Recaps

German forces and their British allies crushed US units across the northeastern front, trapping the remaining American troops in northern Maine. US relief corps failed to break through at Portland, leaving the encircled force to face annihilation.

• German 8th and 13th Army Corps broke the US 8th Army Corps after its reinforcements were delayed by German air attacks, forcing the survivors to flee north.
• German Army Group C defeated the US 18th and 19th Army Corps and advanced into Michigan, while Army Group A drove US forces back through Vermont and New York.
• German forces routed the US 7th and 9th Army Corps, while the German 14th and 15th Army Corps and British 1st Army Group defeated the US 12th and 13th Army Corps.
• German and British forces compressed fewer than a million US troops into a small encirclement in northern Maine, where they abandoned much of their heavy equipment.
• The US 24th and 25th Army Corps failed to break through the German 3rd Army Corps at Portland despite attacking for several days, as German naval, air, and Marine forces reinforced the defenders.

The encircled US forces in Madawaska faced dwindling supplies, relentless German bombardment, and no feasible escape as their commanders rejected orders to break out. A German assault destroyed the encircled force, while German advances elsewhere left the Republic of America with little hope.

• US Army commanders learned that reinforcements were blocked at Portland and argued over whether to hold out or attempt a breakout.
• Lieutenant General Robert Eichelberger reported that General Staff Headquarters ordered a southward breakout, but the commanders judged it suicidal and made no plan to carry it out.
• German bombardment and air raids intensified the next day, killing many US troops and further damaging their morale.
• German and allied forces attacked Madawaska, broke through the US defenses, and drove many US units to surrender.
• By evening, the German military had eliminated the encircled US forces, completing the destruction of all ten US army corps deployed in Maine.
• Army Group A continued toward Washington after victories in New York and Vermont, while Army Group C advanced across the Great Lakes region.

After the German army destroyed the US defenses in Maine, General Marshall ordered forces in the Northeast to retreat and reported the military’s enormous losses to President Roosevelt. Roosevelt called for the remaining troops to gather near Washington for one last fight before negotiations, and Marshall agreed to try.

• Major General Eisenhower told General Marshall that German forces had overrun Maine and many US units had surrendered.
• General Marshall ordered the 24th and 25th Army Corps and troops in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island to retreat to New Jersey, abandoning the defense of New York.
• General Marshall and Major General Eisenhower went to the White House after the President requested their presence.
• General Marshall told President Roosevelt and his officials that the United States had lost 3.8 million troops, including many who had surrendered.
• Secretary of State Hull suggested seeking another way out as officials doubted the United States could defeat Germany or preserve the Republic of America.
• President Roosevelt asked General Marshall to concentrate forces around Washington and fight once more to improve their negotiating position, and Marshall agreed to try.

President Roosevelt ordered the remaining US forces to assemble in Washington for a final battle against Germany, hoping to win a dignified peace. Field Marshal Manstein ordered the German Army Groups and Puppet Troops to march on Washington, setting the stage for the decisive battle.

• President Roosevelt ordered General Marshall to gather the US Army in Washington, where more than three million troops assembled and more were still arriving.
• Field Marshal Manstein met with Marshal Guderian, Marshal Blomberg, and Marshal Rommel at German North American Theater Headquarters in New York to discuss the final battle.
• The German marshals judged the American forces to be weak despite their numbers and agreed that concentrating them in Washington would make it easier to defeat them.
• Field Marshal Manstein ordered the German forces to march on Washington, and German Army Groups A, B, and C and the Puppet Troops began advancing.

President Roosevelt rallied US troops to defend Washington as Field Marshal Manstein prepared a German attack and ordered air raids. General Marshall and Major General Eisenhower inspected the US defenses, leaving the final battle looming.

• President Roosevelt urged Americans to fight the Germans for their country and freedom, and US soldiers renewed their resolve.
• Field Marshal Manstein dismissed Roosevelt’s speech and asked when the German army groups would reach their designated areas.
• A general reported that Army Groups B, A, and C would arrive in three days, five days, and a week, respectively, and that supplies for the Washington attack were nearly ready.
• Field Marshal Manstein ordered the German Air Force to bomb Washington before the army arrived.
• General Marshall inspected the US defensive line north of Washington, while Major General Eisenhower described the assembled forces and fortifications as strong enough to stop the Germans.

