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Western Front: 1918: The Year of Decision
Allied Final Offensive
1. Foch's
Plan
2. Operations,
September 26-October 31.
a. Southern Pincer (Meuse-Argonne)
b.Western Pincer (Cambrai-St.-Quentin)
c. Flanders offensive
d. Operations of the French Center
3. German
Situation
4. Allied
Operations, November 1-11
a. Allied Attacks from the South
b. Allied Attacks from the West
5. The Armistice
6. Occupation
of Germany
The Armistice
The Allies had left the details of the armistice terms
to be arranged by their military leaders. Pershing objected to granting
an armistice at all, preferring to continue the attack until the German
forces were obliged to lay down their arms in the field. Foch's view
was that additional bloodshed was unnecessary if the terms of the armistice
were sufficiently rigorous to deprive Germany of the ability to continue
the war, and they were so made.
Actually, though the German armies had been beaten,
the Allied armies were in no position to administer a coup de grace
before winter put an end to serious hostilities. The advance of November
1-11 had strained their logistical support systems to the breaking point.
Despite concentrated efforts to repair and operate the railroads, supply
railheads lagged behind the troops by 50 to 100 miles. Motor transport
had to be used to haul supplies for these intervening distances over
roads strewn with mine craters and blown bridges. Under such conditions
vehicles broke down in large numbers. Foch had urged his commanders
to make final efforts to destroy the retreating Germans, and Rawlinson,
Debeney, and Pershing had organized pursuit forces. It is unlikely that
any but small pursuit columns could have pressed forward on November
11, and these could have had only minor local effects in a withdrawal
of such magnitude. If the Germans could prevent the collapse of the
home front and the disintegration of their armies, there was little
to prevent them from establishing a position behind the Meuse. In this
case the war would have continued into 1919.
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