Chapter Summaries

Wilhelm II considered whether to approve Oscar and Tirpitz’s plan to establish a Navy Marine Corps, and sought the Army’s reaction before deciding. Moltke the Younger rallied Army leaders against the proposal, leaving the Army leadership united in opposition.

• Tirpitz and Oscar urged Wilhelm II to approve a Marine Corps of no more than five divisions, while Wilhelm II worried it could cause conflict with the Army and postponed his decision.
• Wilhelm II told Essen von Jonath to inform the Army about the plan and report its reaction.
• Moltke the Younger learned of the proposal, saw it as a threat to the Army and to his efforts to restrain Oscar, and summoned von Falkenhayn and General von Waldow.
• Moltke the Younger argued that the Army should oppose the Navy establishing a ground force, and von Falkenhayn and General von Waldow agreed.

Wilhelm II heard the Imperial Army’s objections to the Navy creating a Marine Corps, but he supported the proposal after Tirpitz and Oscar defended it. He left Moltke the Younger isolated as Falkenhayn and Waldersee withdrew their opposition.

• Moltke the Younger, Falkenhayn, and Waldersee urged Wilhelm II to reject the Navy’s proposed Marine Corps, arguing it would disrupt the Imperial Army’s authority and resources.
• Wilhelm II explained that the Navy wanted a specialized amphibious force to reduce casualties in a future landing in Britain, and Moltke the Younger angered him by disparaging the Navy’s ability to defeat Britain.
• Wilhelm II summoned Tirpitz and Oscar to hear the Navy’s position, and Tirpitz insisted that forming a Marine Corps was the Navy’s business.
• Moltke the Younger challenged Tirpitz, who replied that the Navy would welcome the Imperial Army forming a fleet.
• Oscar said the Marine Corps would consist of at most five divisions formed over several years and would not threaten the Imperial Army.
• Wilhelm II declared that the Imperial Army had no reason to object, and Falkenhayn and Waldersee accepted his decision while Moltke the Younger remained opposed.

With Wilhelm II's support, Oscar secured approval to establish a five-division Marine Corps despite Moltke the Younger's opposition. Falkenhayn then urged Oscar to seek command of an Army in preparation for war, and Oscar began considering how to build his own military power.

• Wilhelm II backed the Marine Corps plan, prompting Falkenhayn and Waldersee to drop their opposition while Moltke the Younger left in anger.
• Oscar told Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz to make all five Marine divisions elite units, and Tirpitz accepted responsibility for forming them.
• Falkenhayn apologized to Oscar for opposing the Navy's plan and warned him that Moltke the Younger was hostile to his growing influence.
• Falkenhayn suggested that Oscar ask Wilhelm II to let him take command of an Army before war began, using a qualified deputy to handle the troops.
• Oscar welcomed Falkenhayn's proposal and asked for his continued support as he considered gaining command of an Army.

Oscar persuaded Wilhelm II that the German Army needed reform and gained command of a force to modernize and train. Wilhelm II appointed Oscar Commander of the 8th Army Corps, also known as the East Prussia Legion.

• Oscar warned Wilhelm II that the German Army's equipment and tactics had stagnated while Britain, France, and Russia grew into a serious threat.
• Oscar proposed taking command of a force in advance, equipping and training it his way, and using its success to justify broader Army reforms.
• Wilhelm II agreed to raise Oscar's appointment at the Imperial Council and trusted him to lead the force with professional assistance.
• Wilhelm II proposed Oscar as commander of an Army unit, and the Imperial Council approved despite Moltke the Younger's opposition.
• Wilhelm II appointed Oscar Commander of the 8th Army Corps, known as the East Prussia Legion.

Oscar confirmed his decision to command the 8th Army Corps and told Wilhelm II he intended to prepare it to resist Russia while preserving the Schlieffen Plan’s western offensive. Wilhelm II agreed to assign him Paul von Hindenburg and Erich von Ludendorff, leaving Oscar with key leaders to help reorganize the corps.

• Wilhelm II warned Oscar that the 8th Army Corps would face a dangerous Russian attack, but Oscar reaffirmed his decision to command it.
• Oscar told Wilhelm II he planned to go to Königsberg after the New Year and requested Paul von Hindenburg and Erich von Ludendorff for his staff.
• Wilhelm II hesitated because Hindenburg had defeated his force in army maneuvers, but he ultimately approved Oscar’s request.
• Wilhelm II appointed Paul von Hindenburg deputy commander of the 8th Army Corps and promoted Erich von Ludendorff to brigadier general and acting chief of staff.

