Chapter Summaries

Oscar and Wilhelm II decided to confront the United States over its shipments of military supplies to Britain, despite concerns that a warning could push America toward the Allied Powers. Germany formally protested, and Ambassador Grass arrived to meet Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan as debate continued within the American cabinet.

• Oscar told Wilhelm II that the United States was violating neutrality by shipping weapons and resources to Britain and was seeking to weaken Germany.
• Wilhelm II agreed that Germany could no longer tolerate the American shipments, while von Kiderlen-Wachth and Bernhard von Bülow warned against driving the United States into the Allied camp.
• Oscar argued that America’s military was too weak to threaten Germany before Germany won the European war, and Wilhelm II ordered a warning to the United States.
• After the Imperial Council, von Kiderlen-Wachth ordered Ambassador Grass to lodge a formal protest against American shipments of military supplies to Britain.
• Ambassador Grass urgently requested a meeting with William Jennings Bryan, who sensed trouble, as President Woodrow Wilson remained committed to supporting Britain and France despite divisions in his cabinet.

German Ambassador Grass formally protested the United States’ secret shipments of war supplies to Britain and France and warned that Germany would take action if they continued. President Woodrow Wilson and his cabinet gathered to decide how to respond, with America’s neutrality and wartime profits at stake.

• Ambassador Grass demanded that the United States stop supplying weapons and military goods to Britain and France, warning that continued shipments would damage relations with Germany.
• Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan denied violating neutrality and assured Grass that the United States would observe its laws.
• After Grass left, Bryan summoned the cabinet to the White House to discuss Germany’s formal warning.
• Bryan told President Woodrow Wilson and the cabinet that Germany’s attitude had changed and it would no longer tolerate American support for the Allied Powers.
• Wilson described the situation as a difficult choice, while the cabinet considered the consequences for America’s neutrality and wartime profits.

President Wilson and his cabinet debated whether the United States should stop supporting the Allied Powers after Germany warned against it. Wilson decided to continue trade with the Allies, arguing that the United States should use the war to weaken Germany and preserve its future position.

• Secretary of State Bryan warned that continued support for Britain and France could rupture relations with Germany.
• Secretary of the Navy Daniels cautioned that Germany might attack American merchant ships, while Vice President Marshall argued Germany would avoid driving the United States toward the Allies.
• Secretary of War Garrison explained that Germany held a decisive advantage after Russia withdrew from the war and the German Army and Navy outperformed their opponents.
• President Wilson argued that Germany could not threaten the American homeland and that the United States should use the war to weaken German strength.
• Wilson ordered the cabinet to tell Germany that the United States had not shipped weapons to the Allies and had the right to trade with any country.

Von Kiderlen-Wächter reported that the United States had refused Germany’s demands and defended its trade with the Allied Powers. Wilhelm II and his advisers debated whether to attack American merchant ships, and Oscar urged a firm response while insisting that U.S. entry would not prevent Germany’s victory.

• Von Kiderlen-Wächter read the American Embassy’s telegram and summoned Germany’s leading officials to report the United States’ refusal to back down.
• Wilhelm II heard that the Americans claimed their trade was lawful and angrily accused them of provoking the Empire.
• Count Tirpitz urged Germany to attack American merchant ships, while Chancellor Bülow warned that this could drive the United States to join the Allied Powers.
• Falkenhayn argued that American intervention would not change the war’s outcome, and Wilhelm II asked Oscar to assess the risk.
• Oscar urged Wilhelm II not to retreat and declared that Germany could defeat Britain and France before eventually overcoming the United States.

Oscar proposed that Germany establish a Prohibited Navigation Zone to prevent supplies from reaching Britain and France, and Wilhelm II approved the plan. Germany’s announcement provoked condemnation from Britain and France and a defiant response from the United States, leaving other countries watching for signs of war.

• Tirpitz urged Wilhelm II to attack American merchant ships, but Oscar proposed restricting navigation and trade instead.
• Bülow and Wachth warned that the plan could provoke other countries and the United States, while Oscar argued that Germany had to win the war at minimal cost.
• Wilhelm II approved Oscar’s proposal, and on February 18, 1915, the German government announced the Prohibited Navigation Zone and a ban on supplies to Britain and France.
• Britain and France condemned Germany’s announcement, while the United States denounced it and threatened to use any means, including war, to protect its interests.
• Other countries were intimidated by Germany’s strength and waited to see how the conflict between Germany and the United States would develop.

