Die Schweizergarde, or....

[joseyclosey]

....The Papal Swiss Guard.

Not a war machine, but i thought this might be an interesting post anyway.

Joe

The Papal Swiss Guard (Päpstliche Schweizergarde) is mostly German Swiss. In 2006 the Papal Swiss Guard, responsible for the pope's personal security and the protection of the Vatican, could look back on 500 years of history.

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Established in January 1506, the Papal Swiss Guard (there were other Swiss Guards in France), an official Vatican City security unit, is still made up of Swiss volunteers. Although it is over 500 years old and its members wear colorful uniforms dating back centuries (see photo), the Swiss Guard is a highly trained security unit, much like the U.S. Secret Service that guards the U.S. president. Following the 1981 assassination attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II, the level of training for the Swiss Guard was intensified even more. The official languages of the Swiss Guard are German and Italian.

The first and most deadly military engagement of the Swiss Guard came on May 6, 1527 when 147 of the 189 Schweizergardisten, including their commander, died fighting the forces of Charles V during the Sack of Rome. Their valiant efforts allowed Pope Clement VII to escape the Vatican with his life.

The history of the Swiss Guard dates back five centuries to 1506 when Pope Julius II asked the Swiss Diet to provide him with a permanent protective force of Swiss mercenaries. Today's Swiss Guard consists of 100 soldiers—four officers, 23 NCOs, 70 halberdiers (named for their "halberd" battle-ax/pike weapon), two drummers, and a chaplain—all with an equivalent Italian army rank. The Swiss Guard serves as the armed forces of the sovereign state of the Vatican. Recruits must be Swiss male citizens between the ages of 19 and 30, Catholic, at least 174 cm (5'9") tall, and must have completed Swiss military training. New guards are sworn in every May 6 (the date of the Sack of Rome) in the San Damaso courtyard (Cortile di San Damaso) in the Vatican, swearing an oath in German to protect the pope with their lives if need be. Since 1506 the commanders (Kommandanten) of the Swiss Guard have been mostly Swiss Germans from Zurich, Lucerne, and St. Gallen. The current commander, Elmar Theodor Mäder of St. Gallen, has headed the unit since 2002. Today the Swiss Guard protects Pope Benedict XVI, who was born in the German state of Bavaria.

[TaosBob101]

Here's a pic when they still had K-31's. Bet the bayo is matching.

[BOLOMK1]

Isn't the "Lion of Lucerne" monument in commemoration of the Guards who died in 1527?

I have a pic of it from 1970 but don't recal the story exactly.

John

[joseyclosey]

John, the Lion of Lucerne sculpture was in honour of a later engagement the Swiss Guard were involved in.

This from another site.....

The Swiss Guards' honor was put to the test in 1792, when--after trying to escape the French Revolution--King Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and their children were hauled back to the Tuileries Palace in Paris. A mob of working-class Parisians stormed the palace in search of aristocratic blood. More than 700 Swiss officers and soldiers died while defending the palace, without knowing that their royal employers--like Elvis--had left the building.

In the early 1800s, the Danish artist Bertel Thorvaldsen was hired to sculpt a monument to the fallen Swiss Guards. The sculpture was carved in a sandstone cliff above the city center, near Lucerne's Glacier Garden and the Panorama, and it has attracted countless visitors since its dedication in 1821

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[BOLOMK1]

That's it.Now I remember.

As your description says,the sculpture is in a beautiful location.Almost secluded and quite appropriate for a monument.

Thanks for jogging the brain cells!

John

[stripperclip]

i've read about them on the internet very motivated group of soldiers and there dedicaton is unbelievable.