Chapter Summaries

Germany decided to accept Britain's request for an armistice and demanded that the British Empire become the Kingdom of Canada, surrender territory, pay reparations, and sharply limit its military. Anthony Eden accepted the terms, and Germany and Britain ended their war with an armistice treaty.

• Oscar convened an emergency meeting, where his ministers supported accepting Britain's surrender and he agreed to end the war.
• Oscar set terms requiring Britain to become the Kingdom of Canada, cede Newfoundland, Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, and the Nova Scotia peninsula, pay twenty billion Mark, and restrict its armed forces.
• Ribbentrop presented the terms to Anthony Eden, who reported them to Churchill and the ministers in Toronto.
• Churchill and the British ministers accepted the German terms rather than risk the country's destruction.
• On January 16, 1941, Anthony Eden and Ribbentrop signed an armistice treaty, ending the war between Germany and Britain.

Britain signed an armistice with Germany to preserve itself, while secretly ordering its remaining battlecruisers to withdraw to Canada. The United States learned of the surrender as it prepared to defend against Germany’s advance, leaving President Roosevelt and his military leaders shocked and furious.

• Prime Minister Churchill accepted Germany’s harsh armistice terms, and David Magson warned that the decision would anger Americans and people in Britain.
• Churchill planned to keep Britain out of the war and use the military to suppress domestic opposition, while the Admiralty ordered four Hood-class battlecruisers to withdraw to Canada.
• On January 19, Director Donovan learned that Britain had surrendered and rushed to inform President Roosevelt.
• General Marshall briefed Roosevelt on plans to defend Maine and rebuild the destroyed 1st Army Corps and 2nd Army Corps.
• Donovan confirmed Britain’s surrender to Roosevelt and the assembled military leaders, and Major General Eisenhower angrily condemned the British.

After Britain surrendered to Germany, President Roosevelt considered whether the United States should attack Britain and instead ordered defenses in the Great Lakes region. He urged the generals to prepare for a decisive war against Germany, leaving the United States to face Germany alone in North America.

• General Marshall proposed sending troops to defeat Britain and seize Toronto, but President Roosevelt questioned whether an attack was worthwhile.
• Major General Eisenhower warned that Britain could attack the United States, and the secretary reported that the British fleet had left the Caribbean Sea.
• Lieutenant General Joseph McNarney suggested sinking the four British battlecruisers, but General Henry Arnold said they were likely beyond the range of land-based aircraft.
• President Roosevelt ordered defenses established in the Great Lakes region and demanded an explanation from Britain for its surrender to Germany.
• The secretary reported that Britain had surrendered to preserve itself and promised to stay out of the coming war.
• President Roosevelt ordered two army groups to guard against Britain and urged the generals to fight Germany, declaring that the United States would prevail even while fighting alone.

After Britain surrendered, Germany prepared a strategic bombing campaign to cripple American industry before its army could advance in spring. Marshal Edward Milch and his commanders finalized a plan targeting the northeastern United States and Great Lakes region, leaving the attack ready to begin.

• Germany concentrated its air forces and carrier aircraft in North America while preparing airfields and supplies in Newfoundland, Cape Breton Island, and Nova Scotia.
• On February 8, Marshal Edward Milch convened an operational conference in Newfoundland and said the strategic strikes could begin.
• Major General Gunther Korten presented a plan to use German bombers and fighter escorts against American industrial centers.
• The German Air Force planned to bomb states from Maine southward through Maryland, then strike Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
• Emperor Qin Tian had ordered Milch to destroy American industrial bases at any cost.

Germany launched a massive air offensive against the northeastern United States, aiming to devastate Maine’s cities and cripple American industry before the German Army’s offensive. The US Army Air Corps scrambled to defend the skies, but faced overwhelming German numbers and remained weakened from earlier losses.

• German air bases and naval carrier formations prepared aircraft for a full-scale bombing operation on February 10.
• German Air Force and Navy aircraft took off in huge numbers and formed a vast force over the sea.
• US Army Air Corps radar detected the German formation, prompting an air-raid alarm and a warning to headquarters.
• General Henry Arnold ordered all fighters to engage and ground defenses to prepare, while President Roosevelt urged the defense of the Republic of America.
• US fighters from northeastern and central airfields took off as the German force advanced, outnumbering them with thousands of fighters and bombers.

