Chapter Summaries

Joseph listened to news that Timoshenko and the Russian Western Front Army had surrendered to Germany and joined the Russian Liberation Army. After his officials reassured him, Joseph ordered the families of Timoshenko and other defectors hanged and offered battlefield promotions for their capture or deaths.

• Joseph and Buru officials heard a broadcast announcing the Russian Western Front Army's surrender to Guderian at Smolensk.
• Guderian announced that Timoshenko would command the Russian Liberation Army, with Korobkov and Golubev leading its army corps.
• Timoshenko pledged to overthrow Joseph and the Bolshevik Party, prompting Joseph to order the radio turned off.
• Joseph admitted he had misjudged Timoshenko, and Khrushchev, Molotov, and other officials blamed the betrayal on Timoshenko and Germany.
• Joseph ordered the families of Timoshenko, Korobkov, and Golubev hanged and promised three-rank promotions to troops who captured or killed them.

The Russian Northwestern Front Army was surrounded in Ulyanovsk as German forces pressed their assault through the ruined city. General Kuznetsov relayed Joseph’s order to resist to the end, leaving the trapped officers with surrender discouraged by the threat to their families and hope of surviving until winter reinforcements arrived.

• German Army Group A defeated the Russian 27th Army Corps and forced its remnants to withdraw into Ulyanovsk.
• German and allied forces surrounded Ulyanovsk and began street fighting against Russian troops and civilians amid the ruins.
• On October 2, General Kuznetsov gathered the Northwestern Front Army’s senior officers to discuss a Telegram from Moscow.
• General Kuznetsov said Joseph had ordered the execution of the surrendered Western Front generals’ families and urged the Northwestern Front Army to fight to the death.
• General Kuznetsov argued that the army could hold out until winter and reinforcements arrived, while Lieutenant General Dibrova urged the officers to obey Joseph and unite.

German and allied forces fought their way through Ulyanovsk as Russian troops mounted costly counterattacks and refused to surrender. By the evening of October 2, nearly half the city was under German and allied control, and the Russian defenders were steadily losing ground.

• Major General Berzarin ordered the 84th Infantry Division to keep attacking and drive the Germans from Moscow Street before sunset.
• Russian soldiers repeatedly charged the German positions but were cut down by heavy machine-gun and sniper fire.
• Five Finnish infantry divisions attacked in northwestern Ulyanovsk, pushing back the remnants of the Russian 11th Army Corps despite heavy losses.
• German and allied forces captured nearly half of Ulyanovsk by the evening of October 2.
• Political officers of the Russian Northwestern Front Army tightened control to prevent commanders from surrendering their units.

German forces intensified their assault on Ulyanovsk, using heavy artillery and armored units to break the Russian defenses. By October 8, the Germans captured the Northwestern Front Army headquarters, killed General Kuznetsov and the other defenders, and took control of the entire city.

• General Blomberg praised the Finns’ performance and ordered General Wilhelm Keitel to finish capturing Ulyanovsk within half a month.
• German artillery destroyed Victory Square and wiped out a Russian Infantry Division, opening a gap in the Russian lines.
• Army Group A sent more than a thousand tanks and armored vehicles into Ulyanovsk, and they broke through Russian defensive positions.
• General Kuznetsov ordered his forces to keep defending, though he had no reinforcements left to send.
• On October 8, the German 1st Armored Division attacked the Northwestern Front Army headquarters, captured it after two hours, and killed General Kuznetsov and the other defenders.

After Germany completed the first phase of Operation Barbarossa, Emperor Qin Tian ordered the army to prepare for winter, suppress Russian guerrillas, and begin strategic bombing while the ground forces held their positions. The chapter ended with Germany preparing to honor its successful commanders with marshal promotions.

• German Army Groups A, C, and D completed their first-phase objectives after capturing key cities and destroying more than two million Russian troops.
• Field Marshal Manstein reported that the German Army had shifted to defensive operations and would resume its major offensive in spring.
• Qin Tian ordered winter supplies delivered, Russian guerrillas cleared from occupied territory, and Russian industrial centers bombed by the Strategic Air Force.
• Qin Tian announced a marshal promotion ceremony at the Imperial Palace, and Germany held it on October 15, 1939.
• Germany promoted Blomberg, Brauchitsch, Guderian, and Rommel to army field marshals, Dönitz and Lütjens to navy marshals, and Edward Milch to air force marshal.

Kuniaki Koiso told Fumimaro Konoe that the United States was threatening sanctions unless Island Nation attacked Germany, and the Cabinet debated whether it could resist the American demands. The ministers recognized their dependence on American supplies and doubted the Anti-German Alliance could defeat Germany.

