Chapter 14: The Road to Butgnéville-November 11, 1918

Chapter Summary:

      This chapter discusses in detail the fighting that went on on the morning of November 11th, with the armistice to end World War I being signed. On the road to Butgnéville, France, the front lines of the Western Front were fighting a battle against the defeated, weak Germans. Negotiations with the Germans were under way, however the divisions fighting the German defensive line on the road between Saint-Hilaire and Butgnéville had no way of knowing the end of the war was upon them and obeyed their orders to keep attacking in order to clear the way for an attack upon Metz, a larger city close by. The narrator describes the journey of a friend's grandfather, Meyer Strauss, along the difficult and treacherous road to the front line of battle on the morning of November 11th, 1918. Once the armistice was signed, the message was sent out that the war was over, but because communication was difficult, the troops in the midst of battle along these roads in France had no idea, and the battle cost heavy casualties on both sides, as both Americans and Germans fought to the end, although suspicions of the end had been aroused. It was very hard to "call back..an attack in progress," but a ceasefire was finally called at 11:00, and the Germans celebrated immediately. Fireworks were set off, cigarettes were smoked, beers were drank, symbolizing the celebration and ushering in of a hopefully new era of peace. The soldiers really believed "that their sacrifices were worthwhile, that their mission really had been accomplished," but the narrator questions this almost too good to be true ending.. Were the casualties really necessary, even though the armistice had already been signed? Why was the wait so long to inform the troops of the decision? Would the Americans have called off their attacks if they had known? And most importantly, did this almost half-defeat plant the seeds of the next war, because the Germans were not fully defeated and came back for revenge?

Chapter Reflection:

     The questions raised by the narrator after the retelling of the story were very thought provoking to me: if the Germans had felt fully defeated, would they have been less likely to look for revenge later on? Maybe they would have been shamed into submission...
     I also liked how the narrator put a personal touch on it by imagining his friend's grandfather in the midst of the iconic battle, and the end to the great war. Something that surprised me was the way the Germans and Americans fraternized and "shook hands and made up," when minutes before, they had been shooting to kill one another. It was astounding to me that one order could make them all friendly towards one another in a matter of minutes. 
     At certain times during the story, however, I was lost - I had no idea who was fighting who or where or why and I wish it could have been a little bit more specifically focused on a single event in a single place, or at least explained a little better.