Chapter Summaries

In September 1912, Oscar showed Wilhelm II and German Army generals how the re-equipped 8th Army Corps had become a formidable force. A tank demonstration won imperial approval for an Armored Division, leaving the corps with ten Infantry Divisions and one Armored Division.

• Wilhelm II and the generals inspected the 8th Army Corps, and Moltke the Younger criticized its heavy ammunition consumption.
• Oscar presented the corps’ secret assault unit, and more than forty tanks advanced across trenches and barbed wire under machine-gun fire.
• A tank fired a 37mm shell that destroyed a machine-gun position, impressing Wilhelm II and the generals.
• Wilhelm II approved Oscar’s plan to expand the corps’ Armored Regiment into an Armored Division, and no one objected.
• Oscar told the generals that tanks could withstand shrapnel but not a direct artillery hit.

Oscar showed Wilhelm II the Mark I tank and the 8th Army Corps’ advanced fighter planes and bombers, prompting the emperor to order their purchase and expansion. The chapter left Germany preparing to strengthen its armored and air forces ahead of the coming war.

• Wilhelm II ordered Moltke the Younger to equip more army units with Mark I tanks, and Gustav Krupp and Moltke signed a deal for one thousand tanks over two years.
• Oscar urged Wilhelm II to keep tanks top secret, and the emperor classified them as the Army’s top-secret weapon.
• Oscar led Wilhelm II and the others to the 8th Army Corps airfield and showed them the Mark II fighters and H1 bombers.
• Ten H1 bombers dropped five tons of bombs on a hill during a demonstration, impressing Wilhelm II and his entourage.
• Wilhelm II ordered the Army to purchase more aircraft and establish additional Air Corps units to secure air superiority.

Oscar told Field Marshal Count Tirpitz that aircraft carriers would soon make battleships and battlecruisers obsolete, and explained how carrier-based torpedo bombers could attack ships from beyond a hundred kilometers. Tirpitz was shocked but agreed the Navy had to adopt the new weapon, and asked to visit German Shipyard to see the carriers.

• Oscar visited Field Marshal Count Tirpitz at the Naval Ministry and asked how the Navy's war preparations were progressing.
• Tirpitz said the fleet was training, then asked whether the Bavaria-class Battleships and Mackensen-class Battlecruisers would be ready in time for war.
• Oscar said the new ships should arrive in time and described plans to use battlecruisers and submarines against Britain's sea lanes before a decisive fleet battle.
• Oscar said the next class of capital ships might be the last because aircraft would soon make battleships and battlecruisers obsolete.
• Oscar explained that German Shipyard was building aircraft carriers to launch torpedo bombers against ships at sea.
• Tirpitz asked Oscar to take him to German Shipyard so he could inspect the aircraft carriers and urged the Navy to equip itself with them.

Oscar presented Germany’s nearly completed Pioneer-class aircraft carriers to Tirpitz and argued that carriers would become the navy’s main force. At the end of 1913, Oscar proposed abandoning Blue Island, Germany’s foothold in the Eastern Empire, shocking Wilhelm II and drawing Moltke the Younger’s criticism.

• Oscar showed Tirpitz the two nearly finished aircraft carriers and described their design, aircraft, and expected entry into service.
• Oscar assured Tirpitz that carrier-based aircraft could damage British capital ships, and Tirpitz welcomed the prospect of using them in naval battles.
• Oscar donated the two carriers to the German Navy, and Tirpitz vowed to defeat the British.
• During the Balkan War, Germany remained neutral while offering the Ottoman Turkish Empire limited support to encourage it to join the Allied Powers.
• At an Imperial Council meeting at the end of 1913, Oscar proposed abandoning Blue Island, and Moltke the Younger objected while Wilhelm II reacted with displeasure.

Oscar persuaded Wilhelm II to return Blue Island to the Eastern Empire, arguing that Japan would seize it once war with Britain began and that Germany should conserve its strength. The decision unsettled other nations, and by 1914 Oscar prepared for war as he learned of Austro-Hungarian military exercises in Bosnia.

