Armistice | Apocalypse World War I – Episode 5 – Deliverance
An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. Yet Armistice Day (Veterans Day in the US) on 11 november of every year is to commemorate the end of World War I on 11 november 1918. Although the Armistice of 1918 ended World War I, it left Germany frustrated and set the stage for World War II.
Episode 5 - Deliverance | Armistice Day Signaled the Beginning of World War II
In October 1917, at Caporetto, the Italians engage in a bloody fight against the Germans and Austro-Hungarians that results in a humiliating defeat for the Italians. At the same time, in Russia, Lenin, leading the Bolsheviks, sets the October Revolution in motion. The new masters of Russia, the Communists, sign a separate peace treaty with the Central Powers at Brest-Litovsk in March 1918. Finally, the Germans are freed to concentrate their troops on the Western Front. They reassemble their men, and begin a march into France for a conclusive victory, causing frightened Parisians to flee the capital. But, as it turns out, it is the last succesfull German offensive.
By July 1918, there are 1,300,000 American troops on European soil. As a result, the Allied forces meet with triumph after triumph, at Saint-Mihiel, Bois Belleau, Vittorio Veneto, and the Marne. Alsace, Lorraine, and all the territories taken from France at the beginning of the war are liberated. This series of victories hastens the German downfall. Meanwhile, British troops boast a succession of victories in the Middle East. Palestine, Syria, Anatolia, Iran, and Iraq are all taken from the Ottoman Turks, who end up capitulating. On November 11, 1918, the fighting stops, marking the armistice, and the soldiers are finally able to go home.
But the scars of battle would begin to fester again, not long afterward. The terms of peace drawn up by the Allies are humiliating for Germany. The “Peace Conference” that closes on June 28, 1919, at Versailles, sows the Second World War. And Europe, decimated and in mourning, must staunch its wounds and rebuild its future.
About the Series | Apocalypse World War I
In 1914 the world entered into a period of unimaginable conflict and suffering. How did such a cruel and far-reaching conflict occur? Why did the warring parties resort to trench warfare? How did humankind endure this atrocity for four long years? Could the sacrifice of an entire generation have been avoided?
Apocalypse World War I is the best and most complete documentary series about the first World War. A superb narrative feeds the audience over 500 hours of archival footage, much of it previously unseen, and now completely colorized. The series tells the story with compassion and brings us to the heart of battle. It covers the full story of the war, from the trenches in the North of France to the lesser-known fronts of Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Palestine, as well as to the everyday life of civilians behind the lines. The narration brings to life the memories and the experiences of these men and women, and helps us better understand and feel how yesterday’s world was driven to apocalypse.
