What Waits behind the Border? Refugees under Military Control

The policy on asylum and refugees during the Nazi era is an intensively debated topic in a state like Switzerland whose humanitarian tradition no one would question. In 1942, the increasing number of refugees strained the civil resources of the refugee administration in Switzerland and the military was asked to stand in. Due to security policy, hygienic aspects, and the small number of civil-administration led camps, a complex system of camps was established by the military administration. Although there are studies about the Swiss refugee policy, the question of how the Swiss administration met the challenge of providing large numbers of refugees with housing, food and clothing, in a short time has not been adequately researched.

In my paper, I will outline the problematic situation of camps under military control. For many refugees these so called reception camps were the first impression of Switzerland, the country in which the they placed their hope of survival. Arriving in the "promised land" of Switzerland, life was saved, but in the military camps rigorous rules, regulations and prohibitions were imposed on the refugees. The line between the refugees and the Swiss civilian population was strictly drawn, as was that between the military personnel and the refugees in the camps. Nevertheless, there was also room for arranging life and living together in the camps. Using the sources, which are preserved in the Swiss Federal Archives and refugee reports, I will show how the difficult situation in the reception camps was experienced both by the refugees and the military administration.