The Armistice (11:00AM / 11th day / 11th month / 1918 )

Context of the Armistice

  • Date: November 11, 1918

  • After four years of World War I, Germany faced economic and social collapse.

  • The spring offensive ended in failure, eliminating hopes of victory.

  • By late September 1918, Allied forces (French, American, British) began offensives, increasing pressure on Germany.

  • General Ludendorff resigned, replaced by Vilhelm Groaner.

  • German forces were demoralized as all allies (Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria) were defeated.

Political Changes in Germany

  • Political upheaval with revolts and protests across German cities.

  • Transition from an imperial government to a democratic one.

  • Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated and fled to the Netherlands.

  • Germany faced chaos and a breakdown on the front lines, leading to a desperate need for a truce.

  • Initial negotiations with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in October were unfruitful; Germany hesitated to make concessions.

  • The new Republican government accepted the Allies' demands.

Signing of the Armistice

  • Location of negotiations: Compiègne forest, north of Paris.

  • German delegation led by State Secretary Matthias Asperger; Allies led by Marshal Foch.

  • Allies presented unconditional surrender terms with no room for negotiation.

  • German delegation objected only to the number of submarines required to surrender.

Key Terms of the Armistice

  • Immediate cessation of all hostilities on land, air, and sea.

  • German army to evacuate occupied territories (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Alsace-Lorraine) within 15 days, including repatriating inhabitants and Allied POWs.

  • Establishment of a demilitarized zone on the right bank of the Rhine and occupation of the left bank by Allied troops.

  • Infrastructure in occupied territories to be maintained intact.

Disarmament Conditions

  • Germany required to surrender:

    • 2,500 heavy guns

    • 2,500 field guns

    • 25,000 machine guns

    • 3,000 trench mortars

    • 1,700 fighter and bomber planes

  • Additionally, 5,000 locomotives, 150,000 wagons, and 5,000 lorries in usable condition.

  • Surrender of naval vessels: all submarines, six battle cruisers, ten battleships, eight light cruisers, and 50 modern destroyers to neutral ports under Allied supervision.

The Signing Event

  • Armistice signed on November 11 at 5 a.m. French time.

  • Signed by Marshal Ferdinand Foch and Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss for the Allies; Matthias Asperger and others for Germany.

  • Armistice came into effect at 11:00 a.m.

Casualties on the Final Day

  • Despite the approaching peace, fighting continued:

    • 3,000 soldiers lost their lives on the last day.

    • George Edwin Ellison: last British soldier killed on the front near Mons, Belgium.

    • Augustin Trebuchon: last French soldier killed moments before the armistice.

    • George Lawrence Price: last Commonwealth soldier killed two minutes before the end.

    • Henry Gunther: last American soldier killed just seconds before the armistice.

    • Alphonse Bala: believed to be the last German casualty, killed moments after hostilities ceased.

Aftermath

  • Initial disbelief among soldiers as supplies and ammunition still arrived moments before the news.

  • Celebrations erupted across the Western Front upon confirmation of the armistice and the end of fighting.

  • Duration of the armistice was to be 36 days but was extended thrice until peace was finalized on January 10, 1920, ending World War I.