Chapter Summaries

Joseph learned that Buru’s Border Guards had crossed the border and attacked the Kingdom of Ukraine without his knowledge, risking war with Germany. He ordered an investigation and feared the incident might be a German pretext for war.

• Molotov told Joseph that Germany had demanded a satisfactory response to the Border Guards’ attack on Ukraine.
• Joseph warned Molotov that Buru was unprepared for war with Germany and said they must avoid giving Germany a reason to fight.
• Joseph summoned Voroshilov and Shaposhnikov and demanded to know who had ordered the Border Guards across the border.
• Voroshilov and Shaposhnikov said they knew nothing about the attack, and Voroshilov arranged an immediate investigation.
• Molotov suggested Germany might have staged the incident as a pretext for war, and Joseph worried that Buru was not ready to fight.

Joseph learned that Buru’s army was not fully prepared for war and that its Border Guards had attacked Ukraine without authorization, risking a German response. He ordered punishments, directed Molotov to learn Germany’s demands, and placed the army on the highest state of combat readiness.

• Voroshilov and Shaposhnikov told Joseph that Buru’s mobilization and weapons preparations were incomplete.
• Joseph learned that Alexander’s Border Guards Division had attacked Ukraine without authorization and feared the incident could give Germany a pretext for war.
• Joseph ordered Alexander executed, his family sent to Siberia, and the uncle of the shot company commander forced to retire.
• Molotov suggested apologizing to Ukraine and offering compensation, and Joseph told him to contact Germany first and learn its demands.
• Joseph ordered Voroshilov and Shaposhnikov to raise the army to the highest state of combat readiness and accelerate mobilization.

Molotov and Ribbentrop failed to settle the border conflict after Germany demanded a public apology and one billion Marks from Buru. As both powers prepared for possible war, Emperor Rommel arrived in Kiev as Germany’s envoy to meet Ukrainian officials.

• Molotov told Ribbentrop that Buru had punished the commander responsible for the cross-border attack and asked to preserve friendship between the nations.
• Ribbentrop demanded that Buru publicly apologize to Ukraine, promise the incident would not recur, and pay one billion Marks; Molotov rejected the terms.
• After Molotov reported the demands, Joseph denounced Germany but ordered continued negotiations and accelerated war preparations by Voroshilov and Shaposhnikov.
• Germany began expanding its army with twelve new army groups as Buru and Germany continued their military preparations.
• On August 14, 1939, General Rommel arrived in Kiev as the Emperor’s envoy and met Prime Minister Feldorov, Minister of War Andrei, and Chief of Staff General Maxim.

General Rommel persuaded Ukraine’s leaders to provoke Buru by attacking Rostov-on-Don, giving Germany a pretext for war. On September 1, 1939, Ukrainian forces crossed the border and launched the planned invasion.

• Rommel told Feldorov, Andrei, and Maxim that negotiations with Buru had failed and Germany was preparing for war.
• Feldorov and Andrei condemned Buru’s refusal to compromise and described it as a threat to Ukraine.
• Maxim pledged Ukraine’s troops to fight alongside Germany if ordered.
• Rommel revealed that Germany wanted Ukraine to seize Rostov-on-Don and then withdraw, provoking Buru into a response that Germany could use to declare war.
• Feldorov and the others agreed, and Rommel set the attack for half a month later.
• On September 1, 1939, 250,000 Ukrainian troops crossed the border and invaded Buru.

Ukraine began its offensive against Russia, confident that German support and superior weapons would help it seize Rostov-on-Don. After Ukrainian forces routed the Russian Border Guards, more than 200,000 troops crossed the border and advanced toward the city.

• Prime Minister Feldorov, Minister of War Andrei, and General Maxim discussed Ukraine’s planned attack and expressed confidence in the German-backed army.
• Lieutenant General Vladimir observed as Ukrainian artillery bombarded the Russian Border Guards’ 189th Division before dawn.
• The Ukrainian 1st Armored Division led the assault with hundreds of German-made Panzer I and Panzer II tanks.
• The Russian Border Guards fled before the Ukrainian armored forces reached their positions, leaving Ukraine’s troops encouraged.
• More than 200,000 Ukrainian troops crossed the border and charged toward Rostov-on-Don.

