Ludendorff Demands Immediate Armistice

After the Allied breakthrough at Amiens and the collapse of the Hindenburg Line, General Ludendorff suffered what contemporaries described as a nervous breakdown on September 28 and told Kaiser Wilhelm II that Germany must seek an immediate ceasefire. He reportedly fainted and later called August 8 'the black day of the German Army.' His demand for armistice—before domestic opinion had been prepared—shocked German politicians and contributed to the post-war 'stab-in-the-back' narrative.