THE END
Before entering into the terms of the Armistice it may be instructive
to give some short outline of the course of events at the German
Headquarters which led to so sudden and dramatic a collapse. No
doubt the political and economic state of Germany was very bad, but
the disaster was primarily a military one, as is clearly shown by the
subsequent White Book published after the declaration of peace. This
compilation shows that the arrogance with which the military leaders
spoke during their successful offensive, and down to the middle of
July, had changed in the short space of ten weeks to such utter
despair that on October 1 they were sending urgent messages to Berlin
that the war was to be closed down at any cost, and that even such
questions as the loss of the German colonies and the cession of
Alsace-Lorraine were not to weigh in the balance against the
imperative necessity of staving off a tremendous military disaster.
The inclined plane seems to have taken an abrupt tilt on August 14,
after the first successful British advance, when it was decided to
take the opportunity of the next German success to ask for peace. No
success arrived, however, but rather a long succession of disasters,
and Hertling, the dotard Chancellor, was unable to make up his {300}
mind what to do, so that matters were allowed to drift from bad to
worse. Early in October it was announced from General Headquarters
that a break through might occur at any moment. Prince Max of Baden
had been made Chancellor on the understanding that he would at once
appeal to President Wilson for a cessation of hostilities, which was
the more urgent as Bulgaria had already dropped out of the war and
Austria was on her last legs. As might have been foreseen, President
Wilson refused to treat without the concurrence of his Allies, and
some improvement in the German defensive line enabled them to hold on
until early November, when their needs once again became
overpowering, and the great twin-brethren Hindenburg and Ludendorff
finally admitted defeat. Then followed in quick succession events
which are political and outside the scope of this record--the
revolution in the Fatherland, the flight of the Kaiser and of the
Crown Prince into Holland, and the advance of the Allied armies,
under the terms of the Armistice, to the left bank of the Rhine.
Some account should, however, be given of the circumstances under
which the Armistice was signed, and the drastic terms which were
exacted by the Allies, the fit preliminaries to a peace founded upon
a stern justice. It was at nine o'clock on the evening of Thursday,
November 7, that the German delegates, led by the ambiguous and
scheming Erzberger, travelling along shell-broken roads, under the
glare of searchlights and signal-fires, entered within the French
lines near La Capelle. The roar of the battle in their rear was a
constant reminder of the urgency of their mission. They came no
farther than Marshal Foch's travelling headquarters, where they were
met {301} by the Marshal himself, with Admiral Wemyss to represent
that British sea-power which had done so much to promote this
interview. The proceedings were short and strained. A proposition
for a truce was waved aside by the victors, and a list of terms was
presented which made the German delegates realise, if they had failed
to do so before, the abyss into which their country had been
precipitated by two generations of madmen. Disgrace abroad,
revolution at home, a fugitive monarch, a splitting empire, a
disbanding army, a mutinous fleet--these were the circumstances under
which Germany ended her bid for the dictatorship of the world.
At 5 A.M. on Monday, November 11, the Armistice was signed, and at 11
A.M., as already recorded, the last shot of the greatest war that
ever has been, or in all probability ever will be, had been fired.
London and Paris were at last relieved from their terrific strain,
and none who witnessed them can forget the emotions and rejoicings of
the day. Those who had not realised the complete collapse of the
Colossus were surprised at the severity of the terms which had been
accepted in such haste. All invaded territory had to be cleared
within fourteen days. All Allied prisoners to be at once returned,
while those of Germany were retained. The left bank of the Rhine,
together with ample bridge-heads, to be handed over, as a temporary
measure, to the Allies, the Belgians holding the north, the British
the Cologne area, the Americans the Coblentz area, and the French,
Strasburg, with all Alsace-Lorraine. All danger of a continuation of
the struggle was averted by the immediate surrender of 5000 guns,
30,000 machine-guns, and 2000 aeroplanes, together with {302} great
numbers of locomotives, lorries, waggons, and barges. All Roumanian,
Russian, and other forced treaties were abrogated. East Africa was
to be evacuated. All submarines and a large portion of the German
navy were to be handed over to the care of the Allies until peace
terms should decide their ultimate fate. The blockade was to
continue. Such were the main points of the Armistice which
foreshadowed the rigorous peace to come.
It was not until January 11, 1919, that the delegates from the
various interested nations assembled in Paris, and their
deliberations, which seemed long to us, but may appear hasty and
ill-considered to our descendants, terminated on May 7, a most
dramatic date, being the anniversary of that sinking of the
_Lusitania_ which will always be recorded as the supreme instance of
German barbarity. So stringent were the terms that the Scheidemann
Government resigned and left the unpleasant task of ratification to a
cabinet of nobodies, with Herr Bauer at their head. So long as the
firm signed, it mattered nothing to the Allies which particular
partner was the representative. There was higgling and wriggling up
to the last moment, and some small concessions were actually gained.
The final results were briefly as follows:
1. Two new countries shall be formed--Poland in the north and
Czecho-Slovakia in the south, the former largely at the expense of
Germany, the latter of Austria. Germany shall contribute to the
building up of Poland the districts of West Prussia and Posen, both
of which are historically Polish. The important district of Upper
Silesia--the prized conquest of Frederick from Maria Theresa--was
left indeterminate, its fate to be decided by the people's will.
{303}
2. The northern portion of Schleswig shall revert to Denmark, from
which it was taken.
3. Alsace-Lorraine shall be returned to France, and that country
shall receive for a time the produce of the Saar coal-fields as
recompense for the destruction of her own coal-fields by the Germans.
Thus on each side, Germany was trimmed down to the lands inhabited by
Germans, the Danes, the Poles, and the French borderers being
emancipated. When next they march to war they will not swell their
ranks by unwilling conscripts forced to fight against their own
friends and interests.
4. Every effort was made by the treaty to disarm Germany, and to
prevent her in the future from plotting the destruction of her
neighbours. Those sudden irruptions of 1864, 1866, 1870, and 1914
were to be stopped once and for ever--if indeed we can place final
terms upon a phenomenon which dates back to the days of the Roman
republic.
