Swiss arms factory supplied Nazi Germany, Solothurn museum reveals

The Alte Zeughaus museum in Solothurn is shedding light on the dark dealings of the Waffenfabrik Solothurn, a Swiss company that supplied weapons to Nazi Germany. Following its defeat in World War I, Germany was prohibited from producing weapons under the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. However, the neutral Switzerland became a de facto rear base for German rearmament efforts.

Companies like Oerlikon-Bührle and Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein, along with the Waffenfabrik Solothurn, played a role in this clandestine buildup. The Solothurn factory, initially known as a cartridge factory, was established in 1923 by Swiss politician Hermann Obrecht and German engineer Hans von Steiger. At the time, Switzerland's arms exports were minimal, and the burgeoning industry faced skepticism from both the left and the center.

A significant shift occurred in 1929 when the German firm Rheinmetall acquired a majority stake in the Solothurn factory. With Nazi officials at the helm, who had been actively pushing for German rearmament for years, German and Austrian engineers worked at the facility near the Swiss Jura mountains. They focused on developing tank and anti-tank rifles, as well as machine guns, which would later be used by the Wehrmacht.