Spa Conference (2-3 July 1918)

The Spa Conference of 2-3 July, 1918, called "the great Spa conference" by Fritz Fischer , was the second of the four main meetings between the political and military leaders of the German Empire. The conference was held in the summer of 1918, between Operation Michael and the Second Battle of the Marne, the two major German offensives at the end of the First World War. The participants were gathered in the town of Spa, Belgium by Emperor Wilhelm II, to reaffirm the objectives of the conflict, which was by then in its fifth year. The last imperial government supporters of a compromise peace were disavowed by the emperor, and their main representative, Secretary of State Richard von Kühlmann, was forced to resign. At the same time, the German Army high command (OHL) was preparing for its last offensive of the conflict, after the blows inflicted on the Allies in the spring. The conference was held during the last days of preparation for the Second Battle of the Marne, it was the last chance for German officials to reaffirm their belief in the Empire's victory.