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John Waelti: Over Switzerland's Gotthard Pass and on to Ticino
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Along the rooftop of Europe we had spent several hours visiting the underground Swiss defense installations at Switzerland's Gotthard Pass. Machine gun and artillery emplacements zeroed in on possible approaches, underground barracks, medical facilities, and miles of tunnels, all meticulously prepared to ward off attacks by Axis powers. Even if the Nazis during WWII could have taken the fortress, key bridges and tunnels leading through the mountains would have been destroyed, denying efficient passage between Italy and northern Europe.