Oscar met with Hindenburg and Ludendorff to discuss their appointments and his plans for the 8th Army Corps, which he intended to strengthen with advanced weapons. He prepared to travel to Königsberg and ordered the German Arms Company to expand production.

• Oscar welcomed Hindenburg and Ludendorff and asked them to help build the 8th Army Corps into a stronger force.
• Oscar said the corps would face more than a million Russians in a future war and promised to equip it with advanced weapons.
• Hindenburg warned that the corps's military budget would not cover Oscar's plans, and Oscar offered to find the necessary funds himself.
• Hindenburg described the 8th Army Corps as having more than 160,000 troops at full strength and over 200,000 after mobilization.
• Oscar told Hindenburg and Ludendorff to prepare to leave for Königsberg in three days.
• Oscar prepared for the journey and ordered the German Arms Company to expand production.

Oscar arrived in Königsberg to take command of the 8th Army Corps, whose generals welcomed him as its new commander. When he discovered that Prittwitz had taken leave without informing him, Oscar decided to use the slight to establish his authority.

• Oscar traveled to Königsberg with Hindenburg and Ludendorff to assume command of the 8th Army Corps.
• François and Mackensen discussed Prittwitz’s resentment over Oscar’s appointment and noted that he had skipped the welcoming party.
• Oscar arrived at the station and greeted François and Mackensen as Hindenburg introduced them.
• Oscar asked why Prittwitz was absent and learned that he had taken leave to return to Berlin without notifying Oscar.
• Oscar took Prittwitz’s absence as a deliberate insult and resolved to make an example of him.

Oscar won the 8th Army Corps officers’ support by promising more resources and warning that war with Russia was approaching. After Hindenburg and Ludendorff urged him to act against Prittwitz, Oscar decided to request his transfer from the corps.

• Oscar greeted the 8th Army Corps officers and reassured them that he would strengthen the corps.
• At dinner, Oscar told the officers that war with Russia would come within five years and promised them opportunities for military merit.
• After dinner, Hindenburg warned Oscar that Prittwitz’s provocation threatened his prestige, while Ludendorff urged him to remove Prittwitz from the corps.
• Oscar acknowledged that Wilhelm II and Moltke the Younger would oppose transferring Prittwitz, but agreed to send a telegram to Berlin and asked for a successor to the 17th Corps commander.

Oscar sought Wilhelm II’s backing to transfer Prittwitz away from the 8th Army Corps after Prittwitz slighted him, hoping to establish his authority as Crown Prince. Wilhelm II learned that Prittwitz had not been ill and had met with Moltke the Younger, then decided to intervene on Oscar’s behalf.

• Oscar ordered Carter von Jonath to send his request to Berlin and asked Falkenhayn to support the transfer of Prittwitz.
• Essen von Jonath delivered Oscar’s Telegram to Wilhelm II and argued that Prittwitz’s conduct undermined Oscar’s authority.
• Wilhelm II initially questioned whether Oscar’s request was excessive because Prittwitz had only missed the welcome ceremony and dinner.
• Essen von Jonath told Wilhelm II that Prittwitz had been healthy and had spent the evening drinking at Moltke the Younger’s home.
• Wilhelm II grew suspicious that Prittwitz and Moltke the Younger had coordinated their actions and summoned Moltke the Younger and the Minister of War.

Wilhelm II approved Oscar’s request to transfer Prittwitz out of the 8th Army Corps, and Oscar selected Lothringen Seeckt to replace him. With his standing in the corps strengthened, Oscar began planning a reform of the German Army’s command structure.

• Wilhelm II summoned Moltke the Younger and Falkenhayn to discuss Oscar’s request to transfer Prittwitz from the 8th Army Corps.
• Moltke the Younger protested, but Falkenhayn supported Oscar, and Wilhelm II ordered Prittwitz transferred for the corps’s stability.
• Moltke the Younger left the palace vowing to oppose Oscar, while Oscar received confirmation of Wilhelm II’s decision the next day.
• Hindenburg and Ludendorff welcomed Prittwitz’s transfer and proposed Lothringen Seeckt as commander of the 17th Corps, and Oscar agreed.
• Oscar’s promotion of the transfer strengthened his prestige in the 8th Army Corps, and he began planning to flatten the German Army’s command structure after consulting Hindenburg and Ludendorff.

