Ardennes

Much of the Ardennes is covered in dense forests, with hills averaging around 350-500 m (1148-1640 ft) in height but rising to over 650 m (2132 ft) in the boggy moors of the Hautes Fagnes (Hohes Venn) region of north-eastern Belgium. The region is typified by steep-sided valleys carved by fast-flowing rivers, the most prominent of which is the Meuse. Its principal cities, Liège and Namur, are both in the Meuse valley. The Ardennes is otherwise relatively sparsely populated. The Eifel range in Germany adjoins the Ardennes and is part of the same geological formation, although they are conventionally ...

See also:

Ardennes, Ardennes - Geography, Ardennes - History, Ardennes - Economy

Read more here: » Ardennes: Encyclopedia II - Ardennes - Geography

Vosges is a French département, named after the Vosges mountain range. Vosges - History. The Vosges département was created on March 4, 1790 like the 83 other original départements of France. It was made of territories formerly part of the province of Lorraine. In 1793 the independent principality of Salm (town of Senones and its surroundings), enclosed inside the Vosges département, was annexed to France and incorporated into Vosges. In 1795 the area of Schirme ...

Including:

• Vosges - History
• Vosges - Geography
• Vosges - Economy
• Vosges - Demographics
• Vosges - Culture
• Vosges - Miscellaneous topics
• Vosges - External link

Read more here: » Vosges: Encyclopedia - Vosges

World War II, also known as the Second World War, was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the globe and is accepted as the largest and deadliest war in human history. The war was fought between the Axis Powers and the Allies. The Axis initially consisted of an alliance between Germany and Italy, which later expanded to include Japan and Eastern European countries such as Romania and Bulgaria. Some of the nations that Germany conquered sent military forces, particularly to the Eastern front. Among the expeditionary ...

Including:

• World War II - Causes
• World War II - Participants
• World War II - Chronology
• World War II - A debated starting date
• World War II - 1937: Second Sino-Japanese War
• World War II - 1939: War breaks out in Europe
• World War II - 1940: The war spreads
• World War II - 1941: The war becomes global
• World War II - 1942: Deadlock
• World War II - 1943: The war turns
• World War II - 1944: The beginning of the end
• World War II - 1945: The end of the war
• World War II - Resistance
• World War II - The Home fronts
• World War II - Technologies
• World War II - Civilian impact & atrocities
• World War II - Genocide
• World War II - Concentration camps labour camps and internment
• World War II - War crimes and attacks on civilians
• World War II - Aftermath
• World War II - Casualties
• World War II - A world in ruins
• World War II - United Nations
• World War II - The Cold War begins
• World War II - Main articles
• World War II - Media

Read more here: » World War II: Encyclopedia - World War II

The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is the famous venue of the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix and the Spa 24 Hours endurance race. Designed by Jules de Their and Henri Langlois Van Ophem, the original 9.3 mile triangle shaped- course used public roads between the Belgian towns of Francorchamps, Malmedy and Stavelot. The Belgian Grand Prix was held at Spa-Francorchamps for the first time in 1924. Back then, the Belgians took pride in having a very fast circuit, and to improve average speeds, the former slow uphill U-turn at ...

Read more here: » Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps: Encyclopedia - Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps

Chilly may refer to: cold - of low (or lower) temperature; also absence of emotion. spice: chili. unfriendly. Chilly - Places. Chilly is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Chilly, in the Ardennes département Chilly, in the Haute-Savoie département Chilly, in the Somme département Chilly-le-Vignoble, in the Jura département Chilly-Mazarin, i ...

Including:

• Chilly - Places

Read more here: » Chilly: Encyclopedia - Chilly

Charly Gaul (December 8, 1932 – December 6, 2005) was a leading professional cyclist of the 1950s. He was an accomplished time trialist, however, he was renowned as a climbing specialist. His climbing ability earned him the nickname of The Angel of the Mountains in the 1958 Tour de France which he won overall and took ten stage victories. He was also successful in the Giro d'Italia, winning in 1956 and 1959, and claiming several further high places. Gaul was known for his strong performances in cold and wet weather conditions, of which he often took advantage to attack his rivals. He was known for his high pe ...

Including:

• Charly Gaul - Tour de France career
• Charly Gaul - Early years
• Charly Gaul - 1958 victory
• Charly Gaul - 1959 Tour
• Charly Gaul - Late Tours
• Charly Gaul - Giro d'Italia
• Charly Gaul - Other major victories
• Charly Gaul - Retirement

Read more here: » Charly Gaul: Encyclopedia - Charly Gaul

The Kingdom of Belgium (Dutch: Koninkrijk België; French: Royaume de Belgique; German: Königreich Belgien) is a country in northwest Europe bordered by the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg and France. Belgium has a population of over ten million people in an area of thirty thousand square kilometres. Straddling the cultural boundary between Germanic and Romance Europe, it is both linguistically and culturally divided. Two major languages are spoken in Belgium: Dutch—sometimes unofficially called Flemish—spok ...

