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Armed Forces of Neutrals in Europe
during Second World War

Armed Forces of the neutral nations in Europe during the Second World War

Exact sources are available for Vichy France and fairly accurate numbers about Sweden for June 1943 from the Foreign and Counter-Intelligence Service of the Wehrmacht. All others are estimates based on the level of the strength of the armed forces in 1932 and the postwar period (Almanac of World Military Power, 1980). If one of the readers has more accurate numbers or knows some reliable sources, the author would be happy about a helpful message.

Overview of neutral nations in Europe	Regions or entire army strength	Army			strengths on paper
		divisions			strengths on paper
		Infantry, Mountain and Airborne divisions	Motorized Infantry, Cavalry	Tank	Infantry						Motor vehicles				Artillery
		Infantry, Mountain and Airborne divisions	Motorized Infantry, Cavalry	Tank	Regiment strengths	automatic rifles	sub-machine guns	machine guns	mortars	light anti-tank weapons	Tanks	Assault guns, AFV's	APC's	Trucks	Field guns	AT guns	AA guns
Vichy France	Southern France	8	-	-	72,000	-	-	4,112	408	-	-	-	-	-	480	392	-
	Morocco	approx. 4 1/2	-	-	40,500	-	-	2,313	230	-	-	-	-	-	270	220	-
	Algeria	approx. 4	-	-	36,000	-	-	2,056	204	-	-	-	-	-	240	196	-
	Tunisia	approx. 1	-	-	9,000	-	-	514	51	-	-	-	-	-	60	49	-
	Syria (until July 1941)	approx. 3	-	1/2	27,000	-	-	1,542	153	-	90	-	-	-	180	147	-
	Dakar (West Africa)	?	-	-	?	-	-	?	?	-	-	-	-	-	?	?	-
Sweden	(Neutrality Guard of 250,000 men in June 1943, approx. 600,000 men after mobilisation)	maximum of 40	-	1	approx. 300,000	-	?	?	?	-	approx. 300 (number of Strv m/40 + 238 Strv m/41 build from 1942-44 under license on the basis of PzKpfw 38(t) )	-	-	?	?	?	?
Spain	(approx. 600,000 men after mobilisation)	approx. 40	-	approx. 1	approx. 300,000	-	-	?	?	-	? (FT-17, PzKpfw I, PzKpfw II, PzKpfw III, PzKpfw IV, T-26,. CV-33)	-	-	?	?	?	?
Turkey	(approx. 400,000 men under arms, after mobilisation 1.2 million)	maximum of 80	-	approx. 1	approx. 600,000	-	-	?	?	-	? (Renault R-35, T-26, PzKpfw III, PzKpfw IV)	-	-	?	?	?	?
Switzerland	(approx. 600,000 men after mobilisation)	maximum of 40	-	-	approx. 300,000	-	-	?	?	-	24 (Pz39 = PzKpfw 38(t) )	-	-	?	?	?	?
Portugal	(approx. 40,000 men)	maximum of 3	-	-	approx. 22,500	-	-	?	?	-	-	-	-	?	?	?	?
Ireland	(approx. 36,000 men including volunteers)	maximum of 2	-	-	approx. 15,000	-	-	?	?	-	-	-	-	?	?	?	?

Overview of neutral nations in Europe

Regions or known aircraft types

Air Force

Navy

Aircrafts

Ships

Fighter planes

Bomber planes

Battleships
(BB,BC)

Heavy Cruisers
(CA)

Light Cruisers
(LCA)

Aircraft carriers
(CV)

Light aircraft carriers, escort carriers (CVL,CVE)

Destroyers (DD)

Torpedo boats

Escorts (corvettes, frigates)

Motor torpedo boats
(MTB)

Subs

Merchant Fleet

Fighters

Fighter-bombers

Light and medium bombers

Heavy bombers

Vichy France

Southern France

168

144

approx. 600 with approx. 1.50 million t

Morocco

approx. 2

approx. 4

Algeria

Tunisia

Syria (until July 1941)

108

Dakar (West Africa)

? (al least some P-36 Hawk)

approx. 3

Sweden

60 Seversky P-35, 60 Re2001, Ca309, 72 Fiat CR42, 56 Ju86 (some build under license)

approx. 200

ca. 100+ (?)

