| An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting in a | | | | submarines, trucks, and locomotives. There had been |
| war. It may apply to the whole war, or just to part | | | | a false rumor of an armistice on November 8. On |
| of it. Sometimes opposing commanders agree to an | | | | that date the people in France, England and America |
| armistice for a short period of time, to take care of | | | | rejoiced because they thought the war had ended. |
| their dead and wounded. After this type of armistice, | | | | Then, of course, they were disappointed, but not for |
| the fighting begins again. A general armistice stops | | | | long, because the real armistice was signed on |
| the fighting in an entire war. This armistice continues | | | | November 11. November 11 was called Armistice Day |
| until a peace treaty is signed. When people speak of | | | | after 1918, with parades and a minute of silence at 11 |
| "the Armistice," they usually mean the one that | | | | A.M. to honor those who died in World War I. After |
| ended the fighting in World War I. | | | | World War II, some Congressmen suggested |
| The World War I armistice was signed in a railroad | | | | changing the name to "Veterans Day," to honor the |
| car near Compiegne, a town in northern France. | | | | dead of all the wars. World War II was ended by |
| Generals of the Allied and German armies met there. | | | | surrenders rather than armistices (see the articles on |
| They agreed to stop fighting at 11 o'clock in the | | | | V-E Day and V-J Day). Today, you may hear more |
| morning on November 11, 1918. The Germans | | | | of a "cease-fire" than of an armistice, but they mean |
| admitted they had lost the war and agreed to | | | | about the same thing. |
| withdraw all their soldiers, and to give up many ships, | | | | |