“The German delegation has come to receive the proposals of the Allied Powers looking to an armistice.”

This is the story of guns falling silent across war-ravaged fronts–the story of the Great War’s armistice between Germany and the Allied Powers.

Sailors are mutinying. Soldiers are breaking. A revolution–possibly a Bolshevist revolution–is knocking on the Second Reich’s door. German leaders are coming to accept a painful reality: they can’t carry on this war. They look to the merciful words of Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points as they seek an armistice.

But as the German delegation sits down with Allied Supreme Commander Ferdinand Foch in his ornate train carriage at a secluded location within the Compiègne Forest, they find the hardened General is not there to negotiate. He presents a difficult pill to swallow. With little alternative, the German delegation moves forward. The fighting will come to a stop when the clock strikes 11 on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.

____

Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and

go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations
join discussions in our Facebook community
get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette
come see a live show
get HTDS merch
or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices