Conrad Ulrich Sigmund Wille (5 April 1848 – 31 January 1925) was a Swiss military officer who served as 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 attempted to impress the Swiss Army with a spirit based on instruction, discipline and technical control.
Early life and family
Wille was born on 5 April 1848 in Hamburg, Germany to journalist (1811–1896) and novelist (née Sloman, 1809–1893). The Wille family was originally from La Sagne in Neuchâtel, a French-speaking Swiss canton. One of his ancestors, Henri Vuille (1714–1760), moved to Germany and altered the family name to the more German "Wille". Wille's family left Hamburg after the revolution's failure, settling in Switzerland in 1851.