Original subtitles

Narrator: A brutal soviet fortress On the edge of the sea.

Nusbacher: you could expect To lose yourself

In those cold, horrible walls.

Narrator: A forgotten bunker system,

Lost in the french alps.

Why would anyone Build something like this

So high up in the mountains?

Narrator: and a deserted freeway Leading nowhere.

Gough: what function could it Possibly have had,

Gough: what function could it Possibly have had,

Here in the middle of This lush brazilian rainforest?

*

Narrator: once, they were some Of the most advanced structures

And facilities on the planet,

At the cutting edge Of design and construction.

Today, they stand abandoned, Contaminated,

And sometimes deadly.

But who built them, and how?

But who built them, and how?

And why were they abandoned?

*

*

-- captions by vitac -- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

Near the southeast coast Of brazil,

Amongst the mountainous peaks Of the serra do mar,

Is an imposing structure.

Is an imposing structure.

*

Rising out of the mist and Reaching across the rainforest,

A huge freeway disappears Into the distance.

It's misty, There's clouds rolling in.

And when you focus, All of a sudden,

You see this huge Concrete structure

Has just grown up Out of the jungle

Has just grown up Out of the jungle

And then disappears.

It's as though A giant just picked up

A huge concrete piece of lego And dropped it there.

I think you'd be taken aback

At something that Is completely unexpected

In the middle of the jungle.

Narrator: Who built this giant road

That dominates the landscape On the side of a mountain,

And where does it go?

*

Clues can be found In the history

Clues can be found In the history

Of brazil's Trans-coastal highway

In the 1950s.

It was the br-101 freeway

That would eventually Stretch over 2,500 miles

North to south.

But if it is part of the 101,

Why is this section Here in the jungle,

And not on the coast?

Brazilian engineer Newton jose cavalieri

Brazilian engineer Newton jose cavalieri

Knows the freeway well.

[ speaking native language ]

Interpreter: Br-101 is a federal highway

Running along The coastline of brazil.

But there's a strange break

Between the states Of rio de janeiro, sao paulo,

And the state of piraná.

That's where the serra do mar Mountains start.

Gough: the original plan Was to take the freeway

Over the mountains.

Now, that had all sorts Of inherent challenges,

Now, that had all sorts Of inherent challenges,

So they looked For an alternative.

Through the jungle, That's going to be difficult,

But how about over the top Of the jungle?

Narrator: following pipelines And existing dirt roads

Built by the state-owned Petrobras oil company,

The engineers forged The most direct route.

One of the key pieces in This ambitious highway puzzle

Is this, The petrobras viaduct.

Is this, The petrobras viaduct.

It will bypass over 30 miles Of winding coastal road.

*

Gough: you can imagine how Difficult this was to construct.

First of all, You're in a jungle.

It's inhospitable, It's hot, it's humid,

There's trees and insects.

It's over 130 feet tall.

It's 1,000 feet long.

Can you imagine the challenges Of doing this,

Can you imagine the challenges Of doing this,

Literally In the middle of nowhere?

Narrator: but this isn't just A freeway through the jungle.

It's an important part of Brazil's new nuclear ambitions.

*

Interpreter: This was a strategics trip,

Because the angra dos reis Thermonuclear plant

Was being built In rio de janeiro

Exactly where The br-101 finished,

So it had an exit -- You might say a strategic one --

So it had an exit -- You might say a strategic one --

To the north, But no exit to the south.

Narrator: and it was This nuclear connection

That doomed the highway.

As brazil entered The atomic age,

They needed an escape route To the south of rio,

So the br-101 had To be completed in time

Before the nuclear reactor Went online.

*

*

Various teams worked along The route on different sections,

Some faster, Some slower than others,

But all faced an array of Challenges against the clock.

*

So, when you're trying to build Quite a complex road network,

And that might have tunnels,

It might have Flat pieces of road,

And it also might have These flyovers,

What you want to do, really,

Is do the most complex Pieces first.

Is do the most complex Pieces first.

