Recaps

Oscar secured Wilhelm II’s agreement to fund and expand the Imperial Shipyard and persuaded him to order four battleships based on Oscar’s design, provided they met their promised specifications. Wilhelm II named the design the Nassau-class Battleship.

• Oscar asked Wilhelm II for 120 million Marks to expand the Imperial Shipyard with large slipways, and Wilhelm II agreed to lend the money alongside the 50 million Mark purchase price, with 200 million Marks due within three years including interest.
• Oscar argued that future battleships would exceed 30,000 tons and that Germany needed to prepare its shipyards for them.
• Oscar proposed repaying the 200 million Marks by having his shipyard build four battleships for the German Navy, and Wilhelm II agreed on the condition that they perform close to Oscar’s specifications.
• Oscar asked Wilhelm II to name the New-style Battleship, and Wilhelm II called it the Nassau-class Battleship.

Oscar took ownership of the Imperial Shipyard, renamed it the German Shipyard, and began reorganizing it to build his advanced Nassau-class battleships. After appointing Brutt as director and inspecting the yard in Danzig, Oscar left its expansion and development in Brutt’s hands and returned to Berlin.

• Wilhelm II named Oscar’s four planned battleships the Nassau class and transferred the Imperial Shipyard and a restricted 120-million-Mark loan to him.
• Essen von Jonath introduced Oscar to Brutt, whom Oscar hired to direct the shipyard, along with several experienced staff members.
• Oscar renamed the Imperial Shipyard the German Shipyard and told Brutt to expand it, acquire new technology, and recruit skilled workers to build the Nassau-class battleships.
• Oscar and Brutt traveled to Danzig, where they replaced most of the shipyard’s management while retaining nearly all its workers.
• After two days, Oscar left the German Shipyard’s development to Brutt and returned to Berlin.

Crown Prince Wilhelm challenged Wilhelm II over the support given to Oscar, fearing Oscar’s success would threaten his position as heir. After Wilhelm II defended the shipyard transfer and loan, Crown Prince Wilhelm left determined that Oscar must not be allowed to keep rising.

• Crown Prince Wilhelm accused Wilhelm II of harming the royal family’s interests by transferring the Imperial Shipyard to Oscar cheaply and lending him 120 million marks.
• Wilhelm II reprimanded Crown Prince Wilhelm for his jealousy and urged him to become a more broad-minded leader.
• Wilhelm II explained that Oscar’s loan would bear interest and that his Battleships would qualify as the German Navy’s Next-class Battleship only if they met the required standards.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm concealed his resentment during the lecture and left after an hour.
• Back in his room, Crown Prince Wilhelm vowed that Oscar could not be allowed to continue developing.

Oscar discussed the German Welfare Lottery Company's growth with Karl and decided to expand abroad as Germany's lottery market neared its limits. He left the company with a phased plan to enter European markets, beginning with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy.

• Oscar asked Karl how the German Welfare Lottery Company was developing, and Karl reported that Double Color Ball held at least half of Germany's lottery market.
• Karl warned Oscar that the domestic market would soon reach a bottleneck, and Oscar ruled out relying on new lottery formats alone to raise profits.
• Oscar chose foreign expansion as the company's next source of growth and named the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Italy as its first targets.
• Oscar set Britain and France as the second expansion targets, then planned to pursue the remaining countries if the earlier rounds succeeded.

Oscar planned the German Welfare Lottery Company's expansion into the United States and other foreign markets, while overseeing the German Shipyard's preparations to build Nassau-class battleships. He turned to Krupp to resolve the battleship's main gun and armor challenges.

• Oscar told Karl to expand the lottery company abroad in three rounds and include the United States in the first round.
• Oscar instructed Karl to enlist local strongmen in foreign markets by offering them a share of profits originally allocated to the royal family.
• Brutt expanded the German Shipyard, built new slipways, recruited workers, and poached talent from rival shipyards as it prepared to build four Nassau-class battleships.
• Oscar arranged for the shipyard to seek Curtis steam turbine technology from the United States and identified Krupp as the likely source of the battleship's guns and armor.
• Oscar ordered Karl to contact Krupp and arranged to visit the company the next day.

Oscar visited Bertha Krupp to arrange supplies for the expanded German Shipyard, revealing plans for large-scale warship construction. He also presented Krupp with blueprints for triple-mounted 305mm naval guns, leaving Bertha to assess the ambitious order.

• Oscar arrived at Krupp Company, where Bertha Krupp welcomed him and showed him the headquarters.
• Oscar told Bertha that he had acquired the Imperial Shipyard and renamed it the German Shipyard.
• Oscar said he had invested over a hundred million Mark to expand the shipyard and planned to order eighty thousand tons of steel, including twenty thousand tons of armor steel.
• Oscar presented Bertha with blueprints for triple-mounted 305mm, fifty-caliber naval guns, and she frowned at the design.

Oscar persuaded Beta Krupp to develop and supply triple-mounted 305mm 50-caliber naval guns for his battleships, despite Krupp’s concerns about the technical challenge and limited profit. Beta agreed to cooperate, and Oscar left her with a warning that naval gun caliber and power must keep increasing.

• Beta Krupp explained that Krupp had only developed rapid-firing 280mm guns and lacked the experience to build triple-mounted 305mm guns.
• Oscar rejected the 280mm guns and argued that Germany needed larger-caliber main guns to keep pace with Britain.
• Oscar offered an order exceeding twelve mounts and thirty-six guns, with the possibility of further purchases, to persuade Beta to fund development.
• Beta asked whether German Shipyard was preparing the Navy’s next class of capital ships, and Oscar confirmed he was building battleships ahead of time in hopes they would win the Navy’s approval.
• Beta agreed to cooperate with Oscar, who reminded her that main-gun caliber should keep increasing and that 50-caliber guns were best.

Oscar pushed German firms to develop larger naval guns, oil-fired boilers, and steam turbines for the Nassau-class Battleship, then traveled to Augsburg to recruit Diesel for his new German Power Manufacturing Company. He hoped Diesel would lead its engine development and avoid the inventor’s premature death.

• Oscar gave Krupp Company two years to develop large-caliber main guns for the Nassau-class Battleship.
• Oscar arranged to purchase Curtis steam-turbine technology from the United States and ordered forty-eight oil-fired boilers from Sulzer Boiler Company.
• Oscar planned German Power Manufacturing Company to produce engines for automobiles, warships, aircraft, and submarines.
• At the end of January 1905, Oscar traveled to Augsburg to recruit Diesel as the technical leader of his new company.

Oscar traveled to Augsburg to rescue Rudolf Diesel from financial ruin and recruit him to the German Engine Manufacturing Plant. Diesel was stunned by Oscar’s offer, but the chapter ended before he accepted.

• Oscar went to Diesel’s struggling workshop in Augsburg and found him surrounded by engine parts.
• Diesel explained that few buyers accepted his engine and that he feared he could not continue his work.
• Oscar introduced himself as Prince Oskar and offered to buy Diesel’s patents for five million Mark and fund his research.
• Oscar proposed establishing a research center and factory in Augsburg so Diesel could continue developing improved engines.

Oscar expanded his engine and shipbuilding enterprises as Germany’s dispute with France over Morocco escalated. At an Imperial Council meeting, Crown Prince Wilhelm and Bülow urged a hard line, while the crisis remained unresolved.

• Oscar hired Diesel as chief engineer, bought the patents for Diesel’s engine, and founded the German Engine Manufacturing Company in May 1905.
• Oscar expanded the German Shipyard and organized engineers to study Curtis steam turbine technology for future battleship engines.
• France sought to place Morocco under its influence, and Wilhelm II’s visit to Tangier and Bülow’s call for an international conference heightened tensions with France.
• Delcassé resigned after a fierce French Cabinet debate, and Germany and France agreed to hold an international conference on Morocco.
• At an Imperial Council meeting, Crown Prince Wilhelm urged Wilhelm II to use military strength against France, and Bülow cited German public anger over the dispute.

Wilhelm II’s ministers debated whether Germany could risk war with France and examined the military strength of its allies and enemies. The chapter left Germany facing a stark naval disadvantage against Britain, making a successful war and escape from blockade seem unlikely.

• Wilhelm II dismissed von Kiderlen-Wachth’s fears and argued that Germany could defeat France if war broke out.
• Moltke the Younger warned that British and Russian intervention would force Germany to divide its forces, while Crown Prince Wilhelm insisted Austria-Hungary and Italy would help.
• Wilhelm II rebuffed the Crown Prince and asked Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz whether the German Navy could break a British blockade.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz listed Germany’s battleships and revealed that Britain had more than twice as many, leaving the ministers alarmed at the naval imbalance.

Wilhelm II and his officials acknowledged that Germany could not yet challenge Britain at sea and agreed to restrain their stance in the Moroccan Crisis. After the Algeciras Conference humiliated Germany, public pressure drove Parliament to expand the naval buildup.

• Tirpitz explained Germany's severe disadvantage in Capital Ships, and Wilhelm II ordered restraint while seeking to protect German interests in Morocco.
• Wilhelm II considered Oscar's preparations to build New-style Battleships at the German Shipyard and recognized his son’s talent.
• On November 18, 1905, the German Shipyard completed its expansion, and Oscar began construction of four Nassau-class Battleships the next day.
• In January 1906, the Algeciras Conference produced a treaty that recognized Morocco's independence and granted France and Spain policing rights while promising to protect German interests.
• Amid public outrage over the outcome, the German Parliament amended the Naval Law, increasing shipbuilding funds and setting ambitious fleet targets for 1917.

The British Navy launched HMS Dreadnought, its new all-big-gun Battleship, and Admiral Sir John Fisher presented it as a leap that would make older Battleships obsolete. The launch strengthened Britain’s confidence in its naval supremacy, and Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman supported building more ships to preserve that advantage.

• On February 10, 1906, the British Navy launched HMS Dreadnought at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard after completing its main construction in just over four months.
• The Shipyard Director told Admiral Sir John Fisher that fitting-out would begin immediately and that sea trials were expected within six to eight months.
• Admiral Sir John Fisher described HMS Dreadnought’s all-big-gun armament, steam turbines, speed, and armor, then declared at the ceremony that the ship would help keep the Royal Navy unchallenged.
• After the launch, Admiral Sir John Fisher returned to London and reported on HMS Dreadnought to Prime Minister Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman.
• Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman agreed that Britain could replace its obsolete Battleships and use its financial resources and shipbuilding capacity to maintain naval superiority.

British Prime Minister Sir Bannerman and Admiral Sir John Fisher celebrated Britain’s lead in building new battleships and planned even more advanced ships. After German intelligence obtained the specifications of HMS Dreadnought, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Wilhelm II blamed the Naval Technical Committee for rejecting Oscar’s design, and Wilhelm summoned its chairman to an Imperial Council.

• Sir Bannerman and Admiral Sir John Fisher discussed the British New-style Battleship and their confidence that Germany could not catch up quickly.
• Admiral Sir John Fisher told Sir Bannerman that the Bellerophon-class design was complete, three ships would be built, and Britain was developing 13.5-inch guns for super-Dreadnoughts.
• German naval intelligence obtained HMS Dreadnought’s specifications and sent them to the German Naval Ministry.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz raged that the Naval Technical Committee had rejected Oscar’s design and regretted failing to fight harder for it.
• Wilhelm II condemned the Naval Technical Committee and ordered an Imperial Council attended by Count von Warren.

Wilhelm II and his advisers confronted the damage caused by Britain’s Dreadnought, which had made Germany’s battleship program obsolete and exposed the Naval Technical Committee’s rejection of Prince Oskar’s design as a grave mistake. They left the meeting ready to adopt Oskar’s design for Germany’s next generation of capital ships and try to catch up with Britain.

• Wilhelm II asked his advisers to assess Britain’s newly launched Dreadnought, and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz identified it as the battleship Britain had secretly developed.
• Prince Heinrich explained the Dreadnought’s all-big-gun design and noted that Prince Oskar’s rejected design could bring even more guns to bear and offer stronger defenses.
• Wilhelm II said Britain was basing its next battleships on the Dreadnought, rendering Germany’s completed and unfinished ships obsolete.
• Count von Warren admitted that the Naval Technical Committee had misjudged the future of battleship design, while Chancellor Bülow urged Wilhelm II to focus on a remedy rather than punishment.
• Count von Warren proposed adopting Prince Oskar’s design, and Prince Heinrich said Germany could still catch up with Britain and might even narrow the gap.

Wilhelm II reprimanded the Naval Technical Committee for rejecting Oscar’s battleship designs, then approved the navy taking over four ships already under construction at Oscar’s German Shipyard. The news established Oscar as a genius shipbuilder and left the navy preparing to sign a contract with him.

• Wilhelm II accepted the Naval Technical Committee’s admission that Oscar’s predictions had been right, but warned its members not to repeat their mistake.
• Wilhelm II revealed that Oscar had bought the Imperial Shipyard, expanded it into the German Shipyard, and begun building four battleships with his own funds.
• Prince Heinrich proposed that the navy adopt Oscar’s battleships as its next generation of capital ships, and Tirpitz agreed.
• Wilhelm II decided that Oscar would return the next day to sign a contract with the navy.
• News of the committee’s reprimand and the navy’s decision spread, earning Oscar the title of genius shipbuilder.

Oscar transferred the four Nassau-class Battleships to the German Navy and offered to fund and donate the lead ship of the next class. He then outlined his plan for super-Dreadnoughts, leaving Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz interested in a more powerful design to surpass the British Navy.

• Wilhelm II witnessed Oscar and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz sign the documents transferring four Nassau-class Battleships to the Navy.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz thanked Oscar for risking his fortune to build the ships, and Oscar said he wanted to strengthen the German Empire.
• Oscar said he would fully fund the lead ship of the next class and donate it to the Navy to fulfill his promise to Dean Ludwig Birkenhagen.
• Oscar explained his distinction between pre-dreadnoughts and dreadnoughts, placing Dreadnought and the Nassau-class in the latter category.
• Oscar proposed super-Dreadnoughts with greater firepower, stronger protection, and higher speed to give the German Navy an advantage over Britain.

Oscar persuaded Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz to pursue larger guns for Germany’s next-class battleships and offered the navy a confidential loan to help pay for construction. He pledged 100 million Mark, leaving the emperor and admiral surprised by the relatively modest amount.

• Oscar argued that the next-class battleships should carry the largest main guns possible, despite the added cost and size.
• Wilhelm II warned that higher naval spending would strain the government’s finances and face strong opposition in Parliament.
• Oscar offered to pay for one capital ship and lend the navy money at the bank rate, with the arrangement kept confidential.
• Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz welcomed Oscar’s offer, and Wilhelm agreed that the loan would be repaid from the spoils if the Empire won the war.
• Oscar offered a loan of 100 million Mark, surprising Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz, who thought the sum would fund only two ships.

Oscar promised the German Navy 100 million marks each year until the war ended and presented his design for the next-class battleship. Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz welcomed the funding and examined the proposed ship.

• Oscar clarified that he would provide the German Navy with 100 million marks annually until the war ended.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz thanked Oscar and said the funding would help Germany build up its fleet against Britain.
• Wilhelm II said he would publicly attribute the loans to the royal family, and Oscar warned that Britain and France might eventually discover the truth.
• Oscar presented Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz with blueprints for a larger, faster battleship armed with 343mm guns and heavier armor.

Oscar presented Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz with plans for a powerful new Battleship class, and Wilhelm II agreed to fund its high cost. To accommodate Germany’s major shipyards, Oscar accepted that German Shipyard would build only one of the five planned ships, which he would fund himself.

• Wilhelm II praised Oscar’s new Battleship design, and Tirpitz questioned its cost of around sixty million marks per ship.
• Oscar argued that the ship’s superior combat power justified its price, and Wilhelm II promised to find the money.
• Tirpitz said the next capital ships’ contracts had to be shared among the major shipyards rather than assigned entirely to German Shipyard.
• Oscar agreed that German Shipyard would build only one ship and offered to pay for it himself, honoring his promise to Director Birkenhagen.
• Tirpitz proposed building five ships of the new class.

