Chapter Summaries

In late August 1940, Emperor Qin Tian inspected Germany’s landing ships and reviewed preparations for an assault on North America. He ordered more tank landing ships and dock landing ships to be built, while Germany’s amphibious assault ship program continued.

• Germany’s military strength in Indochina and Australia grew, while the Island Nation’s army remained unable to invade across the straits as the naval balance recovered.
• Qin Tian traveled to Wilhelmshaven and Kiel Harbor to inspect the Imperial Navy’s landing fleets.
• Marshal Raeder reported that Germany had completed 120 tank landing ships and expected 180 by the North American campaign; Qin Tian ordered another 120 after that.
• Marshal Raeder showed Qin Tian the dock landing ships, and Qin Tian required twenty more beyond the planned forty.
• Qin Tian inspected the amphibious assault ships; six were complete, six more were due within months, and twelve remained under construction.

The German Navy proposed attacking American-controlled Bermuda to provoke a decisive battle with the American and British fleets and establish a base for operations against North America. Oscar approved the plan, leaving the Navy to carry out the attack.

• Oscar assessed the landing ships that could transport five Marine Divisions and three Armored Divisions in a single lift.
• The German military concluded it needed to defeat the American and British navies before landing troops in North America.
• Raeder presented the Navy's plan to attack Bermuda and draw the enemy fleets into battle.
• Kesselring warned that bombing the American mainland from Bermuda would be costly without air superiority.
• Lütjens and Rolf Kars argued that the Americans and British would fight to prevent Bermuda from falling to Germany.
• Oscar ordered the Navy to proceed with its plan to take Bermuda.

The German Navy finalized a plan to draw American and British forces north while its Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets seized the Bermuda Islands. The meeting ended with Raeder defending the plan against concerns about enemy aircraft and Bermuda’s proximity to the United States.

• Qin Tian approved the German Navy’s plan, and the naval staff completed a detailed operational plan for his signature.
• Raeder presented the plan at a conference in Kiel, where the generals learned that the Home Fleet would threaten Newfoundland while the Atlantic Fleet and Mediterranean Fleet attacked Bermuda.
• The plan called for the Home Fleet to draw American and Canadian forces north, giving the other fleets time to capture Bermuda before returning south to reinforce them.
• The German Navy’s aircraft-carrier strength had increased since the Battle of the Azores, while the American Navy had recovered damaged ships but added only three new aircraft carriers.
• Weeks asked what the Germans would do if the enemy ignored the Newfoundland threat, and Lütjens said the Home Fleet could bomb Newfoundland to force a response.
• Raeder said Germany would defend Bermuda against U.S. air raids, inflict heavy losses on American bombers, and rapidly build airfields on the islands.

The German fleets sortied into the Atlantic, prompting the United States and Britain to raise their forces to full combat readiness. Roosevelt and his advisers could not determine Germany’s true intentions, but feared a major attack was imminent.

• On October 9, the German Home Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, and Mediterranean Fleet left their ports and sailed into the Atlantic.
• American and British intelligence agents discovered the German ships were gone, sent warnings, and many were captured in another security sweep.
• Admiral Harold Stark ordered American warships to prepare for emergency deployment, while General Marshall placed the Army Air Corps on alert along the East Coast.
• Britain placed the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force on their highest readiness and moved aircraft into eastern Canada.
• President Roosevelt asked whether Germany was coming for them, and General Marshall and Admiral Harold Stark said a German strike was highly likely.

President Roosevelt ordered the US Navy and Army Air Corps to prepare for a German attack and called for closer cooperation with Britain. A British submarine spotted the German fleet southeast of Greenland and sent a warning before German escort ships sank it.

• President Roosevelt asked General Marshall and Admiral Harold Stark whether the US Navy could defeat the German Navy, and Stark said victory would be extremely difficult unless the Germans entered the East Coast.
• President Roosevelt ordered the Navy and Army Air Corps to work together and told Admiral Harold Stark to strengthen contact with Britain.
• The US and British navies sent submarines, light warships, and seaplanes into the Western Atlantic to search for the German fleets.
• A British submarine surfaced southeast of Greenland on October 14, and its crew spotted German warships to the east.
• The Submarine Captain ordered a telegram sent to Britain, but German anti-submarine escort vessels attacked and sank the submarine.