They're the most expensive,

They're going to take The longest,

And they need the most amount Of investment

In order to get them built.

So, it's a good idea to get The hard bits finished first,

And then what you can do later, More easily,

Is just to join the dots.

So, that's the kind Of typical way

That you would build something,

Even though it sounds Really counterintuitive.

[ speaking native language ]

Interpreter: there are Lots of difficulties

With this building work.

With this building work.

The viaducts have to go through A lot of big, deep places,

And have pillars 40 meters high.

That's for relatively small Strips of 300 to 350 meters.

*

Agrawal: There are a lot of things

That can make your life Very difficult.

That can start from The ground being quite wet,

Having lots of roots Of trees there.

You're thinking about, "How do I bring the material

You're thinking about, "How do I bring the material

To that location To actually build it?"

How are you going To get cranes there?

And then, if it's hot And humid to add to that,

That makes things Even more difficult.

Narrator: but could Building this freeway

With concrete in the jungle

Actually save time And be a benefit?

So, strangely enough, The one thing

You don't really Need to worry about

Is the concrete going off,

Because you've got The humidity there,

And actually having Quite the humid environment

And actually having Quite the humid environment

Means that the concrete Cures better

And it gains its strength Really nicely

And uniformly Across its whole body.

Narrator: But this concrete leviathan

Never gets to perform its Starring role in this new plan.

*

The brazilian economy Suffers a major blow,

Thanks to the global Oil crisis of the 1980s.

There are no funds available, And the freeway is scrapped.

There are no funds available, And the freeway is scrapped.

*

So, why is the huge petrobras Viaduct still left standing

Out in the jungle?

*

*

Narrator: in the shadow

Of the serra do mar mountains In brazil

Is the remains Of the petrobras viaduct.

It was planned to be A key component

Of an advanced freeway system

That was critical To the nation's survival.

But, today, it stands abandoned.

Demolishing the viaduct Can actually be more expensive

Demolishing the viaduct Can actually be more expensive

Than the construction Cost itself.

And so, in many times, It's easier

To leave a structure like that In place,

Even though it's very remote.

Narrator: the petrobras viaduct Is a sad result

Of the brazilian economic crash.

It is never finished,

And fails to link up with The new nuclear power plant.

It is left to be consumed By the jungle.

*

*

Today, this concrete freeway

Is rooted To the rainforest floor.

It has endured heavy rains And extreme humidity,

And is rarely visited.

The petrobras viaduct just Imposed itself on this jungle,

So I think it's somewhat ironic But completely fitting

That nature is now consuming it Back from whence it came,

That nature is now consuming it Back from whence it came,

And I think that's A fitting end to something

That probably shouldn't have Been there in the first place.

*

Narrator: in europe,

On the coast of estonia's Capital city, tallinn,

Is a structure With a very dark past.

*

Spread over 180,000 square feet,

This ominous Three-story fortress,

This ominous Three-story fortress,

Battered and salt-sprayed By the sea,

Once housed thousands of people.

Gough: the really peculiar thing Is this triangular-shape,

Masonic-looking Sort of structure

That protrudes From the center of it,

And it just defies explanation.

Then, when you get Close up to the site,

You realize, "Hang on,

What's all this Barb wire about?"

What's all this Barb wire about?"

Narrator: inside the building,

Miles of winding corridors

Pass hundreds of empty, Rotting cells.

But who was kept here, and why?

You walk along the halls, And you're instantly struck

About how cold and stark This place is.

It was never constructed to give

Whoever it was That inhabited it

Any sense of comfort.

Narrator: so, who built This dark and dismal place,

And what was it used for?

And what was it used for?

*

Its roots can be traced back

To russia's long Domination of estonia.

*

On the edge of the baltic sea,

Estonia is the perfect Strategic location

For russian military And intelligence services.

The ussr want the baltic states

To bow down to communist power And its regime,

To bow down to communist power And its regime,

But what do they do With anyone who opposes them?

*

The ussr was this huge, Controlling monolith.