Oscar presented Hindenburg and Ludendorff with a plan to flatten the 8th Army Corps’ command structure and reorganize its units with substantially greater firepower. Hindenburg and Ludendorff agreed to proceed, leaving them convinced that Oscar’s reformed corps could become the strongest in the German Army.

• Oscar proposed eliminating brigade-level units within the 8th Army Corps, and Hindenburg warned that the change could upset officers and provoke General Staff Headquarters.
• Oscar said he would handle objections from Moltke the Younger and explain the reforms to Wilhelm II, while Ludendorff supported trying the plan.
• Hindenburg agreed to reorganize every unit in the 8th Army Corps according to Oscar’s structure.
• Oscar’s plan specified new infantry squads, platoons, companies, battalions, and regiments, with expanded machine-gun, mortar, and artillery support.
• The new Infantry Division would field more artillery than the old division, and Hindenburg and Ludendorff became convinced the reformed corps would be exceptionally powerful.

Oscar persuaded Hindenburg and Ludendorff to strengthen German Infantry Divisions with far more artillery and infantry weapons, promising to personally cover the cost. The chapter ended with Oscar’s plan anticipating trench warfare and giving each squad modern weapons to increase its firepower and reduce German casualties.

• Hindenburg and Ludendorff were astonished by Oscar’s proposed artillery-heavy Infantry Division organization and questioned its cost.
• Oscar explained that stronger artillery would improve German combat power and said he would personally pay for the extra guns.
• Oscar said he wanted to use overwhelming firepower to preserve soldiers’ lives, earning Hindenburg and Ludendorff’s approval.
• Ludendorff described the divisions’ increased machine guns and mortars, while Oscar predicted trench warfare and stressed the need to attack troops sheltering in trenches.
• Oscar’s plan also gave each infantry squad a light machine gun, Sniper Rifle, Grenade Launcher, and M1 semi-automatic rifles instead of Mauser 1898 rifles.

Oscar pushed ahead with reorganizing the 8th Army Corps, hoping to build an elite force and strengthen his standing. Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz opposed him and formally impeached him before Wilhelm II, demanding his removal as commander.

• Oscar gained Hindenburg and Ludendorff's support for reforming and reequipping the 8th Army Corps.
• Oscar persuaded the corps and division commanders to support the reform, and on January 15, 1909, he ordered all ten Infantry Divisions to begin reorganizing.
• Prittwitz urged Moltke the Younger to exploit opposition to Oscar's reforms and drive him from the 8th Army Corps.
• On January 22, Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz impeached Oscar before Wilhelm II and demanded that he be removed as commander.

Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz accused Oscar of damaging the 8th Army Corps with his Military System Reform, prompting Wilhelm II to summon him to Berlin. Oscar defended the corps’ progress, but the confrontation remained unresolved as Wilhelm II ordered everyone else to stay silent while he questioned his son.

• Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz urged Wilhelm II to remove Oscar from command of the 8th Army Corps, so Wilhelm II ordered Oscar to return to Berlin and explain himself.
• Oscar learned of the accusations from Hindenburg and Ludendorff, who said his opponents wanted to prevent his reform from succeeding.
• Oscar arrived in Wilhelm II’s office, where Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz accused him of provoking resentment and undermining the corps.
• Falkenhayn defended Oscar and urged the others to wait for the facts, while Prittwitz dismissed his appeal.
• Wilhelm II stopped the argument and said that only he could question Oscar about the matter.

Oscar explained his command-structure reforms and powerful weapons allocations for the 8th Army Corps, then challenged his critics to verify officers’ dissatisfaction and answered accusations of favoritism. The chapter ended with Oscar saying he would personally cover the Corps’ additional equipment costs.

• Oscar told Wilhelm II that the 8th Army Corps had removed Brigade-level units to simplify command and improve efficiency.
• Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz claimed officers opposed Oscar’s reforms, and Oscar asked Wilhelm II to investigate the Corps; Wilhelm agreed.
• Prittwitz accused Oscar of changing the Corps’ equipment to benefit his companies, and Oscar explained that German Arms Company weapons were the only available source while Krupp supplied the artillery.
• Oscar listed the Corps’ heavy firepower, astonishing von Waldow, Falkenhayn, Moltke the Younger, and Prittwitz.
• Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz criticized the cost of the equipment, and Oscar said he would pay the additional expenses himself.

