Recaps

Oscar met with Hindenburg and Ludendorff to discuss their appointments and his plans for the 8th Army Corps, which he intended to strengthen with advanced weapons. He prepared to travel to Königsberg and ordered the German Arms Company to expand production.

• Oscar welcomed Hindenburg and Ludendorff and asked them to help build the 8th Army Corps into a stronger force.
• Oscar said the corps would face more than a million Russians in a future war and promised to equip it with advanced weapons.
• Hindenburg warned that the corps's military budget would not cover Oscar's plans, and Oscar offered to find the necessary funds himself.
• Hindenburg described the 8th Army Corps as having more than 160,000 troops at full strength and over 200,000 after mobilization.
• Oscar told Hindenburg and Ludendorff to prepare to leave for Königsberg in three days.
• Oscar prepared for the journey and ordered the German Arms Company to expand production.

Oscar arrived in Königsberg to take command of the 8th Army Corps, whose generals welcomed him as its new commander. When he discovered that Prittwitz had taken leave without informing him, Oscar decided to use the slight to establish his authority.

• Oscar traveled to Königsberg with Hindenburg and Ludendorff to assume command of the 8th Army Corps.
• François and Mackensen discussed Prittwitz’s resentment over Oscar’s appointment and noted that he had skipped the welcoming party.
• Oscar arrived at the station and greeted François and Mackensen as Hindenburg introduced them.
• Oscar asked why Prittwitz was absent and learned that he had taken leave to return to Berlin without notifying Oscar.
• Oscar took Prittwitz’s absence as a deliberate insult and resolved to make an example of him.

Oscar won the 8th Army Corps officers’ support by promising more resources and warning that war with Russia was approaching. After Hindenburg and Ludendorff urged him to act against Prittwitz, Oscar decided to request his transfer from the corps.

• Oscar greeted the 8th Army Corps officers and reassured them that he would strengthen the corps.
• At dinner, Oscar told the officers that war with Russia would come within five years and promised them opportunities for military merit.
• After dinner, Hindenburg warned Oscar that Prittwitz’s provocation threatened his prestige, while Ludendorff urged him to remove Prittwitz from the corps.
• Oscar acknowledged that Wilhelm II and Moltke the Younger would oppose transferring Prittwitz, but agreed to send a telegram to Berlin and asked for a successor to the 17th Corps commander.

Oscar sought Wilhelm II’s backing to transfer Prittwitz away from the 8th Army Corps after Prittwitz slighted him, hoping to establish his authority as Crown Prince. Wilhelm II learned that Prittwitz had not been ill and had met with Moltke the Younger, then decided to intervene on Oscar’s behalf.

• Oscar ordered Carter von Jonath to send his request to Berlin and asked Falkenhayn to support the transfer of Prittwitz.
• Essen von Jonath delivered Oscar’s Telegram to Wilhelm II and argued that Prittwitz’s conduct undermined Oscar’s authority.
• Wilhelm II initially questioned whether Oscar’s request was excessive because Prittwitz had only missed the welcome ceremony and dinner.
• Essen von Jonath told Wilhelm II that Prittwitz had been healthy and had spent the evening drinking at Moltke the Younger’s home.
• Wilhelm II grew suspicious that Prittwitz and Moltke the Younger had coordinated their actions and summoned Moltke the Younger and the Minister of War.

Wilhelm II approved Oscar’s request to transfer Prittwitz out of the 8th Army Corps, and Oscar selected Lothringen Seeckt to replace him. With his standing in the corps strengthened, Oscar began planning a reform of the German Army’s command structure.

• Wilhelm II summoned Moltke the Younger and Falkenhayn to discuss Oscar’s request to transfer Prittwitz from the 8th Army Corps.
• Moltke the Younger protested, but Falkenhayn supported Oscar, and Wilhelm II ordered Prittwitz transferred for the corps’s stability.
• Moltke the Younger left the palace vowing to oppose Oscar, while Oscar received confirmation of Wilhelm II’s decision the next day.
• Hindenburg and Ludendorff welcomed Prittwitz’s transfer and proposed Lothringen Seeckt as commander of the 17th Corps, and Oscar agreed.
• Oscar’s promotion of the transfer strengthened his prestige in the 8th Army Corps, and he began planning to flatten the German Army’s command structure after consulting Hindenburg and Ludendorff.

