FULL TERMS IMPOSED ON GERMANY BY ARMISTICE.
FOURTEEN DAYS TO EVACUATE INVADED TERRITORY.
SURRENDER OF 5000 GUNS AND 2000 AEROPLANES.
RETURN TO EASTERN FRONTIERS OF AUGUST, 1914. ALL WARSHIPS RETAINED TO BE ENTIRELY DISARMED. [BY telegraph.— association.] WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The following telegram, dated London, November 11, embodying the full terms of the armistice with Germany, has been received by the Governor-General from the Secretary of State for the Colonies CLAUSES RELATING TO THE WESTERN FRONT. 1. The cessation of operations by land and air six hours after the signature of the armistice, 2. The immediate evacuation of the invaded countries of Belgium, France, Alsace-Lorraine, and Luxemburg shall be so ordered as to be completed within 14 days from the signature of the armistice. German troops which have not left the above-mentioned territories within the period fixed will become prisoners. Occupation by allied and United States forces jointly will keep pace with the evacuation in these areas. All movements of evacuation and occupation will be regulated in accordance with the Note. 3. The repatriation, beginning at once and to be completed within 14 days, of all inhabitants of the countries above enumerated (including hostages and persons under trial or convicted). 4. The surrender in good condition by the German armies of the following equipment Five thousand guns, 2500 heavy and 2500 field pieces; 30,000 machine-guns; 3000 minethrowers; 2000 aeroplanes, fighters, bombers, and day and night bombing machines. The above to be delivered in situ to the allied and United States troops in accordance with the detailed conditions laid down in the Note. 4. The evacuation by the German armies of the countries on the left bank of the Rhine. These countries shall be administered by the local authorities under the control of the allied and United States armies of occupation. The occupation of these territories will be carried out by allied and United States garrisons holding the principal crossings of the Rhine (Mayence, Coblenz, and Cologne), together with bridgeheads at these points of a 20-mile radius on the right bank and by garrisons similarly holding the strategic points of these regions. A neutral zone shall be set up on the right bank of the Rhine between the river and a line drawn six Aiiles distant, starting from the Dutch frontier to the Swiss frontier. In the case of inhabitants, no person shall be prosecuted for having taken part in any military measures previous to the signing of the armistice. No measure of a general or official character shall be taken which would have as a consequence the depreciation of industrial establishments or the reduction of their personnel. Evacuation by the enemy of the Rhinelands shall be so ordered as to be completed within a further period of 11 days, in all 25 days after the signature of the armistice. All movements of evacuation and occupation will be regulated according to the Note.
PROTECTING CIVIL POPULATION. 6. In all territory evacuated by the enemy there shall bo no evacuation of the inhabitants. No damage or harm shall bo done to the persons or property of the inhabitants, and no destruction of any kind is to be committed. Military establishments of all kinds shall be delivered intact, as well as military stores of food, munitions and equipment not removed during the periods fixed for the evacuation. Stores of food of all kinds for the civil population and cattle, etc., shall bo left in situ. Industrial establishments shall not be impaired in any way, and their personnel shall not be moved. 7. Roads and means of communication of every kind, railroads, waterways, main roads,, bridges, telegraphs and telephones shall be in no manner impaired. All civil and military personnel at present employed on them shall remain. Five thousand locomotives, 150,000 waggons, and 5000 motor lorries in good working order with all necessary spare parts and fittings shall be delivered to the associated Powers within the period fixed for the evacuation of Belgium and Luxemburg. The railways of Alsace-Lorraine shall be handed over within the same period, together with all pre-war personnel and material. Further material necessary for the working of the railways in the country on the left bank of the Rhine shall be left in situ. All stores of coal and material for the upkeep of permanent-way, signals and repair shops shall be left in situ, and kept as far as means of communication are concerned in an efficient state by Germany during the whole period of the armistice. All barges taken from the Allies shall be restored to them. REVEALING POSITIONS OF MINES. 8. The German command shall be responsible for revealing all mines or delay-action fuses disposed on territory evacuated by German troops and shall assist in their discovery and destruction. The German Command shall also reveal all destructive measures that may have been taken (such an poisoning or pollution of springs, wells, etc.), under penalty of reprisals. 9. The right of requisition shall be exercised by the allied and United States armies in all occupied territory. Save for the settlement of accounts with authorised persons, the upkeep of the troops of occupation in Rhineland (excluding Alsace-Lorraine) shall be charged to the German Government. 10. Immediate' repatriation without reciprocity, according to detailed conditions which shall be fixed, of all allied and United States prisoners of war. The allied Powers and the United States of America shall be able to dispose of these prisoners as they wish. However, the return of German prisoners of war interned in Holland and Switzerland shall continue as heretofore. The return of German prisoners of war shall be settled at the peace preliminaries. 11. Sick and wounded who cannot be removed from evaci ated territory will be cared for by the German personnel, who will be left on the spot with medical material required THE EASTERN FRONTIERS OF GERMANY. 12. All German troops at present in ipy territory which before the war belonged to Russia, Roumania, or Turkey shall withdraw within the frontiers of Germany as they existed on August 1, 1914. All German troops at present in territories which before the war formed part of Russia must likewise return to within the frontiers of Germany as above defined, as soon as the Allies shall think the moment suitable, having regard to the internal situation of these territories. 13. The evacuation by German troops io begin at once, and all German instructors, prisoners, and civilians, as well &s military agents now on the territory of Russia, as defined on Augist 1, 1914, are to be recalled. 14. German troops to cease at once all requisitions and seizures and any other undertaking with a view to obtaining supplies intended for Germany in Roumania and Russia, as defined on August 1, 1914. 15. The abandonment of the treaties of Bucharest and BresJ Litovsk and supplementary treaties. 16. The Allies shall have free access t6 territories evacuated by the Germans on their east from., either through Danzig or by the Vistula, in order to convey supplies to the population of those territories or for the purpose of maintaining order. CLAUSE RELATING TO EAST AFRICA. 