Prime Minister Asquith and the British Cabinet discussed how American intervention could reverse Britain’s worsening position in the war. They decided to encourage American involvement by expanding trade and loans, leaving Britain hopeful but dependent on the United States.

• Prime Minister Asquith asked whether German actions might enrage the United States into joining the war, while Churchill warned that America might instead compromise.
• Richard Haldane argued that British and French forces could hold off the German offensive until American industry produced greater military strength.
• Prime Minister Asquith asked how Britain could persuade the United States to enter the war.
• Lloyd George proposed placing more orders with American merchants so German attacks on their ships could provoke the United States.
• Sir Edward Grey proposed borrowing more money from the United States to tie American interests to Britain, and Asquith assigned him the matter.
• Prime Minister Asquith urged the Cabinet to win the war, and the ministers shouted their support for the British Empire.

Oscar approved a German blockade of the waters west of Britain, assigning the Commerce Raiding Fleet to intercept shipping while keeping submarines to intelligence work. Britain relied on American merchant ships to carry supplies, and the oil tanker Statue of Liberty entered the Prohibited Navigation Zone before a German destroyer spotted it and ordered it to stop.

• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz described the difficulty of sealing off Britain's western waters, and Oscar approved the High Seas Fleet's plan to use battlecruisers, destroyers, and Light Cruisers while restricting submarines to intelligence gathering.
• The German Navy reinforced the Commerce Raiding Fleet, appointed Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee to oversee merchant-ship interceptions, and transferred Vice Admiral Franz von Hipper to assist Admiral Reinhard Scheer.
• Germany established a blockade line west of Britain, but the British government placed large orders with the United States and hired American merchant ships to transport supplies.
• The captain of the American oil tanker Statue of Liberty reassured his crew that the Germans would not harm them as they approached the Prohibited Navigation Zone.
• The Statue of Liberty entered the zone and was spotted by a German Navy destroyer, which radioed an order to stop for inspection.

A German destroyer intercepted the American oil tanker Statue of Liberty and forced it to stop despite its captain’s claims that it had lost its way. After German Marines found the tanker’s logbook and confirmed it was bound for Manchester, Captain Smyll seized the ship indefinitely.

• The Statue of Liberty’s captain tried to turn back and evade the German destroyer, but Captain Smyll ordered warning shots when the tanker ignored his demands to stop.
• German shells splashed ahead of the tanker, and its captain ordered the ship to halt.
• Captain Smyll boarded with Marines and ordered them to search the tanker and find its logbook.
• A German soldier reported that the logbook listed Manchester as the destination, and Captain Smyll declared the ship seized indefinitely.
• The Statue of Liberty’s captain protested that the crew were Americans, but a German soldier struck him with a rifle butt.

Germany’s navy detained hundreds of American and other foreign merchant ships that tried to enter the Prohibited Navigation Zone, prompting the United States to protest. Foreign Minister von Kiderlen-Wachth rejected the American ambassador’s demands and blamed the detained ships for violating Germany’s ban.

• The Commerce Raiding Fleet detained more than 250 foreign merchant ships in three days, including over 200 American vessels, and several ships were sunk with more than a hundred American deaths.
• Oscar told Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz that Germany would keep the detained ships and cargoes despite American protests.
• The United States grew furious over the losses and pressure from shipowners, and its ambassador demanded an end to the seizures, an apology, and compensation from von Kiderlen-Wachth.
• von Kiderlen-Wachth defended the German Navy’s actions, saying the American ships had violated the ban and that those sunk had been fired upon while fleeing.

The United States protested Germany’s seizure of merchant ships that entered its Prohibited Navigation Zone, but Germany refused to withdraw the zone or release the ships. To show resolve without risking war, President Wilson ordered the American Navy to escort US merchant vessels.

• Wachth told the American Ambassador that Germany would enforce its Prohibited Navigation Zone and warned the United States to stop shipping war materials to Britain.
• President Wilson and his Cabinet debated how to respond, balancing public pressure against the danger of war with Germany.
• Daniels proposed sending a fleet to escort American merchant ships, and Bryan supported the plan as a show of resolve that would avoid immediate war.
• President Wilson ordered the American Navy to dispatch a powerful fleet to escort American merchant ships.

The United States sent its Atlantic Fleet to escort merchant ships and test Germany’s resolve, while its leaders sought to avoid starting a war. Wilhelm II and his advisers debated how Germany should respond, with Oskar proposing an interception and a possible strike on the American fleet.

