World War I As It Happened (1918)
@warhappened.bsky.social
I post stories, big and small, from the Great War, currently covering 1918. The project originally started at Twitter, https://x.com/WarHappened
Not everyone is pleased with the news of the armistice. General Charles Mangin (right) laments: "We must go right into the heart of Germany. The Armistice should be signed there. The Germans will not admit they are beaten... It is a fatal error and France will pay for it!"
November 11, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Not everyone is pleased with the news of the armistice. General Charles Mangin (right) laments: "We must go right into the heart of Germany. The Armistice should be signed there. The Germans will not admit they are beaten... It is a fatal error and France will pay for it!"
It is 11 AM on November 11, 1918, and the guns are finally ordered to cease firing all along the Western Front. Crowds in Paris and London can barely believe it, but it is true: The Great War is, practically if not technically, over.
November 11, 2025 at 1:18 PM
It is 11 AM on November 11, 1918, and the guns are finally ordered to cease firing all along the Western Front. Crowds in Paris and London can barely believe it, but it is true: The Great War is, practically if not technically, over.
The guns keep on firing, into the very end; the artillery crews know that the more shells they fire, the less they have to carry home. Blood is shed on both sides; men are dying all morning.
November 11, 2025 at 1:17 PM
The guns keep on firing, into the very end; the artillery crews know that the more shells they fire, the less they have to carry home. Blood is shed on both sides; men are dying all morning.
The word is spreading amongst troops on both sides: an end to the fighting is mere hours away. Some are celebrating loudly; many are silently moving on, savouring the news in their own way. Many, no doubt, are incredulous: what happens next?
November 11, 2025 at 1:17 PM
The word is spreading amongst troops on both sides: an end to the fighting is mere hours away. Some are celebrating loudly; many are silently moving on, savouring the news in their own way. Many, no doubt, are incredulous: what happens next?
Slightly after five in the morning, the German delegation signs off on the Allied demands for an armistice: At 11 AM, less than six hours from now, the fighting will finally end on the Western Front.
November 11, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Slightly after five in the morning, the German delegation signs off on the Allied demands for an armistice: At 11 AM, less than six hours from now, the fighting will finally end on the Western Front.
Much like Tsarist Russia, the German Kaiserreich has crumbled much due to widespread hunger and war weariness; when a horse gets killed during the confusing street fighting erupting throughout German cities, hungry bystanders will quickly harvest what they can.
November 10, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Much like Tsarist Russia, the German Kaiserreich has crumbled much due to widespread hunger and war weariness; when a horse gets killed during the confusing street fighting erupting throughout German cities, hungry bystanders will quickly harvest what they can.
Seeing no way to reclaim the reins of power, Kaiser Wilhelm II has asked for, and received, permission to enter the neutral Netherlands. While not officially abdicating just yet, the reign of the Hohenzollerns appears to be over.
November 10, 2025 at 1:08 PM
Seeing no way to reclaim the reins of power, Kaiser Wilhelm II has asked for, and received, permission to enter the neutral Netherlands. While not officially abdicating just yet, the reign of the Hohenzollerns appears to be over.
As armed militias engage police forces throughout Germany to establish a new, socialist-leaning state, Kaiser Wilhelm insists that he will be able to regain power with the aid of the army. Paul von Hindenburg assures him, however, that there is now no hope for the crown.
November 10, 2025 at 12:32 AM
As armed militias engage police forces throughout Germany to establish a new, socialist-leaning state, Kaiser Wilhelm insists that he will be able to regain power with the aid of the army. Paul von Hindenburg assures him, however, that there is now no hope for the crown.
Speaking from a window at the Reichstag, Philipp Scheidemann, another prominent social democrat, announces the end of the Kaiserreich: "The old and rotten, the monarchy, has collapsed. Long live the new! Long live the German Republic!"
November 9, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Speaking from a window at the Reichstag, Philipp Scheidemann, another prominent social democrat, announces the end of the Kaiserreich: "The old and rotten, the monarchy, has collapsed. Long live the new! Long live the German Republic!"
The Italian Army is notorious for its harsh approach to discipline and has little sympathy for those returning from captivity. Some argue that former prisoners should be sent to forced resettlement in Libya, to bolster the population in the Italian colony.
November 8, 2025 at 9:53 PM
The Italian Army is notorious for its harsh approach to discipline and has little sympathy for those returning from captivity. Some argue that former prisoners should be sent to forced resettlement in Libya, to bolster the population in the Italian colony.
Italian soldiers released from Austrian captivity are receiving a cold treatment from their home country: prisoners are to be interned until interrogated, specifically regarding the nature of their capture.
November 8, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Italian soldiers released from Austrian captivity are receiving a cold treatment from their home country: prisoners are to be interned until interrogated, specifically regarding the nature of their capture.
The social unrest has now well and truly spread across most of urban Germany, as socialists, led by the well-known journalist Kurt Eisner (recently released from prison for instigating strikes amongst munition workers), proclaim a new Socialist Bavarian Republic from Munich.
November 8, 2025 at 7:00 PM
The social unrest has now well and truly spread across most of urban Germany, as socialists, led by the well-known journalist Kurt Eisner (recently released from prison for instigating strikes amongst munition workers), proclaim a new Socialist Bavarian Republic from Munich.
A German delegation is currently en route through a French countryside ravaged by years of war. Their destination: the private train of Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch near Compiègne. Their task: finding an end to the Great War, at any cost.
November 8, 2025 at 12:55 AM
A German delegation is currently en route through a French countryside ravaged by years of war. Their destination: the private train of Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch near Compiègne. Their task: finding an end to the Great War, at any cost.
