Brief history of the light wheeled vehicles of the Swiss Army

After the end of World War II, the Swiss Army was able to procure surplus American Army vehicles. Thousands of Jeeps and Dodge were procured in the “Aktion Surplus” program, and they continued to serve reliably well into the 1980s. They were replaced on the one hand by vehicles from the Swiss company MOWAG in Kreuzlingen and on the other hand by the products of the Austrian company Steyr (including Haflinger and Pinzgauer), Mercedes Benz (including Unimog) and the VW panel vans. Officers were entitled to a service vehicle as from 1945, which varied in luxury depending on rank.

Series production of the first model of the VW Transporter began in 1950. The sixth generation, the T6, has been in production since 2015.

Virtually all troop units were equipped with numerous trailers, most of which were produced by Swiss companies. The many special trailers of the air defense troops for motorized fire engines or mobile power generators as well as the trailers of the supply troops such as mills and field bakeries are noteworthy.

Surprisingly numerous (agricultural) tractors were used mainly by the engineer corps or on air bases for towing aircraft. The vehicles are witness to a vehicle industry that no longer exists in Switzerland.

The state vehicles of many former federal councillors including a special bicycle round off this fascinating exhibition.