After Ukraine invaded Buru and pushed toward Rostov-on-Don, Joseph and the Politburo debated how to respond while avoiding war with Germany. Joseph ordered a decisive counterattack on Buru’s soil but forbade the troops from crossing into Ukraine.

• Shaposhnikov learned that Ukrainian forces had crossed the border, overwhelmed the 189th Border Guards Division, and advanced toward Rostov-on-Don.
• Shaposhnikov and Voroshilov reported the invasion to Joseph, who initially demanded that Buru destroy Ukraine and march on Kiev.
• Voroshilov warned Joseph that Germany might be behind Ukraine’s attack, prompting Joseph to summon the Politburo.
• Molotov blamed Germany for encouraging the invasion, while Kalinin and Andreyev urged Buru to repel the Ukrainians without entering Ukraine.
• Joseph ordered Voroshilov and Shaposhnikov to wipe out the invading troops on Buru’s soil and stop at the national border.

President Roosevelt and his cabinet discussed how Ukraine’s invasion of Buru threatened to trigger war before the United States was ready. They decided to encourage Buru to fight Germany and sent Hopkins to Moscow with an offer of American support.

• President Roosevelt told his cabinet that Ukraine’s invasion of Buru signaled Germany was moving toward war and that the United States was unprepared.
• Secretary of State Hull agreed that Germany had finished its preparations before America, and Roosevelt ordered the United States to accelerate its war preparations.
• Hopkins suggested that Buru should fight Germany first, giving the United States more time to prepare while Germany expended its strength.
• Roosevelt decided to encourage Buru to resist Germany, and Hopkins offered to travel to Moscow to deliver America’s promise of support.

Ukraine’s 1st Army Corps advanced into Buru, defeated the Russian defenders, and captured Rostov-on-Don. After holding the city for two days, Lieutenant General Vladimir withdrew on General Maxim’s orders, leaving the Russians to retake it and pursue the Ukrainians.

• Lieutenant General Vladimir halted the 1st Armored Division near Rostov-on-Don and ordered the 1st Cavalry Division to join it while the main force caught up.
• The Ukrainian army surrounded the city, bombarded it with heavy artillery, and launched an infantry assault that captured Rostov-on-Don by September 4.
• General Maxim ordered the Ukrainian army to defend the city for two days, then retreat at full speed.
• Lieutenant General Vladimir repelled several Russian attacks while garrisoning Rostov-on-Don, then withdrew on September 6.
• The Russian troops retook Rostov-on-Don and pursued the retreating Ukrainians.

After Buru recovered Rostov-on-Don, Joseph ordered Budyonny to pursue the retreating Ukrainians only to the border and met with American envoy Hopkins. Hopkins promised US military supplies and financial loans if Germany attacked Buru.

• Shaposhnikov reported that Budyonny had recaptured Rostov-on-Don, but admitted the Ukrainians had withdrawn voluntarily and Buru had inflicted few losses on them.
• Joseph agreed to present the recapture as a hard-fought victory and ordered Budyonny not to cross the border while pursuing the Ukrainians.
• Hopkins met Joseph and warned that Ukraine’s attack signaled Germany was preparing for another war.
• Joseph acknowledged Buru’s vulnerability to Germany and said Buru would resist rather than surrender.
• Hopkins promised that the United States would provide Buru with military supplies and financial loans if Germany attacked.

Joseph and Molotov secured American promises of military aid while Ukrainian attacks inflicted heavy losses on Russian forces. With his confidence bolstered, Joseph summoned Buru’s military marshals to discuss punishing the Ukrainians.

• Joseph told Molotov to demand loans, aid, and weapons from the Americans during negotiations.
• The Ukrainian army withdrew across its border after battling Russian forces, while Budyonny stopped his pursuit on Joseph’s orders.
• At Rommel’s request, the Ukrainian army bombarded Russian positions and sent night raiders across the border to attack troops and supply depots.
• Budyonny repeatedly asked Joseph for permission to cross into Ukraine, as Ukrainian attacks caused more than five thousand Russian casualties.
• The United States promised Buru enough annual arms to equip one million troops, plus over a thousand tanks and combat aircraft, if Germany went to war with Buru.
• Joseph convened Buru’s military marshals on September 10 to discuss punishing the Ukrainians.

