Recaps

Oscar and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz discussed the German Navy’s challenge against Britain and the danger that a wartime blockade could cut off its oil supplies. Crown Prince Wilhelm confronted them with accusations that the navy was siding with Oscar, leaving Tirpitz angered by the charge.

• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz praised the strength of Germany’s new capital ships, while Oscar warned that Britain’s shipbuilding capacity could still overwhelm the High Seas Fleet.
• Oscar and Tirpitz agreed that Germany had to keep pursuing victory against Britain despite the risks, and Oscar pointed out that a blockade could leave the oil-powered fleet without fuel.
• Oscar decided that Germany should stockpile oil before war broke out.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm approached Oscar and Tirpitz in a fury and accused Oscar of disregarding him.
• Wilhelm accused Tirpitz and the navy of supporting Oscar, and Tirpitz rejected the accusation as an insult to the navy’s reputation.

Crown Prince Wilhelm accused Oscar of coveting the throne and threatened him, while Oscar secretly planned to strengthen his support in the navy and army. After hearing about the confrontation, Wilhelm II began considering replacing Crown Prince Wilhelm with Oscar.

• Crown Prince Wilhelm confronted Oscar in the palace gardens, claimed the throne was his, and threatened him over supposed ambitions.
• Oscar denied wanting the throne and apologized, while Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz supported him privately.
• Oscar resolved to cultivate the navy and army’s support through weapons development and funding.
• Essen von Jonath reported the confrontation to Wilhelm II, who judged Crown Prince Wilhelm jealous and narrow-minded.
• Wilhelm II privately considered making Oscar the Empire’s Crown Prince instead.

Wilhelm II lamented Crown Prince Wilhelm’s jealousy of Oskar and ordered Essen von Jonath to warn him that further misconduct could cost him his position. Crown Prince Wilhelm reacted with fury and vowed revenge on Oskar, while Cecilia tried to reassure him that he remained heir to the Empire.

• Wilhelm II told Essen von Jonath that Oskar’s achievements had impressed him, but he was disappointed by Crown Prince Wilhelm’s intolerance and warned that the Crown Prince could be removed.
• Essen von Jonath delivered Wilhelm II’s warning to Crown Prince Wilhelm, who flew into a rage and wrecked his office.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm vowed to make Oskar suffer after he inherited the throne.
• Cecilia entered and tried to comfort Crown Prince Wilhelm by reminding him that he was the Empire’s Crown Prince.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm agreed that Oskar was only a prince, but his hatred of Oskar continued to grow.

Oscar arranged the creation of the German Energy Company to develop Germany’s oil industry and build large strategic reserves. He selected Moritz to lead the new company and directed him to organize it and begin planning refineries and storage facilities.

• Karl told Oscar that the Emperor was dissatisfied with Crown Prince Wilhelm and had nearly run out of patience with him, while Karl urged Oscar to become Crown Prince.
• Oscar told Karl not to discuss replacing the Crown Prince and asked about finding a manager experienced in oil extraction and operations.
• Karl registered the German Energy Company the next day, and Oscar chose Moritz as its general manager after interviewing candidates.
• Oscar gave Moritz three months to assemble the company and promised ten million Mark in funding from the German Welfare Lottery Company.
• Oscar instructed Moritz to plan northern coastal refineries and numerous storage facilities, aiming to reserve at least two million tons of crude oil for strategic purposes.

Oscar told Moritz that Germany needed to secretly build up oil reserves for its future navy and instructed him to develop oil-extraction capabilities. After Moritz left, Oscar considered Libya as a potential source of oil that Germany could pursue through Italy.

• Oscar told Moritz that Germany’s oil-fired warships would need vast reserves if wartime trade routes were cut, and asked him to keep the military secret.
• Oscar set two million tons as the minimum crude-oil stockpile and ordered Moritz to recruit oil specialists and build the company’s technical expertise.
• Moritz asked whether the company should pursue overseas oilfields, and Oscar told him to prepare for opportunities despite foreign control of most fields.
• After Moritz left, Oscar considered Libya’s oil resources and planned to support Italy’s campaign there in exchange for exploration and extraction rights.

At the Imperial Council, Oscar argued that Germany needed a state National Petroleum Reserve to support its growing oil-dependent navy and survive a wartime blockade. Crown Prince Wilhelm attacked the proposal and Oscar’s wealth, but Oscar’s response left the dispute unresolved.