Marshal Lütjens prepared the German Home Fleet to draw the American and British navies into the North Atlantic while the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets attacked Bermuda. A British submarine report revealed a German fleet southeast of Greenland, and Admiral John Tovey realized the Royal Navy was likely its target.

• Lieutenant General Karl Wetzell told Marshal Lütjens that the Home Fleet had sunk a submarine, potentially exposing its position.
• Lütjens ordered expanded searches by light warships, seaplanes, and submarines, while acknowledging the danger of confronting the combined American and British fleets.
• Wetzell said the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets could take Bermuda if the enemy’s main forces were drawn to the North Atlantic.
• A staff officer informed Admiral John Tovey that a British submarine had reported many German warships southeast of Greenland before it was sunk.
• Tovey sprang up in alarm and recognized that the German fleet appeared to be coming for the British Navy.

The British discovered that a German fleet was operating southeast of Greenland, but the Royal Navy feared it could not defeat the Germans alone. Churchill decided to inform the Americans that Britain needed their help.

• Admiral John Tovey received a submarine's report of the German fleet and ordered a search southeast of Greenland.
• Sir Dudley Pound learned the fleet's size was unknown and went to brief Churchill.
• Sir Dudley Pound told Churchill that Britain was no match for the German Navy, even with air support.
• Churchill decided to inform the Americans that they must join the fight against Germany.

After the Battle of the Azores, President Roosevelt and his advisers learned that a large German fleet had been spotted southeast of Greenland and discussed how to stop it from threatening North America. Roosevelt demanded that they hold back the German assault and, if possible, defeat the German Navy in one battle, while Admiral Harold Stark doubted they had the strength to do so.

• A British Admiralty telegram reported that submarines had discovered a large German fleet southeast of Greenland.
• Admiral Harold Stark went to the White House, where President Roosevelt met with Henry Stilson, Frank Knox, and General Marshall to discuss the German threat.
• Frank Knox warned that the German fleet was likely targeting both the American and British navies before attempting a landing in North America.
• Henry Stilson argued that the Allies had to prevent a German landing, and Harold Stark said the American Navy alone could not match the Germans.
• Harold Stark said the combined British and American navies, with land-based air support, might contend with Germany but would struggle to defeat its fleet.
• Roosevelt called for the Allies to stop the German assault and, if possible, defeat the German Navy in one battle, while Stark doubted that demand was realistic.

President Roosevelt and his advisers debated how to respond to the enormous German fleet after British reconnaissance aircraft were shot down. Roosevelt ordered the Navy north to reinforce Britain and demanded that Newfoundland be reinforced, while the United States prepared for a possible German attack on its homeland.

• Roosevelt's secretary reported that German fighters had shot down more than a dozen British reconnaissance aircraft before they could report the fleet's full size.
• Admiral Harold Stark warned that the Germans might be drawing the American Navy north to leave the East Coast exposed, while Frank Knox urged action to support Britain.
• General Marshall suggested that Germany might seize Newfoundland, prompting Roosevelt to order Britain to send elite reinforcements to the island.
• Roosevelt ordered the American Navy to gather its strength and head north to reinforce the British Navy, despite Stark's concern about a possible German trap.
• General Marshall reported that American radar stations and the Army Air Corps were on alert, and Roosevelt ordered all services to prepare to defend the country.

Admiral Harold Stark ordered the American fleet north to join the British Navy against Germany, despite commanders' fears that the East Coast would be left vulnerable and Newfoundland might fall. As the American and British fleets assembled for a decisive battle, German intelligence reported the Americans' movement, and the German fleet concluded that the Allies had taken the bait.

• Admiral Nimitz and Admiral Ernest King warned Admiral Harold Stark that sending the main fleet north could expose the East Coast to a German attack.
• Admiral Harold Stark said the President had ordered the fleet to reinforce Britain and warned that Germany might target Newfoundland.
• Admiral Harold Stark ordered the American fleet to assemble and sail north to rendezvous with the British Navy south of Newfoundland.
• On October 14, nearly all of the remaining American warships sailed north as the British Navy assembled in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.
• A German merchant ship sent an encrypted telegram reporting the American fleet's movement, and the German fleet learned that the Allies had taken the bait.

