General (Switzerland)

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General is a rank that is held in Switzerland by the chief of the Army in time of war only.

Generals were appointed during the Franco-Prussian War, First World War and Second World War, although Switzerland did not take part in any of these conflicts. All senior officers used to hold variations on the rank of Colonel (there were "Brigade Colonels", for instance).

Nowadays, the general officer ranks are: Brigadier, Divisionär (Major General), Korpskommandant (Lieutenant General) and General (which is not currently used). The senior Swiss officer detached to the line of demarcation in Panmunjeom, South Korea, however, is given the courtesy designation of "General" for equality purposes.

The following Swiss officers have held the rank of General as the leaders of the Army in time of war:

• Guillaume Henri Dufour
• Henri Guisan
• Hans Herzog
• Ulrich Wille

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Last updated on Thursday June 14, 2007 at 17:36:14 PDT (GMT -0700)
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