1. Henri Guisan was the fourth and the most recent person to be appointed to the rarely used Swiss rank of general, and was possibly Switzerland's most famous soldier.
22 Facts About Henri Guisan
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Henri Guisan is best remembered for effectively mobilizing the Swiss military and population in order to prepare resistance against a possible invasion by Nazi Germany in 1940.
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Henri Guisan was born on 21 October 1874 in Mezieres, in the canton of Vaud, a Protestant part of French-speaking Switzerland.
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Henri Guisan was the son of Louise-Jeanne and Charles Ernest Guisan, a doctor from Avenches.
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Henri Guisan attended school in Lausanne, graduating in 1893, and later studied at the agricultural schools of Ecully, France, and Hohenheim, Germany.
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That same year, Henri Guisan married Mary Doelker, with whom he had two children, Henry and Myriam.
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Henri Guisan was promoted to captain in 1904 and became captain of the General Staff in 1908.
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In 1911, Henri Guisan was promoted to major and was transferred to the infantry on the order of the Chief of the General Staff, Theophil Sprecher von Bernegg.
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Henri Guisan reached the ranks of brigadier in 1921, divisional commander in 1927, and was made corps commander in 1932, the highest Swiss rank achievable during peacetime.
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Henri Guisan was first at the head of Field Army Corps 2 then of Field Army Corps 1.
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On 30 August 1939, Henri Guisan was elected general by 204 votes out of 231 members of the Assembly, against 21 votes for divisional commander Jules Borel, who was mostly supported by the socialists.
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Henri Guisan was given the directive to safeguard the independence of the country and to maintain the integrity of Swiss territory.
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Whereas the government preferred an understated and politically riskless neutrality, Henri Guisan, charged with actually preventing invasion, opted to call for determined resistance.
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On 25 July 1940, Henri Guisan delivered a historic address to the entire Swiss Officer Corps assembled on the Rutli, a location charged with symbolism in Swiss Romantic nationalism by virtue of being identified as the site of the legendary Rutli Oath.
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Henri Guisan made it very clear that Switzerland would resist any Nazi invasion.
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Henri Guisan said that Switzerland would defend itself against any invader and would never surrender.
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Henri Guisan became a symbol of resistance to Nazism that was widespread amongst the Swiss public.
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In summer 1940, after the Battle of France, Henri Guisan developed his famous National Redoubt concept, according to which the Swiss Army would have retreated into the Alps relatively soon if attacked, but would have kept up resistance based on some sort of guerrilla and stay-behind tactics from there.
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On 20 August 1945, Henri Guisan left his command, considering his mission to be fulfilled.
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Unlike General Ulrich Wille during the First World War, Henri Guisan was an extremely popular figure in Switzerland.
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Henri Guisan has been criticized for admiring Benito Mussolini and Philippe Petain as well as having a meeting with Walter Schellenberg in March 1943.
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Henri Guisan's office, living room and dining room are preserved as a museum.