Editing Stab-in-the-back myth (section)

===Contemporary===
When consulted on terms for an armistice in October 1918, [[Douglas Haig]], commander of the British and Commonwealth forces on the western front, stated that "Germany is not broken in the military sense. During the last weeks her forces have withdrawn fighting very bravely and in excellent order". [[Ferdinand Foch]], Supreme Allied Commander, agreed with this assessment, stating that "the German army could undoubtedly take up a new position, and we could not prevent it".{{sfn|Liddell Hart|1930|pp=383–384}} When asked about how long he believed it would take for German forces to be pushed across the Rhine, Foch responded "Maybe three, maybe four or five months, who knows?".{{sfn|Liddell Hart|1930|pp=385–386}}

In private correspondence Haig was more sanguine. In a mid-October letter to his wife he stated that "I think we have their army beaten now".<ref name="Beach 2013" />{{rp|316}} Haig noted in his diary for 11 November 1918 that the German army was in "very bad" condition due to insubordination and indiscipline in the ranks.<ref name="Beach 2013" />{{rp|318}}

British army intelligence in October 1918 assessed the German reserves as being very limited, with only 20 divisions for the whole western front of which only five were rated as "fresh". However, they also highlighted that the German Class of 1920 (i.e., the class of young men due to be conscripted in 1920 under normal circumstances, but called up early) was being held back as an additional reserve and would be absorbed into German divisions in the winter of 1918 if the war continued.<ref name="Beach 2013">{{cite book |last1=Beach |first1=Jim |title=Haig's Intelligence: GHQ and the German Army, 1916–1918 |date= 2013 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781139600521 |pages=303–319 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/haigs-intelligence/C8E7355FE420251BF9CB60AAE202A893 |access-date=4 March 2024}}</ref>{{rp|317–318}} Aerial reconnaissance also highlighted the lack of any prepared fortified positions beyond the Hindenburg line.<ref name="Beach 2013" />{{rp|316}} A report from the retired German general [[Max Montgelas|Montgelas]], who had previously contacted British intelligence to discuss peace overtures, stated that "The military situation is desperate, if not hopeless, but it is nothing compared to the interior condition due to the rapid spread of Bolshevism.".<ref name="Beach 2013" />{{rp|318}}