• The American Ambassador demanded that Island Nation attack Germany soon and threatened consequences if it failed to set a deadline.
• Kuniaki Koiso reported the American pressure to Fumimaro Konoe, who called the Army, Navy, and Finance Ministers to a meeting.
• Seishiro Itagaki warned that an American cutoff of support would severely damage Island Nation's military industry.
• Fumimaro Konoe asked whether Island Nation could win a war against Germany, and Seishiro Itagaki described Germany's strength and the uncertainty of the alliance's victory.

Fumimaro Konoe's cabinet weighed whether the Island Nation could defeat Germany in the South Seas and Australia, while facing pressure from the United States. Naruhiko Higashikuni proposed joining Germany's camp, and the chapter ended with Fumimaro Konoe asking the ministers what they thought.

• Mitsumasa Yonai said Germany's powerful fleets made a naval victory uncertain, while Seishiro Itagaki warned that German forces in the South Seas and Australia would make an invasion costly.
• Kuniaki Koiso urged the cabinet to decide soon before the United States lost patience and cut off further support.
• Fumimaro Konoe argued that the Island Nation should commit its full strength to seize the South Seas and Australia and secure resources.
• Naruhiko Higashikuni proposed that the Island Nation join Germany's camp and declare war on Buru and the United States.
• Fumimaro Konoe asked the cabinet ministers what they thought of Naruhiko Higashikuni's suggestion.

The Island Nation's leaders planned to negotiate with Germany, hoping to gain resources and the South Seas and Australia while reserving the right to change sides later. After rejecting their demands, Oscar heard Manstein suggest delaying a firm reply until Germany defeated Buru.

• Kuniaki Koiso and Fumimaro Konoe weighed the risks of cooperating with Germany, including losing American aid.
• Naruhiko Higashikuni proposed contacting Germany, and Seishiro Itagaki suggested demanding resources and the South Seas and Australia in exchange for joining the Allied Powers.
• Seishiro Itagaki proposed taking the colonies first and deciding later whether to honor the Island Nation's promise, while warning that refusal could force the Island Nation to fight Germany.
• Fumimaro Konoe ordered Kuniaki Koiso to arrange contact with Germany, and the Island Nation's ambassador met with Gustav Stresemann.
• Gustav Stresemann told Oscar about the Island Nation's demands, and Oscar rejected giving up the colonies.
• Manstein advised Oscar to stabilize the Island Nation and delay a final reply until Germany defeated Buru.

Oscar and Germany’s military leaders assessed the Island Nation’s threat and prepared the forces in the South Seas and Far East for war. Gustav Stresemann proposed deceiving the Island Nation and informing the Americans of its supposed betrayal, and Oscar approved the plan.

• Oscar asked whether Germany could defeat the Island Nation head-on, and Manstein warned that Germany might lose much of the South Seas and Australia in a full-scale offensive.
• Raeder assessed the rival fleets, noting Germany’s aircraft-carrier and carrier-aircraft advantages but the Island Nation’s strength in battleships and its growing navy.
• Oscar ordered the Army, Navy, and Air Force in the South Seas and Far East to prepare for war, and directed the air groups there to support the Navy.
• Gustav Stresemann proposed stringing the Island Nation along with promises of alliance and resources while leaking news of its supposed betrayal to the Americans.
• Oscar approved Stresemann’s plan to turn the Island Nation and the United States against each other.

The Island Nation debated Germany’s offer to join the Allied Powers in exchange for attacking Buru, while fearing Germany would eventually turn against it. After learning of the secret talks, Joseph ordered Buru to prepare its Far East defenses and asked the United States to warn the Island Nation.

• Germany rejected the Island Nation’s request for the South Seas and Australia, offered it captured Buru territory instead, and secretly leaked news of the talks to American and Buru spies.
• Fumimaro Konoe and his ministers judged Germany unreliable and leaned toward cooperating with the United States, despite their doubts about defeating Germany.
• Beria told Joseph that the Island Nation might join the Allied Powers and attack Buru’s Far East, threatening both the region and the aid route along the Great Siberian Railway.
• Joseph ordered Shaposhnikov to establish the Far Eastern Front Army and directed Molotov to protest to the United States and ask it to warn the Island Nation.

President Roosevelt learned that the Island Nation might join Germany’s Allied Powers and convened his Cabinet to decide how to respond. The US leaders chose to threaten the Island Nation and suspend major supplies, expecting it to obey their demands and attack German colonies.

