In Western thought a truce means a cessation of hostilities by both sides in preparation for a full peace. Another meaning is a temporary cessation of hostilities for a specific period. An example is when the Luftwaffe agreed to allow a British aircraft free passage to drop a pair of artificial legs to British pilot Douglas Bader in a German POW camp. By the way he soon used those tin legs to escape from the camp as detailed in the book and movie Reach for the Sky.