The US Army Air Corps launched its fighters and prepared its anti-aircraft defenses to intercept a massive German air raid. German TA-152 escorts overwhelmed the American fighters, leaving them unable to reach the bombers as the German formation advanced toward US airfields.

• The US Army Air Corps scrambled fighters from several Air Corps and placed its air-defense guns on alert.
• The 3rd Air Corps Fighter Wing sent 120 P-47s to meet the German aircraft group.
• Marshal Edward Milch sent the TA-152s ahead to wear down the American fighters and clear the way for the bombers.
• German TA-152 fighters attacked the American formation, exploiting their advantages in numbers, aircraft performance, and pilot quality.
• American commanders struggled to break through the German escorts as their fighters suffered heavy losses and the German bombers neared the airfields.

German fighters and bombers overwhelmed US defenses and devastated airfields, factories, and parts of Portland across Maine. The German aircraft completed nearly all their bombing missions and returned after destroying most important targets in the state.

• German fighters shot down US aircraft and drove off many American interceptors as the formations approached Portland.
• German fighters and dive bombers attacked American anti-aircraft positions, destroying most of them within minutes.
• German H-11, H-21, and H-31 bombers reduced an American airfield to ruins.
• German aircraft split into groups and bombed airfields and military-related factories throughout Maine.
• German Navy carrier-based aircraft attacked Maine's coastal cities, leaving nearly all important targets in the state destroyed.

After devastating Maine’s industry, the German Air Force prepared to extend its strategic bombing to other northeastern states. Roosevelt’s officials admitted they could not stop the raids and ordered air defenses strengthened while factories were relocated.

• Günther Korten reported that the bombing of 107 targets in Maine had destroyed them, while the Germans and the Navy’s carrier aircraft suffered heavy losses.
• Edward Milch ordered the Air Force to control its losses, seek reinforcements from Germany, and bomb New Hampshire and Vermont that afternoon.
• George Marshall told Franklin Roosevelt that the raid had devastated Maine’s industry, especially its heavy industry.
• Henry Arnold said the Army Air Corps could not stop the Germans and had already lost more than a thousand fighters, then recommended assembling remaining fighters and strengthening anti-aircraft defenses.
• Roosevelt ordered the defensive measures into effect, while Arnold urged faster relocation of important factories to the South and West.
• The German Air Force bombed New Hampshire and Vermont, then continued attacking northeastern states and damaging American industry.

Oscar ordered Germany to continue devastating strategic bombing of the United States as German forces prepared a decisive North American offensive. The generals had assembled millions of German and allied troops, and the chapter ended with Oscar choosing a high-risk plan to defeat the American main force in one battle.

• Field Marshal Kesselring reported that German strategic bombing had devastated military installations and industry across the American Northeast, and Oscar ordered the attacks to continue, including against civilian facilities.
• Field Marshal Manstein reported that Army Group B had arrived in North America, Army Group C was en route, and preparations for the offensive would be complete by early April.
• Oscar said he wanted a large-scale offensive that could decide the war in a single battle, and Field Marshal Manstein described a plan that could destroy millions of American troops and seize Washington.
• First Sea Lord Marshal Raeder warned that relying on one decisive battle was risky because the Americans would fight desperately, but Oscar said the war had lasted too long and approved the ambitious approach.

Oscar prepared Germany’s campaign against the United States and appointed Field Marshal Manstein to command the North American Theater. He then revealed the Empire’s nuclear weapon to senior military and government leaders, leaving them stunned by its destructive power.

• Oscar assured Marshal Raeder that Germany had extensive reserves and reinforcements ready for the North American campaign.
• Oscar appointed Field Marshal Manstein Commander of the North American Theater and ordered close cooperation among the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
• Oscar took Manstein, Raeder, Albert Kesselring, and other senior officials to a secret research facility in Libya.
• Dr. Oppenheimer’s team detonated a nuclear weapon, producing a mushroom cloud and destroying or overturning the test targets.
• Manstein called it a weapon capable of destroying a city, and Oscar said it would make the Empire impossible to defeat.