Joseph decided that Buru would punish Ukraine even if Germany intervened, accepting the risk of war after receiving promises of support from the United States. He organized the Southern Front Army and expanded its forces as Buru’s leaders prepared for the coming conflict.

• Joseph told Buru’s leaders that he would attack Ukraine and risk war with Germany if Germany intervened.
• Khrushchev argued that Buru could endure Germany’s initial assault until other enemies joined the war, and Joseph agreed.
• Joseph established the Southern Front Army under Marshal Budyonny, with General Zaporozhets as Political Commissar, to defeat Ukraine and counter Germany.
• After Voroshilov warned that the army lacked strength against Ukraine’s 1.5 million troops, Joseph ordered the 12th Army Corps transferred to the Southern Front Army.
• Joseph urged Buru’s leaders to win the war and spread the Red Flag across the world, and they voiced their support.

Marshal Budyonny delayed the Buru Army’s invasion of Ukraine until Joseph’s pressure forced him to attack on September 12, 1939. Ukraine prepared to trap the invading forces, while Oscar welcomed the invasion as a pretext for Germany to declare war.

• General Zaporozhets urged Marshal Budyonny to obey Joseph’s order to attack, but Budyonny wanted to wait for the 12th Army Corps to arrive.
• Joseph grew impatient with Budyonny’s delay, and Marshal Voroshilov warned his friend that he needed to carry out the order.
• Marshal Budyonny gave in, and the Buru Army crossed into Ukraine on September 12, 1939, meeting no resistance at the border.
• The Kingdom of Ukraine gathered its troops and prepared to use Pocket Tactics to encircle the invading Buru Army.
• Joseph celebrated the invasion and predicted Buru would capture Kiev, while Oscar welcomed it as Germany’s pretext for declaring war.

Emperor Qin Tian and German officials prepared to declare war on Buru after its invasion of Germany’s Protectorate, Ukraine. Oscar ordered final war preparations and an ultimatum to Russia, which Ribbentrop delivered to Molotov on September 13, 1939.

• Emperor Qin Tian and Prime Minister Wachth said Germany could not leave Ukraine undefended after Buru invaded it.
• Field Marshal Manstein reported that Germany’s army, navy, and air force were ready to attack Buru.
• Oscar warned that the United States and the Island Nation might support Buru or open another front, and said the war could last more than five years.
• Oscar ordered the military to finish its final preparations within a week and directed Gustav Stresemann to demand that Russia withdraw and pay Ukraine compensation.
• Ribbentrop met Molotov and delivered Germany’s ultimatum demanding that Russian forces immediately leave Ukraine.

Ribbentrop demanded that Buru withdraw its troops from the Kingdom of Ukraine and warned that Germany would go to war if it refused. Molotov and Joseph stood firm, convinced that Buru would ultimately defeat Germany, though Molotov privately worried about the odds.

• Ribbentrop accused Buru of invading Germany’s Ukrainian Protectorate and demanded an immediate withdrawal and compensation.
• Molotov argued that Buru had acted in self-defense, but Ribbentrop insisted Germany would use force if Buru refused to withdraw.
• Molotov rejected the threat of war and declared that Buru would never compromise or regret its decision.
• Molotov reported the meeting to Joseph, who agreed that Germany was preparing for war and claimed its scheme would lead to its own defeat.
• Molotov shared Joseph’s confidence aloud but remained privately uncertain that Buru could defeat Germany.

Joseph brought Molotov to General Staff Headquarters after Germany issued an ultimatum demanding Buru withdraw from Ukraine, and he rallied the generals to resist. Shaposhnikov outlined a strategy for fighting Germany and announced the creation and leadership of three front armies.

• Joseph took Molotov to General Staff Headquarters, where Voroshilov, Shaposhnikov, and other generals were waiting.
• Joseph told the gathered commanders that Molotov had rejected Germany’s ultimatum and insisted Buru would not withdraw or compensate Ukraine.
• Joseph urged the generals to believe Buru could win, and political workers led the room in shouting, “Bolshevik Russia will win!”
• Shaposhnikov said Germany was militarily stronger but argued Buru could use its troop numbers, territory, and strategic depth to wear down German forces.
• Shaposhnikov announced the Western Front under Timoshenko, the Southwestern Front under Kilporos, and the Northwestern Front Army under Kuznetsov, each with its assigned political commissar.