The German General Staff--that dangerous _imperium in imperio_--was
to be dissolved. The army should be only sufficiently powerful to
keep internal order and to control the frontiers. Compulsory service
was abolished, and the manhood of Germany--to the probable detriment
of all trade competitors--was dedicated to the arts of peace. The
import and export of war material were forbidden, and the great
war-god, Krupp, lay prostrate in his shrine at Essen. All submarines
were forbidden. The navy was limited to thirty-six vessels of
mediocre strength. Zeppelins were to be handed over. German cables,
fourteen in number, and all German oversea possessions passed into
the hands of the Allies. With such terms, if the Allies continue to
stand together and {304} guarantee their enforcement, the Frenchman
may look eastward without a tremor, and the mists of the North Sea
can cloud no menace for our islands. For many a long year to come
the formidable military history of Germany has reached its close. A
clause which dealt with the trial of all military offenders,
including the Kaiser, concluded the more important items of the
Treaty.
So at last the dark cloud of war, which had seemed so endless and so
impenetrable as it covered the whole heavens from the Eastern horizon
to the Western, passed and drifted beyond us, while a dim sun in a
cold sky was the first herald of better times. Laden with debt,
heart-heavy for its lost ones, with every home shaken and every
industry dislocated, its hospitals filled with broken men, its
hoarded capital all wasted upon useless engines--such was the world
which the accursed German Kultur had left behind it. Here was the
crop reaped from those navy bills and army estimates, those frantic
professors and wild journalists, those heavy-necked, sword-trailing
generals, those obsequious, arrogant courtiers, and the vain, swollen
creature whom they courted. Peace had come at last--if such a name
can be given to a state where international bitterness will long
continue, and where within each frontier the bulk of mankind, shaken
by these great events from the ruts of custom, contend fiercely for
some selfish advantage out of the general chaos. In the East,
Russia, like some horrible invertebrate creature, entangles itself
with its own tentacles, and wrestles against itself with such
intricate convulsions that one can hardly say which attacks or which
defends, which is living or which already dead. But the world swings
on the divine {305} cycle. He who made the planet from the fire-mist
is still at work moulding with set and sustained purpose the
destinies of a universe which at every stage can only reach the
higher through its combat with the lower.
Here the historian's task is done. It has occupied and alleviated
many heavy days. Whatever its sins of omission it should surely
contain some trace of the spirit of the times, since many a chapter
was written to the rumble of the distant guns, and twice the author
was able to leave his desk and then return with such inspiration as
an actual view of the battlefields could afford him. The whole
British line in 1916, the Soissons and Ardennes positions of the
French, the Carnic Alps, the Trentino, and the Isonzo positions of
the Italians were all visited in turn; while in 1918, as recorded,
the crowning mercy of September 29 was actually witnessed by the
writer. He lays down his pen at last with the deep conviction that
the final results of this great convulsion are meant to be spiritual
rather than material, and that upon an enlightened recognition of
this depends the future history of mankind. Not to change rival
frontiers, but to mould the hearts and spirits of men--there lie the
explanation and the justification of all that we have endured. The
system which left seven million dead upon the fields of Europe must
be rotten to the core. Time will elapse before the true message is
mastered, but when that day arrives the war of 1914 may be regarded
as the end of the dark ages and the start of that upward path which
leads away from personal or national selfishness towards the City
Beautiful upon the distant hills.
{307}
APPENDIX
The following account of some personal experiences on the day when
the Hindenburg Line was finally broken--the most important day,
perhaps, in the whole war--may possibly be worthy of the decent
obscurity of an appendix, though it is too slight and too personal
for the pages of a serious chronicle. It is appended for what it is
worth, reprinted with a few additions from the columns of _The
Times_:--
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord,
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored.
The grand, sonorous, mystical lines of Julia Ward Howe rang in my
head as I found myself by most unlooked-for chance an actual
eyewitness of this, one of the historical episodes of the greatest of
wars. Yes, with my own eyes I saw the rent while the men who made it
were still pushing forward from the farther side of it.
Even now I can hardly realise that it was so. A kindly invitation
from the Australian Government explains my presence on their front,
while the energy and goodwill of a helpful soldier on the spot, a
captain of Australian Artillery, brought about the rest. Let me try
to transcribe what I saw.
It was about 11 o'clock when we reached the edge of the battle-field
on Sunday, September 29. "We" refers to Sir Joseph Cook, Colonial
statesman, Commander Latham, the Australian Naval Attaché, and
myself, with Captain Plunket, a twice-wounded Australian officer, as
our shepherd.
The programme of the day was already clear in our heads. American
Divisions were to rush the front line. The Australian {308}
Divisions were to pass through them, and carry the battle front
forward. Already as we arrived the glad news came back that the
Americans had done their part, and that the Australians had just been
unleashed. Also that the Germans were standing to it like men.
As our car threaded the crowded street between the ruins of Templeux
we met the wounded coming back, covered cars with nothing visible
save protruding boots, and a constant stream of pedestrians, some
limping, some with bandaged arms and faces, some supported by Red
Cross men, a few in pain, most of them smiling grimly behind their
cigarettes. Amid them came the first clump of prisoners, fifty or
more, pitiable enough, and yet I could not pity them, the weary,
shuffling, hang-dog creatures, with no touch of nobility in their
features or their bearing.
The village was full of Americans and Australians, extraordinarily
like each other in type. One could well have lingered, for it was
all of great interest, but there were even greater interests ahead,
so we turned up a hill, left our car, which had reached its limit,
and proceeded on foot. The road took us through a farm, where a
British anti-aircraft battery stood ready for action. Then we found
open plain, and went forward, amid old trenches and rusty wire, in
the direction of the battle.
We had now passed the heavy gun positions, and were among the
field-guns, so that the noise was deafening. A British howitzer
battery was hard at work, and we stopped to chat with the major. His
crews had been at it for six hours, but were in great good-humour,
and chuckled mightily when the blast of one of their guns nearly
drove in our eardrums, we having got rather too far forward. The
effect was that of a ringing box on the exposed ear--with which
valediction we left our grinning British gunners and pushed on to the
east, under a screaming canopy of our own shells. The wild, empty
waste of moor was broken by a single shallow quarry or gravel-pit, in
which we could see some movement. In it we found an advanced
dressing station, with about a hundred American and Australian
gunners and orderlies. {309} There were dug-outs in the sides of
this flat excavation, and it had been an American battalion H.Q. up
to a few hours before. We were now about a thousand yards from the
Hindenburg Line, and I learned with emotion that this spot was the
Egg Redoubt, one of those advanced outposts of General Gough's Army
which suffered so tragic and glorious a fate in that great military
epic of March 21--one of the grandest in the whole war. The fact
that we were now actually standing in the Egg Redoubt showed me, as
nothing else could have done, how completely the ground had been
recovered, and how the day of retribution was at hand.
