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The Armistice - The First World War - November 1918

By October 1918 the German forces were suffering from shortages of rations and munitions The Allied advance had been sustained over a period of some weeks, and was in places quite a large advance. To the East the Turks had signed an Armistice with the British. To some in the German High Command there was no option now but to seek terms with the Allied forces.

Negotiations had, for some time, been taking place as to what terms would be acceptable to participants of both sides. Wilson was quite clear, the Central powers must accept his 14 points and show that they were willing to embrace democracy.

Faced with increasing disorder within Germany itself and disillusionment within the armed forces, the navy had mutinied at Kiel, leading generals formed the opinion that if they sued for peace now, whilst the war was still being fought on other nations soil, then they would be able to attain favourable conditions from the Allies.

The Kaiser, the German Emperor, was told quite bluntly that the army may well continue to fight for the Generals and for Germany but it no longer wished to fight for the Kaiser, Imperialism, it seems, had been rejected by the German army. The Kaiser responded by gathering his belongings and traveling to Holland, where he formally abdicated power.

The new government, rapidly organised by the generals, was instantly swamped with problems. Kiel posed serious problems as did the threat of uprisings from the left wing Spartacist movement. Faced with this level of civil disruption, massive food shortages and a retreating, though not defeated army, the new, Weimar republic, authorised General Erzberger to agree terms with the Allies.

He and other leading officers met with Marshal Foch (French) in a railway carriage near Compiegne. After a short discussion about the terms proposed by the French - which by their own admission were harsh - the German general put pen to paper at 5am 11th November. As a result of which fighting stopped at 11am. The war was over.

Veterans remember their fallen comrades. Sound recordings by the BBC.