Recaps

Emperor Qin Tian met with the Empire’s ministers to plan how Germany would consolidate its victory and establish itself as the world’s new hegemon. He ordered plans to seize Britain’s remaining colonies within two years and approved doubling the Marine Corps to ten Divisions.

• Qin Tian declared that Germany had replaced Britain as the world hegemon, and Falkenhayn and Bülow praised the Empire’s military and economic strength.
• Qin Tian said the Empire would absorb the Eastern European territories ceded by Buru and integrate northern France’s industrial regions.
• Foreign Minister Wachth warned that British colonies still obeyed George V in Toronto and would be difficult to occupy without force.
• Qin Tian ordered Falkenhayn to prepare a plan to take the British colonies within two years and directed Tirpitz to support the army with the navy.
• Tirpitz offered the Marine Corps for the campaign, and Qin Tian approved expanding it from five Divisions to ten Divisions.

After Germany’s victory, Oscar ordered a grand military parade in Berlin to display the Empire’s strength, followed by a naval review in Wilhelmshaven. Foreign leaders and representatives prepared to attend, including envoys from rival nations, while the German Army and Navy began preparations.

• Oscar announced a grand military parade in Berlin, and the Cabinet supported the plan.
• Oscar assigned Field Marshal Falkenhayn to organize the parade, while Count Tirpitz secured a naval review for the Navy.
• Oscar scheduled the Berlin parade for December 18 and the Wilhelmshaven naval review for December 20, prompting the Army and Navy to prepare.
• The German Foreign Ministry invited foreign leaders, and nearly every invited nation sent representatives.
• Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki were chosen to represent the Island Nation, while Woodrow Wilson sent Secretary of State Bryan.
• Crown Prince Karl was set to represent Austria-Hungary, and Joseph was invited as Ulyanov’s special envoy for secret talks with Qin Tian.

After approving plans for future attacks on Britain’s colonies, Oscar chaired a conference to begin reforming Germany’s military after the European War. He stressed that reform must strengthen the armed forces for future wars, then introduced plans for the Army, Navy, and a newly independent Air Force.

• The German Army General Staff planned campaigns against British colonies in Africa, the Middle East, India, and the Straits Settlements, and Oscar approved the operations for the following February or March.
• Oscar turned to postwar military reform, recognizing that the armed forces needed to adapt to rapid technological advances and reduce their wartime size.
• On November 24, Oscar addressed a reform conference at the General Staff Headquarters, praised the services’ wartime sacrifices, and warned their leaders against complacency.
• Falkenhayn, Count Tirpitz, and Seeckt expressed support for Oscar’s reform plans on behalf of their respective services.
• Oscar announced that reform plans would cover the Imperial Army, the Imperial Navy, and the Army Air Corps, which would be renamed and become the independent Imperial Air Force.

Oscar outlined reforms to the Imperial Army, abolishing the corps and brigade echelons and reorganizing the force into twelve army groups while keeping units below full strength in peacetime. He also ordered the Army to expand its motorization over the next decade, and its generals accepted the plans despite Chancellor Bülow’s concerns about the cost and scale.

• Oscar announced that the Army would abolish corps and brigade echelons and organize its forces directly from army groups down to squads.
• Oscar’s plan called for twelve army groups of up to 200,000 men each, requiring existing oversized corps to reduce their forces.
• Chancellor Bülow objected that the Army’s proposed strength and military spending were too high, but Oscar explained that most units would retain only around sixty percent of their personnel in peacetime.
• Oscar ordered the Army to increase its trucks, armored vehicles, and tanks over the next ten years, and the generals agreed.

Oscar ordered the retirement of most of the Imperial Navy’s older capital ships, arguing that aircraft carriers would dominate future naval warfare. He then revealed that Germany would complete and modernize twenty-two unfinished British battleships and battlecruisers, leaving the Navy with thirty-eight capital ships.

• Oscar said that all Imperial Navy capital ships except sixteen specified Kaiser-, Bavaria-, Derfflinger-, and Mackensen-class ships would be retired.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz warned that a streamlined fleet might be insufficient to protect the Empire’s overseas colonies.
• Oscar defended the cuts by pointing to Germany’s six active aircraft carriers and plans to build more.
• Oscar announced that Germany had captured twelve unfinished British battleships and ten unfinished battlecruisers and would adapt them for Imperial Navy service.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and the other naval commanders welcomed the plan, which would give Germany twenty-two battleships and sixteen battlecruisers.

