The Greatest Day in History: How, on the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month, the First World War Finally Came to an EndWorld War I did not end neatly with the Germans' surrender. After a dramatic week of negotiations, military offensives, and the beginning of a Communist revolution, the German Imperial regime collapsed. The Allies eventually granted an armistice to a new German government, and at 11:00 on November 11, the guns officially ceased fire—but only after 11,000 more casualties had been sustained. The London Daily Express proclaimed it “the greatest day in history.” Nicholas Best tells the story in sweeping, cinematic style, following a set of key participants through the twists and turns of these climactic events, and sharing the impressions of eyewitnesses including Adolf Hitler, Charles de Gaulle, Harry S. Truman, Anthony Eden, and future famous generals MacArthur, Patton, and Montgomery. |
Contents
gunner bows to the South Africans General Pershing drinks | 2 |
Tuesday 5 November 1918 233 | 23 |
Wednesday 6 November 1918 | 40 |
Thursday 7 November 1918 | 57 |
Friday 8 November 1918 | 80 |
Saturday 9 November 1918 | 105 |
Sunday 10 November 1918 | 133 |
Monday 11 November 1918 the early hours | 162 |
Monday 11 November 1918 11 a m | 191 |
Monday 11 November 1918 afternoon | 225 |
Monday 11 November 1918 evening | 256 |
Bibliography | 289 |
Other editions - View all
The Greatest Day in History: How, on the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day ... Nicholas Best No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
advance afternoon Allies Americans announced Armistice terms arms arrived artillery attack battalion Belgian Belgium Berlin Blüchers Bolshevists Brandenburg Gate British Canadians Captain ceasefire celebrate chancellor cheering civilians command Compiègne Compiègne forest Cross crowd dark Dutch Ebert enemy Erzberger fighting fire forward France French front line German army Germany's gone Gröner Guards hands head headquarters heard Hindenburg Hitchcock Holland Honourable Artillery Company Kaiser Kaiser's abdication Kiel killed king knew Le Quesnoy Lieutenant Lloyd George looked Ludendorff machine guns Marshal Foch Matthias Erzberger military Mons morning negotiations night o'clock officers once palace peace Prince Max prisoners red flag regiment Reichstag retreat revolution rifles road Royal Royal Navy sailors shell shooting shot soldiers soon Spanish flu stop streets Sulzbach surrender told town train Trélon troops village waiting wanted watched Wemyss Western Front Wilhelmshaven Wilson wounded