Oscar presented Hindenburg and Ludendorff with a plan to flatten the 8th Army Corps’ command structure and reorganize its units with substantially greater firepower. Hindenburg and Ludendorff agreed to proceed, leaving them convinced that Oscar’s reformed corps could become the strongest in the German Army.

• Oscar proposed eliminating brigade-level units within the 8th Army Corps, and Hindenburg warned that the change could upset officers and provoke General Staff Headquarters.
• Oscar said he would handle objections from Moltke the Younger and explain the reforms to Wilhelm II, while Ludendorff supported trying the plan.
• Hindenburg agreed to reorganize every unit in the 8th Army Corps according to Oscar’s structure.
• Oscar’s plan specified new infantry squads, platoons, companies, battalions, and regiments, with expanded machine-gun, mortar, and artillery support.
• The new Infantry Division would field more artillery than the old division, and Hindenburg and Ludendorff became convinced the reformed corps would be exceptionally powerful.

Oscar persuaded Hindenburg and Ludendorff to strengthen German Infantry Divisions with far more artillery and infantry weapons, promising to personally cover the cost. The chapter ended with Oscar’s plan anticipating trench warfare and giving each squad modern weapons to increase its firepower and reduce German casualties.

• Hindenburg and Ludendorff were astonished by Oscar’s proposed artillery-heavy Infantry Division organization and questioned its cost.
• Oscar explained that stronger artillery would improve German combat power and said he would personally pay for the extra guns.
• Oscar said he wanted to use overwhelming firepower to preserve soldiers’ lives, earning Hindenburg and Ludendorff’s approval.
• Ludendorff described the divisions’ increased machine guns and mortars, while Oscar predicted trench warfare and stressed the need to attack troops sheltering in trenches.
• Oscar’s plan also gave each infantry squad a light machine gun, Sniper Rifle, Grenade Launcher, and M1 semi-automatic rifles instead of Mauser 1898 rifles.

Oscar pushed ahead with reorganizing the 8th Army Corps, hoping to build an elite force and strengthen his standing. Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz opposed him and formally impeached him before Wilhelm II, demanding his removal as commander.

• Oscar gained Hindenburg and Ludendorff's support for reforming and reequipping the 8th Army Corps.
• Oscar persuaded the corps and division commanders to support the reform, and on January 15, 1909, he ordered all ten Infantry Divisions to begin reorganizing.
• Prittwitz urged Moltke the Younger to exploit opposition to Oscar's reforms and drive him from the 8th Army Corps.
• On January 22, Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz impeached Oscar before Wilhelm II and demanded that he be removed as commander.

Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz accused Oscar of damaging the 8th Army Corps with his Military System Reform, prompting Wilhelm II to summon him to Berlin. Oscar defended the corps’ progress, but the confrontation remained unresolved as Wilhelm II ordered everyone else to stay silent while he questioned his son.

• Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz urged Wilhelm II to remove Oscar from command of the 8th Army Corps, so Wilhelm II ordered Oscar to return to Berlin and explain himself.
• Oscar learned of the accusations from Hindenburg and Ludendorff, who said his opponents wanted to prevent his reform from succeeding.
• Oscar arrived in Wilhelm II’s office, where Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz accused him of provoking resentment and undermining the corps.
• Falkenhayn defended Oscar and urged the others to wait for the facts, while Prittwitz dismissed his appeal.
• Wilhelm II stopped the argument and said that only he could question Oscar about the matter.

Oscar explained his command-structure reforms and powerful weapons allocations for the 8th Army Corps, then challenged his critics to verify officers’ dissatisfaction and answered accusations of favoritism. The chapter ended with Oscar saying he would personally cover the Corps’ additional equipment costs.

• Oscar told Wilhelm II that the 8th Army Corps had removed Brigade-level units to simplify command and improve efficiency.
• Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz claimed officers opposed Oscar’s reforms, and Oscar asked Wilhelm II to investigate the Corps; Wilhelm agreed.
• Prittwitz accused Oscar of changing the Corps’ equipment to benefit his companies, and Oscar explained that German Arms Company weapons were the only available source while Krupp supplied the artillery.
• Oscar listed the Corps’ heavy firepower, astonishing von Waldow, Falkenhayn, Moltke the Younger, and Prittwitz.
• Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz criticized the cost of the equipment, and Oscar said he would pay the additional expenses himself.