We were standing near the eastward lip of the excavation, and looking
over it, when it was first brought to our attention that it took two
to make a battle. Up to now we had seen only one. Now two shells
burst in quick succession forty yards in front of us, and a spray of
earth went into the air. "Whizz-bangs," remarked our soldier-guide
casually. Personally, I felt less keenly interested in their name
than in the fact that they were there at all.
We thought we had done pretty well to get within 1000 yards of the
famous line, but now came a crowning bit of good fortune, for an
Australian gunner captain, a mere lad, but a soldier from his hawk's
eyes to his active feet, volunteered to rush us forward to some coign
of vantage known to himself. So it was Eastward Ho! once more, still
over a dull, barren plain sloping gently upwards, with little sign of
life. Here and there was the quick fluff of a bursting shell, but at
a comforting distance. Suddenly ahead of us a definite object broke
the sky-line. It was a Tank, upon which the crew were working with
spanners and levers, for its comrades were now far ahead, and it
would fain follow. This, it seems, was the grand stand which our
young gunner had selected. On to the top of it we clambered--and
there, at our very feet and less than 500 yards away, was the rift
which had been torn a few hours before in the Hindenburg line. On
the dun slope beyond it, under our very eyes, was even now being
fought a part of that great fight where at last the children of light
were beating down into the earth the forces of darkness. It {310}
was there. We could see it. And yet how little there was to see!
The ridge was passed and the ground sloped down, as dark and heathy
as Hindhead. In front of us lay a village. It was Bellicourt. The
Hindenburg position ran through it. It lay quiet enough, and with
the unaided eye one could see rusty red fields of wire in front of
it. But the wire had availed nothing, nor had the trench that lurked
behind it, for beyond it, beside the village of Nauroy, there was a
long white line, clouds of pale steam-like vapour spouting up against
a dark, rain-sodden sky. "The Boche smoke barrage," said our guide.
"They are going to counter-attack." Only this, the long, white,
swirling cloud upon the dark plain, told of the strife in front of
us. With my glasses I saw what looked like Tanks, but whether
wrecked or in action I could not say. There was the battle--the
greatest of battles--but nowhere could I see a moving figure. It is
true that all the noises of the Pit seemed to rise from that lonely
landscape, but noise was always with us, go where we would.
The Australians were ahead where that line of smoke marked their
progress. In the sloping fields, which at that point emerged out of
the moor, the victorious Americans, who had done their part, were
crouching. It was an assured victory upon which we gazed, achieved
so rapidly that we were ourselves standing far forward in ground
which had been won that day. The wounded had been brought in, and I
saw no corpses, though some friends who had reached the line to our
left found eighteen American lads lying dead by the roadside. On
that side the fight was very severe, and the Germans, who had been
hidden in their huge dug-outs, were doing their usual trick of
emerging and cutting off the attack. So much we gathered afterwards,
but for the moment it was the panorama before us which was engrossing
all our thoughts.
Suddenly the German guns woke up. I can but pray that it was not our
group which drew their fire upon the half-mended Tank. Shell after
shell fell in its direction, all of them short, but creeping forward
with each salvo. It was time for us to go. If any man says that
without a call of {311} duty he likes being under aimed shell-fire,
he is not a man whose word I would trust. Some of the shells burst
with a rusty red outflame, and we were told that they were gas
shells. I may say that before we were admitted on to the
battle-field at all, we were ushered one by one into a room where
some devil's pipkin was bubbling in the corner, and were taught to
use our gas-masks by the simple expedient of telling us that if we
failed to acquire the art then and there a very painful alternative
was awaiting us.
We made our way back, with no indecent haste, but certainly without
loitering, across the plain, the shells always getting rather nearer,
until we came to the excavation. Here we had a welcome rest, for our
good gunner took us into his cubby-hole of a dug-out, which would at
least stop shrapnel, and we shared his tea and dried beef, a true
Australian soldier's meal.
The German fire was now rather heavy, and our expert host explained
that this meant that he had recovered from the shock of the attack,
had reorganised his guns, and was generally his merry self once more.
From where we sat we could see heavy shells bursting far to our rear,
and there was a general atmosphere of explosion all round us, which
might have seemed alarming had it not been for the general chatty
afternoon-tea appearance of all these veteran soldiers with whom it
was our privilege to find ourselves. A group of sulky-looking German
prisoners sat in a corner, while a lank and freckled Australian
soldier, with his knee sticking out of a rent in his trousers was
walking about with four watches dangling from his hand, endeavouring
vainly to sell them. Far be it from me to assert that he did not
bring the watches from Sydney and choose this moment for doing a deal
in them, but they were heavy old Teutonic time-pieces, and the
prisoners seemed to take a rather personal interest in them.
As we started on our homeward track we came, first, upon the British
battery which seemed to be limbering up with some idea of advancing,
and so lost its chance of administering a box on our other ear.
Farther still we met our friends of the air guns, and stopped again
to exchange a few impressions. {312} They had nothing to fire at,
and seemed bored to tears, for the red, white, and blue machines were
in full command of the sky. Soon we found our motor waiting in the
lee of a ruined house, and began to thread our way back through the
wonderfully picturesque streams of men, American, Australian,
British, and German, who were strung along the road.
And then occurred a very horrible incident. One knew, of course,
that one could not wander about a battlefield and not find oneself
sooner or later involved in some tragedy, but we were now out of
range of any but heavy guns, and their shots were spasmodic. We had
halted the car for an instant to gather up two German helmets which
Commander Latham had seen on the roadside, when there was a very
heavy burst close ahead round a curve in the village street. A
geyser of red brick-dust flew up into the air. An instant later our
car rounded the corner. None of us will forget what we saw. There
was a tangle of mutilated horses, their necks rising and sinking.
Beside them a man with his hand blown off was staggering away, the
blood gushing from his upturned sleeve. He was moving round and
holding the arm raised and hanging, as a dog holds an injured foot.
