The Swiss Armed Forces perform the roles of Switzerland's militia and regular army. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute only about 5 percent of military personnel; the rest are conscript citizens 20 to 34 (in some cases up to 50) years old. Because of a long history of neutrality, the army does not take part in armed conflicts in other countries, but is part of several peacekeeping missions around the world.

A complete mobilization of the army took place during World War II under the command of Henri Guisan (see also Switzerland during the World Wars). The Patrouille des Glaciers race, created to test the abilities of soldiers, was created during the war.

The item featured here is a flashlight that was issued to the Swiss infantry. The body of the flashlight is metal and has a hinge on one side. a large compartment houses a square battery. Just above that is the lightbulb and a spare lightbulb.

The back of the case have two green leather tabs with a button slit on each. The flashlight was attached to the soldier's tunic by passing the buttons through the slits. This created a hands-free flashlight. The design is very similar to the flashlights used during WWII.

The edge weapons from many countries are currently being reproduced. It is becoming more difficult to be able to tell the fake ones from the real ones because the quality of the reproductions are improving. The collector must become familiarized with the construction style and materials employed in the manufacturing of these medals. Attention to the details is critical in order to be able to determine the authenticity of the collectible.