Daniel Culler - Prisoner of the Swiss: A World War II Airmans Story
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Prisoner of the Swiss: A World War II Airmans Story: summary, description and annotation
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During World War II, 1,517 members of US aircrews were forced to seek asylum in Switzerland. Most neutral countries found reason to release US airmen from internment, but Switzerland took its obligations under the Hague Convention more seriously than most. The airmen were often incarcerated in local jails, and later transferred to prison camps. The worst of these camps was Wauwilermoos, where at least 161 U.S. airmen were sent for the honorable offense of escaping.
To this hellhole came Dan Culler, the author of this incredible account of suffering and survival. Not only did the prisoners sleep on lice-infested straw, were malnourished and had virtually no hygiene facilities or access to medical care but worse, the commandant of Wauwilermoos was a diehard Swiss Nazi. He allowed the mainly criminal occupants of the camp to torture and rape Dan Culler with impunity. After many months of such treatment, starving and ravaged by disease, he was finally aided by a British officer.
Betrayal dominated his cruel fate - by the American authorities, by the Swiss, and in a last twist in a second planned escape that turned out to be a trap. But Dan Cullers courage and determination kept him alive. Finally making it back home, he found he had been abandoned again. Political expediency meant there was no such place as Wauwilermoos. He has never been there, so he has never been a POW and didnt qualify for any POW benefits or medical or mental treatment for his many physical and emotional wounds. His struggle to make his peace with his past forms the final part of the story.
Rob Morriss introduction and notes provide historical background and context, including recent efforts to recognize the suffering of those incarcerated in Switzerland and afford them full POW status.
Table of Contents
Foreword: The Historical and Legal Origins id Swiss Neutrality
Final Notes on Swiss Neutrality
Editors Note to the 2017 Revised Edition
Part I: The Black Hole of Wauwilermoos
1. Beginnings
2, Combat
3. Missions
4. Shot Down and Internment Camp
5. Interned at Adelboden
6. The First Escape
7. Entering the Gates of Hell
8. The Depths of Despair
9. Hospital
10. The Second Escape
11. Out of the Depths
12. The Return to England
13. Interrogation in London
14. Home Again
15. Endings
16. The Black Hole of Wauwilermoos Returns
17. Appendix to the Original 1995 Edition of The Black Hole of Wauwilermoos
Part II: Aftermath
18. Moving On
19. Andre Beguin and General Barnwell Rhett Legge
20. Recognition at Last
Selected Bibliography and Sources
To this hellhole came Dan Culler, the author of this incredible account of suffering and survival. Not only did the prisoners sleep on lice-infested straw, were malnourished and had virtually no hygiene facilities or access to medical care but worse, the commandant of Wauwilermoos was a diehard Swiss Nazi. He allowed the mainly criminal occupants of the camp to torture and rape Dan Culler with impunity. After many months of such treatment, starving and ravaged by disease, he was finally aided by a British officer.
Betrayal dominated his cruel fate - by the American authorities, by the Swiss, and in a last twist in a second planned escape that turned out to be a trap. But Dan Cullers courage and determination kept him alive. Finally making it back home, he found he had been abandoned again. Political expediency meant there was no such place as Wauwilermoos. He has never been there, so he has never been a POW and didnt qualify for any POW benefits or medical or mental treatment for his many physical and emotional wounds. His struggle to make his peace with his past forms the final part of the story.
Rob Morriss introduction and notes provide historical background and context, including recent efforts to recognize the suffering of those incarcerated in Switzerland and afford them full POW status.
Table of Contents
Foreword: The Historical and Legal Origins id Swiss Neutrality
Final Notes on Swiss Neutrality
Editors Note to the 2017 Revised Edition
Part I: The Black Hole of Wauwilermoos
1. Beginnings
2, Combat
3. Missions
4. Shot Down and Internment Camp
5. Interned at Adelboden
6. The First Escape
7. Entering the Gates of Hell
8. The Depths of Despair
9. Hospital
10. The Second Escape
11. Out of the Depths
12. The Return to England
13. Interrogation in London
14. Home Again
15. Endings
16. The Black Hole of Wauwilermoos Returns
17. Appendix to the Original 1995 Edition of The Black Hole of Wauwilermoos
Part II: Aftermath
18. Moving On
19. Andre Beguin and General Barnwell Rhett Legge
20. Recognition at Last
Selected Bibliography and Sources
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PRISONER OF THE SWISS
PRISONER OF THE SWISS
A World War II Airmans Story
DAN CULLER
with ROB MORRIS
Foreword by DWIGHT S. MEARS
Published in the United States of America and Great Britain in 2017 by
CASEMATE PUBLISHERS
1950 Lawrence Road, Havertown, PA 19083, USA
and
The Old Music Hall, 106108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JE, UK
Copyright 2017 Daniel Culler, Rob Morris and Dwight Mears
Hardcover Edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-554-6
Digital Edition: ISBN 978-1-61200-555-3
Mobi ISBN: ISBN 978-1-61200-555-3
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library and the Library of Congress
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the publisher in writing.