There was no opposition allowed.

If you were a leader of some Of those baltic states,

Like estonia, There's only one thing

That's going to happen to you.

You would be locked away In prison,

Pretty much the key would be Thrown away.

Narrator: this former Russian naval sea fortress

Narrator: this former Russian naval sea fortress

Is turned into one of the most Dark and dangerous institutions

In the communist world --

Patarei prison.

Nusbacher: Patarei prison was a branch Of the kgb in moscow.

It was the hell of the most Ruthless intelligence agency

In the world.

Narrator: patarei quickly Became known as a place

Narrator: patarei quickly Became known as a place

Where those who resisted Russian expansion were sent.

Martin andreller is an expert

On what life was like Inside this prison.

You would have one toilet And cold water by design.

You'd have a blanket, that's it.

The whole intent Was to dehumanize you,

To make you feel as though You're not worth

Anything better than this.

It was a nasty place.

Narrator: patarei was used As a staging post

For thousands of forced laborers

Who were sent off To the gulags in siberia

Over 2,000 miles away.

The soviets Were willing to deport

Thousands and thousands Of estonians to siberia

Thousands and thousands Of estonians to siberia

Just for being estonian.

*

Narrator: as punishment,

The estonian population Are imprisoned,

And the conditions In patarei are bad.

*

Nusbacher: Patarei was a way of bringing The frozen hell of siberia,

The ruthless exploitation Of moscow

The ruthless exploitation Of moscow

Right into the center Of tallinn.

*

Narrator: but the way Soviets treated prisoners here

Only aided Its ultimate downfall.

Because of the physical And psychological torture

At patarei prison,

Estonia's hatred For russia runs deep.

It ignites strong resistance Against their old enemy

It ignites strong resistance Against their old enemy

From a group called The forest brothers.

Gough: we first find The phrase "Forest brothers"

In the baltic region Around the time

Of the russian revolution -- Around 1905 --

And, supposedly, it comes from School teachers and peasants

Taking refuge in the forest,

Hiding against The occupation by russia.

It turns into A real political movement,

Where partisans of All the baltic states

Where partisans of All the baltic states

Are willing to fight For their lives

Against the russian occupation.

*

Narrator: it's said that Up to 30,000 forest brothers

Fight the russians In any way possible,

Through sabotage Or hand-to-hand combat.

*

But will this resistance

Bring down the russian control Of estonia,

And is this why patarei prison Is eventually abandoned?

And is this why patarei prison Is eventually abandoned?

*

Narrator: in estonia's Capital city, tallinn,

Are the crumbling remains of A brutal russian institution,

Patarei prison.

Many members Of the forest brothers,

A partisan movement, End up here,

Condemned to Solitary confinement

In the very worst conditions.

In the very worst conditions.

The soviets were excellent At manipulating uncertainty

In order to divorce prisoners From reality.

They took away Your sense of time

By taking away natural light.

They took away your sense Of biological time

By feeding you At irregular intervals.

You could expect To lose yourself

In those cold, horrible walls.

In those cold, horrible walls.

Bell: during the cold war, There's a real interest

In any groups who were Resisting that soviet rule.

And the forest brothers Were secretly getting support

From both mi6 and the c.I.A.

Gough: each of which Had a vested interest

In the forest brothers' success,

'cause they wanted to see Russia and communism

Stopped in its tracks.

Narrator: The design of the prison

Narrator: The design of the prison

Means that only Three escape attempts

Are ever made from patarei,

And all end in failure.

Alongside the presence Of the feared kgb,

This was one of the most secure Sites in europe.

Andreller: 'cause it was Very hard to get out.

The walls itself was based As a naval fortress.

They were very thick. They were two meters.

And, of course, the systems Of internal security --

All the doors and so on.

All the doors and so on.

So, it was basically Not possible to do that

If you didn't have The inside help

From the prison guards.

Otherwise, you couldn't get out.

Narrator: The last execution at patarei

Takes place in 1991,

The same year that The soviet union breaks up.

