Summary
Highlights
In Autumn 1918, Germany, after four years of war, was on the verge of economic and social collapse. The spring offensive failed, and by late September, French, American, and British forces were pressuring exhausted German troops. General Ludendorff resigned, and by November, Germany's allies (Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria) had been defeated. Political unrest, soldier revolts, and protests led to the imperial government's replacement by a democratic one, and Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated. Facing chaos, Germany was desperate for a truce.
Earlier attempts by Germany to negotiate peace with US President Woodrow Wilson in October failed due to their reluctance to meet Allied demands. However, the new Republican government was ready to accept any conditions. The meeting took place in the forest of Compiègne. Negotiations were led by German state secretary Matthias Erzberger and Marshal Foch for the Allies. The Allies, offering no room for negotiation, presented terms of unconditional surrender, to which the German delegation could only object on minor points, such as the number of submarines to be handed over.
The Armistice called for an immediate cessation of hostilities on land, air, and sea. The German army had to evacuate occupied French, Belgian, Luxembourg, and Alsace-Lorraine territories within 15 days, repatriating inhabitants and Allied prisoners. German troops also had to withdraw from the left bank of the Rhine River, establishing a 10 km demilitarized buffer zone on the right bank. The Rhineland would be occupied by Allied forces, and Germany was required to leave all infrastructure, industrial stores, and materials intact. Germany also had to surrender vast quantities of military equipment: 2,500 heavy guns, 2,500 field guns, 25,000 machine guns, 3,000 trench mortars, 1,700 aircraft, 5,000 locomotives, 150,000 wagons, and 5,000 lorries, all in good condition to prevent any continuation of the war.
To secure sea routes, Germany was required to surrender all its submarines and completely disarm its six battle cruisers, ten battleships, eight light cruisers, and 50 modern destroyers, interning them in neutral ports under Allied surveillance. All other vessels were to remain in German ports, disarmed and under Allied oversight.
The armistice was signed on November 11th at 5 a.m. French time by Marshal Ferdinand Foch and Admiral Sir Rosslyn Wemyss for the Allies, and by Matthias Erzberger, Count Alfred von Oberndorff, General Detlof von Winterfeldt, and Admiral Ernst van Saale for Germany. It came into effect six hours later, at 11:00 a.m. on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. Despite the imminent peace, nearly 3,000 men died on the final day, including George Edwin Ellison (British), Augustin Trébuchon (French), George Lawrence Price (Canadian), and Henry Gunther (American). The last German casualty is harder to determine, but some records suggest 18-year-old Alphonse Bala, killed moments after hostilities ceased.
Many soldiers were initially in disbelief about the armistice, as supplies still reached the front. However, once confirmed, celebrations erupted across the Western Front as soldiers anticipated returning home. The armistice, initially for 36 days, was prolonged three times until peace was officially ratified on January 10th, 1920, marking the end of World War I.