• William Joseph Donovan told Roosevelt that the Island Nation’s ambassador had met Germany’s representatives twice and that the Island Nation intended to join the Allied Powers.
• Roosevelt ordered the Intelligence Coordination Agency to confirm the Island Nation’s decision and summoned his Cabinet for an emergency meeting.
• Roosevelt and his officials discussed the danger of losing the Island Nation, whose military strength was central to US plans against Germany.
• Advisor Hopkins proposed warning the Island Nation and halting major supplies to pressure it into attacking the South Seas and Australian colonies.
• Roosevelt approved the plan and declared that the United States would punish the Island Nation and force it to follow orders.

After the United States discovered the Island Nation’s secret contact with Germany and halted exports of bulk goods, Fumimaro Konoe’s Cabinet decided to prepare for war against Germany and promise an offensive against the South Seas. The chapter ended with Kuniaki Koiso tasked with telling the Americans that the Island Nation would attack within three months in exchange for restored supplies.

• The US Ambassador confronted Shigenori Tōgō over the Island Nation’s secret approach to Germany, and Kuniaki Koiso assured him that the Island Nation would not betray the Anti-German Alliance.
• Kuniaki Koiso reported the American warning to Fumimaro Konoe, whose Cabinet blamed Germany for exposing their secret contact.
• Seishiro Itagaki and Mitsumasa Yonai argued that the Island Nation had to fight Germany while the United States and Buru remained powerful.
• Fumimaro Konoe learned that the United States had halted bulk-goods exports, threatening supplies needed for the Yamato-class Battleships.
• Fumimaro Konoe ordered Kuniaki Koiso to tell the Americans that the Island Nation would attack the South Seas within three months and needed continued resource shipments.

The United States resumed major trade with the Island Nation after it promised to attack the South Seas and Australia by the end of January 1940 and remain in the Anti-German Alliance. Joseph treated the crisis as temporarily resolved, ordered Buru to guard the Far East and prepare for a winter counterattack against Germany, then asked whether the Caucasian Front Army had finished forming.

• The Island Nation government promised the United States it would attack the South Seas and Australia by the end of January 1940 and would not betray the Anti-German Alliance, so President Roosevelt resumed major trade while warning that it was their last chance.
• Molotov told Joseph that the Island Nation had agreed to the United States' terms, and Joseph said Buru still had to beware of the Island Nation after Germany's defeat.
• Shaposhnikov warned that Buru could not threaten the Island Nation because its navy was weak, and Joseph blamed Germany for diverting Buru's resources from naval construction.
• Joseph ordered the Far Eastern Front Army to keep forming and said Buru had to prepare for a stronger German offensive after winter.
• Joseph asked whether Buru could counterattack Germany during the bitter cold, and Marshal Voroshilov agreed to try.
• Joseph asked whether the Caucasian Front Army had finished forming for a possible counterattack toward the Persian Gulf.

Joseph ordered the newly formed Caucasian Front Army to attack the Persian Gulf, aiming to deprive Germany of its crucial oil supply and strike back against German advances. Kozlov gathered his commanders in Tbilisi to prepare the operation, while the generals worried that they might ultimately have to face German troops.

• Joseph told his commanders that capturing or destroying the Persian Gulf oil fields could cripple Germany’s war effort.
• Joseph ordered the Caucasian Front Army to launch its offensive in one week and warned that its leaders would be held responsible for failure.
• Shaposhnikov understood that the army’s commanders faced severe consequences if they failed to take the Persian Gulf.
• Kozlov, Shamanin, and Tolbukhin prepared the Caucasian Front Army, which included five army corps with varied infantry, cavalry, artillery, and tank forces.
• On October 24, Kozlov summoned the army’s commanders and senior generals to an operational meeting, where they worried about a possible fight against Germany.

Lieutenant General Kozlov prepared the Russian Caucasian Front Army to invade the Persian Gulf region and destroy its oil fields. On October 27, the Russians launched a surprise offensive against Turkish and Iranian forces, breaking through their defenses and driving them back.

• Lieutenant General Kozlov announced that the Russian Caucasian Front Army would launch its offensive in three days, aiming to reach the Persian Gulf and destroy its oil fields.
• Major General Tolbukhin confirmed that supplies were ready, and Kozlov ordered the generals to prepare for the attack.
• Caucasian Front Army headquarters assigned the 47th Army Corps to cross into northern Iran and advance toward Iraq while other units attacked through the mountains.
• At 8:00 a.m. on October 27, the Russian Caucasian Front Army bombarded Turkish and Iranian positions with more than a thousand artillery pieces.
• The 44th Army Corps, 45th Army Corps, 46th Army Corps, 47th Army Corps, and 51st Army Corps attacked across the front, forcing the unprepared Turkish and Iranian forces to retreat.

As Russian forces drove back Turkey’s two eastern army corps, President Kemal ordered General Enver to reinforce the front and demanded that Turkey fulfill its promise to Germany. The chapter ended with Kemal ordering the mobilization of three more army corps and declaring that Turkey would counterattack across the Caucasus.