Oscar expanded the German Navy with captured British capital ships, planned twelve new aircraft carriers, and divided the navy into five global fleets. The naval commanders accepted his deployment plan, while the prospect of new fleet posts stirred their ambitions.

• Oscar renamed the twelve British battleships and ten battlecruisers acquired by Germany.
• Oscar announced plans to build twelve aircraft carriers over the next decade, bringing the projected navy to twenty-two battleships, sixteen battlecruisers, and eighteen carriers.
• Oscar declared that the navy’s main force would be divided among fleets stationed around the world, and Reinhard Scheer recognized that the change was inevitable.
• Oscar assigned battleships and battlecruisers to the Home, Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean Fleets.
• The naval commanders accepted Oscar’s plan and eyed the new fleet leadership positions eagerly.

Oscar reorganized the Imperial Army Air Corps into the Imperial Air Force under General Seeckt and set ambitious goals for its growth and aircraft development. Seeckt left determined to build long-range heavy bombers capable of striking deep into enemy territory.

• Oscar postponed assigning aircraft carriers to fleets until the German Navy had at least twelve carriers, and left fleet leadership posts vacant while the naval reform remained unimplemented.
• Oscar reorganized the Imperial Army Air Corps into the Imperial Air Force and appointed Lieutenant General Seeckt as its commander.
• Oscar announced plans to expand the air force within ten years to twenty Fighter Wings and twelve Bomber Wings, including at least four Long-Range Heavy Bomber wings.
• Oscar explained that long-range heavy bombers should carry larger payloads and strike targets at least one thousand kilometers away, including enemy strategic targets and cities.
• Lieutenant General Seeckt pledged to invest in advanced aircraft and develop long-range heavy bombers, while the army and navy officers reconsidered the air force's importance.

US Secretary of State Bryan met Emperor Oscar in Berlin and asked Germany to stop its war against Britain from reaching Canada. Oscar reacted with displeasure to America’s warning, leaving the dispute unresolved.

• After Germany’s victory, life improved for its people as rationing ended and industry provided plentiful work.
• Bryan arrived in Berlin to negotiate on President Wilson’s orders and requested an audience with Emperor Oscar.
• Oscar received Bryan at the imperial palace, and they exchanged formal greetings and congratulations.
• Bryan asked Germany to end its war with Britain and warned that the United States did not want the fighting to spread to the Americas.
• Oscar frowned as he understood Bryan was warning Germany against attacking Canada.

Oscar negotiated with Bryan over the United States’ warning that Germany should not attack Canada, agreeing to avoid invading Canada unless British actions forced a response. He told his ministers that Germany would continue seizing British colonies and would not make peace with Britain, while avoiding a major war with the United States for now.

• Bryan warned Oscar that the United States would defend its interests if Germany attacked Canada, and Oscar said Germany would not attack Canada unless necessary.
• Oscar declared that Germany would occupy every British colony except Canada and threatened to attack Canada if Britain used it to target German merchant ships.
• Bryan agreed to convey Oscar’s demands to the Canadian side before leaving.
• Falkenhayn and Tirpitz urged a forceful response to the American threat, but Oscar explained that Germany could not realistically defeat the United States at this stage.
• Oscar instructed his ministers to avoid conflict with the British in Canada while continuing attacks on British colonies and retaliating against British tricks.

Crown Prince Hirohito sailed aboard the Fuso to visit Germany, carrying hatred and hopes of future victory over the Germans. When the ship reached Wilhelmshaven, the German fleet’s enormous warships left him shaken by the scale of Germany’s power.

• Crown Prince Hirohito stood on the Fuso’s deck as Kato Takaaki explained that the British Empire had been divided into three countries by Germany.
• Hirohito recalled the German bombardment of Tokyo and vowed that the Island Nation would defeat Germany in a future war.
• Kato Takaaki encouraged Hirohito’s confidence, while Hirohito took comfort in the Fuso and the Island Nation’s expanding battleship program.
• The Fuso arrived at Wilhelmshaven on December 14, where Hirohito saw Germany’s fleet of battleships and battlecruisers.
• Hirohito was profoundly shocked to realize that every German warship he saw was more powerful than the Fuso.

Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki arrived in Germany for the Military Parade and felt humiliated by the low-ranking officials sent to receive them. Emperor Qin Tian delayed their audience until the end, leaving the Island Nation Delegation waiting anxiously at its embassy.

