Deutschland, Deutschland über alles!

[Robert T.]

IR90 is in Besançon!

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The French Army recruiting center in Besançon. / The Old City Gate.

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On the trip to Paris, we stopped for a while at the Château Montereau in Blaisy-Bas.

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The new bridge over the Loire River at the beautiful Château of Sully-sur-Loire.

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Troops bathing in the Loire River.

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On the road to Versailles and Paris.

(To be continued...)

[Robert T.]

BAND OF BROTHERS (PART 2)

Versailles, the traditional residence of French kings, was deeply symbolic for the Germans; it was the site of both the declaration of the German Empire in 1871 and the signing in the Hall of Mirrors of the Treaty of Versailles of 1919. The treaty had imposed humiliating peace terms on Germany after its defeat in World War I.

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German soldiers are gathering at the Royal Palace's Golden Gate.

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The Sun King

Equestrian Statue of King Louis XIV. In 1682, the “Château de Versailles” became the official residence of the Sun King and his Court.

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One Thousand and One Wonders.

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The ghostly Hall of Mirrors.

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“To all the glories of France”

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“Pour le mérite” winner General der Infanterie Walter von Bergmann escorted by Oberst Kraiss have just arrived at the Palace’s Marble Courtyard for a parade.


Walter von Bergmann(1864-1950); A general staff officer assigned to various posts during the Great War. He was commander of 113. Infanterie-Division from February 1917 to September 1918, then Chief of Staff Militärverwaltung der Rumänien (27/02/18 -22/09/18), then commander of Generalkommando 66 (III) until the end of the war.
Von Bergmann received the “Pour le mérite” in May 1918, along with war decorations from several states, including Reuss-Gera, Bavaria, Saxony, Württemberg and both Mecklenburg grand duchies. Promoted to General der Infanterie in 1920, he commanded Gruppenkommando I (Berlin) until retiring in 1922. On April 20th 1937, he was named Honorary Colonel of IR90.

[Robert T.]

The parade will take place on a terrace behind the Royal Palace alongside a wondrous garden.

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The final directives are given to the Officers.