Above: workers at a Swiss munitions factory in Basle.
Hang on! Switzerland was neutral during the First World War. What were the Swiss doing, making artillery shells? Well, international law allowed a neutral to trade with both sides. More than that, the Swiss were not simply taking advantage of the war to make a profit. The Allies armies needed as many shells as they could get, and those from Switzerland were a significant contribution.
The Swiss branch of the British Ministry of Munitions opened an office in Berne, Switzerland, in September 1915. Weeks before that, the British had signed a contract with a Swiss manufacturer for 100,000 units of the No.100 type artillery fuses per week, over 26 weeks: the first of many orders. In September 1916 the Allies placed a contract for 5.2 million units of the No.106 fuse.
By the end of the First World War, the Swiss had made over 25 million artillery shell fuses for the British, as well as over 121 million components used in assembling other fuses. These were precision parts that required skilled labour. Other items that were produced in Switzerland for the British included 32,754 aeronautical watches, 19,920 aneroid barometers for aircraft, 75,340 magnetic or prismatic army compasses, and even parts for Rolls Royce aero engines. After the Italian entry into the war, that country also bought munitions from the Swiss.
This work required considerable raw materials, but Switzerland’s natural resources were limited and she depended on trade to obtain many such supplies. For example, the Swiss imported brass for making the No.106 fuse from the USA, and steel from the UK. In an attempt to stop this trade, the Germans created a “black list” of manufacturers making munitions for the Entente (France, the UK and allies), to ensure that they could not obtain coal, steel or iron from Germany (which was the main source of these materials for Swiss factories). Swiss firms and the Swiss government tried to evade these measures, and the Germans renegotiated this agreement at later dates. For the flow of trade in the other direction, the Société Suisse de Surveillance économique was established to ensure that no metal which had been supplied to the Swiss for the production of fuses for the Entente, was sent to the Central Powers instead.
By the end of the First World War, the Swiss had made over 25 million artillery shell fuses for the British, as well as over 121 million components used in assembling other fuses. These were precision parts that required skilled labour. Other items that were produced in Switzerland for the British included 32,754 aeronautical watches, 19,920 aneroid barometers for aircraft, 75,340 magnetic or prismatic army compasses, and even parts for Rolls Royce aero engines. After the Italian entry into the war, that country also bought munitions from the Swiss.
This work required considerable raw materials, but Switzerland’s natural resources were limited and she depended on trade to obtain many such supplies. For example, the Swiss imported brass for making the No.106 fuse from the USA, and steel from the UK. In an attempt to stop this trade, the Germans created a “black list” of manufacturers making munitions for the Entente (France, the UK and allies), to ensure that they could not obtain coal, steel or iron from Germany (which was the main source of these materials for Swiss factories). Swiss firms and the Swiss government tried to evade these measures, and the Germans renegotiated this agreement at later dates. For the flow of trade in the other direction, the Société Suisse de Surveillance économique was established to ensure that no metal which had been supplied to the Swiss for the production of fuses for the Entente, was sent to the Central Powers instead.
Above: left to right, the shell, No.106 Mk II fuse and safety cap for a British 18-pounder field gun. This was one of the types of fuses supplied by the Swiss to the Entente armies.
Image source: "Mili14" at collections.delcampe.net
Image source: "Mili14" at collections.delcampe.net
The Germans were also obtaining munitions from Switzerland. The balance varied, but generally the Swiss exported a greater quantity to the Entente: in August 1916 – February 1917, the balance was 32 times greater (in financial value) in favour of the Entente; while for August 1917 – January 1918 the Entente received from the Swiss double the value that the Central Powers obtained.
What was the value of these Swiss-manufactured munitions to the warring powers? In 1915, shortages of artillery ammunition were blamed for difficulties suffered by British troops, in what was known as the “Shell Scandal”. Offensives during the First World War – and for most of the war, it was the Entente armies that were on the offensive – needed huge quantities of artillery shells. During the four months of the Third Battle of Ypres (1917), British forces fired some 33 million artillery shells from around 3,500 guns. Weight of firepower was vital for destroying enemy defences, including wire entanglements, communications routes and artillery batteries. It is not quite clear what proportion of shells used by the Entente during the First World War used components made in Switzerland, but the above figures suggest that their contribution was significant yet probably not decisive.
What was the value of these Swiss-manufactured munitions to the warring powers? In 1915, shortages of artillery ammunition were blamed for difficulties suffered by British troops, in what was known as the “Shell Scandal”. Offensives during the First World War – and for most of the war, it was the Entente armies that were on the offensive – needed huge quantities of artillery shells. During the four months of the Third Battle of Ypres (1917), British forces fired some 33 million artillery shells from around 3,500 guns. Weight of firepower was vital for destroying enemy defences, including wire entanglements, communications routes and artillery batteries. It is not quite clear what proportion of shells used by the Entente during the First World War used components made in Switzerland, but the above figures suggest that their contribution was significant yet probably not decisive.
Above: drawings of the No.106 "instantaneous" fuse.
Image source: "No106MkIIFuzeRLDiagram" by Royal Laboratory - "Fuze Diagrams".Supplied by Allan Brown : British Ordnance Collectors Network http://www.bocn.co.uk. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Image source: "No106MkIIFuzeRLDiagram" by Royal Laboratory - "Fuze Diagrams".Supplied by Allan Brown : British Ordnance Collectors Network http://www.bocn.co.uk. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Of particular importance was the “instantaneous” No.106 fuse, which was designed during the war and exploded as soon as it hit the ground. This was intended to cause less cratering (which could obstruct attacking troops) and to increase the chance that the shells would break up enemy barbed wire. On visiting the French General du Cane in April 1917, British journalist Charles Repington recorded in his diary that: “Du Cane says that he must have the 106 fuse before he attacks the Hindenburg line.” During the British assault at the start of the Battle of Menin Road Ridge for example (September 1917), 50% of shells in some layers of the artillery barrage used No.106 fuses.
The quality and reliability of the fuses manufactured in Switzerland appears to have been high. In October 1918, a British inspector reported that: “In Switzerland there are whole districts such as Geneva and Le Locle whose industries are watchmaking, and whose people are therefore hereditarily trained to most accurate work. Fortunately these districts are French-speaking, and very pro-Entente. Large contracts were placed in both these districts with extremely satisfactory results... The fuzes produced by them on a very large scale gave complete satisfaction, and the rejects were only a very small percentage of the whole.”
Sources: UK National Archives, MUN 5/321B/28 and MUN 4/2026.
The quality and reliability of the fuses manufactured in Switzerland appears to have been high. In October 1918, a British inspector reported that: “In Switzerland there are whole districts such as Geneva and Le Locle whose industries are watchmaking, and whose people are therefore hereditarily trained to most accurate work. Fortunately these districts are French-speaking, and very pro-Entente. Large contracts were placed in both these districts with extremely satisfactory results... The fuzes produced by them on a very large scale gave complete satisfaction, and the rejects were only a very small percentage of the whole.”
Sources: UK National Archives, MUN 5/321B/28 and MUN 4/2026.
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