The German Air Force bombed Washington for a week, devastating US defenses and morale. On May 24, 1941, Germany’s three Army Groups began their ground offensive, advancing behind a massive artillery barrage and armored forces.

• US anti-aircraft troops opened fire on German aircraft, but German fighters and dive bombers attacked and suppressed their positions.
• German bombers devastated Washington’s defensive sectors and destroyed buildings including the White House, Capitol Hill, and the Pentagon.
• After a week of bombing, Germany’s three Army Groups launched their offensive against Washington, while puppet troops guarded nearby rivers to block US troops from escaping.
• German artillery from fifteen armies bombarded the US positions for an hour, then shifted fire toward the rear.
• A German front-line commander ordered the attack, and German soldiers advanced behind armored forces against the US positions.

German armored forces launched a major offensive against American defenses north and northeast of Washington, with air and helicopter attacks weakening the front before the tanks advanced. The German ground assault broke through the American positions despite limited German losses.

• German commanders sent a third of their armored strength, including King Tiger, Tiger, and Panther tanks, toward the American lines north and northeast of Washington.
• German Air Force aircraft and helicopters attacked American positions, destroying firing points and inflicting heavy casualties.
• General Marshall noticed the aerial assault and General Henry Arnold ordered the remaining Army Air Corps aircraft into battle, forcing German aircraft and helicopters to pull back.
• German tanks bombarded American firing points as American troops managed to destroy one Panther tank with a rocket before German infantry killed the launcher team.
• German armored forces overwhelmed the American defenses, which did not hold for long before the Germans tore through them.

German tanks and infantry broke through the first US defensive line, inflicting heavy losses and causing the defenders to flee. At Washington, General Marshall ordered a major armored counterattack to try to halt the German advance.

• German King Tiger tanks and accompanying infantry overran US positions, crushing the defenders’ resistance and forcing the remaining troops to retreat.
• A US anti-tank gun crew saw its 57mm shell bounce off a King Tiger’s frontal armor, further undermining US morale.
• General Marshall reported that the first defensive line had fallen and doubted the second could stop the German offensive.
• Major General Eisenhower and Lieutenant General Leslie McNair urged the US command to commit armored forces, while Lieutenant General Joseph McNarney warned that US armor was inferior to Germany’s.
• General Marshall ordered seven Armored Divisions and fourteen Mechanized Infantry Divisions to prepare for a counterattack in one hour.

On May 24, 1941, the US Army launched a massive armored counterattack against the German advance near Washington, but the German forces withdrew in good order to draw the Americans into a long-range tank battle. German heavy tanks devastated the advancing US armor, leaving the counterattack in a massacre.

• The US Army sent seven Armored Divisions and fourteen Mechanized Infantry Divisions to counterattack the German assault on its second line of defense.
• German aircraft spotted the US armored formation, and the German infantry and Armored Forces began an orderly retreat to widen the engagement distance.
• US soldiers mistook the retreat for a German defeat, while their tank crews pursued the withdrawing German armor.
• At over 1,200 meters, German King Tiger and Mighty Tiger tanks fired while reversing and destroyed US tanks with their superior guns and armor.
• US commanders ordered their tanks to close the distance, but German fire continued to devastate the American armored forces.

American and German armored forces fought a massive tank battle as German reinforcements and aircraft increased the pressure on the Americans. The fighting ended at sundown with far greater American losses, and most American units were unable to withdraw.

• An American M26 destroyed a King Tiger with a shot to its side, but German Panther tanks counterattacked and inflicted heavy losses on the American armor.
• German commanders sent five Armored Divisions and ten Mechanized Infantry Divisions into battle, while German aircraft and armed helicopters attacked American tanks.
• American and German tanks fought at close range, with both sides suffering heavy losses and American casualties remaining much higher.
• After an hour, German reinforcements attacked from the flank and threatened to encircle the American force.
• American commanders requested help, and General Marshall sent another five Armored Divisions and ten Mechanized Infantry Divisions to rescue them.
• The battle continued until sundown, when most American armored units had been destroyed or were unable to withdraw.