For a complete list of Casemate titles, please contact:
CASEMATE PUBLISHERS (US)
Telephone (610) 853-9131
Fax (610) 853-9146
Email:
www.casematepublishers.com
CASEMATE PUBLISHERS (UK)
Telephone (01865) 241249
Email:
www.casematepublishers.co.uk
Contents
FOREWORD
The Historical and Legal Origins of Swiss Neutrality
Dr. Dwight S. Mears, Former Assistant Professor of History, United States Military Academy at West Point
Dr. Mears received a B.A. degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2001, an M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2010, and a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2012. He also cross-enrolled in the UNC Law School to gain more exposure to international law. His dissertation focused on the internment of American airmen in Switzerland during World War II and the consequences for the International Law of Armed Conflict. He is an Army major with a background in aviation and military intelligence. Mears, who is also a pilot, currently teaches American history at West Point. The views expressed in this book are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U. S. government .
This is the story of a U.S. airman who endured a number of difficult experiences during World War II: the trauma of combat, captivity in a neutral nation, and the lingering psychological and physiological effects that burdened him after the wars conclusion. Dan Cullers story is gripping because he suffered more than most Americans who were interned in Switzerland, and his account lays bare the personal toll of his experience.
It will be instructive to preface Dans story with some context on the origins of internment as well as its application in Switzerland. Before they were permanent neutrals, the Swiss Confederation was offensive. This gradually changed by the 17th century when military losses convinced the Confederation to stay out of the wars of their more populous European neighbors. However, they also realized that abstaining from armed conflictsor declaring neutralitygave them the opportunity to provide services as an active neutral for the belligerent parties, such as humanitarian assistance and acting as an intermediary for powers who had no diplomatic relations. The internment of belligerents grew out of these practices, as the Swiss realized that providing asylum for soldiers was most equitable if they were interned for the duration of the conflict; preventing a return to the battlefield was necessary to avoid complaints by other warring parties. The Swiss first instituted internment in the War of 1859, utilized it again in 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War, and later codified it in treaty law in the 1899 Hague Convention (II) with Respect to the Laws and Customs of War on Land as well as the 1907 Hague Convention (V) respecting the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers and Persons in Case of War on Land. Therefore, during the global conflicts of the 20th century, Switzerland interned soldiers as required by international law.
During World War II, Dan Culler was only one of over 100,000 military refugees of belligerent countries who received asylum in Switzerland. Of this number, only 1,517 internees were U.S. service members, all of whom arrived via aircraft. This was the largest group of U.S. airmen interned in any neutral country in the war; the next closest tally was in Sweden, which interned 1,218 U.S. flyers. The massive numbers of aircrew who sought refuge in Switzerland and Sweden prompted speculation that at least some of these men had landed intentionally without sufficient cause, such as crippling combat damage or significant malfunction that would prevent a return to base. In the summer of 1944 the neutral landings were investigated at the direction of the commanding general of the USAAF, Gen. Henry H. Arnold, and no aircrew were found to have interned themselves dishonorably. However, the misperception that many internees were cowards survived in popular memory due to wartime rumors fed by enemy propaganda as well as popular literature.
Most neutral countries in Europe found various pretexts to release U.S. airmen from internment, particularly by 1944 when the fortunes of war favored the Allies. However, Switzerland took its internment obligations under The Hague Conventions more seriously than other neutrals. This was due to a combination of factors: Swiss neutrality had significant cultural value to its population; the Swiss themselves were tasked with upholding the laws of armed conflict in other countries; and many in the Swiss government were nervous about possible German reprisals for overlooking internment obligations. Therefore, when interned soldiers attempted to flee the country, the Swiss government believed that such attempts jeopardized their neutrality and were not amused. In the fall of 1944, hundreds of U.S. airmen attempted escape after the Allied forces that invaded occupied France reached the western border of Switzerland.
The U.S. airmen had varied motives for escape. Many were dutifully following War Department policy, which had been briefed to them at their bases before they were interned. Others simply wanted to rejoin families, spouses, or girlfriends. They often attempted escape on their own without the assistance of U.S. authorities, largely because the Legation had little communication, much less direct command and control, with the airmen. While the Legation staff were in Bern, the airmen were interned in various remote mountain camps. This lack of communication led to an acrimonious relationship between many internees and the Legation staff, as the internees almost universally perceived that U.S. officials failed to adequately assist them. In reality the Legation was secretly coordinating escapes, but had an insufficient staff that also handled many other important diplomatic and intelligence-related functions.
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