Admiral Rolf Kars and Marshal Lütjens prepared their fleets for a coordinated operation, with the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets set to attack the Bermuda Islands while the Home Fleet drew away American and British forces. The chapter left both commanders expecting a major naval battle and hoping to destroy the enemy fleets.

• Lieutenant General George Fredberg told Rolf Kars that American warships had sailed north and the British fleet was assembling after taking the bait.
• Rolf Kars ordered an attack on the Bermuda Islands at dawn the day after tomorrow, with the Marines landing under naval cover.
• Rolf Kars planned to coordinate command with General Hermann Böhm and later join the Home Fleet in defeating the American and British navies.
• Lieutenant General Karl Weizel warned Lütjens that the Home Fleet would face intense pressure once the enemy realized they had been deceived.
• Lütjens said he believed the Home Fleet could survive the crisis and hoped to defeat the American and British fleets decisively.

British and American naval leaders met in Toronto to coordinate their response to the powerful German fleet near Greenland, despite having little intelligence about its size. Britain agreed to place its fleet under American command as the combined forces prepared to confront Germany east of Newfoundland.

• Sir Dudley Pound told Admiral Harold Stark that British reconnaissance aircraft, seaplanes, and submarines had failed to determine the German fleet's size.
• Admiral Nimitz and the other commanders agreed that Germany had deliberately prevented them from gathering intelligence.
• Sir Dudley Pound said Britain was reinforcing Newfoundland with five Infantry Divisions and one Armored Division, though transporting them would take time.
• Admiral Harold Stark said the American fleet would arrive by the next day and proposed a combined fleet under unified command.
• Sir Dudley Pound agreed that the British fleet would obey the American fleet's command during the operation.

Churchill agreed to place the British Atlantic Fleet under American command as Britain prepared for a German naval offensive. Meanwhile, the German Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets approached Bermuda, where their capital ships were set to bombard the island before a Marine landing.

• Churchill learned that Admiral Ernest King would command the combined American and British fleets and ordered more troops sent to Newfoundland.
• The German Home Fleet sailed toward Newfoundland to draw the Allied fleets’ attention while the Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleets advanced toward Bermuda.
• Admiral Rolf Kars ordered the carrier formation to remain southeast of Bermuda and the capital ships to attack the island’s military installations.
• At 3:30 a.m. on October 16, the German fleets reached waters about one hundred kilometers from Bermuda and split into their assigned formations.
• The German capital ships continued toward Bermuda’s shore, prepared to bombard the island despite the likelihood that its defenders would detect them.

The German Navy's Capital Ship formation approached the Bermuda Islands to attack its military installations, while American radar operators on the islands detected the incoming fleet. The chapter ended with David and Karl realizing the Germans were about to strike.

• Lieutenant General Wicks ordered his formation to attack Bermuda Island and the Mediterranean Fleet's formation to attack St. David's Island and St. George's Island.
• David and Karl discussed their dull night shift and complained about wartime restrictions and Germany.
• Karl and David spotted numerous warships approaching on the radar and realized they were German.
• David panicked as he understood the German fleet was about to attack the Bermuda Islands.

Germany’s fleet approached the Bermuda Islands, revealing that the United States had been lured into sending its main naval force north. With the islands’ small garrison facing an imminent attack and the Navy too far away to help in time, President Roosevelt and his advisers considered the crisis.

• Commodore Jonathan learned that German warships would reach the Bermuda Islands within half an hour and ordered an emergency message requesting reinforcements.
• American troops across the islands sounded alarms and rushed to their posts as the garrison prepared for battle.
• Admiral Harold Stark learned of the attack, recognized the German ruse, and hurried to the White House after notifying its staff and the Army Staff Department.
• President Roosevelt, Secretary of War Henry Stilson, Frank Knox, General Marshall, and other officials gathered to discuss the threat.
• General Marshall accepted responsibility for advising the fleet’s move north, but President Roosevelt defended his decision and refused to hold him accountable.

