article on the Swiss National Museum&rsquo;s blog. It is a story of ski resorts and escape lines, but also of a punishment camp that the United States would later treat as a prisoner-of-war camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;border-left:4px solid #1a1a1a;padding:18px 22px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:20px\"><li><strong>Period:<\/strong> 13 August 1943 to 20 April 1945<\/li><li><strong>US bombers down in Switzerland:<\/strong> 166, B-17s and B-24s<\/li><li><strong>US airmen interned:<\/strong> 1,511 bomber crew (some sources give up to about 1,700)<\/li><li><strong>Held at:<\/strong> Davos (officers), Adelboden and Wengen (enlisted men)<\/li><li><strong>Escape attempts:<\/strong> 947 tried, 763 succeeded<\/li><li><strong>Punishment camp:<\/strong> Wauwilermoos, canton of Lucerne<\/li><li><strong>US deaths in Switzerland:<\/strong> 61, including crews shot down by Swiss defences<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why the Bombers Came<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first American bomber to land was the B-24 &ldquo;Death Dealer&rdquo;, which came down near Wil on 13 August 1943; its crew set it on fire. As the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces struck targets around Lake Constance, Munich and Augsburg, damaged aircraft that could not make it back to England or Italy turned south. On 18 March 1944 alone, after a raid on Friedrichshafen, at least 16 bombers came down in Switzerland, twelve of them landing at D&uuml;bendorf near Zurich. A 15-year-old spectator was killed by a power line one of them tore down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/interned-b-17-b-24-dubendorf-1944-1024x707.jpg\" alt=\"Interned American B-17 and B-24 bombers at D\u00fcbendorf airfield around 1944\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Interned American B-17s and B-24s at D&uuml;bendorf. Photo: public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Switzerland did not simply wave them in. Swiss fighters and flak defended the country&rsquo;s airspace against both sides, and from April 1944 General Henri Guisan ordered fire on any intruding aircraft not clearly in distress. On 1 October 1943 Swiss flak shot down two B-17s, killing 13 of their 21 crew. On 5 September 1944, US P-51s escorting a damaged bomber shot down a Swiss Bf 109 and killed its pilot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FILxoQyKzDg\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Internees in Ski Resorts<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the Swiss National Museum, 1,511 American bomber crew arrived alive. The 597 officers were sent to Davos and the 914 enlisted men to Adelboden or Wengen. Life there was far better than in a German camp: they lived in hotels, skied and met local people. In Adelboden, British and American internees donated the entrance gate of the village church in 1945, and their spending on ski tickets helped pay for a ski lift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But they were not allowed to leave, and most did not want to sit out the war. 947 tried to escape and 763 made it, often helped by a covert network run by the US military attach&eacute; Barnwell Legge and the OSS station of Allen Dulles in Bern.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Wauwilermoos<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those caught escaping were punished, and the worst place to be sent was Wauwilermoos, a camp in the moorland of the canton of Lucerne. Its commandant, Captain Andr&eacute; B&eacute;guin, was a Swiss Nazi sympathiser who signed letters &ldquo;Heil Hitler&rdquo;. About 180 to 190 American airmen were held there, many for months in crowded, filthy barracks, although the Geneva Convention limited disciplinary punishment to 30 days. B&eacute;guin was convicted by a Swiss military court in 1946, though for fraud and other offences rather than for his treatment of prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 auto 24px;width:100%;max-width:600px\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/wauwilermoos-camp-barracks-1944.jpg\" alt=\"Barracks of the Wauwilermoos punishment camp around 1944\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Barracks at Wauwilermoos, where caught escapers were held. Photo: public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Decades later the United States recognised them. A change in US law opened the Prisoner of War Medal to the Wauwilermoos internees, and on 30 April 2014 the US Air Force honoured 143 of them at the Pentagon, most posthumously. In 1995 Swiss President Kaspar Villiger had already apologised personally to Dan Culler, a B-24 gunner who had been abused at the camp.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Bombs on Switzerland<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The relationship went both ways. On 1 April 1944 American bombers aiming for Ludwigshafen bombed Schaffhausen by mistake, killing 40 people. Zurich and Basel were hit on 4 March 1945. In all, about 70 mistaken bombings killed 84 people in Switzerland, and in 1949 the US agreed to pay just over 62 million Swiss francs in compensation. An exhibition on the Schaffhausen bombing is running at the town&rsquo;s Museum im Zeughaus this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_XLN3whnPZk\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Remembering Them<\/h2>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">61 American airmen died in Switzerland during the war, shot down or killed in crashes and accidents, and were buried at a US military cemetery in M&uuml;nsingen before being repatriated. Memorials stand in Davos and Adelboden, and a plaque has marked Wauwilermoos since 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 auto 24px;width:100%;max-width:560px\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/davos-us-air-force-internees-memorial-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Memorial to US Air Force internees in Davos\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The memorial to American internees in the Kurgarten in Davos, inaugurated in 1998. Photo: Bobo11, CC BY-SA 4.