COAST ARTILLERY, JOURNAL - Air Defense Artillery

540 THE COAST ARTILLERY JOURNAL
Thus, as the struggle developed, the Allies acquired an ever-increasing
superiority over the Germans. On October 3, Marshal von Hindenburg,
generalissimo of the German armies, already foreseeing the
catastrophe towards which Germany was speedily marching, suggested
to Prince Max of Baden, then Chancellor of the German Empire, that
an offer for immediate peace be made to the Entente. His uneasiness
was expressed in the following terms:
Berlin, 3 October, 1918
To the ChanceIIor of the Empire:
The SUpl:1imLe Command of the Army reiterates its demand f~rmulated on
Sunday, September 29, 1918, for an offer of immediate peace to our enemies.
As a consequence of the crumbling of the Macedonian Front, which has
caused a diminution of reserves in the Western Front, and also in view of the
impossibility in which we find ourselves of making good the very heavy
losses which have been inflicted on us in the combats of these last days,
there remains no longer any hope-as far as it is possible for a man to
judge--of forcing the enemy to make peace.
The enemy, on his side, throws into the fight new reserves daily. Nevertheless,
the German Army remains firm and victoriously has repulsed all
attacks. The situation, however, becomes more critical day by day, and
the High Command is forced to make decisions which may bring grave
consequences.
"Cnder these conditions, it is better to stop the fight, in order that the
German people and its Allies may avoid useless losses. Each day lost costs
us thousands of brave soldiers.
HIO'iDE:SRCRC,
::\Iarshal.
On October 5, the Chancellor yielded, and through the Swiss Government
as an intermediary, telegraphed President Wilson to convoke
the belligerents to some peace negotiations on the basis of the Fourteen
Points, and also to stop further effusion of blood by the negotiation of
an armistice. i\evertheless, the War Party, still powerful with the German
Government and with the General Staff, did not wish to yield to the
evidence and did not believe that the cause was irremediably lost. It
was manifestly seeking to gain time. The Allied High Command, on
the other hand, realizing the rapid and irreparable deterioration of the
German Army, put all the available means into action in order to
hasten the favorable outcome of the strife.
THE PREPAK\TIO:';" FOR THE OFFE:.\"sn-E I:';" LORIU.I:\E
On October 14, one hundred and fifty German divisions, out of
one hundred and eighty-seven, were echeloned between the sea and the
)'Ieuse, that is, on that part of the front where the greatest activity had
manifested itself. However, from ~Iontmedy to the Swiss frontier, a