The German Navy began its dawn bombardment of the Bermuda Islands and nearby St. David's Island and St. George's Island, aiming to destroy American defenses before the 1st Marine Division arrived. The attack wrecked Bermuda's airfield and radar station, while American coastal guns struggled to hit the German ships.

• Lieutenant General Wicks ordered the Atlantic Fleet's Capital Ships formation to prioritize destroying Bermuda's airfields, air defenses, and radar stations before the 1st Marine Division arrived.
• The Atlantic Fleet's eight Capital Ships opened fire on Bermuda Island from fifteen kilometers away as the Mediterranean Fleet's Capital Ships formation attacked St. David's Island and St. George's Island.
• German shells cratered Bermuda's runway, destroyed aircraft and hangars, and devastated the airfield before American planes could take off.
• Commodore Jonathan ordered the coastal-defense forts to return fire, but their inexperienced gunners struggled to hit the moving German ships.
• German bombardment destroyed a radar station and battered Bermuda's barracks and defensive positions while the Mediterranean Fleet attacked the two smaller islands.

The German Atlantic Fleet battered Bermuda Island’s defenses before the 1st Marine Division arrived to begin its landing. The German troops launched helicopters and landing craft toward shore, leaving the island’s American defenders facing the invasion.

• German battleships and heavy cruisers bombarded Bermuda Island, destroying military facilities and inflicting heavy losses on the American defenders.
• Lieutenant General Wicks ordered seaplanes to spot for the bombardment and directed the fleet to keep shelling until the Marines arrived.
• Commodore Jonathan urged his troops to hold out and claimed reinforcements would come, though his adjutant knew the promise was a lie.
• Major General Obritt’s 1st Marine Division arrived aboard landing ships and merchant vessels carrying nearly twenty thousand troops.
• Obritt ordered the division to prepare for landing, and German helicopters and landing craft advanced toward Bermuda Island.

German attack helicopters devastated the US Marine defenses at Elbow Beach, clearing the way for Germany's landing on Bermuda. The US defenders shot down one helicopter, but the German assault continued to overwhelm them.

• German attack helicopters reached Elbow Beach and blasted the heavily damaged US Marine positions with rockets.
• The battalion commander ordered 3rd Company to hold and sent 2nd Company to reinforce it while the headquarters and weapons companies attacked the helicopters.
• Two concealed US Heavy Machine Guns shot down one German helicopter, briefly lifting the defenders' morale.
• A German attack helicopter destroyed the two Heavy Machine Guns with rockets, and the German helicopters continued inflicting heavy casualties.
• German utility and transport helicopters arrived over the battlefield after the attack helicopters.

German forces overwhelmed the US defenders and captured Elbow Beach, then rapidly occupied Bermuda Island, St. David's Island, and St. George's Island. The 1st Marine Division secured the entire Bermuda Islands within a few hours, suffering few losses.

• German helicopters suppressed US troops as transport helicopters landed Marines at Elbow Beach, where the US defenders eventually surrendered.
• The 1st Marine Division landed in force, and Amphibious Tanks came ashore to support its advance north and south.
• Commodore Jonathan learned from a US Colonel that the defenders could hold for only a short time and allowed them to choose when to stop fighting.
• US forces on Bermuda Island surrendered after an hour, and German troops then defeated and captured the remaining defenders on St. David's Island and St. George's Island.

The German forces captured the Bermuda Islands, and the US government debated how to prevent Germany from turning them into a base for attacks on the American homeland. Roosevelt put his hopes in the US and British navies defeating Germany, but the chapter ended with news that the islands had already fallen.

• The German Navy and 1st Marine Division captured the Bermuda Islands in half a day, with minimal losses.
• Roosevelt asked whether the American and British fleets should head south to fight the German Navy, but Admiral Stark warned that they would arrive too late and face a difficult battle.
• Marshall warned that Germany could use the islands as a base for heavy-bomber attacks on the United States.
• Arnold argued that the bombardment had destroyed the islands' military facilities, giving the Americans time to stop Germany from rebuilding them.
• Knox said defeating the German Navy was the only way to prevent Germany from using the islands, and Stark promised to consult the Navy's commanders.
• Roosevelt called on the Navy to do everything possible to win, then his secretary reported that the Germans had already occupied the entire Bermuda Islands.