• Hirohito and Kato Takaaki arrived at Wilhelmshaven aboard the battleship Fuso and were received only by a low-ranking German official.
• Hirohito complained on the train to Berlin that Germany had insulted the Island Nation, while Kato Takaaki urged him not to provoke Germany.
• After German officials again gave them a low-key reception in Berlin, Hirohito insisted that the delegation stay at the Island Nation Embassy.
• Foreign Minister Wachth told Qin Tian about Hirohito’s decision, and Qin Tian ordered the Island Nation Delegation’s audience moved to the very end.
• Hirohito and Kato Takaaki waited at the embassy while other delegations met Qin Tian, and Kato Takaaki’s request for an audience was met with another instruction to wait.

Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki endured Germany's deliberate delay before meeting Emperor Oscar, where Hirohito challenged Germany over its bombardment of Island Nation cities. Oscar defended Germany's actions and warned that Hirohito's words could bring disaster, leaving Hirohito furious but unable to risk renewed war.

• Uchida Kosai told Hirohito and Kato Takaaki that Germany had placed the Island Nation last in the audience order, and Hirohito angrily considered leaving Germany.
• Kato Takaaki warned Hirohito that leaving could give Germany a pretext to restart the war, and Hirohito agreed to endure the insult.
• On December 17, Hirohito and Kato Takaaki met Emperor Oscar at the German palace and exchanged formal greetings.
• Hirohito accused Germany of killing hundreds of thousands of civilians in its bombardment of Island Nation coastal cities.
• Oscar blamed the Island Nation for the war and threatened to tear up the peace treaty if Hirohito wished, leaving Hirohito speechless.
• Kato Takaaki apologized for Hirohito, while Oscar warned the Crown Prince to think before speaking; Hirohito clenched his fists until his nails drew blood.

On December 18, 1915, Oscar presided over a grand military parade in front of the imperial palace, praising Germany’s wartime victory and reviewing its elite troops and modern weapons. The spectacle impressed foreign observers and left Crown Prince Hirohito determined to strengthen his country’s military.

• General Kluck reported that the troops were ready, and Oscar opened the parade with an improvised speech praising Germany’s soldiers and people.
• The crowd cheered Oscar as he inspected the formations in a Convertible Car and watched the infantry march past in synchronized ranks.
• Cavalry and truck-towed artillery formations passed the reviewing stand, and Crown Prince Hirohito recognized how far German divisional artillery surpassed his army’s.
• Tank and armored personnel carrier formations paraded, followed by Mark II fighters and H1 bombers flying overhead.
• Foreign observers were stunned by Germany’s military strength, while Crown Prince Hirohito resolved to improve his country’s military equipment.

Oscar inspected Germany’s immense fleet at the Wilhelmshaven Naval Review, giving foreign representatives a stark view of German naval supremacy. Crown Prince Hirohito, Bryan, and Crown Prince Karl each considered how their nations would respond to Germany’s strength.

• On December 19, Oscar and the foreign delegation traveled by special train to Wilhelmshaven for the Naval Review.
• On December 20, Admiral Reinhard Scheer reported that the review was ready, and Oscar boarded the battleship 'Bavaria' to inspect more than a hundred German vessels.
• The German warships passed the reviewing stand, impressing the foreign representatives with the scale of the fleet.
• Crown Prince Hirohito resolved that the Island Nation would build new battleships and eventually defeat Germany.
• Bryan concluded that the American Navy needed to grow stronger and considered another way to counter Germany as he looked at Crown Prince Karl and Crown Prince Hirohito.
• Crown Prince Karl recognized that the Austro-Hungarian navy needed strengthening to protect the Empire’s Mediterranean interests.

After Germany’s Naval Review, Oscar approved the Navy’s plan to sell a large number of warships despite concerns that it would temporarily weaken the fleet. Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz announced the sale to foreign representatives, listing eighteen Capital Ships, and left countries weighing the opportunity.

• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz told Oscar that naval commanders wanted to retain more warships because replacement vessels would take time to enter service.
• Oscar argued that Germany could accept a temporary reduction in naval strength because its enemies were weakened and new warships would arrive within a year.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz announced at the banquet that Germany would sell warships to promote peace and invited interested countries to take advantage of favorable prices.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz listed five Kaiser-class Battleships, four Helgoland-class Battleships, four Nassau-class Battleships, three Moltke-class Battlecruisers, and two Blücher-class Battlecruisers for sale.

Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki feared that Germany’s plan to sell retired Capital Ships would strengthen its influence and navy, while the Island Nation struggled to rebuild. At a discreet meeting in Berlin, US Secretary of State Bryan began discussing Germany’s military parade with them.