After a devastating defeat in the tank battle, US forces lost the will to fight as the German military advanced toward Washington. Field Marshal Manstein ordered his troops to close in and prevent the American forces from escaping, while an entire US division surrendered.

• US soldiers began leaving their trenches and surrendering as the German military attacked the third line of defense outside Washington.
• German officers discussed how the previous day's tank battle had shattered US morale and left the American forces unable to resist effectively.
• Field Marshal Manstein ordered the German military to accelerate its advance and seize the third line before sunset.
• Field Marshal Manstein directed forces southeast, south, and southwest of Washington to block any US retreat and help encircle the troops there.
• The commander of the US 156th Division surrendered his more than ten thousand soldiers, and a German major general accepted the division's surrender.

As German forces broke through Washington’s third defensive line and began bombarding the city, General Marshall and his officers concluded that the US Army could no longer resist and needed to seek surrender. The bombardment devastated the remaining defenses and left the army’s morale at rock bottom.

• Major General Eisenhower reported that German troops had broken through the third line and were nearing downtown Washington as US units surrendered in large numbers.
• Lieutenant General Joseph McNarney and Lieutenant General Leslie McNair told General Marshall that the army had lost the will to fight and could not stop the Germans.
• General Marshall agreed that seeking surrender was the only remaining option, and Major General Eisenhower urged him to tell President Roosevelt that the army could no longer continue fighting.
• German artillery began a large-scale bombardment of Washington, shaking the generals’ headquarters and confirming that the city was within range.
• After several hours of bombardment, German shells had nearly destroyed the US defenses and further crushed the army’s morale.

After Germany’s bombardment stopped, General Marshall met President Roosevelt in the ruined White House and explained that the American army could no longer fight. Roosevelt decided that the defeated United States had to seek peace from Germany, though he feared the Germans would destroy the country regardless.

• General Marshall traveled through the devastated streets of Washington to meet President Roosevelt in the White House basement.
• General Marshall told Roosevelt that American forces had lost the will and ability to continue fighting, with soldiers and even entire units surrendering.
• Roosevelt regretted his past decisions but accepted responsibility for the defeat, while Marshall defended his choices.
• Roosevelt summoned the Cabinet and declared that the United States had to beg Germany for peace.

President Roosevelt and senior American officials accepted that the United States had lost the war and decided to seek peace with Germany. Roosevelt appointed Secretary of State Hull to negotiate, leaving America’s continued existence uncertain.

• President Roosevelt told the assembled officials that the German offensive had made further resistance pointless and accepted responsibility for challenging Germany.
• Secretary of State Hull and other officials shared responsibility for the decision to go to war, and no one objected when Roosevelt proposed seeking peace.
• Roosevelt said America should accept Germany’s demands as far as necessary to preserve the Republic of America.
• Hull suggested concessions involving territory, reparations, and military restrictions, and Roosevelt agreed to consider them.
• General Marshall asked who would negotiate, and Roosevelt ordered Hull to lead the talks with full authority.
• Hull accepted the assignment and said he would seek favorable terms.

As German forces neared Washington, the United States asked to begin peace talks. Oscar rejected negotiations and declared that America had only one option: unconditional surrender.

• Manstein suspended the ground offensive while German artillery and aircraft continued bombarding Washington to conserve German lives and use up ammunition.
• On May 29, Secretary of State Hull crossed into German lines under a white flag and requested peace talks on behalf of the American president.
• Manstein agreed to relay Hull’s request to the homeland, while believing Germany would impose severe terms on the defeated United States.
• After receiving Manstein’s telegram, Oscar asked his officials whether to negotiate and then refused peace talks, demanding America’s unconditional surrender.

Oscar ordered the German Empire to demand unconditional surrender from the United States, determined to eliminate it as a future threat. Field Marshal Manstein delivered the demand to Hull, who left the meeting without securing better terms as Germany threatened to resume its offensive.