Oscar used his private wealth to fund the 8th Army Corps, but Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz challenged his military reforms as too risky to trust before the war. Oscar pledged that the corps would hold off the Russians for six to eight weeks, staking his right to the throne’s succession on that promise.

• Oscar offered to pay the 8th Army Corps’ extra military expenses, and Wilhelm II approved his support despite Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz objecting.
• Prittwitz warned that Oscar’s reforms could endanger the Eastern Front and the Empire’s war strategy if the 8th Army Corps failed.
• Oscar insisted that his reforms would strengthen the corps, while Moltke the Younger demanded proof before the war began.
• General von Waldow proposed an exercise to test the reforms, but Moltke the Younger argued that exercises could not prove how the corps would fare in combat.
• Oscar promised the 8th Army Corps would hold the Russians for six to eight weeks and said he would renounce his succession rights if he failed.

Oscar wagered his right to the German throne on the 8th Army Corps holding back a future Russian attack so that its military reforms could proceed. After Wilhelm II approved the wager, Oscar left to secure new weapons and vowed revenge on Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz.

• Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz welcomed Oscar's wager, hoping the 8th Army Corps would lose to the Russians and force him to resign as Crown Prince.
• Wilhelm II accepted Oscar's proposal, making his succession contingent on the 8th Army Corps withstanding the Russian attack.
• Oscar asked to continue the corps' military reforms, and Moltke the Younger agreed while expecting them to fail.
• Wilhelm II privately warned Oscar about risking the throne, but gained confidence after hearing about the reforms and promised to watch Moltke the Younger.
• Oscar left to urge the German Arms Company to produce the corps' equipment and swore to remove Moltke the Younger and take revenge once the Russians were defeated.

Oscar secured von Falkenhayn’s support after staking his succession rights on the 8th Army Corps defeating Russia, and pushed to use victory to remove Moltke the Younger. Back in Königsberg, he accelerated the corps’ reorganization and brought Manstein and Guderian into its staff, while Rommel remained unlocated.

• Oscar asked von Falkenhayn to watch Moltke the Younger and help remove him as Chief of the General Staff if the 8th Army Corps proved its reforms successful.
• Oscar gave von Falkenhayn a list of Manstein, Guderian, and Rommel to transfer to the 8th Army Corps, and von Falkenhayn began searching for them.
• Oscar returned to Königsberg, where Hindenburg and Ludendorff discussed the stakes of his wager and pledged to prepare the army for the coming war.
• A month later, Manstein and Guderian reported to the 8th Army Corps, while von Falkenhayn reported that he could not find Rommel in the Army system.
• Oscar welcomed Manstein and Guderian, promoted them, and assigned them to assist Ludendorff with the corps’ reorganization.

Oscar and Princess Gundelinde married in a grand ceremony in Berlin, and the wedding marked a new beginning for their family life. After the banquet, they left early to spend their wedding night together.

• Oscar left Königsberg after the 8th Army Corps completed its reorganization and secured Ludendorff's promotion to major general and appointment as chief of staff.
• Oscar attended Princess Gundelinde's eighteenth birthday banquet in Munich on August 12, 1909, with their wedding set for the following month.
• On September 18, King Ludwig III gave Princess Gundelinde's hand to Oscar at Berlin Cathedral, where they exchanged rings and became husband and wife.
• Wilhelm II reflected on Oscar's achievements and considered removing the word "acting" from his Imperial Crown Prince title.
• At the wedding banquet, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz asked Oscar to discuss the navy, and Oscar revealed that a secret weapon developed at the German Shipyard was ready.
• Oscar and Princess Gundelinde left the banquet at nine o'clock and spent their wedding night together.

Oscar took Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz to the German Shipyard to reveal a secret weapon for strengthening the navy as tensions rose and he prepared for a possible war. He also outlined plans for future Capital Ships with 380mm guns, and Tirpitz discovered that the secret weapon was a submarine.