The russians may have left,

But patarei continues to Function as a prison until 2002.

This building, Soaked in tragedy,

Lies derelict and abandoned, A dark reminder of the past.

Lies derelict and abandoned, A dark reminder of the past.

Bell: You can really see what that Soviet oppression was all about

For anyone Who was imprisoned there.

It's almost an opportunity today

To still look behind The iron curtain.

*

Narrator: off the coast Of new york city,

At the mouth Of the hudson river,

Is a gateway to america.

*

*

In the shadow of lady liberty Lies a 28-acre manmade landmass,

Scattered with 22 neat, Red-brick buildings

That contain a deadly past.

Gough: to say that this place Is atmospheric

Would be an understatement.

It's really creepy.

There's vines Growing on the walls.

There's bars on the windows.

There's bars on the windows.

All you can hear is dead silence

And the occasional Sort of sea bird

Crying in the distance.

It's no wonder it brings about Images of horror movies

And experiments Kind of gone wrong.

*

Narrator: Today, dappled light and sea air Stream through the large windows

In this dilapidated complex,

Revealing little about Its original purpose.

Revealing little about Its original purpose.

If you were to find yourself

Walking down the corridors Of this place,

You would ask yourself, "What's going on?"

These huge, ironclad doors

With these sealed-tight Sort of locks --

Is this a prison?

What is this place?

Narrator: what was the function Of this sprawling complex,

And why was it left To fall abandoned?

And why was it left To fall abandoned?

In 1892, the prospect of jobs And a better way of life

Draws immigrants From all over the globe

To the shores of new york city.

As they pass through The immigration station

On ellis island,

Many travelers bring with them Deadly diseases.

How can the authorities prevent

A pandemic spreading Throughout the u.S.?

Gough: America had opened its doors.

Gough: America had opened its doors.

That sounds great,

But the dark side, The flip side,

The concern that no one really, Probably thought through

Is that you're welcoming disease

From all over The rest of the world.

There were no shots.

There were no antibiotics You could give people

As they walked through the door.

You had no idea what They were bringing with them,

And this created the need For a hospital.

Narrator: this is the ellis Island immigration hospital,

America's first line Of defense against disease,

America's first line Of defense against disease,

And one of the largest Public-health hospitals

In u.S. History.

Its job is to stop A dangerous outbreak of disease

Spreading across the country.

But will it work?

An absolute State-of-the-art hospital

That had huge capacity, Highly trained staff.

Mcinnes: it employed the most Modern medical practices

That exist into this day.

It was purposely designed

To protect the people Who worked here,

The people in the united states,

The people in the united states,

And the other immigrants.

Narrator: this cutting-edge Medical complex is so vast,

It needs its very own Purpose-built island,

Separate To the immigration center.

Back in the day, when You arrived at ellis island,

You were greeted With a security check

And a health check.

It forced the health community To grow its expertise,

To test for things, to learn, To become more proficient,

And it was really the genesis

And it was really the genesis

Of the american Healthcare industry.

Narrator: in 1898, construction Begins on island number two

That will increase The total mass to over 15 acres.

But how can you build an island In the middle of the sea?

By taking inspiration from The ancient roman engineers.

So, what they used to do, Which was quite cunning,

Is to create two rings Made out of timber logs

And then pack the little space Between these two rings

And then pack the little space Between these two rings

With clay,

Pump the water Out from the middle,

And then you've got a dry space In which to work.

Narrator: Laborers fill the watertight Framework of the island

With rubble from the newly Excavated new york subway.

On the new island base,

Six dedicated hospital Structures are built

At a cost of over $23 million In today's money.

By 1901, the hospital Is processing

Huge numbers of immigrants.

Huge numbers of immigrants.

Most of us get nervous today Going through airport security,

But that's nothing Compared to the anxiety

That immigrants felt as They arrived at ellis island.

We've been on planes for hours,

They've been on boats for weeks, In dire conditions,

And they don't speak The language.