Beside the horses lay a shattered man, drenched crimson from head to
foot, with two great glazed eyes looking upwards through a mask of
blood. Two comrades were at hand to help, and we could only go upon
our way with the ghastly picture stamped for ever upon our memory.
The image of that dead driver might well haunt one in one's dreams.
Once through Templeux and on the main road for Peronne things became
less exciting, and we drew up to see a column of 900 prisoners pass
us. Each side of the causeway was lined by Australians, with their
keen, clear-cut, falcon faces, and between lurched these heavy-jawed,
beetle-browed, uncouth louts, new caught and staring round with
bewildered eyes at their debonnaire captors. I saw none of that
relief at getting out of it which I have read of; nor did I see any
signs of fear, but the prevailing impression was an ox-like stolidity
and dulness. It was a herd of beasts, not a procession of men. It
was indeed farcical to think that these {313} uniformed bumpkins
represented the great military nation, while the gallant figures who
lined the road belonged to the race which they had despised as being
unwarlike. Time and Fate between them have a pretty sense of humour.
One of them caught my eye as he passed and roared out in guttural
English, "The old Jairman is out!" It was the only word I heard them
speak. French cavalry troopers, stern, dignified, and martial, rode
at either end of the bedraggled procession.
They are great soldiers, these Australians. I think they would admit
it themselves, but a spectator is bound to confirm it. There is a
reckless dare-devilry, combined with a spice of cunning, which gives
them a place of their own in the Imperial ranks. They have a great
advantage, too, in having a permanent organisation, the same five
divisions always in the same Corps, under the same chief. It doubles
their military value--and the same applies equally, of course, to the
Canadians. None the less, they must not undervalue their British
comrades or lose their sense of proportion. I had a chance of
addressing some 1200 of them on our return that evening, and while
telling them all that I thought of their splendid deeds, I ventured
to remind them that 72 per cent of the men engaged and 76 per cent of
the casualties were Englishmen of England. But this is a description
of a day's adventure on the Hindenburg line, and my deep appreciation
of the Commonwealth soldiers, of their officers, and of their
Commander, must appear elsewhere.
ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE.
{315}
INDEX
Abancourt, 259, 261, 262
Achiet-le-Grand, 81, 102, 103, 106, 121, 123
Achiet-le-Petit, 121
Adams, Sapper, V.C., 202
Aisne River, 1, 5, 6, 21, 80
Albert, 26, 45, 47, 48, 82, 84, 85, 228
Allason, General, 86
Allenby, General Sir Edmund, 22, 296
American Army, co-operation of, with British Armies, 6, 25, 32, 37,
38, 39, 40, 41, 150-158, 161, 164, 166, 168, 169, 174, 175, 177, 178,
179, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 307-313; advance in the
Argonne, 293; successful attack on the St. Mihiel salient, 293; in
Sedan, 293
Americans reinforce the Allies on Western front, 2, 23
Amerval, 231, 234
Amiens, 26, 40, 45
Ancre River, 31, 33, 39, 47, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 103, 120,
122, 124
Angre, 274, 275
Anneux, 215, 216, 217
Ardres River, 6, 7, 9, 12, 14, 139
Argonne, American advance in the, 293
Arleux, 258, 264
Armistice, the, 204, 205, 275, 295, 297; signed, 301; terms of, 302
Arras, 139, 277
Artres, 270, 271
Atkinson, Major, 20
Auby, 278, 287
Aunelle, Petite, 253
Aunelle River, 254, 274
Austria, defeated on the Piave, 3, 22; collapse of, 294-295, 300
Avesnes, 204, 227
Avre River, 25, 27
Awoingt, 221, 227
Babington, General Sir J., 294
Baden, Prince Max of, 300
Bagdad, 22
Bailleul, 139, 282
Baku, 22
Banks, Colonel, 51
Banteux, 210
Bapaume, 60, 90, 91, 125, 126
Barastre, 93, 127
Barbow, Colonel, 20
Barker, General, 50
Barnes, General, 129
Bauer, Herr, 302
Bavay, 255, 275
Bazuel, 190, 191
Beaucourt, 81, 83
Beaufort, 29, 34, 35, 247
Beaulencourt, 89, 91, 92, 126
Beaurevoir, 162, 165, 168, 171, 172, 174
Beaurevoir Line, 152, 166, 167, 171, 210, 219, 220, 248
Behagnies, 105, 107, 108
Belgians, King Albert of, 283
Belgian Army, co-operation with British Armies, 283, 284, 288, 289
Bell, General (U.S. Army), 38
Bellenglise, 158, 160
Bellicourt, 66, 151, 153, 156, 310
Benstall, General, 28
Berlaimont, 197, 242, 246
Berthaucourt, 74, 75, 76
Berthelot, General, 13
Bertry, 176, 222
Bethell, General, 170, 204
Beugneux, 19, 20
Beugny, 126, 127
Biastre, 224, 229
Bickmore, Colonel, 10
Bihucourt, 120, 123
Billon Wood, 49, 50
Birdwood, General Sir W., 141, 276, 281, 283, 286, 290, 291, 292
