French Army Museum, Contemporary department, 1871-1945

Located at the heart of the Hotel National des Invalides, the Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum) contemporary Department (1871-1945) recounts a near-century of military history, from the defeat of France against Prussia in 1871 to the German surrender in May 1945. Reminding the public of the epic histories of the two 20^th century World Wars, with the Battle of the Marne, the trench warfare, the European crises of the 1930s, the phoney war of 1940, the June 18call, the Normandy landings and the liberation of Paris, it also recalls the times of relative peace that preceded them, retracing in particular the 19^th century French colonial expansion.

Through a great variety of artefacts - French or foreign uniforms, posters, photographs, war material - this book aims at providing its readers a better understanding of the different phases of the two World Wars.