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Sources: Swiss National Museum blog (29 September 2026); J&uuml;rg Fl&uuml;ckiger, <em>Gefangene Befreier<\/em> (NZZ Libro, 2025); SRF (February and July 2026; &ldquo;Der Archivar&rdquo;, 2015); swissinfo; US Air Force (2004 and 2014); US National Archives <em>Prologue<\/em> blog (2021); HistoryNet (Donald L. Miller); 303rd Bomb Group archive; Museum im Zeughaus Schaffhausen; Wikipedia, Wauwilermoos internment camp and Aerial incidents in Switzerland in World War II<\/em><\/p>\n\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>How many US bombers landed in Switzerland in World War II?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">166 US bombers, B-17s and B-24s, came down in Switzerland between August 1943 and April 1945, according to the Swiss National Museum. Their crews were interned under the rules of neutrality until the end of the war.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many American airmen were interned in Switzerland?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">1,511 American bomber crew arrived alive in Switzerland and were interned: officers in Davos, enlisted men in Adelboden and Wengen. Some sources give totals of around 1,700 because they include other American internees and evaders.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What was Wauwilermoos?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Wauwilermoos was a Swiss punishment camp in the canton of Lucerne where internees caught trying to escape were held. About 180 to 190 American airmen were sent there, often for months in poor conditions. In 2014 the US awarded the Prisoner of War Medal to 143 men held at Wauwilermoos.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did Switzerland shoot down American planes?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. Swiss fighters and anti-aircraft guns fired on aircraft of both sides that violated Swiss airspace. On 1 October 1943 Swiss flak brought down two B-17s, killing 13 of their 21 crew. In total 61 US airmen died in Switzerland during the war.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did the US bomb Switzerland?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes, by mistake. On 1 April 1944 US bombers hit Schaffhausen, killing 40 people, and Zurich and Basel were bombed on 4 March 1945. About 70 mistaken attacks killed 84 people, and the US paid just over 62 million Swiss francs in compensation in 1949.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many US bombers landed in Switzerland in World War II?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"166 US bombers, B-17s and B-24s, came down in Switzerland between August 1943 and April 1945, according to the Swiss National Museum. Their crews were interned under the rules of neutrality until the end of the war.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many American airmen were interned in Switzerland?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"1,511 American bomber crew arrived alive in Switzerland and were interned: officers in Davos, enlisted men in Adelboden and Wengen. Some sources give totals of around 1,700 because they include other American internees and evaders.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was Wauwilermoos?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Wauwilermoos was a Swiss punishment camp in the canton of Lucerne where internees caught trying to escape were held. About 180 to 190 American airmen were sent there, often for months in poor conditions. In 2014 the US awarded the Prisoner of War Medal to 143 men held at Wauwilermoos.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did Switzerland shoot down American planes?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. Swiss fighters and anti-aircraft guns fired on aircraft of both sides that violated Swiss airspace. On 1 October 1943 Swiss flak brought down two B-17s, killing 13 of their 21 crew. In total 61 US airmen died in Switzerland during the war.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did the US bomb Switzerland?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes, by mistake. On 1 April 1944 US bombers hit Schaffhausen, killing 40 people, and Zurich and Basel were bombed on 4 March 1945. About 70 mistaken attacks killed 84 people, and the US paid just over 62 million Swiss francs in compensation in 1949.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\">\n<p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/black-thursday-over-schweinfurt-the-b-17-raid-that-nearly-broke-the-eighth-air-force\/\">Black Thursday Over Schweinfurt: The B-17 Raid That Nearly Broke the Eighth Air Force<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/lockheed-orion-swissair-verkehrshaus-faster-than-fighters\/\">Faster Than Any Fighter? 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Their crews were interned in ski resorts, nearly two-thirds of them tried to escape, and some ended up in a punishment camp the US later treated as a POW camp.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":27726944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27727230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US Airmen Interned in Switzerland in WWII | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"166 US bombers came down in Switzerland in WWII and about 1,500 airmen were interned. 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