Ulrich Wille Conrad Ulrich Sigmund Wille ( April 5 , 1848 – January 31 , 1925 ) was the General of the Swiss Army during the First World War . Inspired by the Prussian techniques that he had been able to observe at the time of his studies in Berlin , he tried to impress the Swiss Army with a spirit based on instruction , discipline and technical control . Nomination as General . At the dawn of the First World War , Switzerland confirmed its will to remain neutral and to avoid the conflicts which were going to set Europe ablaze . However , Switzerland was divided between the German - speaking Swiss who favored the Central Powers , and the French and Italian - speaking Swiss whose opinions tended to support the Allied Powers . As a Germanophile , close to Kaiser Wilhelm II , Wille benefitted from the pro - German current and the disparity within the Swiss Federal Council , which counted only one member from the French areas . In 1914 , at the outbreak of warfare , a general mobilization of all military forces was issued . Wille , then a Colonel , was named General of Switzerland by the Federal Parliament on August 8 , 1914 with 122 votes , against 63 votes for the other candidate , Theodore Sprecher von Bernegg . Von Bernegg would soon assume the rank of Chief of the General Staff and become a reliable partner of Wille ' s . The opponents of the general described him as " militarist " whereas his partisans saw in him a chief ready to manage an army in mobilization thanks to his pedagogical talents . Wille decided to concentrate the bulk of his forces ( 238 , 000 men and 50 , 000 horses ) close to the borders , particularly in Ajoie and Engadin e . Political Matters . The mandate of Wille was rife with political problems . Wille caused a scandal in French - speaking Switzerland by proposing to the Federal council on July 20 , 1915 to enter the war on the side of the Central Powers . Thereafter , the " Colonels ' Affair " in 1916 also had a great repercussion . Two Swiss colonels had given German and Austro - Hungarian diplomats specimens of the " Staff Gazette " , a confidential journal , and Russian messages deciphered by Swiss cryptanalysts . The affair risked Swiss neutrality since it implied relations with one of the belligerents . Wille decided to condemn the two colonels to 20 days detention , an unsatisfactory sentence in the eyes of the pro - Allied party . The confrontation between French - speaking Switzerland and German - speaking Switzerland widened . The Germanic newspapers supported the German actions in Belgium , whereas the French ones highlighted the resistance of the Allied troops . The economic situation was poor and many strikes occurred , reaching their apogee with the Swiss General Strike from November 11 to November 14 , 1918 . In a note dated November 10 , 1918 , Wille announced his concern for the rise of Bolshevism and the internal disorders to come in the country : But he added that it was necessary to avoid violence : Meanwhile , Wille had to manage the pandemic of the Spanish influenza , which affected the troops and the recruit schools . In order to combat the spread of the epidemic , enlistment of new recruits was delayed . Personal life . Wille was married to Clara Gräfin von Bismarck ( 1851 – 1946 ) , the daughter of Frederick Wilhelm , " Graf " of Bismarck , with whom he had two daughters and three sons . His eldest son , also named Ulrich Wille followed his father ' s footsteps in the military , ultimately becoming a Corps Commander . Wille Jr . also managed to keep his father ' s pro - German tendencies throughout his career , including during the Second World War . This would unfortunately contribute to his tensions with the next Swiss General , Henri Guisan . His granddaughter was the renowned author Annemarie Schwarzenbach , a friend of Erika and Klaus Mann .