After Germany’s successful nuclear test, Oscar warned military leaders that the weapon was too large and dangerous for immediate battlefield use, while promising continued research. The leaders left convinced of Germany’s future strength, and Oscar returned to the German homeland the next morning.

• Manstein and other commanders praised the weapon’s destructive power, while Wachth declared that no one could defeat the Empire.
• Oscar explained that the weapon needed to be miniaturized and that its radiation could contaminate vast areas for decades, so its battlefield use remained uncertain.
• Oscar urged the commanders not to rely solely on the new weapon and to keep winning the Empire’s coming battles with its existing military strength.
• Oscar discussed nuclear research with Oppenheimer and his experts, and Germany continued its efforts to preserve its lead and develop more advanced weapons.
• Qin Tian and the other officials boarded planes the next morning and left North Africa for the German homeland.

President Roosevelt urged US Army and Army Air Corps leaders to resist Germany’s impending offensive despite the United States’ dire position. The generals committed their forces to a fight for survival as German reinforcements continued arriving in North America.

• Americans fled the bombed northeastern United States, forcing the government to divert food supplies to displaced residents.
• President Roosevelt met senior US military commanders and called for them to fight Germany with everything they had.
• General Marshall warned Roosevelt that German elite forces would soon number three million, with additional puppet troops landing in North America.
• Roosevelt insisted that American weapons and soldiers could prevail if they fought with determination, and the generals agreed.
• General Marshall reported that the Army had deployed three million troops in the Northeast and stationed another two million near Washington, ready to support them.

President Roosevelt prepared the United States for a decisive battle against Germany despite the country’s weakened military and industrial capacity. After Hopkins warned that victory was nearly impossible, Roosevelt said that if the battle failed, the United States would surrender to preserve its people.

• President Roosevelt persuaded the generals to support one more major battle against Germany in hopes of securing a dignified peace.
• General Henry Arnold reported that the Army Air Corps had two thousand fighters and over one thousand bombers, but no replacement aircraft would arrive until new factories began production.
• President Roosevelt returned to the White House and told Hopkins that the country had to make every preparation for the coming war.
• Hopkins admitted that the United States had almost no chance of defeating Germany and might not survive even if it won the first battle.
• President Roosevelt told Hopkins that if the United States failed to defeat Germany, it would surrender so the people could be preserved.

Field Marshal Manstein assembled Germany’s forces in North America and announced that the decisive offensive against the United States would begin in three days. He left his commanders confident that victory would end the war, while warning that the Americans would fight desperately.

• Manstein established his theater headquarters at New Glasgow as German and puppet forces gathered in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
• Manstein convened a conference on April 9 with army, navy, and air force commanders, representing a combined force of eight million troops.
• Manstein announced that the offensive would begin in three days, after preparations and supplies had been completed.
• Manstein urged the commanders to defeat the United States decisively and cautioned that they must remain vigilant on American soil.
• Manstein reported that five million US troops and most surviving US Army Air Corps forces were concentrated in the Northeast, making their defeat decisive to the war.

Field Marshal Manstein planned a three-pronged German and allied invasion of the United States through Canada. After the Kingdom of Canada rejected Germany’s demand for transit rights, Prime Minister Churchill accepted under threat, allowing German forces and supplies to cross the country.

• Field Marshal Manstein assigned Army Groups B, A, and C to attack the United States through Maine, Quebec, and Ontario, respectively, with allied armies supporting them.
• Marshal Rommel warned that the American military would learn of the German advance through Canada, but Field Marshal Manstein said Germany’s strength made secrecy unnecessary.
• Marshal Blomberg questioned whether Britain would permit the German forces to pass through, and Field Marshal Manstein threatened to force passage if it refused.
• Field Marshal Manstein met Prime Minister Churchill in Toronto and demanded that German troops and supplies use Canada’s roads, railways, and waterways.
• Foreign Minister David Magson rejected the demand, but Field Marshal Manstein threatened consequences if Canada resisted.
• Prime Minister Churchill ultimately allowed Germany to pass through Canada, judging that Canada would face American retaliation if Germany lost.