• Russian forces battered the Turkish 1st and 2nd Army Corps, and Lieutenant General Muhammad warned that his corps could be wiped out within a week without reinforcements.
• President Kemal summoned senior officials in Ankara and demanded to know why Turkey’s elite forces were retreating.
• President Kemal argued that Turkey had to stop Russia’s advance to preserve German support and secure a share of postwar benefits.
• General Enver promised to lead the 3rd Army Corps to the front, while Kemal ordered the commanders there to hold their positions or face punishment as traitors.
• President Kemal ordered the formation of three additional army corps and announced that Turkey would counterattack across the Caucasus.

Russian forces launched a surprise attack on Iranian positions in northern Iran, routing the 1st Army Corps and 2nd Army Corps with tank divisions and forcing them to retreat toward Tabriz. Russia’s unexpectedly strong Middle East offensive alarmed the world and gave the United States and the Island Nation hope that Germany’s oil supplies could be threatened.

• Russian 47th Army Corps and 51st Army Corps attacked the Iranian 1st Army Corps and 2nd Army Corps, forcing them to abandon their frontline positions.
• Russian 6th and 54th Tank Divisions broke through Iranian defenses, overcoming poorly operated anti-tank guns and scattering the infantry.
• Russian troops accepted most Iranian soldiers who surrendered, while advancing tank crews accidentally killed some who had given themselves up.
• The Iranian corps retreated toward Tabriz, hoping to use urban defenses to delay the Russians until German reinforcements arrived.
• Russia’s offensive toward the Persian Gulf surprised other nations, and the United States and the Island Nation hoped it would weaken Germany by threatening its oil supplies.

Emperor Qin Tian and Germany’s leaders responded to a Russian advance from the Caucasus that threatened the Persian Gulf oil fields vital to Germany and Europe. Germany ordered two Army Corps to reinforce the region, hoping they would arrive in time to defend the oil and possibly seize Baku.

• Qin Tian warned his officials that hundreds of thousands of Russians were attacking south from the Caucasus and threatening Germany’s Persian Gulf oil fields.
• Field Marshal Manstein reported that Russian forces had badly damaged Turkish and Iranian troops and could soon advance into northern Iraq.
• Marshal Raeder urged immediate reinforcements, while General Alexander offered the ten Marine Divisions for the defense.
• Manstein proposed sending the 21st Army Corps and 22nd Army Corps to the Persian Gulf and counterattacking toward Baku.
• Qin Tian approved the plan, and Manstein ordered both Army Corps to travel by train to western ports and sail for the Persian Gulf.
• Gustav Stresemann reported that the Turkish President had promised the Turkish Army would do everything possible to hold back the Russian advance.

Oscar and his commanders planned how to delay the Russian advance toward the Persian Gulf and protect Germany’s oil fields. He ordered preparations for a new Army Group E and offered its command to General Rundstedt.

• Gustav Stresemann and General Rundstedt argued that Turkey’s forces could hold back the Russian attack, and Oscar told the Foreign Minister to thank Turkey and urge it to keep fighting.
• Field Marshal Manstein warned that the Russian 47th and 51st Army Corps threatened Iran, so Oscar ordered Iran’s army to reinforce the front and Iraq to build defenses in the Zarogus Mountains.
• Oscar warned Iran’s and Iraq’s rulers that Germany would remove its support if they failed to delay the Russians.
• Field Marshal Albert Kesselring warned that American B-17 bombers could threaten the Persian Gulf oil fields, and Oscar ordered an air group and more radar defenses deployed there.
• Oscar proposed forming Army Group E from the 21st and 22nd Army Corps and the Turkish Army, and General Rundstedt accepted command.

General Rundstedt took command of Army Group E as Germany prepared to send two armies and air support to the Persian Gulf. After learning of the German reinforcements, Joseph ordered the Caucasian Front Army to race toward Kuwait and destroy German oil fields before the armies arrived.

• General Rundstedt accepted command of Army Group E and asked to travel to the Persian Gulf to plan the campaign.
• Oscar approved deploying the 7th Air Fleet to the Middle East to strike Russian forces and help the Turks and Iranians hold out.
• Oscar told his commanders that Germany still needed to capture major Russian cities and destroy the Russian military’s remaining forces.
• Beria informed Joseph that Germany was sending two armies, totaling four hundred thousand men, toward the Persian Gulf.
• Shaposhnikov warned Joseph that the Caucasian Front Army could not withstand the German armies and said it had about half a month to reach Kuwait and destroy the oil fields.
• Joseph ordered the Caucasian Front Army to accelerate its advance, especially its two tank divisions.