Operation Tannenbaum

Under the name of one tree summarizes a number of German plans for the raid -like occupation of Switzerland in World War II, worked out the Otto -Wilhelm Kurt von Menges after the Franco-German Armistice of Compiègne on 24 June 1940, commissioned by the OKH. It was envisaged that the implementation of this plan Italian troops would be supportive with a simultaneous attack from the south. With them, an approximate dividing line in Switzerland was fixed at 31 July 1940, the further into the Rätikon and eventually led by Saint- Maurice on the watershed Aare- Rhône to Toedi to Muttler.

Menges had completed the third update of the plan of operations of the General Staff of the Army to 12 August 1940. He assumed that the Swiss army was to crush so that a shift in the high mountains and a guided resistance ( Réduit ) would be impossible. It had to be filled quickly and unharmed Bern ( federal city ), Zurich ( Oerlikon - Buehrle arms factory ) and Solothurn ( Solothurn arms factory ). Then there was the

"Extraction of the most important railway and road junctions as well as the numerous bridges and tunnels in undamaged condition, in order to make the country as a walkover field for all shipments to South of France usable. "

The company Tannenbaum was never implemented because the emphasis of the German army was on the planning and preparation for a possible invasion of Britain, and thus did not have enough resources to carry out the occupation of Switzerland. In addition, in June / July, a trade agreement was concluded, which forced the exclusive supply of the Axis powers by the Swiss arms exports, which was a German interest in intact Swiss arms industry and also at the Gotthard transit. On October 4, 1940 saw Field Marshal Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb ago for the company Christmas tree 18 to 21 divisions.