Recaps

The German and Allied fleets converged for a decisive battle after German carrier aircraft devastated the Allied battleship force. The German main fleet gained the upper hand, sinking several more Allied ships as Vice Admiral Spee’s battlecruisers approached.

• Rear Admiral Lübeck’s Blücher was sunk after the British fleet encircled the German battlecruisers, while Von der Tann and Lothringen escaped.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer united the High Seas Fleet with Admiral Spee’s force, and a German seaplane discovered that the Allied fleet included French and Italian capital ships.
• Heinrich Marshal Prince launched German carrier aircraft against the Allied fleet, which lost five battleships in the first wave, including Jean Bart and Dante.
• German aircraft sank five more Allied battleships in a second wave, leaving the Allied fleet with twenty-six capital ships against Germany’s thirty-four.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer brought the German main fleet into battle and ordered Vice Admiral Spee to lead eleven battlecruisers around the Allied flank.
• The German battleships overwhelmed the Allied lines, sinking Dreadnought and North Dakota while German fire devastated Colossus.
• Admiral Lame ordered the crew to abandon the badly damaged Normandy, which sank after the King Albert struck it repeatedly.

Germany destroyed or captured the Allied capital ships, forcing Britain, France, and Italy to face the prospect of invasion or peace. Churchill became Prime Minister to lead Britain’s resistance, while French and Italian representatives arrived in Berlin to negotiate harsh terms.

• Admiral Lame urged the Allies to retreat, but Vice Admiral Spee’s battlecruisers seized the advantage and sank the Nevada and Oklahoma as the French and Italian fleets withdrew.
• Admiral John Jellicoe ordered the remaining British ships to flee, but German ships and aircraft sank the Vengeance, New York, Texas, and Tiger, while French and Italian battleships surrendered.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer reported Germany’s victory to Oscar, who made aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft a priority and prepared to confront Britain.
• Churchill urged Britain to fight on, took responsibility for defending the mainland, and became Prime Minister after Asquith resigned.
• France and Italy concluded that their fleets’ defeat left them little choice but to seek peace, and each appointed a representative to negotiate with Germany.
• Oscar set severe proposed terms for France and Italy, including reparations, territorial concessions, colonial transfers, and limits on their armed forces.
• Franz Joseph I sent Crown Prince Karl and Baron von Berchtold to Berlin, where Karl resented Germany’s control over the peace settlement.
• Théophile Delcassé and Paul Borselli agreed to coordinate against Germany’s demands, but France and Italy accepted Germany’s order to negotiate separately as talks opened on May 24, 1915.

Germany forced France to surrender, then negotiated separate peace treaties with Italy and Austria-Hungary while exploiting the growing rift between its allies. Oscar turned to preparations for an invasion of Britain and ordered Germany to ready itself for future threats from Russia and resistance in its eastern territories.

• Wachth negotiated France’s surrender terms with Théophile Delcassé, and Germany’s renewed offensive forced France to sign the Treaty of Berlin, surrendering territory and colonies, paying reparations, and accepting military restrictions.
• Oscar directed France’s reparations toward Germany’s debts, preparations for an invasion of Britain, and development of eastern territories, while Crown Prince Karl challenged Germany’s separate peace with France.
• Crown Prince Karl demanded reparations, territory, and colonies from Italy, but Oscar refused to give Austria-Hungary Libya and limited Germany’s support for its demands.
• Paul Borselli negotiated a separate treaty with Wachth, and Italy accepted reparations, Sicily, Libya, military limits, and German troops while retaining Sardinia.
• Wachth mediated the dispute between Italy and Austria-Hungary, and Emperor Franz Joseph I ordered his delegation to accept peace with Italy despite Crown Prince Karl’s anger.
• Austria-Hungary accepted six billion Mark in indemnities, Venice, nearby eastern territories, and Italian East Africa, and Crown Prince Karl left Berlin vowing revenge on Germany.
• Oscar approved Falkenhayn’s plan to invade Britain with about 1.5 million men and ordered preparations to seize the Royal Family’s wealth and prevent its escape.
• Oscar warned that Russia could become a major threat and ordered preparations for a future conflict, while assigning new units to suppress guerrillas in Germany’s eastern territories.

Oscar expanded Germany’s eastern influence while Britain sought American support and the Island Nation debated how to respond to Germany’s growing power. The Island Nation rejected Germany’s demands and prepared to seize colonies in Southeast Asia, accepting the risk of war.

• Oscar ordered eastern transportation projects built over ten years, agreed to rule Finland and Ukraine, and approved a machinery trade with Russia that required substantial grain payments.
• Ulyanov insisted that Russian guerrillas remain in German-held territories, while Joseph negotiated the machinery-for-resources deal with Germany.
• As Britain prepared for a German assault, Churchill sent Sir Edward Grey to Canada and Washington, where Britain offered military technology in exchange for American support and its Middle Eastern colonies after Germany’s defeat.
• The United States and Britain secretly formed an alliance, while Island Nation leaders argued over whether to retain the German Pacific colonies or avoid provoking Germany.
• Saionji Kinmochi persuaded the Elder Statesmen to abandon the alliance with Britain, seek Germany’s favor, and seize British colonies, prompting Kato Takaaki to terminate the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
• Uchida Kosai offered Germany the return of its Pacific colonies and proposed that Island Nation join the Allied Powers, but Jacob rejected the offer and demanded the colonies back and 100 million marks.
• After Germany rejected Island Nation’s demands and warned it against attacking British colonies, Yamagata Aritomo and the other leaders chose to risk war and ordered preparations to seize Southeast Asian colonies.
• Hasegawa Yoshimichi presented a plan for the expedition and possible later attacks on Australia and India, while Ijūin Gorō said the Navy would escort the Army and avoid a decisive battle with the German fleet.