But the invasion never came, and the myth of Fortress Switzerland, with its mountain bunkers and ever-ready army of sharpshooters, was born. The Swiss saw (and many still see) the war as their finest hour, when they stood up to the might of Germany. Hitler might well have been deterred by the prospect of snipers in mountain hideouts, but it’s more likely that he got distracted by bigger things such as invading Russia or rescuing a collapsing Italy. And it didn’t do him any harm to keep the Swiss neutral. That way he could still use their Alpine routes for non-military transport, benefit from
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