Swiss Review 1/2021

Swiss Review / February 2021 / No.1 12 returned to their former owners after standing empty for years? And, of course, the elephant in the room: why is so much dangerous am- munition stored near a village where people live? “Connected by railway, theMitholzmunitions storewas in an ideal location for implementing Swit- zerland’s redoubt strategy in the Sec- ond World War,” says historian and former professor at the Military Acad- emy at ETH Zurich, Rudolf Jaun. In summer 1940, General Henri Guisan decided to move most of his troops back into the Alpine interior. This was where the main front would be after delaying actions to keep any invading force out of the Central Plateau were exhausted. Munitionswere stockpiled in a number of secret armouries in- cluding Mitholz. It was from Mitholz that weapons would have been sup- plied to the southern front in Valais. This never transpired. Not a single shot was fired in anger with weapons from the Mitholz cache. On the con- trary, depots like Mitholz were used after the war as a convenient place to dump unused ammunition. The Mitholz store, built before the Second World War to protect the population, ironically became a ticking time bomb. Before we criticise, we need to re- alise that people viewed the armed forces differently back then, says mil- itary historian Jaun. “No one had any quibbles about the army doingwhat it did.” People took risks as a necessity. For example, thousands of tonnes of defective or unwanted ammunition were openly discarded in Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. The munitions still lie underwater. “It was also the cheapest way to get rid of it”. Today, the lake water is analysed regularly for signs of pollution. The army is overseeing an extensive clean-up programme. Nowadays, it stores its munitions at smaller, high-security sites. But until 2018 the army had always steeredwell clear of the collapsed depot in Mitholz. Journalists from French-speak- ing Switzerland often ask Lanz why he and his fellow villagers have ac- cepted their fate so stoically. They say that if the same scandal broke in their part of the country, people would be on the street every day. “The view among most residents is that we cannot put it off any longer,” says Lanz. People are prepared to go through the anguish of evacuating Mitholz if this means that the next generation can return without the risk of an explosion ripping through the village. “Wewon’t bewaving our pitchforks in Berne, provided they treat us correctly.” In his mind’s eye, the mayor can see a revitalised Mitholz flourishing one day in the distant future. He can imagine the former munitions depot becoming a museum. And thanks to the constant temperatures deep un- derground, the site could make an ideal storage facility for maturing cheese. JÜRG STEINER IS A JOURNAL IST AND EDI TOR FOR THE “BERNER ZEI TUNG” The Mitholz depot has an inconspicuous entrance but has been a ticking time bomb for decades. Photo: Danielle Liniger The Mitholz munitions store is situated in direct proximity to houses, roads and a busy railway line. Reproduced by permission of the Federal Office of Topography, swisstopo (BA200186)