Glossary · Term

National Redoubt (Switzerland)

1940 · 20th century · Also known as Réduit national

The National Redoubt was the Swiss defence plan announced by General Henri Guisan in July 1940, after the fall of France left Switzerland almost surrounded by the Axis. The army was to give up the populated lowlands and hold a fortified Alpine core, centred on the fortresses of Saint-Maurice, the Gotthard and Sargans, making an invasion costly and denying the vital Alpine passes.

National Redoubt (Switzerland)
Image: Auge=mit · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). National Redoubt (Switzerland). In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/national-redoubt-switzerland
MLA
“National Redoubt (Switzerland).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/national-redoubt-switzerland. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “National Redoubt (Switzerland).” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/national-redoubt-switzerland.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘National Redoubt (Switzerland)’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/national-redoubt-switzerland (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