What can I say about this week this week the war ends
I'm indy neidell. Welcome to the great war
Last week what was left of the austro-hungarian Empire signed an armistice leaving Germany as the last man standing
of the Central Powers the Allies advanced all week in the West and cut the Germans last lateral railway line there a
Naval mutiny at Kiel has turned into a full-blown
German revolution and German delegates have gone to France to hopefully sign an armistice of their own
I mean you really can't fight the whole world on the 9th
Romania gave an ultimatum to Field Marshall August von mackensen
To remove all German troops from Romania within 24 hours on the 10th
Romania again takes up arms against the invaders
But the German leadership had higher priorities in the morning of the 9th as the week began
German armistice negotiators reached Compiegne forest in France while at spa the Kaiser
Tried to figure out his future. He met Admiral von hinten at 11:00 a.m
And said that while he might no longer have control of the Navy
He has the army and he can lead that into Germany and put down the revolution
There were now 11 German cities flying the red Soviet flag and five of those were major ports the Kaiser
asked quartermaster general Wilhelm Groener for his opinion groaner said
No military
operations either within or outside Germany could succeed the
Revolutionaries controlled the rail centers and a lot of soldiers had joined the revolution
Anyhow HEC Aachen the nearest German city just over 30 kilometers away from spa was under rebel control
As was very air a German occupied Belgian town just 15 kilometers away
the army would not fight and there were no reserves the Kaiser did not really seem to
understand and first suggested military action against Vera Vieira and Aachen
After that, he floated the idea of him staying at spa
Until after the Armistice was signed and then returning to Berlin at the head of his mighty army
Gruner said the army will march home in peace and order under its leaders and commanding generals
But not under the command of your majesty for it
no longer stands behind your majesty when the Kaiser pointed out that his senior generals took an oath of
Personal loyalty to him Drona said today Oates of loyalty have no substance
Right, then really right then a telegram was brought in from the Berlin commander that read all troops deserted
completely out of hand
Telegrams kept coming in all afternoon that were basically the same thing or worse one said that the Sparta cyst under Karl Liebknecht
had taken control of the Imperial Palace and from there proclaimed a German Soviet republic and
Responding to that a socialist leader named Philipp Scheidemann had proclaimed a Socialist Republic from the Reichstag
Chancellor max von Baden trying desperately to preserve the monarchy announced
Falsely that Vilhelm had abdicated and a Regency council would be set up
He then resigned the chancellorship and gave it over to friedrich ebert a social democrat leader the roads leading back to germany were held by
Revolutionaries and even at spa soldiers were setting up a soviet by 5 p.m. The kaiser
Decided he would leave for the netherlands and exile the next morning
Meanwhile in compiègne Matthias Ayres Berger tried to explain the extent of revolutionary activity and the threat of Bolshevism
Engulfing Central Europe and used that to try and get more lenient armistice terms from the Allies
No
Dice allied supreme commander ferdinand fought wouldn't have it airs Berger asked for a ceasefire as long as negotiations were in progress
No dice Fox will not cease hostilities
Until an armistice is signed
Interesting quote here from Martin Gilbert the fighting therefore went on but Germany could no longer influence the outcome of the negotiations
By its actions on the battlefield in the 100 days since the Allied offensive had opened at the beginning of August
Germany's power had been broken not by descent or revolution behind the lines or by political intrigue as later
nationalist and Nazi politicians were to claim but by the
Military superiority of the Allied armies the combined total of three hundred and sixty-three
thousand prisoners and six thousand four hundred guns
Constituted a quarter of the German army in the field and one half of all of its guns the war making power of Germany
Even to defend its borders was within a few days of collapse
But the war was still active in the field on the 9th
the Americans advanced into Lorraine on the 10th the Canadians entered moans were four years ago the British Expeditionary
Force had first seen action that day the British minesweeper ascott was torpedoed by a German submarine
53 drown
Also that day the Kaiser left Spa for the Netherlands
He did not take the train through Liege nor a car dead straight there through German territory
but instead went by car through back roads after being warned that the army and Liege may be mutinous as people would
Within Germany the night of the 10th news reached Compiegne from Berlin that the German government had accepted armistice terms
once signed
Germany would immediately
evacuate Belgium France Luxembourg and alsace-lorraine and everyone from those places who had been imprisoned or
Deported would be immediately returned home
Germany would surrender two thousand planes five thousand artillery pieces and thirty thousand machine guns
The Allies would occupy and German troops would evacuate
Western Germany up to the left bank of the Rhine and the Allies would take three bridges across it mites Koblenz and Cohn
Germany had 36 days to deliver
10,000 trucks five thousand train engines and a hundred and fifty thousand train cars to the Allies
All the German troops holding the captured territory in the East must return to within Germany's
