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Anyone entering the archives of the French Ministry of Defence (Service historique de la Défense) in Vincennes can feel a bit like a:n king:in - after all, the archives are located in the Château de Vincennes, the residence of the French kings from the 12th-18th centuries. The reading room is located on the second floor of the 17th century Pavillon du Roi, the king's wing, and creates a truly royal working atmosphere with its chandeliers and large-scale paintings.
The reason for this royal official trip in May was research on ground fighting in a place near the French border in the German Rhine region, which was captured by French troops in 1945. The Service historique de la Défense stores, among other things, the records of the French army from the time of the Second World War. From the daily reports of the various units, it is possible to reconstruct on which days certain localities were taken and where fighting took place. This is important for assessing the risk of explosive ordnance contamination prior to ground intervention measures such as construction work.
