Did B17 desert to Switzerland

Answer 1

Possibly. However, many crews flew their damaged aircraft to Switzerland to avoid being captured. They did this when their plane was damaged and they fell out of the bomber formation and was vulnerable to attack. It is not well known, but when a pilot landed in Switzerland, the plane was confiscated and the crew were interned. Some pilots were exchanged and released.


This last week, a WW2 Veteran friend of mine died. On his first mission as co-pilot, his aircraft was hit by flak. They decided to head for Switzerland and bailed out. They were interned there for a few months but he managed to escape with the help of the French.


This policy of confiscating the airplanes resulted in Switzerland having a large amount of airplanes in their possession. They had planes of all types and from all countries.