At 11 a.m., November 11, 1918, World War One ended. Victory had been assured and final territory already agreed upon. So why did more soldiers die that day than on D-Day? Based on Joseph Persico’s book EM 11th Month, 11th Day, 11th Hour: Armistice Day, 1918 /EM , we reveal how Allied leaders found outrageous excuses to send 13,000 men to their deaths against a defeated enemy. Some leaders desired promotion, others craved retribution, while one commander chose to capture a town that day solely to bathe! Despite the human toll, nothing was gained–territories taken that day were eventually returned to Germany. The senseless 11th-hour slaughter captures the whole WWI in a microcosm–pointless carnage for no positive purpose.