• Oscar and Princess Gundelinde returned to Berlin from their honeymoon as international tensions increased.
• Oscar told Princess Gundelinde he would spend two days at the German Shipyard, and she encouraged him to go.
• On the train, Oscar told Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz that Germany needed superior ships and secret weapons to counter Britain's larger fleet.
• Oscar said the next class of Capital Ships should carry 380mm Main Guns, which Krupp Company was already developing.
• At the German Shipyard, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz saw Oscar's secret weapon and recognized it as a submarine.

Oscar introduced the advanced U-100-class submarine and his wolfpack tactic to Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz, persuading him of submarines’ potential. The Naval Ministry decided to buy fifty submarines initially, with the possibility of ordering fifty more improved vessels.

• Oscar presented the U-100-class submarine to Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and asked John Holland to explain its capabilities.
• John Holland described the submarine’s performance, range, torpedo armament, and deck gun.
• Oscar argued that submarines could threaten Britain’s sea lanes and support the German surface fleet.
• Oscar proposed wolfpack tactics, in which groups of submarines ambushed enemy fleets or convoys.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and other Naval Ministry officials approved an initial purchase of fifty U-100-class submarines.
• Oscar stayed at German Shipyard to discuss improved submarine variants with John Holland.

Oscar visited Germany’s Aircraft R&D Center in Oranienburg to witness the successful development of its first combat-capable aircraft. After the test pilot took off and began a series of maneuvers, Oscar applauded and looked ahead to further German fighter development.

• Karl von Jonath told Oscar that Gustav Lilienthal had come to see him, and Oscar agreed to meet him immediately.
• Gustav Lilienthal told Oscar that the first aircraft had passed its initial test flight and invited him to observe the next one, scheduled for three days later.
• Oscar arrived at the Oranienburg Aircraft R&D Center and inspected the biplane developed by Gustav Lilienthal’s team.
• Wilbur Wright described the aircraft’s specifications and weapons, and Oscar judged it barely combat-capable.
• A test pilot took off and performed maneuvers while Oscar applauded the flight.

Oscar praised the successful F1 test flight but pushed Germany’s aviation researchers to develop faster monoplanes and land- and carrier-based bombers. He then planned to train pilots secretly within the 8th Army Corps, laying groundwork for a future Imperial Air Force.

• The F1 completed a safe test flight, and Oscar congratulated the pilot and research team.
• Oscar urged Gustav Lilienthal and the other researchers to develop monoplanes capable of exceeding two hundred kilometers per hour and traveling more than five hundred kilometers.
• Oscar called for research into land-based and carrier-based bombers, including aircraft suited to naval use.
• Oscar decided to establish a secret Air Corps within the 8th Army Corps and train its personnel as pilots.

Oscar’s designs for the Kaiser-class Battleships and Derfflinger-class Battlecruisers were approved, as Germany and other powers prepared for an increasingly unavoidable war. King Edward VII’s death at Buckingham Palace shocked Europe and the wider world.

• Oscar’s new battleship and battlecruiser designs won approval from Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz and Wilhelm II, and construction began in April 1910.
• The Kaiser-class Battleships were planned with 380mm guns, heavy armor, and five ships, while the Derfflinger-class Battlecruisers combined similar firepower with greater speed.
• Germany and the other major powers continued building their strength as their financial troubles and competing ambitions made war seem inevitable by 1914.
• Edward VII died of pneumonia at Buckingham Palace on May 6, shocking nations around the world.
• The chapter described Edward VII’s royal standing and turbulent private life, noting that he had shown more restraint after becoming King.

After Edward VII's death, Wilhelm II and his ministers assessed the danger of Britain's changing foreign policy and concluded that Germany should prepare for war. Wilhelm II sent Oscar to Britain to represent the Empire at Edward VII's funeral and Prince George's coronation, giving him a chance to observe Britain's condition.

• Wilhelm II convened an Imperial Council to discuss Britain's policies under Prince George and Germany's representation at the funeral and coronation.
• Bülow, Tirpitz, Moltke the Younger, and Falkenhayn debated whether Britain would join a future war against Germany.
• Oscar argued that war was unavoidable unless Germany abandoned its navy, colonial expansion, and challenge to British hegemony.
• Wilhelm II rejected abandoning Germany's ambitions and ordered the Empire to prepare for war.
• Wilhelm II appointed Oscar to represent Germany at Edward VII's funeral and Prince George's coronation in Britain.

