[PatrickS]

I remember a series of media reports back in November, revealing that the Swiss placed TNT charges in several bridges and tunnels linking Germany and Switzerland.

The systematic placing of explosive charges in crucial infrastructure started in 1975 and the most recent one was placed in a highway bridge in 2005.
The motivation behind this was of course the Cold War and the threat of a Soviet invasion. The Swiss assumed that simply due to the sheer amount of MBTs, Sovjet tank armies could cross Germany and invade Switzerland.

Though there are no detonators, the fear of TNT falling into the wrong hands, has led to the removal of several charges in recent years. Others however, remain in place and for obvious reasons the Swiss government won't give specific details concerning the remaining charges and their location.

The German counterpart to the Swiss system only consisted of the installation of explosion chambers, that were to be equipped with explosives when an invasion was imminent.


In general, I've always admired the Swiss for forming a peaceful society, while maintaining the ability to form a rather impressive resistance movement on short notice.