Shot from the Sky

American POWs in Switzerland

Nonfiction, History, Military, World War I
Cover of the book Shot from the Sky by Cathryn J. Prince, Naval Institute Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Cathryn J. Prince ISBN: 9781612513478
Publisher: Naval Institute Press Publication: August 12, 2015
Imprint: Naval Institute Press Language: English
Author: Cathryn J. Prince
ISBN: 9781612513478
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Publication: August 12, 2015
Imprint: Naval Institute Press
Language: English
Shot from the Sky is about one of the great, dark secrets of World War II: Neutral Switzerland shot down U.S. aircraft entering Swiss airspace and imprisoned the survivors in internment camps, detaining more than a thousand American flyers between 1943 and the war’s end. While conditions at the camps were adequate and humane for internees who obeyed their captors’ orders, the experience was very different for those who attempted to escape. They were held in special penitentiary camps in conditions as bad as those in some prisoner-of-war camps in Nazi Germany. Ironically, the Geneva Accords at the time did not apply to prisoners held in neutral countries, so better treatment could not be demanded. When the war ended in Europe, sixty-one Americans lay buried in a small village cemetery near Bern.

Details of this little-known episode are brought to light by Cathryn Prince, who tells what happened and examines the argument the Swiss used to justify their policy. She shows that while the Swiss claimed they satisfied international law, they applied the law in a grossly unfair manner. No German airmen were interned, and the Nazi aircraft were allowed to refuel at Swiss airfields. The author draws on first-person accounts and unpublished sources, including interviews with eyewitnesses and surviving American prisoners, and documents held by the Swiss government and the U.S. Air Force. Although these events have been briefly alluded to in other books, this is the first time that the complete story has been presented.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Shot from the Sky is about one of the great, dark secrets of World War II: Neutral Switzerland shot down U.S. aircraft entering Swiss airspace and imprisoned the survivors in internment camps, detaining more than a thousand American flyers between 1943 and the war’s end. While conditions at the camps were adequate and humane for internees who obeyed their captors’ orders, the experience was very different for those who attempted to escape. They were held in special penitentiary camps in conditions as bad as those in some prisoner-of-war camps in Nazi Germany. Ironically, the Geneva Accords at the time did not apply to prisoners held in neutral countries, so better treatment could not be demanded. When the war ended in Europe, sixty-one Americans lay buried in a small village cemetery near Bern.

Details of this little-known episode are brought to light by Cathryn Prince, who tells what happened and examines the argument the Swiss used to justify their policy. She shows that while the Swiss claimed they satisfied international law, they applied the law in a grossly unfair manner. No German airmen were interned, and the Nazi aircraft were allowed to refuel at Swiss airfields. The author draws on first-person accounts and unpublished sources, including interviews with eyewitnesses and surviving American prisoners, and documents held by the Swiss government and the U.S. Air Force. Although these events have been briefly alluded to in other books, this is the first time that the complete story has been presented.

More books from Naval Institute Press

Cover of the book Sunburst by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book The Bridge at Dong Ha by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book Washington's Taiwan Dilemma, 1949-1950 by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book Rough Waters by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book Rampant Raider by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book Master of Seapower by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book Into the Tiger's Jaw by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book The U.S. Navy Against the Axis by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book Shepherds of the Sea by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book David Glasgow Farragut by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book Contrails Over the Mojave by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book You're Stepping on My Cloak and Dagger by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book Laughter in the Shadows by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book The Dictionary of Military and Naval Quotations by Cathryn J. Prince
Cover of the book For Love of Country by Cathryn J. Prince
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy