Submitted by AutoModerator t3_115esr4 in history
OsoCheco t1_j95a4z7 wrote
Were there "last minute attacks" at the end of WW1, as seen in the new "All quiet on Western front", or was it just dramatic ending for the movie?
Or in any other war, how common was attacking after the peace was signed, but not yet in effect?
Doctor_Impossible_ t1_j95d8oy wrote
>Were there "last minute attacks" at the end of WW1, as seen in the new "All quiet on Western front",
There were some last minute attacks, but not as seen in the film, which is not historical. The Germans at that point in the war were incapable of offensive action, paralysed by lack of supplies and ammunition, with shockingly low morale and poor unit cohesion. There were British, French, and American attacks right up until the armistice took effect, in order to ensure that the Germans did not manage to gain a secure, sound defensive position and simply wait the armistice out, gathering their strength.
>Or in any other war, how common was attacking after the peace was signed,
The armistice was not a peace treaty, merely a kind of ceasefire. That was the Treaty of Versailles, which wasn't signed until 1919.
elmonoenano t1_j986mrg wrote
To build on /u/Doctor_Impossible_ answer, the person usually counted as the final casualty in the war was a US soldier, Henry Gunther who was taking part in the Meuse -Argonne offensive. It was a joint offensive by the US and France. Gunther apparently died at 10:59.
But France especially was pushing for these advances up until the last minute. They had suffered extraordinary casualties and now that they had US reinforcements, new and better tactics, and restored morale they were trying to get every benefit they could out of the fighting before armistice.
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