3
(Arnoured coastal defense vessels)

approx. 6

approx. 28

approx. 32

approx. 20

approx. 300 with approx. 0.75 million t

Spain

Ju52, SM79, SM81, I-15, I-16, SB-2, Fiat CR32, He51, Me109 (since 1945 Bf109G build under license), Fiat G50, He111, He112, Ju86, Ca309, Fiat BR20

approx. 300+ (?)

150+

approx. 13

approx. 18

approx. 8

approx. 450 with approx. 1.12 million t

Turkey

Breguet XIX, MS406, Fw190, He111, Oxford, Beaufort, Blenheim, Mosquito, Battle, Hurricane, Spitfire, B-24, P-40, Baltimore, 20 Martin 139

approx. 350 (?)

approx. 12

approx. 2

approx. 13

approx. 12

approx. 150 with approx. 0.38 million t

Switzerland

Me109

approx. 100-200 (?)

Portugal

Potez 25A2, Ju52, Ju86, Gladiator, Hurricane, Spitfire, P-39, B-24, P-40

approx. 20-50 (?)

approx. 13

approx. 3

approx. 100 with approx. 0.25 million t

Ireland

Anson, Blenheim, Gladiator, Hurricane

approx. 10-20 (?)

approx. 20 with 0.05 million t

Conversion to units for strategy game WW2Total:

Because most of the equipment of the neutral nations was outdated pre-war equipment, the fighting power has been downgraded (such as the corresponding fighting power of the Swiss Armed Forces and Sweden should be equal to the German Wehrmacht or Finland - which is 100% -, but because of the usually defective equipment the fighting power of these two nations is counted only by 80% and, for the same reason, that of the others only with 64%).

Armed forces of neutral nations by fighting power	deployment by province for strategy game WW2Total	Ground Forces
		Infantry						Motor vehicles				Artillery
		rifles	automatic rifles	sub-machine guns	machine guns	mortars	light anti-tank weapons	Tanks	Assault guns, AFV's	APC's	Trucks	Field guns	AT guns	AA guns
fighting power 80% - about 1 unit for WW2Total for each:		11,000 men regimental strength						250 armoured vehicles
Sweden	Gotaland	18						1
Sweden	Norland	9						-
Switzerland	Switzerland	27						-
fighting power 64% - about 1 unit for WW2Total for each:		14,000 men regimental strength						300 armoured vehicles
Vichy France	Vichy France	5						-
	Morocco	3						-
	Algeria	2						-
	Tunisia	1						-
	Senegal	1						-
Spain	Northern Spain	9						1
	Southern Spain	7						-
	Spanish Morocco	2						-
	Balearic Islands	1						-
	Canary Islands	1						-
	Spanish Sahara	1						-
Portugal	Portugal	2						-
Portugal	Azores	-						-
Turkey	Western Turkey	22						1
Turkey	Anatolia	20						-
Ireland	Eire	1						-

Armed forces of neutral nations by fighting power	deployment by province for strategy game WW2Total	Aircrafts				Ships
		Fighter planes		Bomber planes
		fighters	fighter-bombers	ground attacks	bombers	Battleships (BB,BC)	Heavy Cruisers (CA) r	Light Cruisers (LCA)	Aircraft carriers (CV)	Light aircraft carriers, escort carriers (CVL,CVE)	Destroyers (DD)	Torpedo boats	Escorts (corvettes, frigates)	Motor torpedo boats (MTB)	Subs	Merchant Fleet
fighting power 80% - about 1 unit for WW2Total for each:		250 planes				5	20	30	5	12.5	25	37.5	50	100	25	400,000 t
Sweden	Gotaland	1		-		-			-		2				1	2
Switzerland	Switzerland	1		-		-			-		-				-	-
fighting power 64% - about 1 unit for WW2Total for each:		300 planes				6	24	36	6	15	30	45	60	120	30	400.000 t
Vichy France	Vichy France	-		1		1 (1.25 - 1 DD more for it)			-		1				1	1
	Algeria	1		-		-			-		-				-	-
	Morocco	-		1		-			-		1				-	1
	Tunisia	-		-		-			-		-				-	1
	Senegal	-		-		-			-		1				-	1
Spain	Northern Spain	1		-		-			-		1				-	1
	Southern Spain	-		1		-			-		-				1	1
Portugal	Portugal	-		-		-			-		-				-	1
Turkey	Western Turkey	1		-		-			-		1				1	1
	Anatolia	-		-		-			-		-				-	-
Ireland	Eire	-		-		-			-		-				-	-