Oscar used his private wealth to fund the 8th Army Corps, but Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz challenged his military reforms as too risky to trust before the war. Oscar pledged that the corps would hold off the Russians for six to eight weeks, staking his right to the throne’s succession on that promise.

• Oscar offered to pay the 8th Army Corps’ extra military expenses, and Wilhelm II approved his support despite Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz objecting.
• Prittwitz warned that Oscar’s reforms could endanger the Eastern Front and the Empire’s war strategy if the 8th Army Corps failed.
• Oscar insisted that his reforms would strengthen the corps, while Moltke the Younger demanded proof before the war began.
• General von Waldow proposed an exercise to test the reforms, but Moltke the Younger argued that exercises could not prove how the corps would fare in combat.
• Oscar promised the 8th Army Corps would hold the Russians for six to eight weeks and said he would renounce his succession rights if he failed.

Oscar wagered his right to the German throne on the 8th Army Corps holding back a future Russian attack so that its military reforms could proceed. After Wilhelm II approved the wager, Oscar left to secure new weapons and vowed revenge on Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz.

• Moltke the Younger and Prittwitz welcomed Oscar's wager, hoping the 8th Army Corps would lose to the Russians and force him to resign as Crown Prince.
• Wilhelm II accepted Oscar's proposal, making his succession contingent on the 8th Army Corps withstanding the Russian attack.
• Oscar asked to continue the corps' military reforms, and Moltke the Younger agreed while expecting them to fail.
• Wilhelm II privately warned Oscar about risking the throne, but gained confidence after hearing about the reforms and promised to watch Moltke the Younger.
• Oscar left to urge the German Arms Company to produce the corps' equipment and swore to remove Moltke the Younger and take revenge once the Russians were defeated.

Oscar secured von Falkenhayn’s support after staking his succession rights on the 8th Army Corps defeating Russia, and pushed to use victory to remove Moltke the Younger. Back in Königsberg, he accelerated the corps’ reorganization and brought Manstein and Guderian into its staff, while Rommel remained unlocated.

• Oscar asked von Falkenhayn to watch Moltke the Younger and help remove him as Chief of the General Staff if the 8th Army Corps proved its reforms successful.
• Oscar gave von Falkenhayn a list of Manstein, Guderian, and Rommel to transfer to the 8th Army Corps, and von Falkenhayn began searching for them.
• Oscar returned to Königsberg, where Hindenburg and Ludendorff discussed the stakes of his wager and pledged to prepare the army for the coming war.
• A month later, Manstein and Guderian reported to the 8th Army Corps, while von Falkenhayn reported that he could not find Rommel in the Army system.
• Oscar welcomed Manstein and Guderian, promoted them, and assigned them to assist Ludendorff with the corps’ reorganization.

Oscar and Princess Gundelinde married in a grand ceremony in Berlin, and the wedding marked a new beginning for their family life. After the banquet, they left early to spend their wedding night together.

• Oscar left Königsberg after the 8th Army Corps completed its reorganization and secured Ludendorff's promotion to major general and appointment as chief of staff.
• Oscar attended Princess Gundelinde's eighteenth birthday banquet in Munich on August 12, 1909, with their wedding set for the following month.
• On September 18, King Ludwig III gave Princess Gundelinde's hand to Oscar at Berlin Cathedral, where they exchanged rings and became husband and wife.
• Wilhelm II reflected on Oscar's achievements and considered removing the word "acting" from his Imperial Crown Prince title.
• At the wedding banquet, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz asked Oscar to discuss the navy, and Oscar revealed that a secret weapon developed at the German Shipyard was ready.
• Oscar and Princess Gundelinde left the banquet at nine o'clock and spent their wedding night together.

Oscar took Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz to the German Shipyard to reveal a secret weapon for strengthening the navy as tensions rose and he prepared for a possible war. He also outlined plans for future Capital Ships with 380mm guns, and Tirpitz discovered that the secret weapon was a submarine.

• Oscar and Princess Gundelinde returned to Berlin from their honeymoon as international tensions increased.
• Oscar told Princess Gundelinde he would spend two days at the German Shipyard, and she encouraged him to go.
• On the train, Oscar told Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz that Germany needed superior ships and secret weapons to counter Britain's larger fleet.
• Oscar said the next class of Capital Ships should carry 380mm Main Guns, which Krupp Company was already developing.
• At the German Shipyard, Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz saw Oscar's secret weapon and recognized it as a submarine.