Recaps

The German carrier-based aircraft devastated the American and British fleets, sinking the British carriers and leaving both navies unable to reverse their defeat. Aboard Montana, Admiral Ernest King and the other commanders debated whether to retreat or continue fighting as the Germans prepared to press their advantage.

• Admiral John Tovey and Admiral Andrew Cunningham watched the British aircraft carriers sink as German carrier-based aircraft continued their attacks.
• Admiral Ernest King and Admiral Husband Kimmel assessed the American and British losses and recognized the scale of their defeat.
• As darkness approached, the German aircraft returned to their carriers, leaving the American and British fleets battered and depleted.
• Admiral Ernest King called Admiral John Tovey and Admiral Andrew Cunningham aboard Montana to discuss what to do next.
• Admiral John Tovey urged the fleets to flee under cover of darkness, while Admiral Husband Kimmel warned that retreat would not protect their homelands from German attacks.
• Admiral Ernest King argued that their remaining four light aircraft carriers and sixteen Capital Ships still gave them formidable strength.

After suffering devastating losses, the American and British commanders sent seven fast battleships east at night to hunt the German carriers and salvage their defeat. Aboard Poseidon, Marshal Lütjens celebrated the German fleet’s success but warned that the surviving Allied capital ships could threaten them.

• Admiral Ernest King proposed using the night, when German carrier aircraft could not fly, to attack the German carrier formation, and Admirals Tovey, Cunningham, and Kimmel agreed.
• The American and British fleets selected three Iowa-class battleships and four Hood-class battlecruisers for the operation.
• The seven ships left the Allied formation and headed east under cover of darkness while King prayed for success.
• Marshal Lütjens read a report stating that the German carriers had sunk nine American fleet carriers and eight British medium carriers, along with numerous escorts.
• Lieutenant General Hans urged another German attack after daybreak, but Lütjens warned that the surviving Allied capital ships might attack the German carriers.

Marshal Lütjens ordered the German Home Fleet to withdraw cautiously after sinking seventeen American and British aircraft carriers, while the Mediterranean Fleet received word of the victory and prepared to exploit the opening. General Hermann Böhm saw a chance for his fleet to deal the enemy a devastating blow.

• Marshal Lütjens rejected another attack, ordered the Home Fleet to turn north and then west, and sent cruisers and destroyers to scout for enemy Capital Ships.
• Marshal Lütjens credited the Capital Ships formation’s sacrifices for drawing enemy aircraft away and ordered a seaplane to send a Telegram to the Mediterranean Fleet from a safe distance.
• The Mediterranean Fleet’s officer on duty woke General Hermann Böhm, and Lieutenant General Cramer reported that the Home Fleet had sunk at least seventeen American and British aircraft carriers.
• General Hermann Böhm praised the Home Fleet’s victory and declared that the Mediterranean Fleet could seize the opportunity to strike the Americans and British hard.

The German Navy Mediterranean Fleet seized the chance to attack the battered American and British fleets after locating them. The chapter ended as the Mediterranean Fleet launched its first wave of carrier-based aircraft.

• Admiral Hermann Böhm and Lieutenant General Schremel agreed to exploit the American and British fleets’ losses with an attack at dawn.
• The Mediterranean Fleet sent seaplanes to search for the enemy fleet and prepared its carrier aircraft to sortie.
• Admiral Ernest King learned that the Hunter Killer Group had failed and ordered his fleet to retreat westward.
• American F4U fighters shot down several German seaplanes, but the planes had already radioed the enemy fleet’s location.
• Admiral Hermann Böhm ordered an air strike, and the Mediterranean Fleet launched 48 FW-190 fighters, 66 Dive Bombers, and 66 Torpedo Bombers in its first wave.

After a German seaplane exposed the American and British fleets’ position, Admiral Ernest King ordered the fleet to prepare for another German carrier attack. The German Navy Mediterranean Fleet sank the remaining American light carriers and began its assault on the three Montana-class battleships, whose fate was sealed as the second wave arrived.

• A German seaplane sent a telegram before being shot down, prompting Admiral Ernest King to turn the fleet northwest and prepare its air defenses.
• Radar detected about 150 German carrier-based aircraft approaching from the south, and Admiral Ernest King ordered every ship to repel the attack.
• The German aircraft bypassed the depleted Allied carrier air groups and targeted the American fleet’s four remaining light carriers: Langley, Cabot, Bataan, and San Jacinto.
• German aircraft sank all four light carriers in less than half an hour, leaving the American and British fleets without aircraft carriers.
• The German Navy Mediterranean Fleet attacked the three Montana-class battleships; after the first wave failed to sink them, the arriving second wave sealed their fate.