Bissett, Lieutenant, V.C., 269
Blacklock, General, 273
Blanding, General (U.S. Army), 152
Blecourt, 259, 260, 262
Bligny, 6, 13, 14
Boiry Becquerelle, 103, 142
Bois du Temple, 246, 247
Bois l'Évêque, 192, 200
Bouchavesnes, 59, 60
Bouilly, 7, 8
Bourlon village, 256, 257
Bourlon Wood, 216, 256
Bousies, 192, 193, 237
Boyd, General, 75, 157
Braithwaite, General, 6, 8, 12, 64, 72, 98, 118, 119, 149, 150, 157,
161, 164, 185, 205
Brancourt, 178
Bray, 45
Brie, 63, 64
Brodie, Colonel, V.C., 106
Brutinel, General, 263
Bucquoy, 81, 82, 121
Bulgaria, surrender to Allies, 296, 300
Bullecourt, 131, 132, 133, 134
Burnett, General, 8
Burnyeat, Colonel, 194
Butler, General, 26, 40, 63, 68, 149
Buzancy, 14, 15, 17
Byng, General Sir Julian, 24, 43, 79, 80, 83, 98, 107, 109, 120, 126,
128, 129, 138, 170, 214, 218, 230
Cadorna, General, 294
Caix, 28, 34
Calvert, Sergeant, 118
Cambrai, 144, 225, 227, 260, 262, 263, 265
Cameron, General, 143, 267
Campbell, General, 6, 82, 84, 87, 88, 95, 97, 208, 246
Canal de l'Escaut, 150, 170, 208, 209, 210, 212, 213, 214, 217, 218,
219, 260, 263, 265, 266
Canal du Nord, 66, 94, 117, 118, 137, 142, 144, 147, 215, 256, 257,
258, 261, 264, 265
Cantaing, 215, 216, 217
Capelle, 239
Caporetto, 294
Carey, General, 286
Carter-Campbell, General, 12, 139
Cartwright, General, 204
Catillon, 194, 195, 200, 202, 203
Cayley, General, 284
Chaplin, General, 18
Charles, General, 170
Château-Thierry, 5
Chaumuzy, 12, 14
Cheape, General, 282
Chipilly, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 38, 39
Clarke, Sergeant, 201
Clemenceau, M., 3, 283
Cloutman, Major, V.C., 245
Cockhill, Captain, 9
Coffin, General, 284
Cojeul River, 104, 129, 130
Comines, 285, 288
Constantine, King, 22
Constantinople, 297
Cook, Sir Joseph, 307
Courcelette, 86, 89
Courcelles, 101
Coussmaker, Colonel, 105
Craigie-Hackett, General, 174
Cressaire Wood, 39, 40
Crevecœur, 166, 210, 223, 247
Croisilles, 105, 108, 109, 110, 111, 114, 129, 130, 131
Cross, Colonel, 106
Crown Prince of Germany, 300
Cubitt, General, 82, 84, 233
Cuitron, 7, 9
Currie, General Sir A., 26, 259, 263, 266
Daly, General, 218, 226, 227
Damascus occupied, 296
Damery, 35, 41
Dardanelles, 297
Dawson, Colonel, 70, 287
Daykins, Corporal, V.C., 235
Debeney, General, 25
De Lisle, General, 282, 283, 290
Delville, 50
Delville Wood, 91
D'Esperey, General Franchet, 295
Deverell, General, 98, 112, 211
Diaz, General, 294
Dixmude, 288
Doake, Captain, 48
Dobson, Colonel, 21
Doiran, Lake, 296
Dompierre, 52, 198
Dooner, Colonel, 20
Douai, 144, 204, 279, 290
Douai Canal, 278
Drocourt-Quéant Line, 132, 135, 136, 143, 261, 265, 277
Dudgeon, General, 87
Duncan, General, 218
Dury, 144, 145
East Africa, 297
Ecaillon, 184
Ecaillon River, 238, 239, 267, 268, 269, 270
Ecoust, 107, 110, 113, 114, 132, 133
Egerton, Lieutenant, 287
Englefontaine, 193, 240, 241
Epéhy, 62, 66, 68, 97
Ervillers, 104, 105, 106, 107
Erzberger, Herr, 300
Escarmain, 239, 251
Escaufort, 176, 179
Estrées, 52, 157, 172, 174, 264
Eterpigny, 143, 161
Faison, General (U.S. Army), 153
Favreuil, 110, 125
Fergusson, General Sir Charles, 110, 114, 128, 138, 139, 140, 145,
214, 218, 250
Feuillaucourt, 54, 55, 57
Fisher, General, 101, 102
Flers, 89, 90, 91
Flesquières, 209, 211
Foch, Marshal, 3, 4, 21, 292, 300
Fonsomme, 162, 166
Fontaine, 215, 217, 257
Fontaine-les-Croisilles, 129, 131
Forest, 177, 237
Fortune, General, 16
Framerville, 34, 36
Frémicourt, 90, 126
French Army, co-operation of, with British Armies, 10-21, 27, 28, 78,
80, 161, 162, 165, 166, 178, 179, 180, 185, 186, 187, 194, 283, 288,
289, 291
Fresnes, 265, 277
Fresnoy, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 243
Fresnoy-le-Grand, 180
Freyberg, General, 282
Frisby, Captain, V.C., 212
Fryell, General, 174
Gagnicourt, 135, 136, 144, 145
Gauche Wood, 96
Gavrelle, 141, 276
General position on Western front in July, 1-4; survey of the various
fronts at beginning of August, 21-23
George, Mr. Lloyd, 3
Germany, internal condition of, 2; collapse of resistance, 299
Gheluvelt, 284, 288
Gheluwe, 289
Ghisignies, 238, 240
Gillibrand, General, 29
Girdwood, General, 60, 60
Glasgow, General, 30
Godley, General Sir A. J., 6, 40, 63, 143, 258, 264, 276
Gomiecourt, 103, 104, 105, 106, 123
Gorringe, General, 32, 40
Gort, Lord, V.C., 211
Gough, General Sir Hubert, 71, 309
Gouraud, General, 4, 5
Gouy, 151, 154, 171, 172, 173, 219
Gouzeaucourt, 96, 97, 98, 127, 207
Graincourt, 211, 215, 216, 257
Grandcourt, 82, 87, 88
Grand Rozoy, 18, 19, 20
Greenland Hill, 141, 142
Greenwood, Colonel, 88
Gregg, Lieutenant, V.C., 262
Gricourt, 77, 78, 149, 159
Griffiths, Lieutenant, 85
Grogan, General, 277
Guémappe, 140
Gueudecourt, 89, 91
Guild, Major, 202
Guillemont, 51, 90
Guillemont Farm, 151, 154, 155, 163
Gwyn-Thomas, General, 86, 98
