Talk:Neutral powers during World War II

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Untitled[edit]

This article seems to be full of errors.

1) Portugal was a participant in WWI, it did not militarily contribute to WWII. On the other hand it did offer basing rights to the Allies on some Atlantic islands. It should be noted that the Portuguese territory of East Timor was first occupied by the Allies (Australian troops in 1941), then by the Axis (Japanese invasion). Iirc Macau was also occupied by the Japanese.

2) Spain sent a volunteer division (250th Infantry Division, also known as the Blue Division or Division Azul, the division was disbanded on October 10 1943 (but a Spanish Legion remained in German service)) under German command to fight against the Soviet Union in WWII. Iirc Spain also granted the Allies basing rights late in the war.

3) Sweden while nominally neutral sent volunteers to fight in Finland (during the Winter War against the Soviet Union) and probably Norway (volunteers for Finland caught in Norway during the German invasion). This does not constitute Swedish troops fighting for the Allies (as the 1940 episode was very brief). On the other hand Sweden permitted German troop passage across their territory (to Finland and possibly occupied Norway) on several occasions. It should also be noted that there were also German plans to invade Sweden later in the war.

4) Switzerland, by interning troops of both sides violating their borders was acting exactly as a neutral nation should. This also includes shooting down aircraft violating their neutrality and that would not land when ordered to do so. So these events can't be considered a violation of swiss neutrality. On the other hand, Switzerland permitted passage of German trains transporting prisoners from Italy to German Concentration Camps. Though that was probably not a violation of Swiss neutrality.

Of course in addition to the above both Switzerland and Sweden made arms sales to both sides, but again that's not a violation of neutrality either.

In short this article as it currently stands is problematic and I'm not sure it's even needed. The choice not to include those neutrals that were invaded (Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands and Greece (I probably missed some)) by Germany is also problematic. Persia, occupied by Britain and the Soviet Union would probably also have to be listed. Yugoslavia would be another question as it was originally a non-belligerent ally (so not neutral) of Germany which was finally invaded by Germany.--Caranorn 11:48, 12 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]


I am not sure what you are refering to as errors[edit]

Mostof the information that you mentioned above I already knew. As per your first point, yes Portugal was 'militarily' involved, but with voluntary forces. This was as a means of fulfilling the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance and the Treaty of Windsor, in addition to "loaning" the bases in the Azores. Your information on Spain I had not previously known as I do not study Spanish history. I knew about the Swedish information (point 3), as well as the information on Switzerland (point 4).

This article is NEEDED It fulfills a sector of history that has not been previously discussed on WIKIPEDIA. This is something which should be noted because it is ALWAYS left out of articles on World War II. It is frequently overlooked and this article is vital for people to have a true understanding about Europe during Wold War II, because while their was fighting in Germany, Russia, France, Italy, etc., etc.... people were fleeing to the neutral countries to escape persecussion. Furthermore, these four countries were indeed powers at the time. Portugal and Spain had their colonies, Switzerland had its banking system and Sweden remained the last natio in the north to truely remian independent. Whatsmore, in Lisbon, both Allied and Axis diplomates meet to negoiate terms during the war and it was the priemier location for spies on both sides. Finally, all four nation had inout into World War II because of their place as NEUTRAL COUNTRIES, etc., etc. (I could go on some more).


In response to "(Denmark, Norway, Luxembourg, Belgium, Netherlands and Greece (I probably missed some)) by Germany is also problematic. Persia, occupied by Britain and the Soviet Union, would probably also have to be listed. Yugoslavia would be another question as it was originally a non-belligerent ally (so not neutral) of Germany which was finally invaded by Germany.-Caranorn 11:48, 12 April 2007 (UTC)"[reply]


...I say as follows:

  • Yugoslavia was allied with Germany... therefore it was not "neutral" even if it was truely non-belligerent.
  • Denmark was neutral. It was over looked by me. Good point. I'll add it.
  • Norway was neutral. It was over looked by me. Good point. I'll add it.
  • Luxenbourg was neutral. It was over looked by me. Good point. I'll add it.
  • Belgium was neutral at first. I am not sure if it held that posistion throughout. Accordingly, "Belgium joined the Allies and

___maintained a government-in-exile with control over its colonial possessions until the country was liberated in 1944."

  • Netherlands was neutral at first. THe position may have changed later. "The Dutch joined the Allies and contributed

___their surviving naval and armed forces to the defense of East Asia, in particular the Netherlands East Indies. Until their ___liberation in 1945, the Dutch fought alongside the Allies around the globe, from the battles in the Pacific to the Battle ___of Britain. On the island of Aruba (Netherlands West Indies) a large oil-refinery was of major importance for the war- ___effort in Europe, especially after D-day. As protection a considerable US military force was stationed on the island."

  • Greece was definately not neutral.
  • Persia is doubful. It will require some research.
  • Yugoslavia was not neutral. It was an ally nonetheless and therefore not neutral.

I am going to see if minor countries like Andora, Monaco, etc. were neutral during the war.



Denmark--- Denmark remained neutral from the outbreak of the war. It was invaded and occupied by Germany on April 9, 1940 as part of Operation Weserübung, surrendering after a few hours of fighting and never declaring war on the Germans. The Danish government remained in office in Copenhagen until 1943 and signed the Anti-Comintern Pact. On August 29, 1943 the government handed in its resignation to the King as a response to German demands for more concessions. The country was now administered by the German Foreign Ministry[citation needed] and each Permanent Secretary took control of his own ministry. On May 10, 1940, the British occupied Iceland and shortly after that the Faroe Islands. The United States occupied Greenland, a position later supported by the Danish envoy in Washington, Henrik Kauffmann. Iceland, which was later not transferred from British to American control, declared its independence in 1944. On May 4, 1945, the German forces in Denmark surrendered to the British army. Since the German commander on Bornholm refused to surrender to the Soviet Union, two local towns were bombed and the garrison forced to surrender. Bornholm remained under Soviet control until 1946.


Norway---Despite its location, Norway remained neutral until invaded by Germany on April 9, 1940 as part of Operation Weserübung. The Norwegian government fled the capital and after two months fighting went to Britain and continued the fight in exile.

Aren't you omitting something there. British naval vessels were mining the waters, when the Germans invaded and there were several incidents before that. --41.151.69.226 (talk) 23:37, 7 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Luxenbourg---When Germany invaded France by way of the Low Countries in the spring of 1940, Luxembourg, despite its neutrality, was quickly invaded, and occupied having put up no resistance and immediately surrendered. The Luxembourgeois government never declared war on the Axis, and Luxembourg was effectively annexed by Germany. Luxembourg remained under German control until liberated by the Allies at the end of 1944.

First of all, please sign your posts, that makes these postings much easier.
For the rest, a neutral country that is aggressed obviously becomes a belligerent, this was not only the case for Belgium or the Netherlands but also for Norway and Luxembourg (all of these had exile governments in Britain or the US, all fielded forces to the Allied cause). Concerning Greece, I'm not certain they'd ever formally declared neutrality, but they certainly did not join the Allies of their own accord. Concerning Portuguese volunteers, could you give me some information with which units they were serving? I certainly ain't aware of Portuguese volunteer units, though obviously individual volunteers could have served in British units.
Lastly, of course you can use any of the material I listed in the article. But I'd recommend trying to find a reference for any that might be questioned as I only cited that information from memory. One major exception, you can source the Spanish Division Azul material to Verbände und Truppen der Deutschen Wehrmacht und Waffen SS 1939-1945, Georg Tessin, volume 8.--Caranorn 11:17, 16 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]


--EricSRodrigues154 08:00, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

More Additions to come[edit]

I will be adding information about how all these countries were neutral in the coming days. --EricSRodrigues154 08:37, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

