La Place de la Concorde Suisse

A copy of this book was gifted to me just prior to a 1980s relocation to CH. Wonderful research and writing from John McPhee (as alway, it seems). Certainly provided food for thought and interesting perspective as I entered the world of business and academia in German-speaking Switzerland. Probably the best review: my book eventually was borrowed by a number of Swiss (and long-term-resident expat) friends and colleagues, including some of the young men and women I coached on sports teams; many said that much of the book was on-point concerning their and their parents’ military and business experiences.Good purchase experience from seller Lost Time: item Like New as described, well-protected in bubble wrap and box, arrived early

Very interesting book but dated at this point. Would love to know what the current status of the Swiss citizen military is. The most neutral country in the world is also the most blithely warlike. Personally, I think it's a great strategy. However, somehow the protection of the mountain passes seems out of date in light of today's drone led air warfare. A well placed aerial bomb could simply take out any valley. Would love to know what kind of defenses they have now.

This is the first book I've read by Mr. McPhee, and I really enjoyed it. The author started out as a journalist and a lot of his pieces originally appeared in "The New Yorker." This background is apparent in the way he writes. He picks an unusual topic, or at least he looks at something from an unusual angle, and he is very economic with his words. This is not a criticism. You don't feel that you are being "shortchanged." Being linquistically economic allows Mr. McPhee to cram an awful lot of interesting information into a short book, in this case just 150 pages. We learn a lot about the workings of the Swiss Army and how it permeates the entire society. We get insight into the Swiss mentality and their philosophy of "neutrality." We also get a little history.....both concerning WWII and going back further, back to the days of the Swiss mercenaries. The famous Swiss precision even comes into play in the construction of bomb shelters: "....the Swiss started building one-bar (i.e.-being able to withstand a certain amount of pressure caused by an explosion) shelters to protect the extremely high percentage of the population that might survive explosions but without the shelter would be destroyed like the citizens of Hamburg and Dresden. Swiss calculations showed that something as thick as, say, a ten-bar shelter would be of negligible extra value, for the increased area of protection would be slight rather than proportional; for underground hospitals and command posts, three-bar construction was chosen." And even though Mr. McPhee is never wasteful with words, this doesn't stop him from occasionally inserting his dry sense of humor. Regarding the Swiss propensity for planning for all contingencies, and not being caught with their pants down, the author writes: "It would be very un-Swiss to wake up tomorrow to yesterday's threat and then attempt to do something about it. If Pearl Harbor had somehow been in Switzerland, a great deal of Japanese aluminum would be scattered all over the Alps." Now that I've dipped my toe in the water, I'm looking forward to reading a lot more by Mr. McPhee!

This book was a substantial disappointment. At 150 pages, it's a short book. But it's length isn't it's only deficiency: it's short on detail, short on facts, and short on interesting content.The content of the book consists largely of (a) the author's account of accompanying a Swiss reconnaissance squad on patrol and his conversations with the squad's members, (b) the author's account of his conversations with Swiss officers, and (c) three or four stories from Swiss military history. The text is padded with periodic (and wholly inadequate) descriptions of the Swiss countryside. And that's it.My first reading of this book took about 45 minutes; I kept skimming pages in an effort to get past the tedious travelogue and get to the substance of the book. Alas, a second more careful reading of the book confirmed that it lacked all substance.I can't suggest any other works on the Swiss military. But I can suggest that if you're interested in learning about the Swiss military, invest your time and money elsewhere than in La Place de la Concorde Suisse.

its fascinating!

This mountain-bound corner of Europe has withstood threats from all modern conflicts by being armed to the teeth and ever vigilant. Israel in the alps, but never conquered. A model for other societies? Or a throwback to the Middle Ages? The only threat not covered here is the cyber threat. But perhaps there are cyberwarriors deep in a mountain redoubt? It would be comforting to think so...

John Mc Phee a parfaitement décrit la relation Suisse et son Armée, c'est bien imagé et se lit facilement à lire