Haig, Field Marshal Sir Douglas, 21, 25, 80, 166, 241
Haking, General Sir R., 283, 290
Haldane, General Sir J., 80, 83, 98, 103, 105, 110, 114, 224, 239,
240, 249
Hamelincourt, 103, 104
Harper, General Sir G. M., 80, 83, 98, 120, 208, 209, 213, 223, 234,
238, 248
Harpies River, 237, 251
Harris, Sergeant, V.C., 40
Hart, General, 242
Hart, Colonel, 17
Hartennes Forest, 16, 17
Hartley, Colonel, 100
Haspres, 266, 267
Haucourt, 141, 143
Haussy, 228, 250, 251
Havrincourt, 118, 119, 120, 128
Havrincourt Wood, 210
Hendecourt, 131, 132, 133, 134, 145
Henderson, Colonel, 104, 116
Heneker, General, 141, 276, 277
Henin, 108
Henin Hill, 108, 129, 130
Herbert, Colonel, 114
Herting, Count von, 299
Hickie, General Sir W., 173
Higginson, General, 31, 51, 66, 287
High Wood, 90
Hill, General, 129
Hindenburg, General von, 48, 300
Hindenburg Line, the, 42, 43, 62, 65, 66, 69, 71, 72, 75, 77, 79, 83,
95, 98, 105, 106, 108, 109, 111, 118, 119, 127, 129, 130, 131, 132,
136, 137, 143, 149, 151, 152, 153, 155, 163, 166, 169, 207, 208, 210,
214, 215, 219, 282, 307-313
Hobbs, General, 30, 155
Holland, General, 141, 283
Hollebeke, 283, 285
Holnon, 74, 75
Honey, Lieutenant, V.C., 262
Hongnau River, 249, 254
Horne, General Sir H., 24, 41, 138, 141, 276, 280
Houthulst Forest, 284
Hull, General, 129
Hunter, General, 176
Hunter-Weston, General Sir A., 141, 170, 265, 276
Inchy, 137, 223
Incledon-Webber, General, 39
Irles, 120, 124
Irwin, Colonel, 59, 193
Italy, victorious on the Piave, 3, 22, 294; co-operation of, on
Western front, 7
Iwuy, 227, 264, 266
Jackson, General, 170, 173
Jackson, Corporal, V.C., 212
Jacob, General Sir C., 283, 284, 285, 288
Jeffreys, General, 218, 286
Jerusalem, 296
Johnson, Colonel, V.C., 203
Joncourt, 156, 161, 162
Jourdain, Colonel, 20
Kaiser, the, 300
Kennedy, Colonel, 17
Kerr, Lieutenant, V.C., 262
Kruseik, 284
La Bassée, 286, 292
La Boiselle, 49, 85
La Capelle, 300
La Folie Wood, 215, 217
Lagnicourt, 115, 135
Lambert, General, 44, 72, 158
Landrecies, 195, 196, 197, 204
Latham, Commander, 307, 312
Lawford, General, 284
Le Cateau, 147, 177, 183, 187, 188, 190, 191, 247, 290
Le Catelet, 151, 154, 156, 157, 171, 172, 173, 219
L'Escaut, 267
Le Hamel, action of, 24, 25
Le Quesnel, 29, 34, 35
Le Quesnoy, 238, 242, 270
Le Tronquoy, 158, 161
Le Vergies, 161, 162
Le Verguier, 65, 72
Lee, General, 31, 46, 66, 170
Lempire, 66, 67
Lens, 27, 100, 276, 286, 287
Lettow-Vorbeck, General von, 297
Lewis, General (U.S. Army), 152
Lihons, 35, 36, 37
Lille, 290, 292, 293
Lipsett, General, 28, 267
Locquignol, 197, 242
Logeast Wood, 82, 121, 123
Longueval, 89, 90, 91
Lucas, General, 267
Luce River, 27
Ludendorff, General, 30, 42, 281, 300
Lys River, 285, 288, 289, 290
M'Culloch, General, 87, 88
MacDonald, Captain, 192
Macdonell, General, 28
MacGregor, Captain, V.C., 262
MacGregor, Lieutenant R. R., 116
Maclagan, General, 30, 37
Macleod, Colonel, 17
Macquincourt Valley, 163, 164
Malincourt, 220, 222
Mametz, 49, 50
Mametz Wood, 89
Manchester Hill, 75, 78
Mangin, General, 5, 14, 18, 44, 80
Mannequin Hill, 165, 166, 180
Marcoing, 212, 217
Marden, General, 72, 73, 78, 157
Marfaux, 7, 9, 14
Marindin, General, 284
Marne River, 1, 4, 5, 6, 11
Maroilles, 195, 197
Marou, 235, 236
Marshall, General, 22, 297
Martin, General, 54, 167
Masnières, 171, 213, 223
Maubeuge, 197, 249, 255
Meaulte, 47, 48
Menin, 289
Menin Road, 284, 285, 288
Mennevret, 186, 187
Mericourt, 180, 286
Merisfield, Sergeant, V.C., 262
Merville, 292
Mesopotamia, 22, 297
Messines, 283, 285
Meteren, 282
Mezières, 28, 204
Milne, General, 296
Miraumont, 82, 83, 85, 87, 88, 120, 122, 123, 124
Misitch, Marshal, 295
Mœuvres, 117, 137, 256
Moir, Major, 12
Molain, 182, 184
Monash, General Sir John, 25, 26, 29, 36, 52, 63, 71, 169
Monchy, 140
Mons, 280
Mont St. Quentin, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 63, 64
Montauban, 50
Montay, 177, 231
Montbrehain, 165, 168, 171
Morchies, 115, 135
Morcourt, 31, 34
Morlancourt, 25, 26, 31, 33, 34
Morland, General, 164, 169, 170, 171, 174, 179, 199, 200, 219, 230
Mormal Forest, 191, 195, 237, 241, 243, 244, 245, 246, 248
Morval, 51, 91, 92
Mory, 106, 107, 109, 110
Moyenneville, 81, 99, 100
Murman Coast, 23
Nagle, Captain, 116
Nauroy, 151, 154, 156, 157, 160, 161, 310
Neuve Eglise, 282
Neuvilly, 223, 229, 231, 232, 233, 234
Nicholson, General, 18, 19
Nicholson, Captain, 49
Nieppe, 281, 282
Niergnies, 221, 222
Nivelle, 287
Noreuil, 115, 134
Norton, General, 244
Noyelles, 212, 268
Nurlu, 61, 62, 94
Oise River, 3, 5, 80
Oldham, General, 244
Onions, Corporal, V.C., 123
Oppy, 141, 276, 287
Orr-Ewing, General, 16
Ors, 194, 195, 200, 201
O'Ryan, General (U.S. Army), 151
Ostend, 289, 290
Ovillers, 85
Owen, General, 62
Palestine, 22
Parvillers, 35, 41
