Long-lost World War II sub found off Swedish coast

[Ack-Ack]

Question:

If Sweden was neutral in WW2.....why are they claiming "credit" for the sinking? (Along with Finland)

Things dat make ya go hmmmmmm.

Russians have a nasty habit of not recognizing neutral status of countries or their territory. 


ack-ack

[Nilsen]

I have a brilliant idea!

Why dont every country on the planet get a neutral status and noone can attack anyone 

Me soooo Einstein

[BlauK]

Neutrality = Lack of internal power or external support to have an own public opinion about a powerful neighbor's business? 

[Nilsen]

Neutrality = Lack of internal power or external support to have an own public opinion about a powerful neighbor's business? 

Or caring more for the wellbeeing of people than picking sides in conflicts that are not black and white.

[Die Hard]

How did they then allow damaged allied bombers to land in Sweden? 

Because officially they were neutral and it was in the Swedes' best interest for it to stay that way. However, Sweden also supplied the Germans with iron ore; escorted German merchant ships in the Baltic; German deserters (from Norway) were handed over to the Germans; Sweden supplied Germany with machinery parts essential to the war effort (especially ball bearings after Schweinfurth), the USAAF and RAF strategic bombing campaign failed in its goal to paralyze German industry largely because the Swedes sold everything the Germans needed. The German invasion of Norway had in essence only one objective: Protect the shipping route for Swedish iron from Allied interdiction. Sweden was also traditionally and culturally friendly with Germany. The Swedish king, Gustav V, was well befriended with many of the high-ranking Nazi leaders; Hermann Göring for example actually received a Knight Grand Cross First Class of the Swedish "Order of the Sword" from the king himself. Just like Spain, Sweden was a de facto German ally, though not militarily engaged in the war.

[BlauK]

So you are saying that any country that was not officially against Germany and had commercial relations with Germany was "de facto allied with Germany"? e.g. Switzerland?

[MrRiplEy[H]]

So you are saying that any country that was not officially against Germany and had commercial relations with Germany was "de facto allied with Germany"? e.g. Switzerland?

Well to be honest Switzerland wasn't clean - their banks AFAIK still contain millions worth of nazi gold that was melted from holocaust victims fillings among other sources.

[BlauK]

Well... there are laws and bank secrets etc. I see some similarity to attorneys who defend guilty murderers or to priests who keep secrets told to them in confessions. Should we call them dirty as well?

[BlauK]

Some quite interesting and intelligent posts about neutrality and about taking sides on another board:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070629004819AAHzX0P

[MrRiplEy[H]]

Well... there are laws and bank secrets etc. I see some similarity to attorneys who defend guilty murderers or to priests who keep secrets told to them in confessions. Should we call them dirty as well?

In this case, again AFAIK my info is from documentaries, the Swiss offered a safe haven for the nazi treasure knowing full well what was the origin of the gold. Also, large part of the treasure seems to be unaccounted for after the war..

Someone made a fortune..

[KgB]

Russians have a nasty habit of not recognizing neutral status of countries or their territory. 


ack-ack

Every time when i see comments about Russians i tend to deffend them,i don't know why. I got nothing out of living in
USSR-Rus.Fed. except for 3 times broken beyond reapair nose and knuckles.
My grand parents highly decorated WW2 solders died in poverty, not even mentioning constant arrests for not being Russian when war in Chechnya broke out.
I need help 

[Masherbrum]

Question:

If Sweden was neutral in WW2.....why are they claiming "credit" for the sinking? (Along with Finland)

Things dat make ya go hmmmmmm.

Because it was in Swedish waters?

Many people make the mistake of assuming "neutral" means "friendly" when it in most cases means "shoots at everyone". However, Sweden was a de facto German ally in WWII.

You two must enjoy the embarrassment you cause yourselves.   

[Die Hard]

The Swedish King Gustaf V and Prince Gustaf Adolf in Berlin 1939 to present a medal to Hermann Göring. More than a medal really, Göring was made a Swedish Knight.

[Angus]

Because officially they were neutral and it was in the Swedes' best interest for it to stay that way. However, Sweden also supplied the Germans with iron ore; escorted German merchant ships in the Baltic; German deserters (from Norway) were handed over to the Germans; Sweden supplied Germany with machinery parts essential to the war effort (especially ball bearings after Schweinfurth), the USAAF and RAF strategic bombing campaign failed in its goal to paralyze German industry largely because the Swedes sold everything the Germans needed. The German invasion of Norway had in essence only one objective: Protect the shipping route for Swedish iron from Allied interdiction. Sweden was also traditionally and culturally friendly with Germany. The Swedish king, Gustav V, was well befriended with many of the high-ranking Nazi leaders; Hermann Göring for example actually received a Knight Grand Cross First Class of the Swedish "Order of the Sword" from the king himself. Just like Spain, Sweden was a de facto German ally, though not militarily engaged in the war.

Whoa! Quite a bit true I'm afraid, but some NOT perhaps.... Some things to be added are that lots of the Iron ore was from N-Norway but since the RN was hunting on the North sea, the land route (rail) was much better through Sweden. (From upland Norway there was no heavy transport, - look at a map and you will see why).
Norway also offered a coastal opening to the N-Atlantic, which Sweden does NOT, and I'm afraid you have things turned over, - the capture of Norway offers no benefit in transporting Swedish goods to Germany. Or please explain this statement "Protect the shipping route for Swedish iron from Allied interdiction" ?????????????????????

As for the deals, they worked both ways. Sweden would sell to anyone (Just as the USA would have until Pearl), and Sweden DID. Both the RN and the Kriegsmarine were well familiar with Bofors guns for instance. However, Sweden's geographical position was very much favourable for trading with Germany than the UK, who additionally was about bankrupt in 1940...
Now, some little thing in Sweden's favour...
They did also work with the Western allies. Nels Bohr was evacuated from Sweden (?), - anyway, there was a specially equipped Mosquito doing runs from the UK to Sweden. "Special" means that the bomb bay was equipped for carrying a person in the bomb bay on a sort of a bed.


Isn't this aircraft at Hendon BTW??

[Die Hard]

Whoa! Quite a bit true I'm afraid, but some NOT perhaps.... Some things to be added are that lots of the Iron ore was from N-Norway but since the RN was hunting on the North sea, the land route (rail) was much better through Sweden. (From upland Norway there was no heavy transport, - look at a map and you will see why).
Norway also offered a coastal opening to the N-Atlantic, which Sweden does NOT, and I'm afraid you have things turned over, - the capture of Norway offers no benefit in transporting Swedish goods to Germany. Or please explain this statement "Protect the shipping route for Swedish iron from Allied interdiction" ?????????????????????

The Swedish mined iron in Kiruna and Malmberget in northern Sweden, and Germany's war effort would be crippled without this ore. During the summer the ore could be sent by freighter to Germany via the Swedish port of Luleå in the Gulf of Bothnia. However, when the Gulf of Bothnia froze during the winter, ore shipments had to be shipped from Narvik. The Swedes transported the ore to the Norwegian port of Narvik by rail. The British threatened to mine Norwegian waters (Operation Wilfred) and possibly invading Norway, and that was the main impetus of the German invasion. The British completed Operation Wilfred one day before the German surprise invasion. The critical need for Swedish iron is also why the German campaign focused on capturing Narvik quickly; to prevent sabotage of the port and railway. The Norwegians did mine iron, but not anywhere near the Swedish output. In 1940, iron ore from Sweden and Norway constituted 11,550,000 of the 15,000,000 tons Germany consumed that year; however the total Norwegian ore production in 1939 was only 191,000 tons, or just 1.6% of the Swedish export to Germany.