Qin Tian and the German General Staff reviewed plans to attack Buru, committing eighteen Army Corps to the opening offensive. The forces were divided into four army groups with Protectorate armies assigned to support them.

• German troops assembled along the borders as the public increasingly supported war against Buru.
• On September 13, Qin Tian and the Cabinet Ministers heard Field Marshal Manstein present the revised operational plan.
• Manstein said Germany would deploy eighteen of its twenty European Army Corps, while Prime Minister Wachth raised concerns about homeland defense.
• Qin Tian and Marshal Raeder assured Wachth that Germany and its allies could protect the homeland and keep the Americans out of Europe.
• Manstein assigned the attacking corps to four army groups led by Blomberg, Guderian, Rommel, and Walter von Brauchitsch.
• Manstein assigned Finnish, Baltic, Polish, Belarusian, and Ukrainian forces to assist the German army groups.

Oscar approved the German Empire’s offensive against Buru and set the attack for August 17, while learning that Buru had foreign backing. On September 17, Emperor Qin Tian announced that the German Empire was at war with Buru.

• Field Marshal Manstein outlined how the Imperial Air Force and Strategic Air Force would support the Army’s offensive against Buru.
• Oscar ordered the frontline units to launch their attack at six o’clock on August 17, after two days of final preparations.
• Gustav Stresemann told Oscar that Buru had rejected Germany’s warning and that Americans and people from the Island Nation had been seen in Moscow.
• Oscar said he would formally announce the declaration of war in a televised and radio address on September 17.
• Emperor Qin Tian announced to the German people that the German Empire was declaring war on Buru.

Emperor Oscar announced that Germany had declared war on Buru after Buru invaded the German protectorate of Ukraine. Germany and Buru began acting on the declaration, while Ribbentrop expected German victory and a future role in the Empire’s foreign ministry.

• At six in the morning, Oscar told the German people that Buru had invaded Ukraine and declared war on Buru.
• German citizens rallied behind Oscar’s call for war, while the US Ambassador to Germany sent news of the declaration home.
• Buru’s representative in Germany ordered the Bolshevik office to notify Buru and prepare to withdraw.
• Ribbentrop delivered Germany’s formal Declaration of War to Buru’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, prompting Molotov to hurry to the Kremlin and report to Joseph.
• Ribbentrop returned to the German representative office, confident German troops would defeat Buru and that he would rise in the Empire’s diplomatic service.

After Germany declared war on Buru, Joseph ordered a formal declaration of war, heightened frontline vigilance, and faster mobilization. German air raids then devastated Buru’s forward airfields, while Roosevelt’s administration decided to rush promised aid to Buru and intensify American war preparations.

• Molotov told Joseph that Germany had formally declared war, and Joseph ordered Buru to declare war in response.
• Beria warned that Germany might launch a surprise attack, so Joseph ordered the frontline troops to remain vigilant.
• Joseph pressed Voroshilov and Shaposhnikov to accelerate mobilization and said he would seek American weapons and equipment.
• A secretary reported that German air raids had inflicted severe losses on Buru’s air force, and Joseph ordered the military leaders to investigate and resist the attack.
• Roosevelt and his officials discussed Buru’s prospects and agreed to ship promised aid quickly and strengthen American war preparations.

After Germany declared war on Buru, Konoe and his Cabinet saw a chance for the Island Nation to enter the conflict and seize Germany’s colonies once German forces were committed elsewhere. Britain also prepared to join a future war against Germany, while Europe’s countries declared war on Buru.

• Konoe summoned Kuniaki Koiso, Seihin Ikeda, Seishiro Itagaki, and Mitsumasa Yonai after learning Germany had declared war on Buru.
• Mitsumasa Yonai and Seishiro Itagaki said the Island Nation’s navy and army were ready to fight and occupy the South Seas.
• Kuniaki Koiso and Seihin Ikeda urged caution, and Seishiro Itagaki proposed waiting until Germany became bogged down in the Buru war.
• Konoe ordered preparations for an attack on Germany’s South Seas colonies and Australia, with India and the Middle East as further possible targets.
• Churchill put the British Army and navy on emergency readiness and planned to join the war if the United States and Germany went to war.
• Germany’s Protectorates and Allied member states declared war on Buru, leaving Buru opposed by more than twenty European countries.