• Minister Daniels told Admiral Franz Fletcher to escort the merchant ships without provoking Germany or firing first, though the Americans could retaliate if attacked.
• On February 22, 1915, Admiral Fletcher led all twelve completed American dreadnoughts and more than fifty other warships out of Norfolk.
• Wilhelm II summoned Tirpitz, von Pohl, Reinhard Scheer, and Oskar to discuss the American fleet’s deployment and whether it threatened Germany.
• Oskar argued that Germany should order its Commerce Raiding Fleet to intercept the Americans and attack if they entered the Prohibited Navigation Zone, while the High Seas Fleet moved toward Scapa Flow.
• Wilhelm II questioned whether the Commerce Raiding Fleet could defeat the American battleships.

Wilhelm II and his advisers debated whether Germany should attack the American fleet, with Oscar and other officials arguing that Germany should avoid expanding the war. Wilhelm II agreed to remain vigilant and keep the Empire focused on defeating Britain and France while absorbing territories taken from Russia.

• Tirpitz assured Wilhelm II that the German Commerce Raiding Fleet could defeat the American fleet through superior firepower, protection, and combat experience.
• Tirpitz urged Wilhelm II to seize the opportunity to destroy the American fleet, but Oscar advised against war with the United States unless America attacked first.
• Bernhard von Bülow and von Falkenhayn supported Oscar, warning that a longer war would damage Germany's economy and saying the Americans were unlikely to start a war.
• Wilhelm II agreed to avoid attacking the United States for now but vowed to crush the Americans if they attacked Germany first.
• Wilhelm II reaffirmed that Germany's priority was defeating Britain and France and ordered preparations to absorb the Russian territories it had acquired.

Germany sent its main fleet into the North Sea, alarming Britain and the United States with its overwhelming naval strength. As Wilson ordered the American fleet to continue east under strict instructions to avoid conflict, Germany prepared to intercept it before it entered the Prohibited Navigation Zone.

• The German High Seas Fleet left Wilhelmshaven, prompting Churchill to put the Royal Navy Grand Fleet on battle alert.
• Churchill recognized that Britain's fleet could not yet match Germany's capital ships and feared that the blockade would eventually force Britain into battle.
• Daniels urged Wilson to recall the American fleet, but Wilson ordered it to continue while avoiding any clash with Germany.
• Admiral Fletcher received Wilson's orders and told the American capital ship captains to exercise extreme caution around the German Navy.
• Vice Admiral Spee put the Commerce Raiding Fleet on combat readiness and sent cruisers, destroyers, and submarines to search for the American fleet.

Major Dönitz’s submarine discovered the American fleet in the central Atlantic and reported its position to Vice Admiral Spee. As the fleet neared Germany’s Prohibited Navigation Zone, Spee sent the Light Cruiser Königsberg to delay it while the main German force raced to intercept.

• Major Dönitz’s submarine searched the Atlantic for the American fleet and found it on February 27.
• Dönitz reported the discovery to the Battlecruiser Mackensen, and Vice Admiral Spee ordered the submarine to shadow the American fleet while he concentrated his ships.
• American destroyers drove Dönitz’s submarine away, and it lost track of the fleet after diving to evade them.
• A German submarine found the American fleet again on March 1, roughly six hundred kilometers west of Ireland and nearing the Prohibited Navigation Zone.
• Vice Admiral Spee ordered his fleet to advance at full speed and sent the Light Cruiser Königsberg to delay the American fleet.

Erich Raeder's Light Cruiser Königsberg intercepted Admiral Fletcher's American fleet as it approached Germany's Prohibited Navigation Zone. After both sides refused to back down, Raeder ordered Königsberg to ram the American flagship.

• Erich Raeder received Admiral Spee's order to intercept the American fleet and turned Königsberg toward the designated waters.
• Admiral Fletcher ordered the American fleet to continue toward Germany's Prohibited Navigation Zone despite warnings from his staff.
• Königsberg found the American fleet and demanded that it leave the waters, while Fletcher insisted the fleet had freedom of navigation on the high seas.
• Raeder ordered Königsberg's turrets to aim at the American flagship, Battleship Nevada, and Fletcher ordered his fleet to keep sailing and return fire if attacked.
• Raeder ordered Königsberg to charge at full speed and ram the American fleet.