German carrier-based aircraft sank all three American Montana-class Battleships and then attacked the British fleet, leaving the Allies unable to stop Germany from winning the Atlantic battle. The chapter ended with the British commanders recognizing that their fleets could not prevent German control of the Atlantic.

• German carrier-based aircraft struck the Maine, Montana, and Ohio with bombs and torpedoes, sinking all three American Battleships.
• The German aircraft attacked two British Nelson-class Battleships and four Lion-class Battleships but failed to sink them after using much of their ammunition.
• Two hours later, the German Navy Mediterranean Fleet launched a third air attack on the British Capital Ships.
• Admiral John Tovey watched the British ships suffer under the attack, while Admiral Andrew Cunningham acknowledged that the Allied fleets had lost.
• Andrew Cunningham privately concluded that the Allies could no longer stop Germany from ruling the Atlantic or threatening a landing in North America.

The German Navy crushed the American and British fleets, securing control of the Atlantic, while the surviving Hunter Killer Group escaped German searches and headed back toward the United States. The chapter left the Germans confident that the few escaped ships could not change the outcome and could be dealt with during a future landing in North America.

• Admiral Ernest King ordered a telegram to warn the Hunter Killer Group that the remaining Allied capital ships were in danger and to break through the German blockade.
• Admiral Hermann Boehm learned that seven Allied capital ships were missing and ordered seaplanes to search for them, while the German Home Fleet also began searching.
• Admiral Husband Kimmel abandoned the Hunter Killer Group’s mission and steered it southeast, planning to return to the Caribbean by way of the south and west.
• Admiral Husband Kimmel received Ernest King’s warning about the Mediterranean Fleet’s victories and led the Hunter Killer Group cautiously away from German pursuit.
• Marshal Lütjens concluded that the missing Allied ships were still somewhere in the Atlantic but too difficult to find after dark, and agreed that their escape would not affect the German Navy’s victory.

After Germany’s decisive victory in the Battle of the Atlantic, Qin Tian approved preparations for a landing in North America. The chapter ended with the operation set to begin by the end of November despite the challenges of winter weather.

• Qin Tian met with Marshal Raeder, Field Marshal Manstein, and the Air Force Minister after they reported that Germany had won the Battle of the Atlantic.
• Marshal Raeder reported that German forces had sunk the American fleet carriers and several American and British battleships, leaving Germany in control of the Atlantic.
• Qin Tian praised Marshal Lütjens for turning the Home Fleet’s disadvantage into victory.
• Field Marshal Manstein said Germany had seized the Bermuda Islands and was readying troops and supplies for a North American landing.
• Manstein explained that winter weather would pose risks but would also hinder the defenders, and Qin Tian ordered preparations for the landing to begin.

After the American and British fleets suffered a crushing defeat against Germany, senior naval leaders realized they might no longer be able to stop the German advance. Frank Knox and Admiral Harold Stark went to the White House to report the news to President Roosevelt.

• Admiral Harold Stark, Frank Knox, Sir Dudley, and Admiral Nimitz learned that the American and British fleets had lost all their aircraft carriers and more than half their Capital Ships.
• Admiral Nimitz and Admiral Harold Stark concluded that their navies might be unable to recover, while Sir Dudley blamed the fleet commanders and set out to see the Prime Minister.
• Frank Knox feared Germany would soon attack North America and insisted that the unfinished American warships must not fall into German hands.
• Frank Knox and Admiral Harold Stark independently went to the White House and encountered each other there.
• President Roosevelt suspended his meeting, received Frank Knox and Admiral Harold Stark, and asked whether they had been defeated again.

President Roosevelt learned that the American and British fleets had been devastated, leaving the Atlantic under German control and a German invasion of North America imminent. He placed the nation’s defense in the hands of General Marshall and General Arnold, who faced the task of preparing the Army and Army Air Corps to resist the Germans.

• Secretary Frank Knox apologized to President Roosevelt for the Navy’s defeat, and Admiral Stark explained the battle’s losses and mistakes.
• Admiral Stark reported that the American and British navies had been crippled, while the Germans had lost four Capital Ships and damaged three others.
• President Roosevelt warned that German control of the Atlantic and Bermuda made an attack on North America imminent.
• General Marshall asked about German losses, and Admiral Stark described their comparatively limited damage and aircraft losses.
• President Roosevelt ordered General Marshall and General Arnold to prepare the Army and Army Air Corps to defend the United States against a German landing.

