The Allies maintained their offensive throughout September and into October 1918, and the Canadian Corps continued to spearhead Allied operations north of the Somme River in France. The German armies were in retreat all along the Western Front. On 6 October 1918, the German government officially requested an armistice. General Erich von Ludendorff resigned as the German chief-of-staff on 27 October. Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated on 9 November. Two days later, an armistice was declared. As the Canadian Corps entered Mons, Belgium, the site of the first British defeat in August 1914, buglers from Canadian regiments signalled the beginning of the ceasefire. All hostilities ended at 11:00 a.m. on 11 November 1918.