World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Wauwilermoos Military Prison was established in 1940 to intern some of the Allied and Soviet airmen who were either shot down or crash landed in neutral Switzerland. Conditions were poor, with slit trenches serving as latrines, dirty straws serving as bedding, and an infestitation of lice and rats unchecked. Very little medical care was offered to internees, even those who suffered serious wounds in combat over Germany. At least one incident of Soviet prisoners severely abusing an American was reported to the camp authorities, and the camp authorities turned a blind eye, allowing the physical abuse to continue. Much of it originated from the camp's commandant, Swiss Army Captain André Béguin, who was a known Nazi German sympathizer and had previously been found guilty of fraud; Béguin would be found guilty of administrative misdemeanors, dishonoring Swiss Army, embezzlement, and abuse of authority and he would be imprisoned for three years and would be stripped of his civil rights. A small number of internees were able to escape Wauwilermoos into France, while most of the internees would remain there until the end of the European War.