After Germany’s victory in the Atlantic left the United States fearing an invasion, Roosevelt shifted resources to the Army and Army Air Corps. General Marshall halted the costly bombing of Bermuda and ordered construction of an Atlantic Defensive Line, leaving the American military preparing to block a German landing.

• Roosevelt promised Marshall and Arnold priority for Army and Army Air Corps resources so they could win the coming war.
• Marshall and Arnold summoned senior officers, who learned that Germany might soon attack the American homeland.
• Emmons and Giles urged Marshall to stop the Bermuda bombing, and Marshall ordered it halted so the Army Air Corps could prepare to defend North America.
• MacArthur proposed building an Atlantic Defensive Line before spring, and Eisenhower and Patton voiced confidence in the Army’s ability to defeat a German landing force.
• Marshall ordered construction of the defensive line, assigning the United States’ section to American forces and the Canadian section to the British.

German commanders debated where to launch their North American landing and rejected the Bermuda, Caribbean, and southern routes as too difficult. Field Marshal Manstein chose Newfoundland as the landing site, leaving the planned invasion focused on a northern advance into Canada and toward the United States.

• Field Marshal Manstein opened the military conference by saying Germany had to choose a landing site before its North American operation began.
• Air Force Minister Albert Kesselring described plans to expand airfields and station aircraft in the Bermuda Islands, while General Georg von Küchler argued the islands were too distant and small for a major invasion force.
• General Ernst von Busch, General Küchler, and Marshal Raeder explained that the Caribbean and Florida routes were heavily defended and would cost Germany too many troops.
• General von Busch, General Küchler, Marshal Edward Milch, and Marshal Raeder supported a northern landing, citing Newfoundland's strategic position, room for airfields, and access to Canada and the northeastern United States.
• Field Marshal Manstein decided that Germany would choose Newfoundland as its landing site.

Oscar approved the German plan to seize Newfoundland and use it as a base for invading North America. He proposed a deception operation around Bermuda to draw American attention south, and German forces began making preparations that convinced US generals a Caribbean attack was coming.

• Manstein and Kesselring told Oscar that capturing Newfoundland would give Germany a foothold in North America and airfields within range of US industry.
• Oscar approved the landing plan, which assigned five Marine Divisions to capture Newfoundland before Army Group A landed and the other army groups followed.
• Oscar suggested making it appear that Germany was preparing to invade the Caribbean from Bermuda.
• The German General Staff began its deception plan in mid-November, gathering fleets, troops, and aircraft around Bermuda.
• German movements drew US attention, and several US Army generals believed Germany was preparing an attack in the Caribbean.

US commanders learned that Germany had amassed forces in the Bermuda Islands and might soon attack the Caribbean, prompting Marshall to order reinforcements and faster war preparations. The United States began expanding its defenses while struggling to train and equip its rapidly growing forces.

• MacArthur warned Marshall that German fleets and troops had gathered around the Bermuda Islands and were likely preparing to attack the Caribbean.
• Eisenhower, Arnold, and Delos Emmons discussed the threat, and Marshall ordered another five hundred thousand troops and a thousand combat aircraft sent to the Caribbean.
• Eisenhower warned that the planned deployment would concentrate nearly half of US forces in the Caribbean, Florida, and the Gulf Coast before the Atlantic Defensive Line was complete.
• Malin Craig reported that the United States had recruited 1.5 million soldiers in two weeks, but they still needed training and the Army lacked essential weapons and equipment.
• Marshall ordered faster troop training, arms production, construction of the Atlantic Defensive Line, and expansion of the Armored Forces.

Roosevelt and Marshall prepared the United States for a German invasion by strengthening defenses and building the Atlantic Defensive Line. Oscar and his commanders planned to exploit American deployments in the Caribbean to seize Newfoundland and use it as a base for bombing the United States.