You can imagine the anxiety, The confusion,

And the tension on both sides.

Narrator: in 1907, Over a million immigrants

Narrator: in 1907, Over a million immigrants

Pass through ellis island.

The medical complex is Overwhelmed with patients.

But will this facility Succeed or fail

To control a serious outbreak?

*

*

Narrator: at the heart Of the hudson river,

On this tiny landmass,

Was america's Most advanced hospital.

Today, it's a shell Of its former self.

But over a hundred years ago,

It was overrun by patients From all around the world.

This is ellis island hospital.

This is ellis island hospital.

But to isolate and control Contagious diseases,

They needed to build A third island,

200 feet across the water.

One of the reasons Ellis island was built

On an island in the first place

Is because it isolated The complex from the rest

Of the north american Population.

If there was some kind Of epidemic or disease,

It could be held on that island,

And wouldn't Immediately be spreading

Through the rest Of the population.

Through the rest Of the population.

Narrator: made up Of 17 separate buildings,

All dedicated to Specific illnesses,

The contagious-disease hospital

Can seal off each section

And prevent the spread Of deadly infection.

Mcinnes: you can be brought To a ward like this --

This large, open room.

It's all going to be likely Men just like you.

You're going to be here.

Beds are going to be between Each of the windows,

Surrounding the area.

Now, this room is actually

Now, this room is actually

A design theory of florence Nightingale's from 1860.

She thought there was Something in the air,

Called bad air, miasma.

So she had this theory Of getting it out of the room.

And what you see Is actually engineered,

It's putting it at work --

Three sides of fresh air,

And sunlight coming through.

These large windows, They're going to be open

About 18 inches Throughout the year

To allow the bad air out.

And then she has something Unique in design --

This coving that you'll see Around the ceilings.

That's going to facilitate The flow of air,

Allow the air to travel Up the walls,

Allow the air to travel Up the walls,

Collect the bad air out, Come out the other side,

Go out the window On the other side of the room.

An advanced theory in 1860.

Narrator: this was the age Of tuberculosis and cholera,

So disease control is paramount.

The onsite industrial laundry

Processes 3,000 towels And sheets daily.

*

A giant steel chamber Called an autoclave

Uses high-pressure steam To disinfect whole mattresses.

Uses high-pressure steam To disinfect whole mattresses.

Doctors and nurses Do everything they can

To prevent cross contamination.

And the room's Going to be locked.

People are going to be here For about three weeks

While they're being treated For their infectious disease.

Narrator: there are Few antibiotics available,

So treatment relies on waiting

And seeing if the patients Get better or worse.

And seeing if the patients Get better or worse.

It must have been A scary process.

You were threatened With being sent back home

If you didn't recover.

The good news is, The vast majority of them did.

Only about 1% of the passengers

Were returned to their home Countries because of illness.

Narrator: so, ultimately, Ellis island's medical facility

Was a success.

But modern technology,

Along with advancements In medicine,

Ironically outstrip The island's facilities,

Ironically outstrip The island's facilities,

And it's closed down.

After the hospital closes Its doors for immigrants,

The island continues To be used by the fbi,

Which is quite interesting,

And then as A prisoner-of-war facility.

So, it had some functional use

After it closed down As an immigration hospital,

But, ultimately, it would Close its doors for good.

Narrator: in 1954,

Narrator: in 1954,

Ellis island and its hospital Are abandoned.

Once bursting at the seams,

This medical institution Lay empty and derelict.

But today, thanks to the save Ellis island foundation,

The hospital is being restored

And is reopened to so-called "Hard hat tours."

Immigration center is A popular tourist attraction.

Immigration center is A popular tourist attraction.

They come in droves.

But what they don't see is The hospital right nearby,

And the hospital, you know, It should be thought of

As every bit as important As the immigration center,

Because this is where the legacy Of american healthcare

Can really be celebrated.

*

Narrator: over 6,000 feet up In the french alps

Are a series of deserted And mysterious structures.