• Oscar warned Wilhelm II that Japan could attack Blue Island during a war with Britain and argued that Germany should abandon the island to preserve its forces.
• Tirpitz supported Oscar, while Moltke the Younger argued that Germany could defend Blue Island and later recover it.
• Oscar said Germany's future focus should be the Atlantic and its powerful rival across the ocean, and Wilhelm II approved returning Blue Island to the Eastern Empire.
• Germany's decision surprised other countries, thwarted Japan's plans, and prompted Britain and France to accelerate their war preparations.
• In 1914, Oscar urged the navy and army units under his influence to intensify training and combat preparations.
• Oscar learned that Austria-Hungary would hold military exercises in Bosnia in June and realized that war was approaching.

Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo by Princip after an earlier bombing failed to kill them. Their deaths set the crisis that would ignite World War I.

• The Austro-Hungarian Empire planned to attack Serbia with German support as tensions over the Balkans grew.
• The Black Hand Society and Young Bosnia planned to assassinate Ferdinand, despite the Serbian government's efforts to stop the plot and warn Austria-Hungary.
• An assassin threw a bomb at Ferdinand's motorcade, but it only grazed him, and he agreed to return to the hotel.
• Princip rushed to Ferdinand and his wife's car at a corner and shot them dead.
• The guards found that Ferdinand and his wife had died, and their assassination became the fuse for World War I.

After Archduke Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated in Sarajevo, Franz Joseph I ordered the Austro-Hungarian Empire to mobilize for war against Serbia and called on Germany to honor its alliance. Serbia also prepared for war and sought Russia’s support.

• A servant told Franz Joseph I that the Crown Prince and his wife had been assassinated in Sarajevo.
• Franz Joseph I summoned Mario Weber, Archduke Friedrich, and Marshal von Hotzendorf to discuss the crisis.
• Marshal von Hotzendorf and Archduke Friedrich urged war, while Mario Weber warned that Britain, France, and Russia might intervene.
• Franz Joseph I ordered the troops to mobilize and instructed the German Ambassador to seek Germany’s support.
• After learning of the assassination, the Serbian government was thrown into chaos, and Putnik ordered nationwide mobilization and asked its Ambassador to Russia to seek Tsar Nicholas II’s support.

After receiving news of Archduke Ferdinand’s assassination, Wilhelm II ordered Germany’s commanders summoned as he anticipated war. In Russia, Nicholas II pledged to support Serbia and attack Austria-Hungary, even threatening to invade East Prussia if Germany intervened.

• Wilhelm II, Oscar, and Count Tirpitz inspected the widened Kiel Canal and discussed the strength of the German Navy.
• A staff officer informed Wilhelm II that Crown Prince Ferdinand and his wife had been assassinated in Sarajevo, and Tirpitz urged Germany to seize the opportunity for war.
• Wilhelm II ordered an immediate return to Berlin and summoned the Army and Navy’s principal commanders.
• Nicholas II met with Russian officials after Serbia requested aid and declared that Russia would not allow Austria-Hungary to take the Balkans.
• Sukhomlinov told Nicholas II that Russian mobilization would take at least three months, while Grand Duke Nicholas claimed the standing army could invade East Prussia.
• Nicholas II promised Serbia that Russia would attack Austria-Hungary if it invaded and threatened to attack East Prussia if Germany intervened.

France and Russia strengthened their alliance as Austria-Hungary issued Serbia an ultimatum and Serbia rejected two demands. Germany prepared for war, while Britain publicly urged restraint but privately encouraged France and Russia and warned Germany that it might intervene if Germany and France fought.