Having replaced Ludendorff as quartermaster general, Wilhelm Gröner (right) probes the generals on the front if their troops would obey orders to march on their own population. Out of 39 replies, only one says yes; 15 say maybe, 23 say no.
November 6, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Having replaced Ludendorff as quartermaster general, Wilhelm Gröner (right) probes the generals on the front if their troops would obey orders to march on their own population. Out of 39 replies, only one says yes; 15 say maybe, 23 say no.
There has been some confusion amongst the Austrian leadership regarding the armistice, and hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting soldiers, approaching the advancing Allies, have become prisoners in the past 24 hours. They thought the armistice was effective immediately (Nov. 3).
November 5, 2025 at 12:19 AM
There has been some confusion amongst the Austrian leadership regarding the armistice, and hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting soldiers, approaching the advancing Allies, have become prisoners in the past 24 hours. They thought the armistice was effective immediately (Nov. 3).
Kaiser Wilhelm is livid at the news of the spreading unrest, and he is personally affronted that the navy (a personal passion project of his) is the source of such insubordination. (Here he is seen inspecting marching sailors earlier in the war).
November 4, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Kaiser Wilhelm is livid at the news of the spreading unrest, and he is personally affronted that the navy (a personal passion project of his) is the source of such insubordination. (Here he is seen inspecting marching sailors earlier in the war).
The Emperor was reluctant to agree to the Allied terms, which would give them free passage through Austria to attack Germany from the south, something he had assured Kaiser Wilhelm he would not allow. He now has to go back on his word, and Germany must face another front.
November 3, 2025 at 2:42 PM
The Emperor was reluctant to agree to the Allied terms, which would give them free passage through Austria to attack Germany from the south, something he had assured Kaiser Wilhelm he would not allow. He now has to go back on his word, and Germany must face another front.
With his empire collapsing around him and his army heading home, oblivious to its officer's orders, Emperor Karl finally relents to Allied demands for surrender: An Armistice has been signed at Villa Giusti; from 15:00 tomorrow, Austria-Hungary is no longer at war.
November 3, 2025 at 2:37 PM
With his empire collapsing around him and his army heading home, oblivious to its officer's orders, Emperor Karl finally relents to Allied demands for surrender: An Armistice has been signed at Villa Giusti; from 15:00 tomorrow, Austria-Hungary is no longer at war.
The Germans are in full retreat in Belgium, but not without fighting, and, as always, civilians get caught in the crossfire. Here, a Canadian soldier comforts a wounded Belgian baby; the mother died by the same grenade that scarred the child.
November 2, 2025 at 11:08 PM
The Germans are in full retreat in Belgium, but not without fighting, and, as always, civilians get caught in the crossfire. Here, a Canadian soldier comforts a wounded Belgian baby; the mother died by the same grenade that scarred the child.
A final devastating Italian attack has taken place at Pula: The SMS Viribus Unitis has quickly foundered with the loss of close to 400 souls, after being strapped with explosives by Italian sailors operating with a manned torpedo (a type of small, short-range submarine).
November 1, 2025 at 12:45 PM
A final devastating Italian attack has taken place at Pula: The SMS Viribus Unitis has quickly foundered with the loss of close to 400 souls, after being strapped with explosives by Italian sailors operating with a manned torpedo (a type of small, short-range submarine).
In a shocking event of unclear relation to the ongoing revolution, the former prime minister István Tisza, who led Hungary through most of the war, has been murdered in his home, reportedly by disgruntled deserters, angry at him for bringing the war's miseries to Hungary.
October 31, 2025 at 11:07 PM
In a shocking event of unclear relation to the ongoing revolution, the former prime minister István Tisza, who led Hungary through most of the war, has been murdered in his home, reportedly by disgruntled deserters, angry at him for bringing the war's miseries to Hungary.
As the army in Italy collapses, thousands of Hungarian deserters have returned home, causing further instability in Budapest. A revolutionary movement has emerged in the Hungarian capital, with soldiers replacing imperial insignia on their uniforms with aster flowers.
October 31, 2025 at 10:27 PM
As the army in Italy collapses, thousands of Hungarian deserters have returned home, causing further instability in Budapest. A revolutionary movement has emerged in the Hungarian capital, with soldiers replacing imperial insignia on their uniforms with aster flowers.
Sailors on board two German battleships, Helgoland and Thüringen, are refusing orders to head for sea; with growing unrest and downright mutiny amongst his ships, Admiral Franz von Hipper has cancelled the planned operation in the North Sea.
October 31, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Sailors on board two German battleships, Helgoland and Thüringen, are refusing orders to head for sea; with growing unrest and downright mutiny amongst his ships, Admiral Franz von Hipper has cancelled the planned operation in the North Sea.
Exactly four years after entering the war, the Ottoman Empire is now leaving it: an armistice between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire has been signed on board HMS Agamemnon in the harbour of Mudros.
October 30, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Exactly four years after entering the war, the Ottoman Empire is now leaving it: an armistice between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire has been signed on board HMS Agamemnon in the harbour of Mudros.
Yesterday, nationalists in Czechoslovakia and Hungary announced their break with Austria; today, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs has been proclaimed in Zagreb. People across the empire are sensing that the emperor has no means to stop their quest for independence.
October 29, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Yesterday, nationalists in Czechoslovakia and Hungary announced their break with Austria; today, the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs has been proclaimed in Zagreb. People across the empire are sensing that the emperor has no means to stop their quest for independence.