Are a series of deserted And mysterious structures.

*

*

What race of beings built This vast encampment,

So much of it underground?

It's like something Out of tolkien --

You know, something The dwarves would've built.

Narrator: a maze of dark, Desolate corridors

Leads into the deepest recesses Of the alps' peaks.

Leads into the deepest recesses Of the alps' peaks.

Why would anyone build Something like this

So high up in the mountains?

Narrator: but who built These bizarre alpine structures?

What was their purpose?

And how did they Become abandoned

Out here in this barren place?

The answer lies in the aftermath Of the first world war.

Back in the 1930s,

The french wanted To defend their borders

Against the germans,

So they built a set Of defensive fortifications --

So they built a set Of defensive fortifications --

The infamous maginot line.

Reporter: it was a labyrinth Of fortifications

Above and below ground,

Considered at the time the Ultimate in military defense.

Narrator: but would This first line of defense

Be enough against A german onslaught?

Would it work?

Meigs: The idea of the maginot line

Is it's not just one wall Or one line.

It's a defense in depth.

So, you have Anti-tank barricades,

So, you have Anti-tank barricades,

Sections of barb wire, You have lookouts.

It's not like The great wall of china.

It's more like A system of defenses

That's layered over The whole border area.

You should always consider Defense in your strategy.

It's like boxing. You don't just punch.

You protect yourself, As well as punching.

Their idea was basically, Let's build up

All the infrastructure we need To defend our country,

All the infrastructure we need To defend our country,

So if the germans come, This time, we'll be ready.

Narrator: but germany is not France's only enemy.

There is a threat From another fascist force

Allied to the germans --

The italians.

Were these structures A waste of time,

Defending the country From the wrong enemy?

And is that why they are Forlorn and forgotten today?

*

*

*

Narrator: after world war I,

France seeks To protect its borders

With one of the largest

Defensive fortifications In history,

The maginot line.

*

Nusbacher: as tensions With mussolini's italy

Start to escalate in the 1930s,

The french developed Further fortifications

The french developed Further fortifications

Along the alpine line,

Along france's mountainous Border with italy.

Narrator: just four miles From the italian border,

Along the crest Of these mountains,

Is the highest and most Impressive alpine fortress

On this line,

Ouvrage restefond.

*

But was it an ill-conceived Waste of time and resources?

But was it an ill-conceived Waste of time and resources?

How can such a tiny outpost In this vast landscape

Defend against the enemy?

Nusbacher: an alpine fortress

Could control passes With artillery

And make it difficult Or impossible,

Even under the best Summer conditions,

For mussolini's army to come Through the passes into france.

Narrator: construction starts On ouvrage restefond in 1931.

Narrator: construction starts On ouvrage restefond in 1931.

In a race against time,

Engineers must fortify this Region against possible attack.

Forts are dug and Drilled into the ground,

Going right down, In many cases,

Right down into bedrock.

French engineers Had tremendous difficulty

With the logistics Of moving heavy equipment

And concrete up into the alps.

And concrete up into the alps.

Meigs: they're made Of reinforced concrete.

Reinforced concrete Means it's concrete

Poured over a lattice Of steel bars.

So those things could take Incredible punishment

Without caving in.

Narrator: But by touring them today,

It's clear They were never finished.

What happened?

Did the italians get here first?

Gough: there just Wasn't enough time.

By the time they got To constructing them

By the time they got To constructing them

In the summer months, The summer had ended,

Winter had arrived.

You couldn't do That kind of construction

In the winter In the french alps.

So, they were literally shells

Of what they had fully blown out Along the german border,

But the italians Didn't know that.

Narrator: The french soon learned

That what they had Would have to be enough.

The enemy was at the gates.

But they had another problem To overcome, as well.

Miles from anywhere, How can the french army

Miles from anywhere, How can the french army

Defend this position For any length of time?

Meigs: these fortresses Had to be self-contained.

They needed their own power, Water supply.

