NZFF

J-701 (0002) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr


J-701 (0005) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr


J-701 (0006) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr


J-701 (0007) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr


J-701 (0009) by JanKees Blom, on Flickr

Ah the Swiss...
"OK we will destroy the top Secret 110 that accidentally landed in our country.
In exchange we would like a half dozen 109's, so that we can shoot down yours when they stray into our neutral airspace!"
True story.

That story about the Swiss and the “destroyed 110” reminded me of another episode — the Bf 109 deal in 1944.

Switzerland actually received a dozen brand-new Bf 109 G-6s from Germany as compensation for earlier border incidents.
“Brand-new,” though, turned out to be rather optimistic. The Swiss engineers found rough panel work, misaligned fittings, and even reused components.

They were so disappointed that the aircraft got the nickname “Schüttelbecher” — literally “shaker cup.”

After the war, the Swiss government even filed a lawsuit against Messerschmitt AG for poor workmanship. Messerschmitt blamed material shortages and bombing raids; the case was settled out of court.

A few of the aircraft were later rebuilt with Hispano-Suiza parts and flown for training, but the whole story became a bit of aviation folklore.

True neutrality — never cheap.

Sources (mostly in German):
– Fliegerrevue 6/1994, “Die Messerschmitt Bf 109 in der Schweiz”
– Flugzeug Classic 02/2004 (Peter Brotschi)
– Swiss Air Force Museum Dübendorf archives
– Max Dürrenmatt, Die Schweizer Flugwaffe 1914–2014, ISBN 978-3-85777-429-0