Chapter Summaries

German forces captured the War Ministry after British defenders refused to surrender, and Richard Haldane died by suicide before the bombardment. After learning London had fallen, Churchill left Liverpool for Canada to lead the British Empire in exile.

• Field Marshal Falkenhayn ordered the Germans to offer the War Ministry defenders another chance to surrender or face bombardment.
• Richard Haldane let his soldiers choose, and none of the British troops surrendered.
• German H1 bombers destroyed the War Ministry, and German troops killed the surviving defenders; Richard Haldane was found dead by suicide.
• Field Marshal Falkenhayn reported that the battle for London was over.
• Churchill learned that London had fallen and Richard Haldane had died, then left Liverpool by submarine for Canada.

German forces advanced across Britain as the remnants of the British Army surrendered or fled, leaving the mainland effectively occupied. Emperor Oscar declared the large-scale war over but planned to seize Britain’s colonies and divide the British Isles into dependent states.

• German troops advanced into Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, while the remaining British forces surrendered or retreated into the mountains.
• Oscar celebrated the German victory with his advisers after receiving Field Marshal Falkenhayn’s telegram from Britain.
• Bülow said Germany should turn to rebuilding, but Tirpitz warned that conquering Britain’s overseas colonies would require further campaigns.
• Bülow and Oscar agreed that Germany must seize Britain’s colonies, including India, South Africa, and Australia.
• Oscar ordered a compliant British government to be established and Britain to be divided into independent England, Scotland, and Ireland.
• Oscar planned to strengthen Ireland and Scotland so they could counterbalance England and help Germany control the British Isles.

Oscar planned to divide the British Isles into three countries so Germany could weaken England and Wales and control the region with less effort. By the chapter’s end, Ireland, Scotland, and England and Wales had each formed a state aligned with Germany, while German forces began withdrawing from most of Britain.

• Oscar told his officials to prepare to establish three countries in the British Isles before Christmas.
• Less than a month after the Battle of London, German forces controlled the British Isles, and three army corps began withdrawing while the 2nd Army Corps remained behind.
• Patrick Pearse and Griffith founded the Republic of Ireland, which joined the Allied Powers and agreed to build a 150,000-person military force with German support.
• Scotland established a republic under Charles, joined the Allied Powers, and created a German-backed 150,000-person force.
• England and Wales formed the United Kingdom of England and Wales, with Prince Arthur as king and Andrew Bonar Law as Prime Minister.

The United Kingdom of England and Wales signed a harsh peace treaty with Germany, surrendered, and joined the Allied Powers, while George V and Churchill vowed to rebuild Britain in Canada. The chapter left Churchill preparing to use the Royal Family’s wealth to restore British military strength and eventually retake the mainland.

• Wachth and Andrew signed a treaty requiring the United Kingdom to pay Germany reparations, surrender its colonies, accept German troops, and limit its military.
• The United Kingdom of England and Wales joined the Allied Powers, leaving Germany with three dependent successor states and a defensive buffer against the United States.
• George V condemned Germany, the Irish and Scots, and Prince Arthur after learning that Britain had been divided and defeated.
• Churchill urged George V to focus on defeating Germany before trying to resolve Britain’s other problems.
• George V pledged the Royal Family’s full support, and Churchill planned to use its wealth to expand factories and rebuild Britain’s forces.

Emperor Qin Tian welcomed Field Marshal Falkenhayn, other generals, and troops returning from Britain, honoring their service and strengthening his influence over the military. On the journey back to Berlin, Oscar reflected on Germany’s victory and its rise as the world’s hegemon, while recognizing that it still faced rivals and enemies.

• Emperor Qin Tian welcomed Field Marshal Falkenhayn, General Kluck, General Hutier, Lieutenant General Ludendorff, and other commanders at Wilhelmshaven.
• Oscar praised the returning generals for their service, and they pledged loyalty to him and the German Empire.
• Oscar thanked the returning soldiers, shook hands with some of them, and praised their bravery.
• The returning troops received applause, flowers, and kisses as they came ashore.
• Oscar and the Empire’s Military and Political Ministers returned to Berlin by special train, where Oscar reflected on Germany’s victory and its new position as world hegemon.
• Oscar considered Buru, the United States, Britain, and the Island Nation future threats to Germany’s dominance.

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.