Oscar, Wilhelm II, and Tirpitz finalized plans for five Helgoland-class battleships, including their builders, names, and construction schedule. They agreed to delay construction until next year while Krupp developed the guns and ordered efforts to keep the ships’ specifications secret from Britain.

• Wilhelm II and Tirpitz assigned the five battleships to German Shipyard, Navy Shipyard, Royal Shipyard, Vulcan Shipyard, and Weser Shipyard.
• Wilhelm II named the ships Helgoland, Ostfriesland, Thuringen, Oldenburg, and East Prussia, establishing the Helgoland class.
• Oscar explained that construction had to wait until Krupp made progress on its 305mm guns before developing the 343mm main gun.
• Tirpitz said the ships could enter service two and a half years after construction began, and Wilhelm II approved starting next year.
• Oscar warned that Britain must not learn the ships’ specifications too soon, and Wilhelm II ordered secret units to delay any leaks.

Oscar listened as Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz discussed Germany’s growing isolation and the need to strengthen the navy. He urged Wilhelm II to weaken Britain by supporting resistance in its colonies and Irish independence.

• Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz warned that Britain, France, and Russia were drawing closer and that Germany might face a two-front war.
• Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz agreed to devote every effort to building up the German navy.
• Oscar proposed supporting resistance to British rule in the colonies to weaken Britain.
• Oscar suggested backing Irish independence, arguing that it could weaken Britain and create a pro-German neighbor even if the effort failed.
• Wilhelm II approved Oscar’s proposals as ways to make trouble for Britain.

Oscar proposed that Germany build battlecruisers to raid British sea lanes, arguing that their speed and firepower would let them threaten commerce while evading or defeating enemy pursuers. Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz accepted the proposal as a valuable addition to the navy.

• Oscar proposed building commerce raiders to attack Britain’s maritime supply routes.
• Wilhelm II questioned the need for specialized ships, but Oscar explained that ordinary warships risked being overwhelmed by Britain’s larger navy.
• Tirpitz asked Oscar what kind of ships he recommended, and Oscar described fast warships with battleship-level firepower and stronger defenses than cruisers.
• Oscar named the ships battlecruisers and explained that they should raid sea lanes and avoid direct battles with enemy battleships.
• Tirpitz endorsed the proposal, and Wilhelm II agreed that battlecruisers were a type of warship the German Navy needed.

Oscar presented his Battlecruiser design to Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz, explaining that Britain was also preparing to build Battlecruisers. His proposed ship outmatched the British Invincible-class on paper, and the Navy agreed to order it, though the number remained undecided.

• Oscar presented his Battlecruiser blueprints and warned Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz that Britain was preparing its own Battlecruisers.
• Oscar described the British Invincible-class specifications, and Tirpitz and Wilhelm II criticized its weak armor.
• Oscar explained that the British designed their Battlecruisers to hunt enemy cruisers and protect maritime transport routes.
• Oscar presented his design’s specifications, including heavier armor, greater firepower, and a top speed of 26 knots.
• Wilhelm II approved of Oscar’s Battlecruiser design, and Tirpitz said the Navy would order it after deciding how many to build.

Wilhelm II approved three German Blücher-class battlecruisers, funded them with royal loans, and awarded their construction to Oscar’s German Shipyard. Crown Prince Wilhelm suspected the secret naval meeting concerned new Capital Ships and erupted in anger at being excluded.

• Wilhelm II agreed that Germany would build three battlecruisers to match Britain’s Invincible-class ships, with the royal family lending the navy one hundred million Mark per year.
• Wilhelm II named the new ships the Blücher-class, with Blücher, Von der Tann, and Lothringen as the three vessels.
• Oscar persuaded Wilhelm II and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz to build all three battlecruisers at the German Shipyard.
• Wilhelm II, Oscar, and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz continued their naval discussion through dinner, drawing speculation from others.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm became furious when he concluded the meeting had concerned new Capital Ships and complained that the others were ignoring him.