Peace had been restored to Luxembourg after the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1916. France's occupation had been brutally dismantled, to the extent that the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg had stipulated that France must not only pay for the damages caused by their two invasions and occupations but also bear the cost of removing their own dead from the territory.
There were simply too many Frenchmen who had perished during the 8th Army's push through the relatively small sovereign territory. In the year since the war's conclusion, negotiations between the Kaiser and the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg had proceeded smoothly, with Germany playing a leading role in the country's reconstruction.
However, the Grand Duchess was deeply shaken, having been forced from her home twice in two years. Even her peaceful domain was restless as the agreed-upon time for the withdrawal of German troops approached.