The Light Cruiser Königsberg charged the American flagship Nevada despite Admiral Fletcher’s warnings, and Lieutenant Colonel Erich Raeder ordered the crew to ram her. The collision tore open Nevada’s midsection and wrecked Königsberg’s bow, leaving both warships severely damaged.

• The Light Cruiser Königsberg accelerated to over thirty knots and charged toward Nevada, ignoring Admiral Fletcher’s warning to stop.
• Admiral Fletcher refused to open fire for fear of starting a war with Germany and ordered American cruisers and destroyers to intercept Königsberg.
• Lieutenant Colonel Erich Raeder praised navigator Major Hans as Königsberg evaded the intercepting ships and aimed for Nevada’s midsection.
• Admiral Fletcher ordered Nevada’s crew to prepare for impact as Königsberg closed in.
• Königsberg rammed Nevada, tearing open her armored midsection while the collision nearly destroyed the cruiser’s bow.

After the Königsberg rammed and heavily damaged the American flagship Nevada, the German raiding fleet arrived and faced the American fleet in a tense standoff. The Americans let the Königsberg escape rather than risk escalating the confrontation, leaving both fleets poised against each other.

• Admiral Fletcher learned that the Nevada had suffered a major hull breach and would need to return to a shipyard, while the Königsberg's bow was also badly damaged.
• Lieutenant Colonel Erich Raeder ordered the Königsberg to reverse away from the Nevada and withdraw before the Americans could retaliate.
• Admiral Fletcher ordered his fleet to surround the Königsberg and demanded an explanation, but he refused to order the cruiser sunk.
• The German raiding fleet arrived with twelve Battlecruisers, drawing the American fleet's attention and allowing the Königsberg to escape.
• Vice Admiral Spee praised Erich Raeder's attack and said he would report it to Crown Prince.
• The German and American fleets entered a standoff with more than twenty Capital Ships between them.

After Königsberg rammed the American flagship Nevada, Vice Admiral Spee refused America’s demand to surrender the cruiser and Captain Erich Raeder, while both fleets held their positions and traded protests. Oscar praised Raeder and planned to promote him as the dispute continued without resolution.

• Admiral Fletcher ordered the Germans to hand over Königsberg and Erich Raeder for trial after the collision damaged Nevada.
• Vice Admiral Spee allowed Erich Raeder to return to port under destroyer escort and rejected the American demands, defending Königsberg’s actions in the Prohibited Navigation Zone.
• The American and German fleets remained more than a dozen kilometers apart, restraining their forces while exchanging accusations by telegram.
• Oscar praised Erich Raeder’s actions, and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz promised a reward and promotion when Raeder returned home.
• The United States lodged repeated protests, but the governments continued their War of Words without changing the standoff.
• President Woodrow Wilson smashed a favorite coffee cup when he learned that Nevada had been damaged.

President Woodrow Wilson and his cabinet debated whether to keep the American fleet facing the German Navy or withdraw it after the Battleship Nevada was badly damaged. After concluding that Britain could not defeat Germany even with the American fleet tying down German battlecruisers, Wilson ordered General Fletcher to withdraw.

• Secretary of the Navy Daniels reported that the Battleship Nevada was taking on water and needed to return for repairs.
• Secretary of State Bryan urged withdrawing the Nevada, while Vice President Marshall worried that doing so would leave the Americans outnumbered; Daniels said the fleet was already no match for Germany.
• Secretary of the Treasury McAdoo proposed withdrawing the entire fleet, but the cabinet worried about the political backlash at home.
• Secretary of War Garrison suggested keeping the fleet there to help Britain by pinning down German battlecruisers.
• Daniels argued that Britain could not defeat Germany's main fleet, and Wilson ordered General Fletcher to withdraw.

Admiral Fletcher ordered the American fleet to withdraw, leaving Germany free to focus on its conflict with Britain. Oscar and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz discussed the coming naval campaign and the eventual clash they expected with the United States.

• Admiral Fletcher received President Wilson’s telegram and ordered the American fleet to turn back.
• Vice Admiral Spee observed the Americans withdrawing and reported Germany’s victory to the homeland.
• Oscar and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz welcomed the American retreat and discussed the future conflict between Germany and the United States.
• Oscar urged Tirpitz to begin the Navy’s plans against Britain, and Tirpitz described Britain’s choices as blockade or a decisive battle.
• Oscar compared the British and German fleets and concluded that German battleships, battlecruisers, submarines, and aircraft carriers gave Germany the advantage.