• On the train to Berlin, Crown Prince Hirohito angrily lamented Germany’s plan to sell many Capital Ships, and Kato Takaaki explained how the sales could strengthen Germany and arm smaller countries.
• Crown Prince Hirohito vowed that the Island Nation would grow stronger and eventually defeat Germany, while the Island Nation continued taxing its people to fund military development.
• Uchida Kosai told Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki that Bryan had invited them to a banquet at the American Embassy, and they accepted because the Island Nation depended on American loans.
• At the banquet, Bryan hosted representatives and German ministers before the American Ambassador led Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki to a private room.
• Bryan asked what they understood about Germany’s military parade, and Crown Prince Hirohito called it a sinister display before Bryan acknowledged Germany’s overwhelming military strength.

US Secretary of State Bryan proposed an Anti-German Alliance to Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki, promising further American loans to strengthen the Island Nation. They discussed recruiting Britain and other countries, including the Austro-Hungarian Empire, while Bryan said the United States would also approach Buru.

• Bryan warned that Germany would become too powerful to oppose and proposed forming an Anti-German Alliance.
• Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki agreed, and Kato asked for more support to expand the Island Nation's military.
• Bryan promised to pursue a second batch of American loans, and Hirohito expressed confidence that the Island Nation could seize colonies while Germany fought elsewhere.
• Bryan proposed including the British Empire, and Kato objected before accepting that the alliance's postwar divisions could be settled later.
• Bryan named France, Italy, the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Buru as possible members, explaining that Austro-Hungarian ties with Germany might break after Franz Joseph I died.
• Bryan said the United States would seek contact with Buru, though he was unsure whether it would join.

Bryan sought to recruit Crown Prince Karl and the Austro-Hungarian Empire into an Anti-German Alliance, while Karl also looked for American support against Germany. Their shared distrust of German expansion brought them into agreement, and the chapter left them discussing the threat Germany posed to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

• After meeting Crown Prince Hirohito and Kato Takaaki, Bryan ordered that Crown Prince Karl be invited so he could recruit the Austro-Hungarian Empire into the Anti-German Alliance.
• The US Ambassador to Germany brought Karl to a private room, where Bryan greeted him and asked his opinion of Germany’s military parade and naval review.
• Karl admitted that Germany’s military strength overwhelmed the Austro-Hungarian Empire and said he had lost the courage to confront it.
• Bryan argued that the two countries were allies, but Karl warned that Germany’s growing ambition could lead it to destroy the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
• Bryan and Karl recognized that the Austro-Hungarian Empire needed allies against Germany, while Karl saw the United States as a powerful potential partner.

Crown Prince Karl discussed an Anti-German Alliance with U.S. Secretary of State Bryan but warned that joining could expose the Austro-Hungarian Empire to a devastating German attack. He said the Empire needed a loan to strengthen its military, leaving Bryan to consider the request.

• Bryan proposed that the United States, the British Empire, the Island Nation, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire unite in an Anti-German Alliance against Germany.
• Crown Prince Karl said the Austro-Hungarian Empire could not join until he became emperor and warned that the Empire's ministers would oppose the alliance.
• Bryan promised that the alliance would support the Austro-Hungarian Empire if Germany attacked, but Karl feared other members would exploit the war while his country suffered.
• Crown Prince Karl asked the United States for a loan to develop the Austro-Hungarian Empire's military, and Bryan accepted the request as expected.

Bryan offered Crown Prince Karl an American loan to draw the Austro-Hungarian Empire into an Anti-German Alliance, and Karl bargained for more aid. They considered recruiting other powers, while both recognized that the alliance rested on mutual exploitation.

• Bryan offered the Austro-Hungarian Empire a 100-million-dollar loan, and Crown Prince Karl pressed him for more money to build up its army and navy.
• Bryan agreed to seek a 200-million-dollar first loan and promised further loans if the Austro-Hungarian Empire joined the Anti-German Alliance.
• Bryan proposed expanding the alliance by inviting France, Italy, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire, and Crown Prince Karl weighed their potential contributions.
• Bryan suggested winning over Buru, and Crown Prince Karl worried that strengthening it could threaten the capitalist world.
• Bryan said the Americans intended to exploit Buru against Germany and deal with it afterward, while Crown Prince Karl concluded that both the United States and the Austro-Hungarian Empire were exploiting each other.

Crown Prince Karl secured a low-interest American loan and planned to use it to strengthen the Austro-Hungarian Empire, despite Baron von Berchtold's warnings about provoking Germany. He summoned Admiral Anton Haus to assess German Battleships for sale, leaving their possible purchase under consideration.