17. The unconditional evacuation German forces operating in East Africa within one month. GENERAL CLAUSES. 18. The repatriation without reciprocity within a maximum period of one month, in accordance with detailed, conditions hereafter to be fixed, of all civilians interned or deported who may be citizens of other allied or associated states than thosfe mentioned in Clause 3. 19. With the reservation that any future claims and demands of the Allies and the United States remain unaffected, the following financial conditions are required• Reparation for damage done while the armistice lasts; no public security shall be removed by the enemy which can serve as a pledge to the Allies for the recovery or reparation for war losses; immediate restitution of, ,cash deposits in the National Bank of Belgium, and in general the immediate return of all documents, specie, stock, shares, and paper money, together with plant for the issue thereof; touching public or private interests in invaded countries, the restitution of the Russian and Roumanian gold yielded to Germany or taken hy that Power, this gold to be delivered in trust to the Allies until .the signature of peace. 20. The immediate cessation of &11 hostilities at sea, and definite information to be given as to the location and movements of all German ships. Notification to be given to neutrals that freedom of
navigation in territorial waters is given to the naval and mercantile marines of the allied and associated Powers, all questions of neutrality being waived. 21. All naval and mercantile marine prisoners of war of the allied and associated Powers in German hands to be returned without reciprocity. 22. In order to meet our wishes the text will be modified as follows Handing over to the Allies and United States of all submarines, including all submarine cruisers and minelayers, which are at the present moment with their full complement in ports specified by the Allies and the United States, those that cannot put to sea to be deprived of their crews and supplies, and shall remain under the supervision of the Allies and United States. Submarines ready to put to sea shall be prepared to leave German ports immediately on receipt of a wireless order to sail to a port and surrender, the remainder to follow as early as possible. The conditions of this article shall be carried out within 14 days after the signing of the armistice. 23. The following German surface warships, which shall be designated by the Allies and the United States, shall forthwith be disarmed and thereafter interned in neutral ports, or, failing them, allied ports to be designated by the Allies and the United States and placed under the surveillance of the Allies and the United States of America, only caretakers being left on board, namely, six battle-cruisers, 10 battleships, eight light cruisers, including two mine-layers, 50 destroyers of the most modern types. All other surface warships, including river craft, to be concentrated in German naval bases to be designated by the Allies and the United States, and are to be paid off and completely disarmed and placed under the supervision of the Allies and the United States of America. All vessels of the auxiliary fleettrawlers, motor vessels, etc. —are to be disarmed. All vessels specified for internment shall be ready to leave German ports seven days after the signing of the armistice. Directions for the voyage will be given by wireless.
A declaration has been signed by the allied delegates and handed to the German delegates to the effect that in the event of the ships not being handed over, owing to the mutinous state of the fleet, the Allies reserve the right to occupy Heligoland as an Advanced base to enable them to enforce the terms of the armistice. The German delegates have' on their part signed a declaration that they will recommend the Chancellor to accept this. REMOVAL OF ALL MINEFIELDS. 24. The Allies and the United States shall have the right to sweep all minefields and obstructions laid by Germany outside German territorial water*,, and the posit: of these are to be indicated. 25. Freedom of access to and from the Baltic to be given to the naval and mercantile marines of the allied and associated Powers. To secure this the Allies and the United States of America shall be empowered to occupy all German forts, fortifications, batteries, and defence works of all kinds on all entrances from the Cattegat into the Baltic, and sweep all mines and obstructions within and without German territorial waters without any question of neutrality being raised and the positions of all such mines and obstructions are to be indicated. 20. The existing blockade conditions set up by the allied and associated Powers are to remain unchanged, and all German merchant ships found at sea arot to remain liable to capture. The Allies and the United States contemplate such provisioning of Germany during the armistice as shall be found necessary. 27. All naval aircraft are to be concentrated and immobilised In German bases to be specified by the Allies and the United States. 28. In evacuating the Belgian coasts and ports Germany shall abandon all merchant ships, tugs, lighters, and cranes, and all other harbour materials, all materials for inland navigation, all aircraft and air materials and stores, all arms and armaments and all stores and apparatus of all kinds. EVACUATING BLACK SEA PORTS.
29. All Black Sea ports are to be evacuated by Germany. The Russian warships of all descriptions seized by Germany in the Black Sea are to be handed over to the Allies and the United States. All neutral merchant ships seized are to be released. All warlike and other materials of all kinds seized in those ports are to be returned, and German materials as specified in Clause 28 are to be abandoned. 30. All merchant ships in German hands belonging to (he Allies and associated Powers are to be restored in ports to be specified by the Allies and United States without reciprocity. 31. No destruction of ships or materials to be permitted before evacuation, surrender, or restoration. 32. The German Government shall formally notify the neutral Governments of the world, and particularly the Governments of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Holland, that all restrictions placed on the trading cf their vessels with allied and associated countries, whether by th* German Government or by private German interests, and whether in return for specifio concessions such as the export of shipbuilding materials or not, are immediately cancelled. 33. No transfers of German merchant shipping of any description to any neutral flag are to take place after the signature of the armistice. DURATION OF THE ARMISTICE. 34. The duration of the armistice is to be 36 days, with the option to extend. During this period, on the failure of the execution of any of the above clauses, the armistice may be denounced by one of the contracting parties on 38 hours' previous notice being given. (Signed) Long.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17007, 14 November 1918, Page 5
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2,349FULL TERMS IMPOSED ON GERMANY BY ARMISTICE. New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17007, 14 November 1918, Page 5
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