Spa Conference (13–15 August 1918)

The Spa conference of 13–15 August 1918 was a critical meeting between the German and Austro-Hungarian monarchs during World War I. This conference was significant as it marked a shift in the Central Powers' approach, with civil officials beginning to recognize the improbability of a military victory. The German Empire and its allies were increasingly exhausted, and recent offensives had failed on the Marne and the Piave in Italy. This situation, coupled with the massive arrival of American troops reinforcing the Entente forces, led the German Empire and the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy to seriously consider the prospect of a compromise peace.

This was the third such conference held in Spa, the headquarters of the Oberste Heeresleitung (OHL), since the beginning of 1918. It followed previous meetings on 12 May 1918, and a second conference on 2 July 1918.