Armistice Day

At 11 am on this day in 1918, the guns fell silent on the Western Front and effectively the war was over. Although a formal peace treaty remained to be made, this effectively ended the fighting and was greeted as a relief by all the combatants. Much had changed during the war and for the Germans, the Armistice signaled the start of a new era where the certainties of the Kaiserzeit no longer existed.

Wracked by mass starvation, social disintegration, revolution, and economic turmoil, Germany was a broken country and the veterans of the war had little to look forward to. In contrast to the well planned and executed mobilization of troops in 1914, the withdrawal of the German Army from occupied France, Belgium, and Luxembourg was much more chaotic as German formations made their way back to the German border. With the collapse of the monarchy, many troop contingents conspicuously flew the flags of their home territory such as Bavaria.

While fairly well organized while travelling through the occupied territories, the situation became chaotic once the troops entered into Germany proper and in many cases, formations simply melted away, soldiers deserting and in many cases taking along their weapons. For the 2 Chevauleger, the history of its demobilization is relatively unknown but its reasonable to believe that elements of the regiment eventually made it back to their home station in Regensburg. The fate of the horses is also obscure although given the rampant food shortages and a lack of fodder, many of the horses probably wound up slaughtered for food.

Along with the Kaiser, the Bavarian monarchy also collapsed with King Ludwig III with the King fleeing Munich on November 7, 1918 with the outbreak of revolution. On November 13, 1918, the King issued the Anifer Erklärung, a proclamation releasing all Bavarian officials and military personnel from their oath to the King. However, interestingly enough, King Ludwig III never issued a formal abdication and in theory, the throne of Bavaria is still open.

The Anifer Erklarung - From the Bavarian State Archives.