Swiss-Made Heroes: Profiles in Military Leadership

Swiss-Made Heroes provides a biographical array of nine officers, all with Swiss roots, in a single volume that covers a period from the Middle Ages to World War II. This unique set of leaders had an enduring impact on military history, and their deeds proved critical to the development and survival of nations, institutions, and armies. They displayed leadership and fortitude under a variety of challenging and extenuating circumstances.

Among the Swiss heroes profiled are the Admiral who laid the groundwork for U.S. victory in the Pacific in World War II, the Colonel who opened up the American Midwest for settlement in the pre- Revolutionary period, the Major who mediated the largest Axis surrender in World War II, and the brave Captain who prevented the death of the Pope during the Protestant Reformation. Switzerland, better known for its watches, chocolates, and banking industry, has influenced world history far out of proportion to her diminutive size largely through her sons who followed the soldier’s path.