WESTERN EUROPE: Germany and France United

Few towns in Europe recalled the disastrous traditional enmity between France and Germany more strongly than the pleasant spa of Bad Kreuznach (pop. 33,000) in Rhineland-Palatinate. In Bad Kreuznach's ornate Kurhaus, Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg planned German operations on the Western Front during the last two years of World War I; from the same building, Field Marshal Karl von Rundstedt directed the Wehrmacht's withdrawal from France in World War II. Last week in the salon of the Kurhaus, France's Charles de Gaulle, who fought the Germans in both wars, raised a glass of good Rhine wine and toasted West...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!