8/11/1918 Showdown at Compiègne: Foch presents the Allies’ armistice terms to the Germans #1918Live

Led by Erzberger of the Centre Party, the German armistice negotiators have crossed the lines and boarded a special train. Now after a long journey that seems calculated to show them the devastation their army has wreaked on France they arrive in a forest clearing where Foch, Weygand and the Allied negotiators are waiting for them. The armistice negotiations will take place in these woods near Compiègne.

Proceedings begin with Foch reading the terms the Allies have agreed. They require the Germans to surrender large quantities of military materiel and to completely evacuate France and Belgium. The German fleet and its U-boats will also have to sail for internment to Allied ports. And the Allies will occupy Germany up to Rhine, as well as bridgeheads across the river. The British navy’s blockade of Germany will not be lifted until a final peace settlement. The terms are clearly intended…