Peace conference at Paris, 302; chief terms of settlement, 302-304
Peizières, 62, 66, 67, 94, 97
Pelves, 141, 142
Penet, General, 18
Percival, Colonel, 51
Pereira, General, 98
Peronne, 53, 54, 55, 58, 59, 60, 63, 64
Pershing, General, 293
Petit Camp Wood, 7, 8, 9
Piave, defeat of Austrians on, 3, 22, 294
Pierce, General (U.S. Army), 151
Pinney, General, 96, 208, 231
Ploegsteert, 282
Ploegsteert Wood, 285
Plumer, General Sir H., 283, 284
Plunket, Captain, 307
Ponchaux, 172, 173, 175
Ponsonby, General, 124
Pout d'Aire, 262, 263
Pontruet, 76, 77, 158, 159
Portuguese, 292
Pozières, 85, 86
Premont, 175, 176, 178
Preseau, 252, 272, 273
Priez Farm, 51, 59, 60
Pronville, 137, 146
Prospect Hill, 171, 172
Puisieux, 120, 122
Pys, 89, 124
Quadrilateral, the, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78
Quéant, 115, 116, 135, 136, 137, 146, 264
Quinnemont Farm, 151, 154
Raillencourt, 258, 259
Ramicourt, 163, 165, 166
Ramillies, 226, 262, 263
Ramsay, General, 31
Rancourt, 59, 60
Rawlinson, General Sir Henry, 24, 25, 34, 40, 41, 53, 59, 80, 82, 84,
90, 94, 96, 107, 138, 148, 149, 169, 223
Read, General (U.S. Army), 150, 184
Regiments:
_Artillery--_
Royal Field Artillery, 10, 21
Honourable Artillery Company, 294
Trench Mortar, 49, 60
_Cavalry--_
6th Dragoon Guards, 91, 227
12th Lancers, 198
16th Lancers, 275
3rd Hussars, 245
8th Hussars, 89
20th Hussars, 89
Northumberland Hussars, 33
Oxford Hussars, 226, 240
Australian Light Horse, 64, 275
Canadian Light Horse, 263
_Guards--_
Coldstream, 100, 104, 110, 111, 212
Grenadier, 100, 104, 109, 110, 211
Scots, 100, 104, 107, 109
Welsh, 107, 109
_Infantry--_
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 10, 11, 20, 142, 269, 271
Bedford, 48, 51, 192, 196, 244
Berkshire, 49, 50. 51, 61, 62, 99, 107, 193, 276, 277, 287
Black Watch, 10, 14, 15, 142, 159, 196
Border, 94, 234
Buffs (East Kent), 39, 47, 193
Cambridge, 33, 62, 287
Cameron Highlanders, 16, 17, 73
Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), 16, 215, 289, 291
Cheshire, 20, 244, 253, 254
Connaught Rangers, 177
Devon, 8, 119, 123, 245, 277
Dorset, 86, 93, 98, 201, 233
Duke of Cornwall's, 245
Durham Light Infantry, 8, 9, 87, 97, 118, 177
East Surrey, 47, 50, 59, 193, 244
East Yorkshire, 87, 88, 97, 223, 233
Essex, 48, 50, 62, 69, 192, 196, 269, 270
Gloucester, 76, 77, 78, 159, 196, 202, 203, 250
Gordon Highlanders, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 101, 102, 103, 112, 113,
142, 225, 238, 271
Hampshire, 7, 118, 208, 272
Hereford, 20, 128
Highland Light Infantry, 105, 106, 108, 215
Inniskilling Fusiliers, 171, 198
King's Liverpool, 100, 104, 106, 107, 113, 177
King's Own Royal Lancaster, 101, 103, 225, 239
King's Own Scottish Borderers, 16, 17, 134, 289
King's Royal Rifles, 73, 74, 77, 107, 172, 190
Lancashire Fusiliers, 201, 238, 269, 270
_Infantry--_
Leicester, 156, 160
Lincoln, 94, 97, 160
London Rifle Brigade, 131, 274
1st London, 108, 131
2nd London, 49, 131, 274
3rd London, 49
4th London, 49, 105, 133
6th London, 38
10th London, 32, 38
13th London (Kensingtons), 105, 133, 274
14th London (Scottish), 105, 133, 274
20th London, 119
22nd London, 46
23rd London, 46
24th London, 46
24th London (Queen's Westminsters), 131
Manchester, 231, 235, 236
Middlesex, 108, 131, 258, 277, 278, 279
Munster Fusiliers, 135, 136, 190
Norfolk, 62, 244
Northampton, 47, 51, 70, 76, 163, 227, 254
North Lancashire, 20, 73, 158, 159
North Staffordshire, 159, 160
Northumberland Fusiliers, 100, 102, 114, 172
Oxford and Bucks, 105, 106, 108
Queen's (West Surrey), 48, 59, 193
Rifle Brigade, 224, 272, 279
Royal Fusiliers, 47, 48, 51, 67, 70, 99, 100, 105, 108, 113
Royal Irish, 136
Royal Scots, 10, 12, 16, 17, 101, 104, 115, 116, 120, 215, 239
Royal Scots Fusiliers, 101, 115, 116, 120, 239
Royal West Kent, 40, 48, 50, 60, 70, 192, 193, 196, 287
Seaforth Highlanders, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 142, 273
Sherwood Foresters, 160, 174, 177, 179, 185, 277
Shropshire, 101, 104, 115
Somerset Light Infantry, 268
South Staffordshire, 106, 159, 160
South Wales Borderers, 159, 202, 203
Suffolk, 101, 103, 112, 116, 225, 239
Sussex, 20, 62, 73, 74, 76, 203
Warwick, 196, 251, 252, 268
Welsh, 77, 84, 85, 202, 203, 242
Welsh Fusiliers, 294
West Riding, 7, 8, 9, 93, 110, 118, 232, 268
West Yorkshire, 13, 93, 98, 212, 234, 277
Wiltshire, 190, 251, 254
Worcester, 196, 252, 277, 279
York and Lancaster, 7, 8, 118, 235
Yorkshire, 177, 288
Yorkshire Light Infantry, 7, 87, 97, 118, 172, 198, 269, 273
--------
Royal Engineers, 21, 104, 160, 201, 202, 245, 287
Royal Naval Division, 101, 102, 121, 123, 124, 125, 135, 136, 137,
145, 146, 214, 216, 217, 218, 221, 222, 273, 275
Tunnelling Companies, 196, 278
_Overseas Forces--_