• Crown Prince Karl left the American Embassy after securing a two-hundred-million-dollar loan, while Baron von Berchtold warned that dealing with the Americans could anger Germany.
• Crown Prince Karl argued that Germany's many enemies could eventually bring it down and imagined the Austro-Hungarian Empire inheriting its power.
• Crown Prince Karl learned that Admiral Anton Haus had arrived in Berlin to evaluate German Battleships being offered for sale.
• Crown Prince Karl summoned Admiral Anton Haus and urged him to buy as many of the Battleships as possible, saying he had secured the funds.

Crown Prince Karl planned to use American loans to buy German capital ships for the Austro-Hungarian Navy, despite warnings that breaking with Germany could provoke war. Oscar learned of the Americans’ secret talks and said Germany would wait for the Austrian Emperor’s death before attacking the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

• Admiral Anton Haus urged Crown Prince Karl to buy the German ships, and Karl promised he would find the money despite Baron von Berchtold’s objections.
• Karl revealed that the Americans had offered two hundred million US dollars in loans, with more promised if the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved its alliance with Germany.
• Haus and Berchtold warned Karl that turning against Germany could put the empire in danger, but Karl dismissed their concerns and they discussed bidding for ships.
• General Balaimin reported the Americans’ secret talks with the Island Nation’s and Austro-Hungarian Crown Princes to Oscar.
• Bülow, Wachth, and Falkenhayn discussed the American effort to win allies, while Oscar said the alliance with Austria would last until the Austrian Emperor died and Germany would then attack.

Oscar and his ministers discussed the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s participation in Germany’s auction of retired warships and decided not to bar it. The auction began with bidding on Nassau-class Battleships, with the Ottoman Turkish Empire and the Republic of Chile competing for the first ship.

• Oscar considered Germany’s plans to weaken the Austro-Hungarian Empire and make longer-term preparations against Buru.
• Count Tirpitz reported that the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Turkish Empire, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil had registered for the warship auction.
• Falkenhayn suggested excluding the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but Oscar refused to break Germany’s promise to allow any country to register.
• Vice Admiral Hipper opened the auction and offered four Nassau-class Battleships separately, starting with the Battleship Nassau at twenty million Mark.
• Fatih Pasha bid twenty-two million Mark for the Battleship Nassau, and Chile’s Secretary of the Navy raised the bid to twenty-five million Mark.

Chile, Argentina, and Brazil competed fiercely for the four Nassau-class Battleships, driving their combined sale price to 174 million Marks. The Ottoman Turkish and Austro-Hungarian Empires then contested the two Blücher-class Battlecruisers, which sold for a total of 89 million Marks.

• Chile, Argentina, and Brazil drove the Nassau-class Battleship bids sharply upward, while Crown Prince Karl told Admiral Anton Haus to save their funds for later ships with 343mm Main Guns.
• Chile bought the Nassau, Rheinland, and Argentina bought the Westfalen, while Brazil bought the Posen, for a combined 174 million Marks.
• Chile, Argentina, and Brazil showed little interest in the Von der Tann, so Fatih Pasha joined the bidding before Admiral Anton Haus raised the price to 45 million Marks.
• Fatih Pasha outbid Admiral Anton Haus and bought the Von der Tann for 47 million Marks.
• Fatih Pasha bid more cautiously for the Lothringen and bought it for 42 million Marks, bringing the two Battlecruisers' total to 89 million Marks.

Vice Admiral Hipper auctioned the 343mm-gun Helgoland-class battleships, drawing fierce competition from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Chile, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Chile bought Helgoland for 65 million Marks, and the Ottoman Empire won Ostfriesland for 67 million Marks, leaving the auction underway with the remaining ships still to be sold.

• Crown Prince Karl ordered Admiral Anton Haus to bid aggressively for the twelve more powerful Capital Ships, which he considered vital to the Austro-Hungarian Empire Navy.
• Vice Admiral Hipper opened the Helgoland-class auction, and Admiral Anton Haus, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and Fatih Pasha began bidding on Helgoland.
• Crown Prince Karl withdrew from the bidding, and Chile acquired Helgoland for 65 million Marks.
• Chile, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the Ottoman Turkish Empire competed for Ostfriesland, which the Ottoman Empire won for 67 million Marks.
• Brazil and Argentina watched as Chile and the Ottoman Empire secured powerful battleships, strengthening their naval positions.