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Had the Germans been crazy fanatical and never agreed to surrender or any kind of armistice as they eventually did and wanted to fight to the last man in WWI with the Americans now involved could the Allies have eventually completely broken the stalemate and marched and eventually take Berlin itself? Had that been the case how much longer do you think the war would have gone on?
Germany was at the point of exhaustion. So were the allies but they did have the yanks who were still relatively fresh.
How long would it have taken? - Their front lines were broken. The Germans could have put up another defensive line, perhaps at the Rhine, but with what? Troops were starving, out of supplies, out of ammo. The population also was starving, desease was rampant, fanaticism only goes so far on an empty stomach and with everyone sick. They would have been in Berlin in months.
You are talking about a war that was so exhausting you had mutinies where entire armies, not the leaders but the soldiers, simply refused to fight anymore, they simply walked home - France on front lines in there own country, Russia, Italy. We aren't talking about soldiers going AWOL but entire armies....fanaticism has it's limits.
I believe the point is moot; Germany already had a large Leftist coalition, and the prospect of fighting to the last ditch would likely have ignited an open rebellion. (Marx had always believed that his ideas would first take root in Germany, rather than Russia).
Germany was at the point of exhaustion. So were the allies but they did have the yanks who were still relatively fresh.
The yanks were fresh, but more than a few were questioning if they truly needed to be there or not. A little known fact is that draft evasion in WWI was rampant in the U.S. . North Carolina alone had tens of thousands of men not responding to draft notices.
Though there were exceptions, such as Marine units, the Rainbow Division from New York and the Harlem Hell Fighters (black American unit seeking to prove themselves), I don't think the American army would have been enthusiastic at all about engaging in any fighting that was not truly needed.
There would have been any mutinies as the Americans were still fresh. But, there may well have been a pattern of problems with attacks not being pressed home, attacks delayed several times as the units in question were not uhmm.... "fully ready", a rise in individual desertions and cases of malingering, and hints from U.S. commanders to the political leadership that a peace treaty would be the wise choice of action.
Pershing was in favor of marching on Berlin. He felt it was necessary to show Germans that their army had been defeated in the field, not by backroom machinations in Berlin.
They could have done it, too. After the Kaiserschlacht failed in Spring 1918, the German Army was done. Entire units deserted in August. The Kaiser had been told the Army didn't want to fight anymore and that's when he abdicated.
I doubt it. The German army was unwilling to fight because they had the option of pursuing a peace treaty.
If allies rejected a peace treaty, and insisted on continuing the war in a way that would conclude with the occupation of Germany, possible losses of key territories, and the subordination of the German government to occupying powers etc, my bet is that the German army would go down fighting.
I doubt it. The German army was unwilling to fight because they had the option of pursuing a peace treaty.
If allies rejected a peace treaty, and insisted on continuing the war in a way that would conclude with the occupation of Germany, possible losses of key territories, and the subordination of the German government to occupying powers etc, my bet is that the German army would go down fighting.
They went down fighting. If whole armies were broken and routed, the Kaiser abdicated and all morale lost, what could've made Germany to carry on? Nothing realistic. It's irrelevant if the war ended in Belgium or Berlin. Germany fought, lost, and surrendered.
At the time of the armistice, the German army was still occupying much of Belgium and large areas of northern France. However, had they been forced to defend an invasion of Germany, then their attitude might have been very different.
Given the logistics of WW1 which heavily favored defense, an invasion of Germany would have been a daunting prospect. The Germans might have been exhausted but their industry was still intact, their transportation infrastructure was still intact and, to a large extent, their army was still intact. Furthermore, in the exhaustion stakes, the French and the British were not far behind. The American army might have been fresh but they lacked the experience and the numbers to make up the difference.
The Hundred Days offensive which broke the back of German resistance still cost the BEF 298,000 casualties, the French 279,000 casualties and the AEF 130,000 casualties. The Germans lost around 760,000 casualties. How many more would have been killed or wounded had the Entente attempted to invade Germany?
In the end, the Armistice was the best solution for all.
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In WWI with the Americans help could they have fought to Berlin?