• Wilhelm II convened the Imperial Council to discuss Oscar’s proposal for a National Petroleum Reserve, while Crown Prince Wilhelm viewed Oscar as a threat to the succession.
• Moltke the Younger questioned the expense, and Oscar explained that Germany’s oil consumption would rise as the Navy adopted oil-fired boilers and Steam Turbines.
• Tirpitz backed Oscar, arguing that imported oil could be cut off during war and that reserves were essential to naval strength.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm criticized the Navy’s decision and promoted coal-fired boilers, but Tirpitz said tests showed oil-fired boilers and Steam Turbines performed better.
• Bernhard von Bülow asked about the cost, and Oscar estimated that storing two million tons of oil would require around 120 million Marks.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm accused Oscar of failing to give back to the nation, and Oscar replied that he had earned his wealth legitimately and asked how Wilhelm knew he had not contributed.

Oscar defended his contributions to the Empire and secured approval for a national petroleum reserve, while Crown Prince Wilhelm grew more resentful of his influence. Oscar then began building Germany’s motor vehicle industry through acquisitions to support future military production.

• Oscar cited the German Welfare Lottery Company's contributions and his battleship donation as Crown Prince Wilhelm accused him of failing to repay the Empire, and Wilhelm II ordered them to stop arguing.
• Oscar proposed stockpiling two million tons of petroleum through his Energy Company, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz offered another million tons for the Navy, and Wilhelm II directed the government to reserve two million more.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm privately fumed as Oscar considered whether five million tons of petroleum would sustain Germany through a prolonged war and planned to obtain oil from Libya.
• In May 1906, Oscar instructed Karl von Jonath to establish the German Motor Vehicle Manufacturing Company in Berlin as an acquisition vehicle for entering the motor vehicle industry.

Oscar traveled to Stuttgart to acquire Daimler Company, hoping to use its automobile and motorcycle patents to expand his vehicle business. He offered to buy more than eighty percent of the company’s shares while promising its key executives they could keep their roles.

• Karl von Jonath told Oscar that Paul Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, Karl Maybach, and Emir Jellinek were waiting for him in Stuttgart.
• Oscar set out to acquire Daimler Company because it was struggling against Benz Company and owned motorcycle patents he wanted for military vehicle production.
• On May 12, 1906, Oscar and Karl arrived at Daimler Company and met Paul Daimler and the other executives.
• Oscar toured Daimler Company, then told its representatives that he wanted to acquire more than eighty percent of its shares.
• Oscar warned the executives that Daimler Company was losing ground to Benz Company and promised Paul Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Emir Jellinek favorable positions or compensation after the acquisition.

Oscar acquired Daimler Company and announced plans to invest in its production lines and new products. He presented Paul Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach with two motorcycle designs and asked them to develop the models for market launch.

• Emir Jellinek agreed to sell his shares to Oscar for a valuation of fifty million marks, while Wilhelm Maybach and Paul Daimler each retained five percent.
• Oscar promised to invest another fifty million marks in Daimler Company, and the parties signed the share transfer agreements after lunch.
• Oscar became the owner of ninety percent of Daimler Company and told Paul Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach to develop two motorcycle models as quickly as possible.
• Oscar showed them designs for a men's motorcycle and a women's motorcycle, describing their performance and engines supplied by German Engine Manufacturing Company.
• Paul Daimler praised the designs and predicted the motorcycles would spread across Germany and Europe.

Oscar introduced designs for civilian and military motorcycles at Daimler Company and ordered preparations for production and promotion. Three weeks later, he inspected the completed civilian models in Stuttgart and anticipated a successful launch.

• Oscar showed Wilhelm Maybach and Paul Daimler designs for two civilian motorcycles and two military motorcycles, and urged them to prepare for production.
• Wilhelm Maybach said the civilian prototypes could be completed within a month, and Paul Daimler began planning to expand production and recruit workers.
• Oscar set the civilian motorcycles’ launch for three months later and planned to begin newspaper advertising two months before it.
• German Energy Company began buying oil in the United States and building a refinery and storage facilities in Rostock.
• Three weeks later, Oscar returned to Stuttgart and inspected the completed civilian motorcycles with Karl von Jonath and Paul Daimler.

