Germany has defeated Russia. Now it concentrates on the Western Front. Where the Allies have "their backs to the wall".

A series of German offensives is launched, pushing the Allies back, threatening Paris and the Channel ports. But Ludendorff fails to achieve a decisive breakthrough.

The cracks in Ludendorff's strategy start to show. Germany's supply lines are over-streched, and its troops wilt under the pressure of Allied counter-attacks.

Allied attacks force Ludendorff to consider options for retreat to defensible lines. For the first time, he contemplates asking for a cease-fire.

As a new German Chancellor opens negotiations with US President Wilson for an armistice, the Allies debate how severe the terms should be, and whether it is worth fighting on to force a surrender. As the screw tightens, Ludendorff protests: and is dismissed.

The Allies have demanded sweeping political change in Germany as the price of an armistice. The last step in the process is the abdication of the Kaiser. Two days later, on November 11th, the armistice is signed.