Nation Without An Army

War is a terrible thing, but there are moments throughout history that show a side of war mixed with a bit of humanity…even when things are looking bleak. This happened with the Liechtenstein army. Liechtenstein is the fourth smallest country in Europe, and it is the sixth smallest country in the world. While the country would seem vulnerable, Liechtenstein has managed to stay neutral during many wars, even the two world wars. Interestingly, they didn’t even have an army when they banned the Nazi party from their country, having disbanded their army in 1868. It made sense, since their last deployment was in 1866. That task was to guard the Brenner Pass between Austria and Italy. That deployment was remarkable for many reasons, as they never lost a battle or suffered any casualties. While that was remarkable, even more remarkable was the fact that they left with a force of 80 men and returned with 81, having made a new friend while defending the pass. While it’s unclear who this person was, some say an Austrian liaison officer joined the group on the way back, while others claim it was an Italian farmer. It remains one of the most amusing historical tidbits ever.

The German Confederation dissolved in 1866, and due to its unpopularity and the rising costs of upkeep, Liechtenstein disbanded its 80-man army on February 12, 1868, declaring permanent neutrality. In 1893, former soldiers formed a veterans’ association, which had 141 members by 1896. The last surviving member, Andreas Kieber, passed away in 1939 at the age of 94.

Liechtenstein’s military history goes back to its earlier days as the County of Vaduz and the Lordship of Schellenberg. Once the country got rid of its army, it has never had one again. Still, the constitution requires citizens to defend the nation if there’s an external threat, and the army can be brought back if needed. What amazes me the most about this country without an army is that they stood up to the Nazis with no army. Far bigger nations fell to the Nazis, and they had an army too, but it didn’t matter. I suppose Hitler might have decided that the tiny nation of Lichtenstein wasn’t worth conquering, but then again, it should have been easy to just incorporate it into his masterplan. Nevertheless, when the nation banned the Nazis, they left and that was the end of it. I don’t think it is often advisable for a nation to disband its army, but in this case, it has worked out fine.