1918 Armistice: The Six-Hour Gap That Killed Henry Gunther at 10:59

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

By late September 1918 Germany was starving under the British blockade, sick with Spanish flu and losing its allies one by one. On September 29 at Spa, Erich Ludendorff told Kaiser Wilhelm II the front might not hold for two more hours and demanded a ceasefire on Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, while handing the surrender to civilian politicians who would, in his words, eat the broth they had prepared. Sailors at Wilhelmshaven mutinied against a final sortie, revolution spread, and the Kaiser abdicated on November 9 and fled to the Netherlands.

The civilian Matthias Erzberger was sent to Marshal Ferdinand Foch's railway car in the Compiègne forest, given 72 hours to accept harsh terms, and signed around 5 a.m. on November 11. The ceasefire took effect at 11 a.m., and commanders used the six hours to keep firing, leaving nearly 3,000 dead on a war's last day. Because the German army marched home intact with the front 450 miles from Berlin, Hindenburg and Ludendorff spread the stab-in-the-back myth and branded the signers the November criminals, undermining the Weimar Republic from its first day.

The terms required 5,000 artillery pieces, 25,000 machine guns, 1,700 aircraft and all submarines, with the blockade kept in place.
Some artillery units fired on simply to avoid hauling ammunition back to depots.
US Navy 14-inch railway guns fired a last shell at 10:57:30 timed to land just before 11.
French runner Augustin Trébuchon was killed at 10:45 carrying word that soup would be served after the ceasefire.
American Henry Gunther charged a German machine gun at 10:59 as its crew tried to wave him off.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Nov 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Nov 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Nov 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Nov 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Nov 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Nov 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Nov 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Nov 21min