Including:

• Belgium - History
• Belgium - Politics
• Belgium - Communities and regions
• Belgium - Geography
• Belgium - Economy
• Belgium - Demographics
• Belgium - Culture
• Belgium - Notes

Read more here: » Belgium: Encyclopedia - Belgium

Blitzkrieg (German, literally lightning war) is a popular name for an operational-level military doctrine which employed mobile forces attacking with speed and surprise to prevent an enemy from implementing a coherent defense. The doctrines resulting in the blitzkrieg effect were developed in the years after World War I as a method to help prevent trench warfare and linear warfare. Blitzkrieg was first used on any serious scale by the German Wehrmacht in World War II. Operations early in the war—the invasions of ...

Including:

• Blitzkrieg - Etymology and modern meaning
• Blitzkrieg - Interwar period
• Blitzkrieg - Reichswehr
• Blitzkrieg - Foreign influence
• Blitzkrieg - Guderian into the Wehrmacht
• Blitzkrieg - Panzertruppe and Luftwaffe
• Blitzkrieg - Spanish Civil War
• Blitzkrieg - Methods of operations
• Blitzkrieg - Schwerpunkt
• Blitzkrieg - Paralysis
• Blitzkrieg - Kesselschlacht
• Blitzkrieg - Operations in the Second World War
• Blitzkrieg - Poland and France 1939–40
• Blitzkrieg - Soviet Union: the Eastern Front: 1941–45
• Blitzkrieg - Western Front 1944–45
• Blitzkrieg - Countermeasures and limitations
• Blitzkrieg - Terrain
• Blitzkrieg - Air superiority
• Blitzkrieg - Counter-tactics
• Blitzkrieg - Logistics
• Blitzkrieg - Influence

Read more here: » Blitzkrieg: Encyclopedia - Blitzkrieg

The Wisent is the European bison, species Bison bonasus. The Wisent is Europe's heaviest land animal. A typical individual is about 2.9 m long and 1.8–1.9 m tall, and weighs 300 to 920 kg. It is taller and less massive than its close relation, the American Bison (Bison bison). Their hair on the neck, head, and forequarters is shorter than American Bison. Wisent are forest dwelling animals. They have few predators with only scattered repor ...

Including:

• Wisent - Near-extinction
• Wisent - More details
• Wisent - Trivia
• Wisent - External link

Read more here: » Wisent: Encyclopedia - Wisent

Etienne Henri (or Nicolas) Méhul (June 24, 1763 - October 18, 1817), was a French composer. Étienne Méhul - Life and Work. He was born at Givet in Ardennes. His father being too poor to give him a regular musical education, his first lessons came from a poor blind organist of Givet; yet such was his aptitude that, when ten years old, he was appointed organist of the convent of the Récollets. In 1775 a German musician and organist, Wilhelm Hauser, was engaged for the monastery of Lavaldieu, ...

Including:

• Étienne Méhul - Life and Work
• Étienne Méhul - Works
• Étienne Méhul - Discography
• Étienne Méhul - Reference
• Étienne Méhul - Links

Read more here: » Étienne Méhul: Encyclopedia - Étienne Méhul

Vendée is a département in west central France, on the Atlantic's Bay of Biscay. The name Vendée is taken from the Vendée river which runs through the south-eastern part of the département. Vendée - Administration. Communes_of_the_Vendée_département Vendée - History. The area today called the Vendée was originally known as the Bas-Poitou. In the south-east corner, the village of Nieul-sur-l'Auti ...

Including:

• Vendée - Administration
• Vendée - History
• Vendée - Geography
• Vendée - Economy
• Vendée - Demographics
• Vendée - Culture
• Vendée - External link

Read more here: » Vendée: Encyclopedia - Vendée

Dagobert II "the Young" (c.650–December 23, 679) was a Frankish king, the son of Sigebert III, one of the rois-fainéants ("do-nothing kings") and the last Merovingian king of Austrasia. The Arnulfing mayor of the Austrasian palace, Grimoald the Elder, the son of Pippin of Landen and Dagobert's guardian, had had his son Childebert "Adoptivus" adopted by Sigebert, who was at the time still childless. When Sigebert died in 656, Grimoald seized the throne in order to secure it for his own son, and cut Dagobert's ha ...

Read more here: » Dagobert II: Encyclopedia - Dagobert II

Ultra (sometimes capitalised ULTRA) was the name used by the British for intelligence resulting from decryption of German communications in World War II. The term eventually became the standard designation in both Britain and the United States for all intelligence from high-level cryptanalytic sources. The name arose because the code-breaking success was considered more important than the highest security classification available at the time (Most Secret) and so was regarded as being Ultra Secret. Much of t ...

Including:

• Ultra - Sources and history
• Ultra - Encrypted messages
• Ultra - Breaking the cipher
• Ultra - Use of Ultra
• Ultra - Magic and Purple in Europe
• Ultra - Postwar public disclosure of Ultra
• Ultra - Difficulties with some disclosures
• Ultra - Ultra's strategic consequences
• Ultra - Wartime consequences
• Ultra - Postwar consequences
• Ultra - Notes

Read more here: » Ultra: Encyclopedia - Ultra

Unexploded ordnance (or UXOs) are explosive weapons (bombs, shells, grenades, etc.) that did not explode when they were employed, and still pose a risk of detonation, decades after the battles in which they were used. Unexploded ordnance from at least as far back as World War I still pose a hazard worldwide, both in combat areas and military testing ranges. In the Ardennes region of France, large-scale citizen evacuations were necessary during UXO removal operations in 2001. In the forests of Verdun French governm ...

Read more here: » Unexploded ordnance: Encyclopedia - Unexploded ordnance

The départements (or departments) are administrative units of France and many former French colonies, roughly analogous to British counties. The 100 French départements are now grouped into 22 metropolitan and four overseas régions. They are subdivided into 342 arrondissements. Département in France - General characteristics. In continental France (metropolitan France excluding Corsica), the median land area of a département is 5,965 km² (2,303 sq. miles), which is two-and-a-half times the medi ...

Including:

• Département in France - General characteristics
• Département in France - Administrative role
• Département in France - History
• Département in France - Map and list of départements
• Département in France - French régions and départements
• Département in France - Former départements

Read more here: » Département in France: Encyclopedia - Département in France

Val-d'Oise is a French département named after the Oise River, located in the Île-de-France région. Val-d'Oise - History. Val-d'Oise was created when the former départements Seine and Seine-et-Oise were broken up into six départements in 1968. 01 Ain | 02 Aisne | 03 Allier | 04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 05 Hautes-Alpes | 06 Alpes-Maritimes | 07 Ardè ...

Including:

• Val-d'Oise - History

Read more here: » Val-d'Oise: Encyclopedia - Val-d'Oise

Coucy is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Coucy, in the Ardennes département Coucy-la-Ville, in the Aisne département Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, in the Aisne département, where the Château de Coucy is located Other related archivesAisne, Ardennes, Château de Coucy, Coucy-la-Ville, Coucy-le-Château-Auffrique, France, communes, département

Read more here: » Coucy: Encyclopedia - Coucy

Wallonia (French: Wallonie) or the Walloon Region (French: Région Wallonne) is the predominantly French-speaking region that constitutes one of the three federal regions of Belgium, with its capital at Namur. Its official languages are French and German. Wallonia - Demographics and language. The Walloon Region occupies the southern part of Belgium. It has a surface area of 16844 km² (55.18% of Belgium) and comprises the following provinces: Hainaut ...

Including:

• Wallonia - Demographics and language
• Wallonia - Economy
• Wallonia - Politics
• Wallonia - Etymology

Read more here: » Wallonia: Encyclopedia - Wallonia

The Battle of the Frontiers was a series of battles fought along the eastern frontier of France and in southern Belgium shortly after the outbreak of the First World War. The battles represented a collision between the military strategies of the French Plan XVII and the German Schlieffen Plan. Plan XVII, which embodied the military doctrine of offensive à outrance (offensive to the limit), was a disaster and the French army suffered enormous casualties. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) fought a relatively minor battle at ...

Including:

• Battle of the Frontiers - Prelude
• Battle of the Frontiers - Alsace & Lorraine
• Battle of the Frontiers - Ardennes offensive
• Battle of the Frontiers - Charleroi & Mons
• Battle of the Frontiers - Aftermath

Read more here: » Battle of the Frontiers: Encyclopedia - Battle of the Frontiers

Yonne is a French département named after the Yonne River. 01 Ain | 02 Aisne | 03 Allier | 04 Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 05 Hautes-Alpes | 06 Alpes-Maritimes | 07 Ardèche | 08 Ardennes | 09 Ariège | 10 Aube | 11 Aude | 12 Aveyron | 13 Bouches-du-Rhône | 14 Calvados | 15 Cantal | 16 Charente | 17 Charente-Marit ...

Read more here: » Yonne: Encyclopedia - Yonne