Daimler Company launched an aggressive advertising campaign for its two motorcycle models, and all 20,000 units in its first batch sold out in one day. Paul Daimler reported the success to Oscar, who questioned whether the company’s planned monthly production of 40,000 motorcycles could meet demand.

• Daimler Company advertised its men's and women's motorcycles across Germany and announced that they would go on sale on July 18.
• Daimler Company opened shops in major cities to sell motorcycles and future automobiles and provide repairs.
• Buyers snapped up all 20,000 motorcycles on the first day of sales, surprising rival manufacturers and leaving hesitant customers regretting their missed chance.
• Paul Daimler traveled to Berlin and told Oscar that Daimler Company had 20,000 motorcycles in stock and could produce 40,000 per month after expanding capacity.
• Oscar said that 40,000 motorcycles a month might not be enough to meet demand across Europe.

Oscar demonstrated Daimler’s new heavy military motorcycles to senior German military leaders, hoping to secure army orders. The demonstration showed their speed and carrying capacity, but Moltke the Younger questioned their battlefield usefulness while von Falkenhayn suggested using them for reconnaissance.

• Daimler’s civilian motorcycles continued selling rapidly in Germany and abroad, prompting Oscar to reserve monthly production for Britain, France, and the United States.
• Oscar’s research department developed two heavy military motorcycle models, and the first batch arrived in Berlin at the end of August.
• On September 2, Oscar invited senior military leaders to a Berlin-area camp to watch the motorcycles and consider ordering them.
• Ten two-wheeled motorcycles carried armed soldiers around the drill ground, demonstrating their speed and ability to handle heavy loads.
• Oscar argued that motorcycles could speed troop advances, but Moltke the Younger doubted they would be useful on battlefields.
• von Falkenhayn proposed equipping reconnaissance units with the motorcycles so they could scout and report enemy movements more quickly.

Oscar demonstrated three-wheeled motorcycles armed with MG08 heavy machine guns to German Army officers, who praised their battlefield usefulness. Falkenhayn endorsed purchasing them, and the chapter ended with the generals awaiting Moltke the Younger's decision.

• Deputy Chief of Staff General von Waldow urged Oscar and Moltke the Younger to wait for the other motorcycles before deciding.
• Oscar introduced the three-wheeled motorcycles, which fired their mounted MG08 heavy machine guns while driving.
• Falkenhayn and other officers praised the vehicles as mobile firepower for pursuing enemies and defending supply lines.
• Oscar acknowledged that the MG08's weight strained the sidecar and affected the motorcycle's performance.
• Falkenhayn said the Army needed the motorcycle, and the officers turned to Moltke the Younger for approval.

Moltke the Younger tried to block Oscar’s effort to supply the German Army, citing its lack of funds and contrasting Oscar’s naval support with the army’s needs. Oscar offered the army twenty thousand motorcycles worth more than fifty million Mark, winning the generals’ approval and leaving his standing with them stronger.

• Moltke the Younger told Oscar that the army could not afford to buy motorcycles and urged him to donate them as he had supported the navy.
• Oscar recognized Moltke the Younger's attempt to stir resentment among the army generals and offered ten thousand two-wheeled and ten thousand three-wheeled military motorcycles, on condition that the donation remain confidential.
• The army generals applauded Oscar's offer, and Falkenhayn thanked him for supporting the army.
• Oscar praised both the army and navy and called the German Army the best in the world, further winning the generals' goodwill.

Oscar donated fifty million marks’ worth of motorcycles to the Army, winning goodwill from its senior officers despite Moltke the Younger’s hostility. As Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz explained that Moltke felt threatened by Oscar’s growing influence, Oscar suspected the Crown Prince had put him up to it.

• Oscar agreed to donate motorcycles worth fifty million marks to the Army, and Moltke the Younger left with his hostility undiminished.
• Moltke the Younger privately concluded that Oscar’s ambitions threatened Crown Prince Wilhelm’s position, which Wilhelm II already viewed as unstable.
• Falkenhayn and the Army generals thanked Oscar, while privately regretting that he was not the Emperor’s eldest son.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz invited Oscar to share his automobile and praised his support for both the Army and the Navy.
• Tirpitz told Oscar that Moltke the Younger felt threatened by his talent and was trying to restrain him, prompting Oscar to ask whether Crown Prince Wilhelm had instigated it.

