For the Germans, 1918 was the last struggle on the Western Front. Ever since the United States brought its millions of soldiers and countless war supplies to the French mainland, the Germans' hope of victory has become smaller and smaller day by day. Please.
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On the Western Front, the German Army was not only unable to advance, but was also undergoing increasingly strong counterattacks. After investing more than 70 divisions and more than 2,500 artillery pieces, it planned to break through the British defenses from the right wing of the Western Front.
After the failure of the Second Battle of the Somme, the German army was already on the defensive on the Western Front. According to Ludendorff's words: Defense cannot bring victory and peace.
In addition to the defeat on the Western Front, the Allied forces were passive in Macedonia, Turkey and Italy. The freed-up British troops quickly regained lost ground on these fronts and successfully forced Turkey to withdraw from the war.
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At sea, with the schedule of the escort system and the addition of a large number of escort ships provided by the United States, German submarines were unable to deal with large escorted fleets; while most of the ships in the Allied Powers were equipped with radio positioning systems and hydroacoustic
After the detection device was installed, the German submarine lost its former glory and gradually changed from a hunter to a hunted.
By January 1918, Germany had a total of 134 submarines participating in the war, but by September, a total of 73 submarines were sunk, and only 58 submarines were built. The German High Seas Fleet was basically silent in 1918.
In the English Channel and the North Sea, two lines of defense consisting of more than 20,000 mines, in cooperation with the British fleet, firmly sealed the German main fleet at home, turning it into an existential fleet.
In the air, aircraft have transformed from large toys at the beginning of the war into a main weapon that can inflict powerful damage to the opponent. With the help of the United States, in 1918, the combat aircraft of Britain, France, the United States and other countries combined were the largest number of German and Austrian aircraft.
More than three times that of the two countries, and the United Kingdom
They also developed the day bomber De Havilland and the night heavy bomber Handley-Page, which can carry more than 700 kilograms of bombs and fly for 8 hours. The British used these two aircraft in German industrial areas and communications
More than 500 tons of bombs were dropped on the center.
Seeing that the German army was passive on land, sea and air, General Ludendorff proposed to Hindenburg that he should negotiate peace with the Allies. In addition, in October, Prince Max Baden, who had just assumed the post of German Prime Minister, agreed in accordance with the rules.
The "Fourteen Points" put forward by U.S. President Wilson at the beginning of 2018 (i.e., open diplomacy, freedom on the high seas, reduction of armaments, etc.) proposed an armistice request to the United States.
However, the armistice cannot be implemented in an instant. Just as the two sides were exchanging notes and bargaining, the Allied forces on the western front had broken through the Hindenburg Line of Defense, and the Belgian army on the north side had also captured Brussels and Ghent.
, the British army took control of the railway hub Mauberi, and the Canadian army also entered Mons. Germany was defeated across the board, and logistical supplies could not be sent to the front line because many railways were cut off.
Germany, which was clamped like a pair of pliers by the Allied Forces, no longer had the capital to bargain with the Allies. Ludendorff resigned on October 27 because he opposed Germany's unconditional surrender.
At this time, Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire had all withdrawn from the war, and the horizontal riots of the German High Seas Fleet also began to spread across the country. On November 9, socialist Friedrich Ebert was elected prime minister, and
German Emperor Wilhelm II left Germany the next day and sought refuge in the Netherlands.
At 5 a.m. on November 11, 1918, in a train car in the Compiègne forest, the German delegation signed the failed armistice agreement. In this way, the flames of the First World War that lasted for five years were slowly extinguished.
, soldiers climbed out of the trenches and foxholes from Switzerland to the sea, celebrating victory or defeat in their own way.
In this unprecedented war that lasted for 5 years and involved dozens of countries, although nearly 30 million people were killed and injured and 170 billion US dollars was lost, this war promoted the military technology at that time to a completely new level.
level, and many legendary figures emerged during the war. We will only talk about one below, his name is Paul Emil von Lettow Vorbeck.
When you hear this name, you should know that he is 100% German, and he is also a German aristocrat, because in the middle of his name is the word "von", which is unique to German aristocrats and can only be found among aristocrats.
Some surnames are too long, so we call them Lettow-Volbeck for short.
Mr. Vorbeck, no, he should be called the Governor-General. He is the Governor-General of the German East African Colony. He was born on March 20, 1870, in Saarlouis. His family is an old Prussian military family.
His ancestors had participated in battles during the Seven Years' War and the war against Napoleon, and performed very well in line with the requirements of the nobility, and his father was a Prussian Army General.
Born into a family with a long history and strong military tradition, Vorbeck was destined to join the army. In 1899, he graduated from the Military Academy and became an artillery officer. Subsequently, he was transferred to the General Staff
He held office and also went to China to participate in the battle to suppress the Boxer Rebellion.
From 1904 to 1908, Vorbeck also participated in the war to suppress local resistance in German South-West Africa, and gained rich experience in mountain travel and combat.
In 1914, Vorbeck, already a lieutenant colonel, was appointed commander of the colonial forces in German East Africa (today's Tanzania), overseeing 12 battalions and about 4,000 people. There were only a few German military officers and reservists in this force.
The weapons and equipment of the officers and some European volunteers were also very backward. However, Lieutenant Colonel Vorbeck trained these local blacks the same as he treated German soldiers, and treated them like whites in peacetime, which earned him the respect of the local blacks.
After the outbreak of World War I, Vorbeck was appointed governor-general of German East Africa, and his troops expanded to about 15,000 men. In the 11 days from 1914 to the day after Germany surrendered, the governor-general of East Africa led his more than 15,000 men
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It involved more than 300,000 British, Belgian, and Portuguese coalition forces in Africa. Moreover, during this period, it never had a real defeat, causing the Allies to spend an extra 7 million pounds and lose nearly 7 million pounds.
Thousands of soldiers.
After learning that Germany had signed a surrender agreement, the Governor-General of German East Africa surrendered to the British troops in Abercorn 11 days after the armistice, and insisted on staying in Africa to be responsible for the return of German soldiers.
Work.
In 1935, 94-year-old Vorbeck completed the last journey of his life in Hamburg. Later generations commented on him that he was a very successful, or perhaps a very talented guerrilla warfare guide at any time.
One of them. He is a purely professional officer, extremely flexible and resourceful, who often panics the regular and conservative British opponents. He has been fighting for a long time against an enemy force that is about 20 times more than himself, and he went away just because the war was officially over.
surrender.
He was never conquered on the battlefield; he fought against overwhelming odds, won the love of his warriors, black and white alike, and won the respect and admiration of his enemies.
The war is finally over, but the impact of the war cannot be eliminated with an armistice agreement.
In order to force Germany to sign a contract that would satisfy the Allies as soon as possible, the British Army directly approached Cologne, the American Army occupied Koblenz, and the French stationed in Mainz.
The German submarine forces have all surrendered. Except for those that were imprisoned, they were scuttled. The High Seas Fleet finally moved a nest this time. 11 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 8 light cruisers, and 49 destroyers were all helpless.
Underneath the British naval guns anchored in Scapa Flow.
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