Surplus helmets. The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of WW. It was signed on June 28, 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Although the armistice, signed on November 11, 1918, ended the actual fighting, it took six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty. Germany was to demobilize sufficient soldiers by 31 March 1920, to leave an army of no more than 100,000 men in a maximum of seven infantry and three cavalry divisions. Private soldiers and Non-commissioned officers were to be retained for at least twelve years and officers for a minimum of 25 years, with former officers being forbidden to attend military exercises. To prevent Germany from building up a large cadre of trained men, the number of men allowed to leave early was limited. No date or location available.