Kennedy's European Experience: Europe Trip 2010 Day 4

7 Aug - History Day - :) On our way to Brugge, BE, we visited Compeigne, France and Azincourt, FR. We planned to visit Passchendaele, BE site of some bloody WWI fighting between British and Germans but time ran short. Compeigne, France was the sight of the capture of Joan of Arc by the English in 1425. It was also the sight where German surrendered to the Allies on 11 Nov 1918 - Thus Armistace (now Veteran's Day) except in Germany where it is St Martin's Day. It was also the sight where Hitler made France surrender to Germany in 1940 in order to humilitate them because of the terms of the terms of the German Surrender in 1918. It is a nice site with a small museum. The rail car that was used for both surrenders was destroyed by the Nazis in 1945 so it could not be used again for another German surrender. At Azincourt, we visited the site of the English victory over France on 25 Oct 1415. The Shakespeare play Henry V is based on this victory. King Henry V invaded France to reclaim the title of the King of France. French King Charles met Henry with 36,000 French troops. The 6,000 English Soldiers under the leadership and tactical skill of Henry V crushed the French in one of the greatest military victories in history. Very nice museum and videos. This was a critical turning point in European History. We then drove on to Brugge Belgium to the Hotel. There were numerous military cemetaries as we drove. This area was some of the worst fighting in WWI for 4 years - The Somme, Ypres, Passchendale, etc were all in this area. A generation of French, German and British lie buried beneath the ground. Some known - many unknown.