• Marshall told Roosevelt that American forces had reinforced the Caribbean and southern defenses and could mine the Florida Strait to block a German landing.
• Roosevelt asked about the Atlantic Defensive Line, and Marshall estimated it would gain initial combat capability within a month.
• Marshall reported that enlistment and weapons production had surged, though the army still lacked trained personnel in technical branches.
• Manstein told Oscar that American forces had concentrated in the south, improving Germany's chances of capturing Newfoundland.
• Manstein said Busch had sailed with three Marine Divisions, while two more Marine Divisions and the 1st Army Corps would head north to reinforce the operation.
• Raeder described naval fire support for the landing, and Kesselring said engineers would expand Newfoundland's airfields so German aircraft could later attack the United States.

German forces prepared to invade Newfoundland, with General Ernst von Busch confident that the Marine Corps could defeat the British with support from Marshal Lütjens’s Home Fleet. The fleet was two days from its target, and Lütjens agreed to blockade the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to stop British reinforcements.

• A German fleet carrying three Marine Divisions and extensive amphibious forces sailed across the North Atlantic toward Newfoundland.
• Aboard Poseidon, Marshal Lütjens asked General Ernst von Busch whether the landing force was ready, and Busch said it could attack upon arrival.
• Lütjens promised carrier-based air and heavy cruiser support before the landing, with aircraft available to support the Marines afterward.
• General Ernst von Busch asked the Home Fleet to blockade the Gulf of Saint Lawrence during the attack.
• Marshal Lütjens agreed to use carrier-based aircraft by day and cruisers, destroyers, and submarines at night to prevent British reinforcements from reaching Newfoundland.

The German fleet bombarded Trepassey on Newfoundland before the German Marine Corps launched a combined air and sea landing. British defenses collapsed under the attack as German troops reached shore and advanced into the town.

• Major General Charles ordered the Bombardment Formation to attack British facilities near Trepassey.
• German cruisers and destroyers began shelling the coast, devastating British positions and throwing the 2nd Infantry Brigade into chaos.
• The German Marine Corps' 3rd Division arrived at 7:00 a.m., and attack helicopters struck British strongpoints.
• German landing craft and helicopters carried Marine Corps soldiers toward shore while tank landing ships approached with Amphibious Tanks.
• The British troops failed to resist the German three-dimensional assault as German soldiers landed at Trepassey.

German forces invaded Newfoundland after using the threat of an attack on the Caribbean Sea as a diversion, leaving British leaders urgently seeking reinforcements and American support. The United States realized its forces had been drawn south while Germany moved to strike Britain first.

• Lieutenant General Campbell learned that German forces were bombarding Trepassey and ordered British divisions to prepare for the attack and requested reinforcements.
• Campbell soon received word that German Marines had captured Trepassey and the British 2nd Infantry Brigade had collapsed.
• David Magson reported the invasion to Churchill, who summoned Cabinet ministers and military commanders and asked the United States for support.
• General Marshall, US Army generals, and President Roosevelt reacted with alarm and regret after learning of the German landing in Newfoundland.

After Germany landed on Newfoundland, Roosevelt and the US Army planned to reinforce the British there, despite delays caused by troop deployments and a snowstorm. Churchill ordered British forces in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to sail for Newfoundland while Britain awaited American support.

• Roosevelt convened a meeting with US Army leaders and demanded a plan to stop the German attack on Newfoundland.
• Marshall said the United States had to send troops north, while Arnold proposed bombing the German landing sites despite the danger from carrier aircraft.
• Roosevelt agreed that the United States would reinforce Britain and demanded that Britain send troops to Newfoundland immediately.
• Churchill ordered British forces in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to board ships for Newfoundland.
• The British Royal Navy organized the transport, and the Royal Air Force sent aircraft to escort the troops.

The German 3rd Marine Division secured Trepassey and began its advance on St. John's as Britain rushed reinforcements across the Cabot Strait. German carrier aircraft destroyed the British convoy, leaving the two Infantry Divisions and one Armored Division lost before they reached Newfoundland.

• The 3rd Marine Division took control of Trepassey, and Major General Pals reported that its 1st Regiment had begun attacking St. John's.
• General Ernst von Busch ordered the capture of St. John's and said the 4th Marine Division would land that afternoon, with the 6th and 7th expected the following night.
• Britain sent more than a hundred merchant ships carrying two Infantry Divisions and one Armored Division from Cape Breton Island toward Newfoundland, escorted by warships and P-51 fighters.
• Fifteen squadrons of German carrier-based FW-190 fighters attacked the convoy in the Cabot Strait and scattered the British fighter formations.
• German Navy dive bombers and torpedo bombers sank merchant ships carrying the British reinforcements, and the arriving Royal Air Force fighters reached the battle after the German aircraft had withdrawn.