Oscar learned that Tirpitz would support him if Wilhelm II replaced Crown Prince Wilhelm, while Moltke the Younger warned the Crown Prince that Oscar was winning over the Army and Navy. The chapter ended with Crown Prince Wilhelm vowing to retaliate against Oscar.

• Tirpitz told Oscar that Wilhelm II had serious doubts about Crown Prince Wilhelm’s ability to rule and pledged the Navy’s support for Oscar if the Emperor replaced the heir.
• Oscar admitted he wanted to become Crown Prince but said he would focus on his duties and seize the opportunity if it arose.
• Moltke the Younger met Crown Prince Wilhelm at Cecilia’s farm and warned him that Oscar’s motorcycle donation was winning the Army’s favor.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm flew into a rage, smashed his wine bottle, and vowed that Oscar would regret forcing his hand.

Crown Prince Wilhelm persuaded Friedrich Franz III to arrange Oscar’s assassination, and an attacker approached Oscar and Karl in Berlin. The chapter ended as they spotted the pistol hidden beneath the attacker’s map.

• Crown Prince Wilhelm decided to have Oscar killed so he could secure the throne and claim Oscar’s wealth.
• Friedrich Franz III hesitated over Wilhelm’s request but chose to send someone to assassinate Oscar.
• On October 24, Oscar and Karl left the German Welfare Lottery Company building and waited for their car.
• A young man approached Oscar with a map and asked for directions to Brandenburg Gate.
• Oscar sensed danger, and he and Karl noticed the young man was hiding a pistol beneath the map.

Oscar was shot in an assassination attempt in Berlin and underwent emergency surgery while Wilhelm II ordered an investigation. After two days unconscious, Oscar woke and was confirmed to be out of immediate danger.

• Karl von Jonath rushed to Oscar after an assassin shot him and arranged for him to be taken to the hospital.
• Essen von Jonath informed Wilhelm II that Prince Oskar had been shot, prompting the Emperor to order the police and royal forces to find the assassin and mastermind.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm privately welcomed the attack, while Moltke the Younger suspected his involvement and disapproved of his actions.
• Doctors removed the bullet and treated Oscar, who remained unconscious for two days before waking and passing the immediate danger.

Oscar recovered in the hospital after an assassination attempt and realized Wilhelm II was concealing the culprit’s identity. Wilhelm II learned that Friedrich Franz III had arranged the attack and ordered evidence gathered against him, while summoning Crown Prince Wilhelm.

• Empress Victoria and Wilhelm II visited Oscar, who said he would rather have been wounded on the battlefield than by an assassin.
• Oscar inferred from Wilhelm II’s response that the Emperor knew who was responsible and was protecting Crown Prince Wilhelm.
• Essen von Jonath told Wilhelm II that the assassin had confessed that Friedrich Franz III sent him to kill Oscar.
• Wilhelm II ordered Essen von Jonath to gather evidence of Friedrich Franz III’s illegal activities so he could replace the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Schwerin.
• Wilhelm II summoned Crown Prince Wilhelm to see him.

Wilhelm II confronted Crown Prince Wilhelm over the attempt on Oscar’s life, then confined him to the Potsdam palace while keeping his succession rights and the scandal hidden. Oscar welcomed the news but vowed not to show mercy if anyone threatened him again.

• Wilhelm II accused Crown Prince Wilhelm of ordering Friedrich Franz III to arrange the attack on Oscar, but the prince denied it.
• Wilhelm II chose not to pursue the accusation publicly to protect the imperial family and Germany, but ordered Crown Prince Wilhelm to live under confinement in Potsdam.
• Essen von Jonath and palace guards escorted the protesting Crown Prince Wilhelm away.
• Oscar heard of the confinement in the hospital and reflected on the violence of the succession struggle.
• Oscar resolved that he would never again let anyone threaten his life without responding ruthlessly.

While recovering in the hospital, Oscar pushed to bring aviation pioneers Gustav Lilienthal and the Wright Brothers into German research projects. He ordered Karl von Jonath to secure their work by any means necessary, leaving Germany poised to pursue aircraft development and its military uses.

• Karl von Jonath told Oscar that Gustav Lilienthal would visit and that the Wright Brothers were interested in funding but hesitant to leave the United States.
• Oscar urged Karl to persuade the Wright Brothers to come to Germany, emphasizing that their invention could help the Empire surpass other nations.
• Oscar authorized Karl to use force, even killing the Wright Brothers, if they refused to come to Germany.
• Oscar ordered Karl to support Gustav Lilienthal's research and to place the Wright Brothers' work under his project if they came.
• Oscar recalled Otto Lilienthal's aviation work and fatal glider accident, and planned to support Gustav's continuing research and develop aircraft for military use.

Oscar met Gustav Lilienthal in the hospital and offered to fund his airplane research in exchange for directing it toward military needs. Gustav accepted, and Oscar set ambitious performance goals for an aircraft to be developed within three years.

• Oscar praised Gustav Lilienthal and his late brother Otto, then asked what he thought of the Wright Brothers’ airplane.
• Oscar urged Germany to lead in military aviation and described future air battles and bombing attacks.
• Oscar offered to provide Gustav’s research with funding, equipment, and support in exchange for following his demands, and Gustav accepted for the strength of the German Empire.
• Oscar said the German Engine Manufacturing Company would cooperate with Gustav on aero engines.
• Oscar challenged Gustav to develop within three years an airplane capable of exceeding 100 kilometers per hour, reaching above 2,000 meters, carrying a pilot and machine gun, and flying more than 200 kilometers.

While recovering in the hospital, Oscar weighed Germany’s aviation ambitions and his options against Crown Prince Wilhelm, but decided he could not act without risking Wilhelm II’s wrath. Meanwhile, Wilhelm’s confinement and fury worsened until a drunken ride across a snowy farm ended in a serious fall.

• Oscar hoped to strengthen Germany’s military aviation with his backing and Gustav Lilienthal’s expertise, and considered forcing the Wright Brothers to cooperate.
• Oscar considered retaliating against Crown Prince Wilhelm for the assassination attempt, then rejected the idea because Wilhelm II could strip him of his title and wealth.
• Crown Prince Wilhelm raged on the farm where Wilhelm II had confined him and grew more resentful when Wilhelm II refused Empress Victoria’s request to let him attend the Christmas gathering.
• After drinking heavily, Crown Prince Wilhelm galloped across the snowy farm, and his horse fell into a hidden pit, throwing him onto a stone that struck the back of his head.

Crown Prince Wilhelm fell from his horse and was left unconscious, prompting speculation about whether the incident was an accident or a plot. Oscar saw a possible path to becoming Crown Prince but remained wary, while Wilhelm II learned that Wilhelm had been drunk and riding against his guards’ advice.

• Farm guards rushed the unconscious Crown Prince Wilhelm to the hospital and reported the fall to Wilhelm II.
• Tirpitz and Moltke the Younger reacted to the news, each fearing the consequences for their own political position and plans.
• Karl von Jonath told Oscar that Crown Prince Wilhelm might be near death, but Oscar suspected he had staged the fall to win Wilhelm II’s sympathy.
• Oscar considered how Wilhelm’s fall could improve his own chances of becoming Crown Prince and recognized that events were diverging from the history he knew.
• A royal secret-force leader told Wilhelm II that Wilhelm had fallen while drunk and riding despite his guards’ objections, and Wilhelm II furiously blamed the guards.

After Crown Prince Wilhelm was critically injured in a riding accident, Wilhelm II ordered an investigation and considered who might succeed him. Oscar declined to press his claim, leaving the decision to the Emperor.

• Wilhelm II ordered Essen von Jonath to investigate whether anyone had plotted Crown Prince Wilhelm's fall and told the Royal Hospital to do everything possible to save him.
• Wilhelm II considered replacing Crown Prince Wilhelm if he could no longer serve, weighing his sons and recognizing Oscar as the strongest candidate.
• Wilhelm II worried that Oscar might have caused the accident in revenge for Crown Prince Wilhelm's earlier assassination attempt, and vowed he would not entrust the Empire to Oscar if that were true.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz told Oscar that Crown Prince Wilhelm's condition was dire and urged him to prepare to become Crown Prince.
• Oscar said he had already done what he could and would leave the choice to Wilhelm II.