Guisan, Henri

Japanese: ギザン（英語表記）Guisan, Henri

Born: October 21, 1874, Mezieres
Died: April 8, 1960, Lausanne Swiss military leader and national hero. He studied at universities in Switzerland and abroad, and obtained a degree in agriculture. In 1904, at the age of 30, he became a captain in the Swiss army. In 1921, he was promoted to colonel, and became commander of the 1st division in 1926, commander of the 2nd corps in 1932, and commander of the 1st corps in 1933. In August 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, he was elected Supreme Commander of the Swiss Armed Forces. On July 25, 1940, he won the confidence of the entire nation with a dramatic and moving speech he gave to his officers on the Rütli Hill (a historic site considered the birthplace of Switzerland, where the Perpetual Alliance was signed in 1291). Anticipating an invasion from the surrounding Axis powers, including Germany, he devised and implemented a defense plan (Plane Reduit, Operation Fort) to abandon the border areas and defend mountain fortresses to the death. After the Axis powers gave up on their plans to attack Switzerland, he retired from active duty in 1945 and became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Military Sciences the following year.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

[生]1874.10.21. メジエール
[没]1960.4.8. ローザンヌ
スイスの軍事指導者で国民的英雄。スイス国内および国外の大学で学び，農業の学位を取得。1904年，30歳でスイス軍の大尉となった。1921年に大佐に昇進し，1926年に第1師団司令官，1932年に第2軍団司令官，1933年には第1軍団司令官となった。第2次世界大戦勃発直前の 1939年8月，スイス国軍最高司令官に選任。1940年7月25日，将校たちを前にリュトリの丘（1291年に永久同盟が結ばれた，スイス発祥の地とされる史跡）で行なった劇的かつ感動的な演説で全国民の信任をかちとった。ドイツをはじめとする周囲の枢軸諸国からの侵略を予想し，国境地帯をあきらめて山間部の要塞を死守する防衛計画（レドゥイ計画，砦作戦）を立案，実行。枢軸諸国はスイスへの攻撃を断念した。1945年に現役を引退し，翌 1946年スウェーデン王立軍事科学アカデミーの会員となった。

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