After Britain suffered heavy losses in the air battle over Newfoundland, Churchill ordered a nighttime troop landing and a counterattack for the next morning. The German Navy ambushed the British convoy in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, sinking transports and inflicting grievous losses on the Army.

• David Magson reported that Britain had lost two Infantry Divisions and one Armored Division, while Baron Cyril Neville said the Royal Air Force could not win air superiority without American support.
• Sir Dudley suggested sending troops to Newfoundland under cover of night across the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, and Churchill ordered the Army and Air Force to prepare a counterattack.
• On the night of November 23, the British Army dispatched five Infantry Divisions and one Armored Division aboard merchant ships toward Newfoundland.
• The German Navy Home Fleet's Bombardment Formation entered the Cabot Strait and attacked the British convoy with six Heavy Cruisers, nine Light Cruisers, and sixteen destroyers.
• The German ships sank merchant vessels and overwhelmed their British escorts, while the news of the attack threw convoys across the Gulf of Saint Lawrence into chaos.

The German Navy devastated British reinforcements crossing the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, while the 3rd Marine Division attacked St. John's with overwhelming naval, air, and armored support. The British lost the city and its port, with only a small number of defenders escaping as Lieutenant General Campbell's troops were surrounded.

• The German Navy sank British merchant ships and evaded torpedo attacks, leaving fewer than twenty thousand British troops to reach Newfoundland after heavy losses.
• David Magson warned Churchill that the mounting casualties made it increasingly difficult to defend Newfoundland and the British homeland, but Churchill waited to review the battle situation.
• On November 24, the 3rd Marine Division reached St. John's and launched an assault after German naval guns and carrier-based aircraft bombarded the city.
• German tanks, helicopters, and aircraft broke through the British defenses, prompting Lieutenant General Campbell to order a withdrawal westward.
• The German advance cut off most of the British defenders, captured St. John's and its port, and allowed only a small number of soldiers to escape.

After Germany captured Newfoundland, Qin Tian approved a plan to continue the landings against Canada while the Air Force expanded the island’s airfields and prepared to assume its defense. The story left the German military preparing to seize nearby islands and establish a bridgehead on the Canadian mainland.

• Major General Pals reported that German forces had captured St. John's, and General Ernst von Busch ordered the advance into western Newfoundland and further landings.
• Major General Pals proposed landing the 6th Division and 7th Division directly in western Newfoundland, and General Ernst von Busch approved the plan.
• German troops landed across Newfoundland, defeated or drove off the remaining British forces, and occupied the island by November 27.
• Field Marshal Albert Kesselring told Qin Tian that the Air Force was expanding Newfoundland’s airfields and would send two Fighter Wings to take over air defense.
• Field Marshal Manstein presented General Busch’s proposal to capture Cape Breton Island and Prince Edward Island and establish a bridgehead in Nova Scotia, and Qin Tian ordered the operation to proceed.

The German military prepared to attack Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton Island, coordinating Army Group A’s troops with naval support. Churchill learned that Britain faced the coming offensive with limited prospects of resistance and accepted that it had no other choice but to fight.

• Marshal Blomberg organized the coming island offensive at Trepassey and arranged for the navy’s three fleets to support it.
• General Ernst von Busch agreed that the Marine Corps would seize beachheads before the army landed.
• The Germans set November 30 as the attack date, when the 4th Army Corps would join five Marine divisions on Newfoundland.
• David Magson warned Churchill that the Germans had gathered several hundred thousand troops and might attack several Canadian regions.
• Churchill doubted Britain could hold against German land, sea, and air power, but told Magson they had no other choice.

Churchill and the British commanders prepared to resist Germany after its capture of Newfoundland, relying on American reinforcements to defend North America. General Marshall promised more US troops and agreed that the 1st Army Corps could be sent to Nova Scotia, which Britain expected to be Germany’s main target.

• Churchill told Britain’s military leaders they had to fight Germany to preserve the British Empire.
• Sir Cyril John Deverell and Baron Ironside expressed confidence that British and American forces could defeat the Germans if they stood together.
• David Magson reported that the US Army’s 1st Army Corps was nearing arrival while bad weather delayed further reinforcements.
• Churchill met General Marshall and Major General Eisenhower and asked the United States to send more troops as Germany strengthened its forces in Newfoundland.
• Marshall promised that additional US army corps would follow and agreed to consider deploying the 1st Army Corps to Nova Scotia.