After Germany forced Churchill and the Canadian government to allow its troops passage, the United States learned that German forces would cross Canada to attack. Roosevelt and his generals prepared to reinforce the Great Lakes while keeping forces in Maine, and the chapter ended as German troops entered Canada and US troops redeployed.

• Donovan warned President Roosevelt that Germany had forced Canada to permit its military passage for an attack on the United States.
• Roosevelt acknowledged Churchill’s lack of options and discussed how a German attack through Canada would threaten the US military’s deployment.
• General Marshall told Roosevelt that US forces were shifting to reinforce the Great Lakes, though Maine’s defenses would weaken.
• Roosevelt declared that the coming battle would determine the fate of the United States, and Marshall pledged to give everything.
• On April 10, German forces began moving through Canada while US troops withdrew from the front lines to strengthen the Great Lakes defenses.

German Army Group B began its offensive across the Saint Croix River in Maine, using an hour of heavy artillery and air attacks to devastate the American defenses. At eight o’clock, Marshal Guderian ordered the 3rd, 8th, and 13th Army Corps to attack at three crossing points.

• The US Army concentrated ten Army Corps and twenty independent tank battalions in Maine, fielding nearly five thousand tanks against German Army Group B’s little over three thousand.
• On April 12, German Army Group B began its planned offensive while German Army Groups A and C were still moving into position.
• German artillery and bomber formations pounded the US 5th and 7th Army Corps’ defensive lines along the Saint Croix River, leaving more than eighty percent of the fortifications destroyed after an hour.
• US artillery stayed hidden to avoid German air attacks, while American soldiers and officers watched their defenses suffer heavy damage.
• At eight o’clock, Marshal Guderian ordered the German 3rd, 8th, and 13th Army Corps to attack at three river-crossing points.

German forces launched a river crossing against the American positions on the St. Croix River, while both sides unleashed artillery and air attacks. German aircraft and helicopters battered the defenders, but American troops also shot down an attack helicopter as the crossing continued.

• German corps sent infantry divisions across the river in small boats while their ground forces provided covering fire.
• American troops opened fire with machine guns, rifles, mortars, and artillery, inflicting heavy losses on the crossing Germans and destroying boats.
• German dive bombers attacked American artillery positions, while German fighters intercepted US Army Air Corps aircraft before they reached the battlefield.
• German rockets and hundreds of helicopters struck the American defensive line, destroying positions and inflicting further casualties.
• An American second lieutenant ordered rocket launchers to attack the helicopters, and a rocket struck a German attack helicopter, setting it ablaze before it crashed.

German forces crossed the Saint Croix River under helicopter fire and broke through US positions as the Americans struggled to hold the line. Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott ordered the troops not to retreat and sent reinforcements, but the defensive line remained close to collapse.

• A concealed anti-aircraft machine gun shot down a German utility helicopter while German helicopters suppressed US positions and helped cover the river crossing.
• German soldiers landed on the opposite bank, destroyed a US heavy machine-gun position with mortars, and attacked the defensive line.
• US officers ordered frightened soldiers not to retreat as German assaults and casualties mounted.
• A major reported that the 43rd and 44th Infantry Divisions were close to breaking, and Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott ordered the 5th Army Corps to hold its positions.
• Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott dispatched reinforcements, but German forces breached several lines and the US defense teetered on collapse.

German forces broke through the US defensive line after a fierce battle, while US commanders committed infantry and heavy tanks to stop the advance. German air support destroyed the M26 tank battalions, and the battered US front collapsed.

• German troops exploited helicopter rocket attacks to break through the US positions and expand their gains in the trenches.
• Marshal Guderian ordered engineers to prepare pontoon bridges so German armor could cross the river and join the attack.
• Lieutenant General Lucian Truscott sent the 48th Infantry Division and the 701st and 702nd Tank Battalions to reinforce the threatened front.
• US M26 tanks counterattacked, but German Stuka bombers and armed helicopters destroyed many of them.
• After three hours of fighting, German forces captured the US positions and the US front-line troops collapsed.