Imperial maneuvers (Switzerland)

Kaiser with Federal President Forrer, "Kaiserhügel" Kirchberg SG on September 4, 1912

As Kaisermanöver are Herbstmanöver of the 3rd Army Corps of Swiss Army referred to from 4 to 5 September 1912 during the state visit of the German Emperor Wilhelm II. In the lower Toggenburg took place in Switzerland. The visit of the emperor was of great military-political importance after the First World War .

history

The maneuver between the 5th Division under Oberstdivisionär Hermann Steinbuch and the 6th Division under Oberstdivisionär Paul Schiessle took place in the Kirchberg and Wil area . Under the direction of the commander of the 3rd Army Corps Ulrich Wille , 1,309 officers, 22,645 NCOs and soldiers and 5,755 horses were involved. Over 100,000 spectators followed the action.

The Kaiser wore the uniform of the Prussian Guards Rifle Battalion , which was originally recruited from Neuchâtel , as a gesture of attention to the honorary Rifle Battalion 6 . For the Swiss, this brought back bad memories of the Neuchâtel trade .

Role of Switzerland in German Western Planning

The strategic-operational Schlieffen Plan of the Great General Staff in the German Empire in the memorandum of 1905 initially wanted to defeat France in a short campaign in the event of a likely two-front war , in order to be able to proceed against Russia afterwards. In violation of Dutch, Belgian and Luxembourg neutrality, the right wing of the army was to circumvent the French fortresses with 7/8 of the troops and defeat the French army by enclosing its left flank. Only small forces were to be deployed south on the left wing.

The planned German offensive to the west had its main focus in the north. It was not planned to encircle the French fortress area in the south with a march through Switzerland. Switzerland was first mentioned in the memorandum of 1905. Schlieffen was convinced that the French would not violate Swiss neutrality for being surrounded because they would have had to leave their fortress to do so. Schlieffen rejected the idea of encircling France south by Switzerland, since in his opinion a victorious campaign through Switzerland and a conquest of the fortified Jura passes would be time-consuming undertakings, while Luxembourg had no and Belgium a weak army. In addition, the French would not stand idly by as they march through Switzerland. Schlieffen said: I prefer to leave a people alone whose military organization is based on solid foundations.

Background of the imperial visit

Although the German army command did not plan a march through Switzerland, Switzerland remained interesting for Germany in view of any French plans to include Swiss territory in its own operations. Because of the massing of forces on the right German wing and the neglect of the left, the question of Switzerland's resilience had to be answered: Would the Swiss army be able to bind a certain number of French units? On the question of Switzerland , the emperor wanted to see for himself on the spot. In 1908, the emperor first expressed his wish to the Oberstkorpsommandant von Sprecher, who was delegated to the German imperial maneuvers, to attend Swiss maneuvers - incognito if necessary.

In 1912 the German envoy in Switzerland made the official request for a state visit by the emperor, which the Federal Council treated with approval. There were no concerns in terms of neutrality policy, since in addition to the emperor and his delegation, a large number of high-ranking officers from other countries were invited to visit the maneuvers. The main focus of the imperial visit was on the Swiss army. The visiting program was military-oriented and focused on military visits. The emperor's entourage consisted mainly of high military personnel, led by the Chief of Staff of the German Army and the responsible head of future operations, Colonel General von Moltke .

Internal effect

Artillery of the 5th Division in the maneuvering area on September 4, 1912

The imperial visit and imperial maneuver became a political, military and social high point in Switzerland, and its impact continued for years. In contrast to the foreign press, the domestic press limited itself almost exclusively to the external events of the imperial visit. The unusual, spectacular state act with its social and protocol-based process made the imperial visit particularly attractive for the population and the press. The layout and execution of the imperial maneuver did not differ much from other maneuvers of the time, but it resulted in an extraordinary crowd.

Colonel Corps Commander von Sprecher assessed the Imperial visit due to his longstanding personal connections to German military commanders as follows:

“ The main purpose of the imperial visit was to give the emperor and his senior officers the opportunity to get to know the military value of the Swiss army through their own experience. In the event of a war against France on the left flank, the German army command was keen to have reliable security for Swiss neutrality. (...) The reports of the German military attachés and the inspection of 1912 had convinced the German General Staff not only that Switzerland was serious about protecting neutrality, but that it was also able to effectively implement this protection ... "

- Theophil spokesman for Bernegg

Meinrad Inglin processed the events of 1938 as a prelude to his political novel Schweizerspiegel in poetic form.

External impact

At the reception of the emperor on September 6, Federal President Ludwig Forrer affirmed Switzerland's will to protect its independence by force of arms against anyone who might want to harm it . The emperor's farewell dispatch of September 7th said about the maneuvers: I am particularly grateful to remember the two days of maneuver during which I was allowed to observe and admire the achievements of capable and dashing officers… .

The contemporary foreign press reports reflected the political tensions between the powers on the eve of the First World War. Each nation emphasized its own peaceful intentions towards Switzerland and suspected the opposite side of reverse tendencies. The German military press was full of praise for the observed performance of the Swiss troops. The special rapporteur for the French newspaper Le Temps saw a connection between the imperial visit and German offensive studies and stated that the emperor had invited himself because he had wanted to see with his own eyes whether Switzerland had the necessary troops to be able to defend their neutrality. The Kaiser would have said to the Swiss: Your army will save me six army corps .

The imperial maneuvers convinced interested foreigners that Switzerland was militarily up to the task of flank protection arising from its neutrality obligation. In the First World War , the favorable assessment of the Swiss defense force meant that the southern section of the front was largely exposed to troops, thus keeping the major operations away from the Swiss border.

Anniversary celebration

To mark the 100th anniversary of the Imperial Maneuvers, a series of articles appeared in the Swiss press in 2012.
From September 1, 2012 to spring 2013, a special exhibition on the imperial maneuvers took place in the History and Ethnology Museum St. Gallen: ... the emperor is coming! The imperial maneuver in 1912 near Kirchberg - Switzerland on the eve of the First World War.
The Kirchberg community held various commemorative events in 2012. On the former location on the Kaiserhügel (Hüsligs) a panorama board and under the Kaiserlinde a commemorative plaque to the now disbanded 7th Field Division, which at that time took part in the maneuvers as the 6th division, was set up.
In the city of Wil, a memorial on the Kaiserlindenplatz on the Hofberg commemorates the historic event.

literature

Hans-Rudolf Kurz : The German Imperial Visit to Switzerland. General Swiss Military Journal (ASMZ), Issue 9, September 1962 [1]
Lieutenant Colonel Meyer: Report on the maneuvers of 1912. General Swiss Military Journal (ASMZ), 1912. [2]
Colonel Feyler: Les Maneuvers du IIIe Corps en 1912 . RMS 1912.
Capitaine de Tarlé: L'Armée suisse et ses Manœuvres en 1912 . Paris 1913.
Cantonal NCOs' Association Zurich – Schaffhausen (Ed.): 1912 - Kaiser Wilhelm II in Switzerland and the maneuvers of the 3rd Army Corps . Appenzeller Volksfreund, 2012.