They had to have Everything they needed

To sustain hundreds or even As many as a thousand troops

Through brutal alpine winters And periods of minimal supply.

So, food, hospitals, bunk rooms, Everything you would need,

But all underground,

But all underground,

All protected from bombing, From artillery.

*

Nusbacher: the ventilation System was able to vent

Not only to protect The occupants from gas attack,

But also from the diesel exhaust From their own generators,

And from the gases

Coming out of their own Artillery pieces.

Narrator: But time ran out in 1939,

When nazi germany and italy Joined forces.

When nazi germany and italy Joined forces.

They formed what became known As the "Pact of steel."

Reporter: the french troops

Were marched Into their modern caves

To wait for the nazi blitz

To smash itself Against the maginot line.

Narrator: now at war, France's military resources

Needed to be diverted To its battlefronts.

This leaves its vast alpine Region largely undefended

This leaves its vast alpine Region largely undefended

And staffed By second-rate troops.

*

Nusbacher: The maginot line is designed

To efficiently use Poorly trained conscripts

Who only have A short period of service

By putting them into positions

Where all they have to do Is perform one simple task.

And all of those soldiers,

Augmented by the technology Of the maginot line itself,

Augmented by the technology Of the maginot line itself,

Are able to defend france.

Narrator: on june 10, 1940, The italians invade france.

*

Will its unfinished Alpine defenses,

Armed with Inexperienced soldiers,

Withstand the advancing army?

Was all their years' work At the top of the world in vain?

*

*

*

Narrator: france's Highest defensive fortress

On the maginot line During world war ii

Was called ouvrage restefond.

*

But will the poorly manned And incomplete fortress

Be able to keep out The invading forces,

Especially the italians?

*

*

The italian army had a lot Of alpini, alpine soldiers,

Who were trained in exactly The kind of warfare you need

To get into france Through the mountains.

Narrator: the passes through These impregnable mountains

Are the main route into france

For the invading italian army.

This, in turn, makes them A prime target for the guns

Of the french defenders.

Nusbacher: You can't underestimate

Nusbacher: You can't underestimate

How powerful even A small fortress can be

In denying alpine roads To a modern, mechanized army.

Meigs: everything Had to be engineered

So that they could have Overlapping fire.

They could aim their guns From several different angles

At once onto an area Where the enemy might come.

*

Narrator: The gaping voids in these Crumbling fortifications

Narrator: The gaping voids in these Crumbling fortifications

Would have once held an array

Of machine guns, mortars, And heavy artillery.

Now, the only reminders Of its armaments

Are their protective shells.

Nusbacher: The domes that cover each of The machine gun emplacements

Are thick steel.

Even german 88 millimeter guns

Had tremendous difficulty Penetrating the steel domes

Had tremendous difficulty Penetrating the steel domes

On top of those maginot line Fortifications.

Narrator: But will this be enough

To suppress The invading italian army?

*

Corum: the fortifications Held out quite nicely.

But, taken as a way of Maximizing your manpower

And defensive capabilities,

For the most part, As a strategic weapons system,

For the most part, As a strategic weapons system,

It worked.

Narrator: These alpine fortresses

Succeed in stopping The italian onslaught,

But it's all for nothing.

After 46 days of fighting,

The french surrender To the germans

On june 25, 1940,

And their italian allies flow Through into france.

Nusbacher: if the french had Managed to build restefond

As powerfully As it was designed,

As powerfully As it was designed,

It could very well have stopped

A lot of italian combat power Getting into france.

Narrator: No longer useful to the french,

And never repurposed By the invading fascist forces,

Ouvrage restefond Is left alone and deserted

In the mountains.

*

*

Today, in this remote area Of the alps,

The remains of these Defensive fortifications

Carved into the mountainside

Are a monument To this global conflict.

*

Nusbacher: ouvrage restefond Is a testament

To french engineering skill And military technology.

Creating something That has the staying power

Creating something That has the staying power

To remain there for decades,

And that will remain there For centuries,

Is very special.

It's a kind Of engineering magic.

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