• Oscar told his ministers that the Empire had to crush the United States and ordered a telegram to Field Marshal Manstein with the demand for unconditional surrender.
• Hull waited at the German frontline headquarters for Germany’s reply to the American peace request.
• Manstein told Hull that the Empire would accept only the Republic of America’s unconditional surrender, though the Americans could refuse and continue fighting.
• Hull offered territorial concessions and reparations but said the United States could not accept unconditional surrender.
• Manstein rejected Hull’s appeal and warned that Germany would soon destroy the remaining American forces.
• Hull left the headquarters feeling that his mission had failed.

President Roosevelt and the US leadership weighed Germany’s demand for unconditional surrender after it rejected peace talks. With Washington surrounded and the remaining American forces unable to resist, Roosevelt agreed to surrender unconditionally.

• Hull told President Roosevelt that Germany had rejected peace talks and demanded unconditional surrender.
• Roosevelt convened US military and political leaders to discuss whether to accept Germany’s terms or continue fighting.
• The leaders rejected unconditional surrender but learned from Marshall and Eisenhower that they could not break out of Washington or hold off the German advance elsewhere.
• Hull and other ministers argued that surrender would prevent further casualties, and Roosevelt agreed to surrender unconditionally to Germany.

After the United States surrendered unconditionally to Germany, Emperor Qin Tian and his ministers decided to abolish the United States and divide its territory among the Empire and its client states. The Republic of America was carved up, with the Americans left a reduced territory and forbidden to keep the name America.

• On June 12, 1941, President Roosevelt signed the United States' unconditional surrender, and American forces began handing their weapons and equipment to Germany.
• Emperor Qin Tian summoned the Empire's military and political ministers to discuss the fate of the United States, and Prime Minister Wachth argued that it must cease to exist.
• Wachth proposed that Germany occupy nineteen states and Washington, D.C., and Qin Tian approved the plan, describing migration as a long-term means of ruling the territories.
• Qin Tian and his ministers awarded American lands to Germany's client states, giving the largest share to the Kingdom of England and Wales.
• Germany kept Hawaii, while the Americans were left Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, and Alaska and could form a nation only under a different name.

Field Marshal Manstein reported that the United States had accepted Germany’s settlement plan but that American civilians had begun armed resistance. Oscar ordered their resistance crushed and shifted Germany’s focus to defeating the Island Nation, the last enemy in the war.

• Manstein told Oscar that the United States had accepted the settlement plan and that German forces were preparing to suppress resistance across its new territories.
• Manstein reported attacks on German troops by armed American civilians and said the army’s suppression campaign had begun.
• Oscar ordered the resistance put down harshly, and Manstein agreed.
• Manstein said Germany’s puppet states were pleased with their territorial gains and eager to fight the Island Nation.
• Oscar declared that Germany would now concentrate on the eastern theater and bring the war to an end by defeating the Island Nation.
• The chapter described the Island Nation’s large forces in Southeast Asia, its expanding navy, and its occupation of the former Dutch East Indies and New Guinea Island.

Oscar and Germany’s military leaders planned to destroy the Island Nation after the war in North America ended, weighing its fierce resistance against Germany’s military advantage. Oscar authorized nuclear weapons if necessary and urged the generals to finish the war within six months so the troops could return home for Christmas.

• Oscar warned the military leaders that the Island Nation’s forces were exceptionally tenacious and posed a serious threat despite their inferior industry and equipment.
• Rundstedt, Rommel, and Raeder discussed the Island Nation’s fighting spirit and Germany’s ability to defeat it now that the United States had been destroyed.
• Manstein presented a plan to reinforce German forces in the South Seas and Australia, defeat the Island Nation’s forces, and invade its mainland.
• Oscar authorized the General Staff Headquarters to use nuclear weapons if necessary, startling the marshals and generals.
• Oscar set the goal of ending the war within six months so German officers and soldiers could return home for Christmas.

Oscar learned that German forces in the South Seas and Australia could only hold back the Island Nation’s expanding military, so Field Marshal Manstein presented a plan to send major reinforcements to the Far East. Oscar approved the plan, which would bring German forces there to twenty Army Corps and add Atlantic Fleet and Air Force units.

