Armistice badge

[mike_vee]

Thought this was an interesting badge , hadn't realised size until it arrived.

I am guessing French but no idea when it was made , anyone any idea ?

[Sock Monkey VC]

No doubt simply a commemorative and likely French or Belgian (Novembre spelling). That train car pictured is the one the Bosch were made to sign the terms of the armistice in. It was saved for posterity but that backfired as Hitler used it to make France sign it's surrender when he occupied.

Nice little token.

[mike_vee]

Thanks , I thought it would be a good addition to my RBL WW1 Centenary pins.

[Just]

hello

another one from Tringlot93

Didier

[IMG][/IMG]

[mike_vee]

Thanks for the photo , the bar gives it added significance.

[dumdum]

Hi

I've been to Compiegne (sorry no accent on this keyboard....) and visited the carriage there like many others I guess.

I believe that the original carriage was taken to Berlin after the signing of the 1940 armistice where it was destroyed in an air raid.

[leigh kitchen]

Yep, destroyed in Berlin in 1945 I believe although I don't know the circumstances.

[dumdum]

Hi Leigh

I think that I read in the 'blurb" at the site that it was an air raid but it was 35 years ago so the memory has dimmed a tad....

[leigh kitchen]

I've read, perhaps seen in a WWII history documentary that the carriage was blown up by the Germans after it was used to take the French surrender, without googling or book checking I think you've got the correct answer though.

[Just]

Hello

https://www.usmbooks.com/surrender_train.html

Didier

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by Just

Hello

https://www.usmbooks.com/surrender_train.html

Didier

Browser will not connect to site , get security warning !

[leigh kitchen]

Originally Posted by leigh kitchen

I've read, perhaps seen in a WWII history documentary that the carriage was blown up by the Germans after it was used to take the French surrender, without googling or book checking I think you've got the correct answer though.

I watched "Fall of France", an episode of "World At War" on TV yesterday, to check if that's where I'd "seen" the alleged blowing up of the carriage at Compiegne.
It wasn't, merely stating "After the armistice, Hitler ordered the site destroyed".
Strange that there was no mention of the carriage being taken to Germany as a trophy.

[mike_vee]

From the Armistice Museum website:
"Hitler had the clearing destroyed and the carriage and other monuments transported to Berlin. The carriage would finally be burned in 1945."



The History Channel also states that carriage was taken to Germany and later destroyed.

" Following the signing of the second armistice, the Nazis seized the carriage and transported it to Germany.
The carriage was put on display in Berlin in the Lustgarten – a large public park in the centre of the German capital near the Berlin Palace. There it would remain until 1945.
The carriage ended up in the small town of Ohrdruf in the state of Thuringia.

..........so the decision was taken to destroy it, possibly with dynamite, but most likely by setting it on fire."

THE COMPIÈGNE WAGON