Fighting continued after the treaty and armistice was signed in several places, notably on the Western Front until the exact ceasefire hour, in East Africa, North Russia, and parts of Eastern Europe due to communication delays, unresolved conflicts, and political instability.
Fighting until the Armistice Hour
Although the Armistice of November 11, 1918, was signed early that morning, fighting continued on many fronts up until the ceasefire at 11 a.m. CET. Troops on both sides were still engaged in combat because the news of the ceasefire took time to fully spread and troops awaited the official hour to stop hostilities. Thousands still died in those final hours of fighting, reflecting the brutal nature of the war's end and the time lag in communication and coordination.
East Africa
In East Africa, German forces under Major General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck continued fighting after the armistice because the message of the war's end took days to reach remote battle zones. Von Lettow-Vorbeck’s guerilla tactics had kept him elusive for years, and Allied troops only formally ceased hostilities and accepted his surrender weeks after the armistice.
North Russia and the Baltics
After the Russian Revolution and Russia’s exit from World War I, the region remained unstable. Allied forces, including British troops, stayed engaged in North Russia (around Murmansk and Archangel) fighting amidst the wider Russian Civil War between the Bolsheviks (Reds) and anti-communist forces (Whites). German troops and Allied forces remained in the Baltics to contain the spread of Bolshevism. This complicated the post-treaty situation as these conflicts continued despite the formal end of WWI in the west.
Civil Wars and Border Conflicts
Elsewhere in Europe, new nations formed after the collapse of empires, and overlapping territorial claims caused conflicts. The Russian Civil War (1917-1923) was a significant fighting episode triggered by the Russian Revolution, involving Bolsheviks, anti-communists, and allied intervention forces. These political and territorial struggles persisted beyond the signing of peace treaties, delaying lasting peace in the region until around 1923.
Why Fighting Continued
- The armistice was a ceasefire, not a final peace treaty. Actual peace agreements like the Treaty of Versailles came later and didn't stop all conflict.
- Communication delays in remote areas meant some forces were unaware or only received the ceasefire orders late.
- Political instability, revolutions, and emerging new states led to ongoing local conflicts.
- Fear of Bolshevik expansion led the Allies to keep troops deployed in strategic areas to contain communism.
In summary, fighting after the treaty was signed continued mainly due to timing and communication delays, unresolved local conflicts, and the broader political context of revolutionary and civil wars, especially in Eastern Europe, Russia, and colonial territories.