• Field Marshal Manstein warned Oscar that Germany could not defeat the Island Nation within half a year without reinforcements to the Southern Theater.
• Field Marshal Rundstedt reported that six German Army Corps and their supporting fleets and air groups could barely contain the Island Nation’s forces in the South Seas and Australia.
• The briefing described the Island Nation’s rebuilt Southern Army, air forces, and growing navy, including twenty-one aircraft carriers and more carriers under construction.
• Field Marshal Manstein presented a plan to send fourteen Army Corps, the Atlantic Fleet, and six Air Force groups to the Far East.
• Oscar expressed satisfaction with the reinforcement plan.

Island Nation’s leaders learned that the United States had surrendered unconditionally to Germany, leaving Island Nation exposed to German retaliation. Prime Minister Hideki Tojo and his ministers faced the consequences of their war against Germany as they feared the coming assault.

• Island Nation had struggled to advance against German forces in Indochina and Australia despite its conquests and resource shipments from the South Seas.
• News arrived that Germany had defeated the United States, Island Nation’s chief supporter, after a campaign lasting only months.
• Hideki Tojo told the Cabinet that the United States had surrendered unconditionally and its remaining forces had capitulated.
• Admiral Shigetarō Shimada and other leaders reacted with disbelief at the speed of the American defeat.
• Island Nation’s leaders realized that the United States had drawn them into war with Germany and that Germany would now turn its strength against them.

Hideki Tojo and his ministers debated how the Island Nation could survive Germany’s coming offensive while retaining its overseas territories. They agreed to pursue peace negotiations while preparing to resist Germany by force if talks failed.

• Kaoru Okawa warned Hideki Tojo that the Island Nation’s military could not match Germany after the United States was destroyed.
• Shigenori Tōgō proposed seeking peace with Germany to preserve the nation, but Hideki Tojo and Shigetarō Shimada said Germany would likely demand the return of the South Seas territories and the Philippine Islands.
• Kaoru Okawa asked whether the Island Nation could keep the Philippine Islands and Dutch East Indies while ending the war, and Hideki Tojo said that was impossible without defeating Germany.
• Shigetarō Shimada urged the Island Nation to resist Germany and inflict heavy losses in hopes of securing better peace terms.
• Shigenori Tōgō proposed negotiating a ceasefire while preparing for war, and Hideki Tojo and the ministers approved the two-pronged plan.

Matsumoto Taro approached Germany’s ambassador in Switzerland to seek peace after the Island Nation feared Germany’s victory over the United States. The Island Nation proposed a ceasefire based on the territories each side currently controlled, but Schneider rejected its excuses and had not agreed to the terms.

• Matsumoto Taro received orders from the Island Nation’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to seek peace with Germany while retaining territories under its control.
• Matsumoto Taro decided to contact the Germans despite believing the proposed terms were unlikely to succeed.
• Matsumoto Taro visited the German Embassy in Switzerland and praised Germany’s military victories to Schneider.
• Matsumoto Taro blamed the United States for the war and asked Germany to accept an immediate ceasefire based on current territorial control.
• Schneider sneered at Matsumoto Taro’s explanation, and Matsumoto Taro insisted that the Island Nation sincerely wanted peace.

Schneider rejected Matsumoto Taro’s peace terms, which demanded that Germany give up its colonies in the South Seas, and reported the Island Nation’s threats to Berlin. Qin Tian refused the terms and ordered the coming invasion to proceed without restraints against anyone who threatened German troops, leaving the Empire preparing for a final battle to destroy the Island Nation.

• Schneider told Matsumoto Taro that Germany would not accept the Island Nation’s proposed peace terms, while Matsumoto threatened that its people would fight to the bitter end.
• Schneider reported the failed meeting to the German government, and Ribbentrop relayed the Island Nation’s demands to Qin Tian.
• Manstein and Raeder condemned the Island Nation’s threats, and Qin Tian declared that Germany would destroy it.
• Qin Tian authorized frontline troops to kill anyone who posed a threat to German soldiers and urged his ministers to prepare for the final battle.
• Schneider called Matsumoto Taro and told him Germany rejected the Island Nation’s threats and its wish for peace.