The water provides typical Swiss perfection: a glassy showcase for the pure, blue sky and delicate buildings. As you watch swans and ducks glide by, it’s easy to get lost in the moment and imagine this place as an eternally peaceful paradise. However, during World War II, the bridge that now serves as a rather uneventful crossing point into Germany was the site of many escape attempts by American prisoners of war. The waters that seem so pristine and still were for many a terrifying conduit to freedom, either in life or death.