1914 pre-war borders black seaports must be evacuated
They asked for the Germans to hand over a hundred and sixty submarines
But this caused a technical issue as the Germans did not have 160 submarines so they changed it to all
Submarines must be handed over as well as ten battleships six battle cruisers eight light cruisers and fifty destroyers
Germany will be required to pay reparations for damages done in Belgium and northern France
The trains carrying the negotiators pulled up in a siding in Compiegne forest
Not too far from ritand on the Iron River. They drew up in parallel a hundred metres apart
The main German car had once belonged to French Empress Eugenie Napoleon two thirds consort
But they met in fauces car a dining car wagon
24:19 D there Ferdinand Fache
Maxime Wigand Vice Admiral Ruslan Weems
Rear Admiral George Hope and Captain Jack Mariette met Matthias Aris Berger Ernst von Zell old count Alfred von
Oberndorf and Detlev von vinter felt in
the final discussion
Harris Berger got the concession that Germany would surrender only twenty five thousand machine guns
seventeen hundred planes and only five thousand trucks
This was designed to have something left to combat internal chaos
The armistice was signed at 5:10 a.m
on the morning of November 11th Fache telegraphed the news to the Allied commanders that
Hostilities on the front the whole front will cease at 11:00 a.m. And the war in the field the world war will be over
Fighting did continue all morning even after getting the news of the signing early in the morning
for example
the American army ordered the fight to continue if you think
Those soldiers who died in those last few hours died needlessly
You are not alone for that order provoked a congressional investigation. It is hard to say
Who?
Was the final soldier to die in the active war?
Just east of Mons Canadian private. George price was killed by sniper at 10:58
John Buchan the novelist who would later serve as Governor General of Canada wrote
At 2 minutes to 11 opposite the South African brigade
A German machine gunner after firing off a belt without pause was seen to stand up beside his weapon. Take off his helmet
Bow and then slowly walk to the rear
with the stroke of eleven there came a
Second of expectant silence and then a curious rippling sound which observers far behind the front
Likened to the noise of a light wind it was the sound of men cheering from the wash to the sea in
Cities around the world hundreds of millions of people soon flooded the streets to celebrate
Winston Churchill would ask a decade later who shall knock or begrudge these
Overpowering and transmits every allied nation shared them
These hours were brief their memory fleeting
They passed as suddenly as they had begun
Too much blood had been spilt too much life essence had been consumed
The gaps in every home were too wide and empty the shock of an awakening and the sense of disillusion followed swiftly
Upon the poor rejoicings with which hundreds of millions saluted the achievement of their heart's desire
There still remained the satisfactions of safety assured of peace restored of honour
preserved of the comforts of fruitful industry of the homecoming of the soldiers, but these were in the background and
With them all were mingled the ache for those who would never come home
Many of you have followed this channel for several years some
From the beginning and I thank all of you however long you've been fans for your support you well know
This project would have been impossible without it. This will be the last
regular episode of the series by that
I mean the last episode that follows the events of the war in real time a hundred years later
There will be a series of epilogues
Starting Thursday that talk about what came after this day and there are several Mondays specials yet to come as well
But the war is over
This has been without question the greatest most challenging
And most fun thing I've ever done in my life researching writing and presenting
The whole world war I did research and write all of the regular episodes myself
The specials were researched
In amazing depth by experts in their fields from around the world who donated their time and their knowledge to make this project
The best it could be I don't even know the words how to thank all of those people from the bottom of my heart
for their labor, and of course, I
Have to thank everyone who made this show
Spartacus Olsen for coming up with the idea with me and developing it David Voss and Daniel zeppos our who were producers back in
2014 and set up our studio
Astrid Einhard for set design also she and I came up with my totally iconic look together
Philip at bug and Adrian min dak who were instrumental in developing our motion design and animations
Chris grapha who has recently taken over motion design, dan
Kogasa, and lynn davis who built proper maps for us starting with the battle of verdun
Mark looks bullion, Novick
Felix Michels and Sebastian honkies who created the soundscape
Rulest ian. Halfa Marcus crouch Marv, France
Jana CH and Stephen Roberts who did some great editing work for us Laura Pagan who helped with social media?
Well, we definitely want to thank all of our interns Anna Ravel Christopher Hawk Rory Kirk B max Rose
Mario rezende Jack salt House
yoram a Pelt and Robert Maloney and of course the team that you know
And love that's been the core team since the spring of 2016 markus linka
tony stellar
florian fatigue and julian sang
As I said there will be more material to come over the coming weeks but today
Coincidentally conrad von hotzendorf birthday seriously, there's only one way today can end
I'm, indy neidell. That was the great war
You