Australians, 6, 12, 25, 29, 30, 31, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42,
44, 45, 46, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 63, 64, 65, 67, 71,
72, 73, 74, 79, 149, 150, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 162, 164,
165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, 282, 307-313
Canadians, 26, 27, 28, 29, 31, 34, 35, 36, 41, 42, 107, 110, 111,
116, 129, 130, 132, 134, 135, 136, 138, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145,
146, 147, 148, 176, 215, 216, 217, 227, 228, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260,
261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 269, 271, 276, 278
New Zealanders, 6, 9, 83, 95, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 166,
209, 210, 213, 223, 224, 226, 232, 238, 240, 242, 243, 245, 248
South Africans, 52, 170, 175, 188, 189, 190
Rheims, 3, 4, 6
Rhonelle River, 252, 270, 271, 272
Ribeauville, 184, 187
Ribecourt, 211, 212
Richemont River, 192, 193
Riencourt, 126, 131, 132, 134, 136, 145
Riqueval, 158, 159
Ritchie, General, 286
Roberts, Colonel, 279
Robertson, General (17th Division), 82, 87, 93, 97, 231
Robertson, General (5th Brigade), 57
Robinson, General, 196
Robinson, Mr. Perry, correspondent of _The Times_, quoted, 146, 147
Rollo, General, 172
Romeries, 238, 251
Ronssoy, 66, 67
Rosenthal, General, 54, 58, 63
Rosières, 34, 35, 36
Roulers, 289
Rumilly, 213, 214
Russell, General Sir A. H., 209, 223
Russia in revolution, 22, 23, 304
St. Benin, 177, 179, 188
St. Christ, 63, 64
St. Georges River, 238
St. Leger, 107, 109
St. Maurice River, 184
St. Mihiel, American success at, 293
St. Pierre, 186
St. Pierre Divion, 83, 84, 85
St. Pierre Vaast Wood, 61
St. Python, 226, 235
St. Quentin Canal, 54, 157, 158, 159, 160, 162, 163, 164, 165, 171,
172, 174, 175
St. Souplet, 179, 182, 183, 187
Sadleir-Jackson, General, 48
Sailly-Sallisel, 60, 92
Saint, Colonel, 33
Salonica, 22, 295
Sambre and Oise Canal, 191, 194, 195, 196, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203
Sambre River, 197, 241, 245, 246, 249
Sanders, General, 98
Sapignies, 105, 107, 108
Sassegnies, 195, 197
Scarpe River, 138, 139, 140, 143, 258, 265, 276, 277, 278, 287
Scheidemann, Herr, 302
Scheldt River, 292
Schwaben Redoubt, 86
Sedan, Americans in, 293
Selency, 74, 76, 78
Selle River, 175, 176, 177, 179, 182, 187, 191, 199, 223, 224, 226,
227, 228, 229, 231, 250, 251, 266, 267, 268, 270
Sensée Canal, 263
Sensée River, 105, 131, 144, 258, 260
Sequehart, 162, 163, 165, 166, 168, 171
Serain, 175, 176
Serre, 81
Shute, General, 80, 82, 84, 98, 173, 208, 219, 230
Skinner, General, 284
Smith, Colonel (Gordons), 17
Smith, Colonel (Seaforths), 14
Smith, Colonel Holroyd, 87, 88, 97
Smyth, General, 29
Soissons, captured by French, 21
Solesmes, 226, 229, 234
Solly-Flood, General, 83, 122
Someren, Colonel van, 51
Somme River, 1, 25, 26, 30, 31, 32, 34, 37, 38, 39, 40, 44, 45, 52,
54, 60, 80
Spicer, Captain, 88
Statton, Sergeant, 38
Stephens, General, 283, 288
Strickland, General, 64, 72, 157
Sugden, General, 171
Suthery, Captain, 49
Swindells, Colonel, 20
Syria, 297
Tadpole Copse, 117, 137
Tanner, General, 188, 189
Tara Hill, 48, 82, 88
Tarleton, Colonel, 14
Templeux, 62, 67, 72, 308, 312
Thiepval, 82, 84, 85, 86
Thilloy, 125, 126
Thomas, Colonel, 93
Thomson, General, 14, 18
Thorpe, Colonel, 194
Thure River, 247
Tigris River, 296
Tortille River, 61
Tourcoing, 290
Trento captured, 295
Trescault, 96, 118, 119, 127, 128
Trieste, surrendered to Italy, 295
Trinquis River, 147, 258, 265, 278
Trones Wood, 50, 90
Tudor, General, 284
Turkey, collapse of, 296
Turner, Colonel, 17
Tweedie, Colonel, 78
Usna Hill, 48, 84, 85
Valenciennes, 269, 270, 271, 272
Vandhuile, 66, 149, 150, 151, 163, 164, 171, 172, 219
Vaulx-Vraucourt, 110, 112, 113, 126
Vaux Andigny, 179, 181
Vaux Wood, 52
Vendegies, 237, 240, 252, 268
Venizelos, M., 22
Vesle River, 21
Vickery, Colonel, 117
Vieux Berquin, 282
Villers-Bretonneux, 29, 169
Villers-Cotterets, 3, 4
Villers-Guislain, 208
Villera-Outreaux, 175, 176
Villers St. Ghislain, 275
Vincent, General, 33
Vitry, 277, 278
Walsh, Colonel, 97
Walthall, General, 21
Wambaix, 221, 225
Wargnies, 243, 254
Warlencourt, 89, 124
Watson, General, 28
Watts, General Sir H., 283, 284, 288
Weeks, Captain, 20
Wemyss, Admiral Sir Rosslyn, 301
Whigham, General, 98, 212
Wiancourt, 165, 167
Wilkinson, Private, V.C., 235
Williams, General (37th Division), 83, 121
Williams, General (102nd Brigade), 18
Wilson, President, 279, 300
Wisdom, General, 167
Wood, General, 67, 192, 193
Woodcock, General, 18
Wytschaete, 285
Young, Lieutenant, V.C., 128
Ypres, 281, 283
Zandvoorde, 284, 285
Zonnebeke, 284
THE END
_Printed in Great Britain by_ R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, _Edinburgh_.