Still full of errors[edit]

Why on earth are Ireland and Norway minor countries? And what about those states that were neutral for some of the war and not for others (i.e. a great many of them)? And how is the phrase "Neutral Powers" not original research? And none of the points raised above, initially have been satisfactorily answered. Slac speak up! 09:52, 5 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Coat of arms[edit]

The flags and coats of arms are anachronistic. --84.20.17.84 14:04, 10 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Ireland[edit]

Needs a section added about why Ireland remained neutral and what the effects of this were. RJFJR (talk) 15:30, 8 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Turns out we have (multiple) articles on this so I created a section (above Portugal to be alphabetical) and added {{main|Irish neutrality during World War II}}. RJFJR (talk) 15:36, 8 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Portugal[edit]

Is the line below about Portugal right? I can't find any source in either Portuguese or English confirming that.

In the case of Portugal, over 10,000 men were sent to battle the Germans in Northern France under the banner of the United Kingdom.

PMLF (talk) 09:54, 20 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]


There were Portuguese troops fighting in France in WW I. But no such occurred during WW II. Nor did either the Swiss or Swedes provide "voluntary" troops to either the Allies or Axis. Swedish volunteers did serve in the Finnish army during the Winter War with the USSR. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 108.28.248.84 (talk) 00:11, 23 September 2015 (UTC)[reply]

External links modified (February 2018)[edit]

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Iceland needs to be added[edit]

Iceland was sovereign at the time, and had declared neutrality before the outbreak of war and maintained the neutrality throughout the war and the UK/US occupations. Can someone add Iceland? Snooganssnoogans (talk) 23:59, 17 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

They didn't declare war but you aren't neutral if you are invaded and occupied. They didn't resist and they let the Allies use Iceland as a military base so they are counted as Allies. PrimeHunter (talk) 00:35, 18 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Two points: (i) Iceland's neutrality remained intact throughout the war. Iceland never declared war on the Axis (despite the US urging them to after 1941) or announced an end to the policy of neutrality. Iceland was also occupied by the US at a time when the US was neutral too. (ii) the Baltic states were also invaded and occupied, yet they are listed in the article. Snooganssnoogans (talk) 00:45, 18 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Iceland's neutrality meant that it could not, unlike the other Allied nations, join the United Nations as a founder. The US encouraged Iceland to declare war on the Axis in the waning days of WWII to facilitate admission to the UN but Iceland refused. So, Iceland was not one of the Allied Powers. Snooganssnoogans (talk) 00:47, 18 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]
I wouldn't call the Baltic states neutral either. They didn't join either side voluntarily but were occupied by both sides. The map File:Map of participants in World War II.png shows them as grey with a dark green dot. The file page says: "Dark green dots represent countries that initially were neutral but during the war were annexed by the USSR". Their sections in the article also mention they were occupied. It's unclear what it means to have a section. United States has a section for being neutral in the start but many others don't, maybe because they are less important. Several South American countries which declared war in 1945 also have sections. I don't think politics involving the foundation of the UN after the war can be used to say who were neutral during the war. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:27, 18 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Perhaps we could add a sub-section within the article on states that were neutral for more than six months of the war and/or whose neutrality is disputed. The US, the Baltic states, DEN, NOR and Iceland could belong. Snooganssnoogans (talk) 11:26, 18 February 2018 (UTC)[reply]

US Not Neutral During World War II[edit]

I find it REALLY hard to believe that the US can credibly be considered 'neutral' during World War II. Why was the United States added? - zfJames Please ping me in your reply on this page (chat page , contribs) 00:09, 23 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]

The US was technically neutral until Pearl Harbor, when they declared war on Japan, and Hitler declared war on the US. Beyond My Ken (talk) 23:35, 2 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]

A Commons file used on this page has been nominated for deletion[edit]

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Image description is wrong when viewed in mobile app.[edit]

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