# World War I Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2001, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-i-question/64857 "2001-05-09T12:31:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-i-question/64857/1 "2001-05-09T12:31:10Z")
Why was the Treaty of Versailles (sp?) signed in a box car? As opposed to say the Palace of Versailles, or the French Parliment Building or somewhere prestigous. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-i-question/64857/2 "2001-05-09T12:34:34Z")
I don’t believe it was the treaty of Versailles signed in the railroad car; it was the Armistace document, where each side agreed to stop fighting. That was signed by generals in the field, and the car was convenient. Sort of like Lee and Grant picking a house to sign that surrender. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-i-question/64857/3 "2001-05-09T12:55:59Z")
I think it was a passenger car, not a boxcar. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-i-question/64857/4 "2001-05-09T13:37:45Z")
Hitler ordered the same passenger car, in Compiegne, to be used for the French surrender in 1940. ---
**Author:** ![hardhead365](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/71c47a/32.png) [@hardhead365](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardhead365)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-i-question/64857/5 "2001-05-09T14:05:11Z")
…and then blew it up. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-i-question/64857/6 "2001-05-09T17:07:06Z")
The surrender document was signed in General Foch’s railway carriage and would have been very well appointed for such a senior figure, 3rd class it definately was not. The surrender was negotiated and signed by a party led by Matthius Erzberger but what is unusual was that he was not a military man, on might even make a case as some Germans did that the military as such did not surrender but were ordered to lay down their arms by civilians. Certainly there were amny Germans who believed they still had the chance of victory having put so much pressure on in their final push toward Paris which was ultimately held and then rolled back. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2001, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/world-war-i-question/64857/7 "2001-05-09T18:08:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hardhead365 \* > \*\*…and then blew it up. \*\* No. It was destroyed by an Allied Bombing raid in 1943.