Oscar traveled from Berlin to Wilhelmshaven with Foreign Minister von Kiderlen-Wächter and sailed for Britain aboard the battleship Nassau. During the voyage, von Kiderlen-Wächter praised Oscar as the right heir to the Empire, hinting that the civilian faction might support him.

• On May 15, Oscar and von Kiderlen-Wächter left Berlin for Wilhelmshaven to begin their trip to Britain.
• On May 16, Oscar and von Kiderlen-Wächter boarded the battleship Nassau, which sailed toward London.
• Oscar reflected on the Imperial Navy’s strength and his uncertain standing as acting Crown Prince.
• Von Kiderlen-Wächter credited Oscar with the Navy’s growth and said he believed Oscar was the most suitable heir to the Empire.
• Oscar replied that the decision belonged to Wilhelm II and that he would support his father’s choice.

Oscar secured the support of Wachth, Prime Minister Bülow, and the civilian faction by pledging to serve as Crown Prince and lead Germany to victory in future wars. As the Nassau-class Battleship approached London for Prince George’s naval review, it met two British battleships, and Commodore David Beatty watched it with contempt.

• Oscar told Wachth that Germany’s victory in future wars mattered more to him than whether he became Crown Prince.
• Wachth said that Bülow and the Cabinet would support Oscar, and Oscar promised to fulfill his duties and work for victory.
• Oscar and Wachth discussed international affairs, and Wachth was impressed by Oscar’s views.
• The Nassau-class Battleship reached the mouth of the River Thames, where Oscar discussed Germany’s future conflict with Britain with Major General Scheer and Wachth.
• Two British battleships appeared ahead, and Scheer said the Nassau-class had the advantage in combat.
• Commodore David Beatty observed the German battleship from HMS St. Vincent and disparaged its appearance.

Brigadier General David Beatty welcomed Oscar and the German fleet to Britain, while Oscar reflected on the naval balance between the two nations. After arriving in London, Oscar encouraged Wachth to believe that Germany could overcome the fading British Empire.

• Brigadier General David Beatty dismissed concerns about German battleships and ordered HMS St. Vincent to welcome the German Crown Prince.
• HMS Nassau sailed into Gravesend with two British battleships, and Prince Edward greeted Oscar and received his condolences for Edward VII.
• Oscar and Wachth learned that representatives from nearly every country had already arrived in Britain.
• Oscar told Wachth that Britain’s power was declining and that Germany would eventually defeat it and take its place as the world’s leading power.

Oscar attended the events surrounding George V’s accession to the British throne and observed the Royal Navy’s imposing strength at its Naval Review. The display strengthened his resolve to make Germany replace Britain as the world’s hegemon.

• Oscar attended Prince George’s welcome banquet, where Archduke Ferdinand warned him about the Italian Foreign Minister meeting with French and Russian officials.
• Oscar left the banquet while Wachth gathered information, then spent the following days touring London.
• Oscar attended Edward VII’s funeral on May 20 alongside representatives of the world’s major powers.
• Prince George was crowned King George V three days after the funeral.
• Oscar and the other dignitaries watched more than a hundred British warships, including the newest dreadnoughts, pass during the Portsmouth Naval Review.

After the Naval Review, Oscar returned to Germany while British leaders celebrated the display of naval strength. At a Cabinet meeting, Churchill warned Prime Minister Asquith that Britain risked losing its global hegemony unless it urgently strengthened its military, and Asquith asked him for suggestions.

• Oscar and Gidelen Wachth boarded the battleship Nassau and left for Germany as Prince Edward saw them off.
• Prime Minister Asquith convened his Cabinet and asked how effectively the Naval Review had impressed other nations.
• McKenna and Sir Edward Grey praised the Review’s impact, while Asquith and Lewis Vernon Harcourt expressed confidence that the Royal Navy would defeat Germany.
• Churchill warned the Cabinet that Britain’s optimism was dangerous and that a future defeat could cost it its colonies and hegemony.
• Asquith valued Churchill’s warning and asked him to offer suggestions.