• French President Poincaré ordered secret mobilization, while Britain weighed war and Foreign Minister Grey publicly denied having obligations to France or Russia.
• On July 5, Ambassador Szögyény delivered Franz Joseph I’s letter asking Wilhelm II to support military action against Serbia, and Wilhelm II then confirmed Germany’s war preparations.
• On July 20, Poincaré and René Viviani visited Russia and reaffirmed the two countries’ alliance, while Poincaré warned the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to handle Serbia cautiously.
• On July 23, Austria-Hungary issued Serbia an ultimatum, and Serbia accepted all but two of its demands.
• Russia warned Austria-Hungary that an attack on Serbia would trigger Russian general mobilization, while Grey proposed mediation and Britain secretly encouraged France and Russia to oppose Germany and Austria-Hungary.
• On July 29, Grey told the German Ambassador that Britain might remain neutral in a conflict limited to Russia and Austria-Hungary, but could intervene if Germany and France became involved.

Franz Joseph I and his ministers committed the Austro-Hungarian Empire to war against Serbia, confident the army could win despite the risk of Russian intervention. Serbia appealed to Russia as fighting began, and Germany’s ultimatums and declaration of war on Russia widened the conflict.

• Marshal von Hotzendorf urged Franz Joseph I to punish Serbia, and Archduke Friedrich reported that six corps were ready for battle.
• Franz Joseph I entrusted the Empire’s fate to the army after his commanders outlined plans to attack Serbia while preparing for possible Russian intervention.
• On July 28, the Austro-Hungarian government declared war on Serbia, which sought Russian aid and mobilized its forces.
• The Austro-Hungarian army attacked Serbia with two corps, while Tsar Nicholas II ordered Russian general mobilization and France also mobilized.
• On July 31, Germany issued ultimatums to Russia and France, then declared war on Russia after both continued mobilizing; Russia declared war on Germany in turn.

At German Army headquarters on August 1, 1914, Oscar argued that Germany should keep the Eastern Front lightly reinforced and concentrate more forces on the Western Front. After Moltke the Younger presented a deployment that weakened the Schlieffen Plan’s right wing, Oscar challenged him, leaving the two men in open conflict.

• Wilhelm II and Oscar arrived at General Staff Headquarters, where the generals declared their readiness for war.
• Moltke the Younger proposed expanding the 8th Army Corps from ten to eighteen Infantry Divisions to counter Russia, but Oscar insisted the eight additional divisions should go to the Western Front.
• Oscar claimed the 8th Army Corps, including its Armored Division, could hold the Russians for a month, and Wilhelm II approved his plan.
• Moltke the Younger presented his Western Front deployment, which Oscar saw as weakening the right wing and abandoning the core of the Schlieffen Plan.
• Oscar invoked Schlieffen’s warning against weakening the right wing, angering Moltke the Younger in front of the assembled commanders.

Oscar challenged Moltke the Younger’s revisions to the Schlieffen Plan, but Wilhelm II backed the chief of staff as Germany prepared for war. Oscar warned Tirpitz that the army’s prospects were grim and that the navy might have to defeat Britain to keep Germany from collapsing under a blockade.

• Moltke the Younger defended his revised Schlieffen Plan, while Oscar argued that its weakened right wing could not break through French defenses.
• Wilhelm II stopped the argument and confirmed that he had approved Moltke the Younger’s plan.
• Moltke the Younger outlined the seven German army corps assembled on the Western Front, totaling more than 1.4 million men under Germany’s limited mobilization.
• Wilhelm II urged the generals to fight for victory, and they answered with confidence.
• Tirpitz asked Oscar about the army’s prospects, and Oscar warned that even victory could bring enormous losses.
• Oscar told Tirpitz that the navy would need to defeat the British if the army failed to win quickly, lest blockade and lost trade bring Germany down.

Oscar ordered Germany’s submarine forces and Battlecruiser Squadron to prepare to strike Britain’s maritime supply lines, anticipating that Britain would enter the war. He then left for the 8th Army Corps in East Prussia, determined to hold back the Russian advance and buy time for the Western Front.

• Oscar asked Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz to send the submarines and Battlecruiser Squadron to sea the following night, and predicted Britain would declare war within three days.
• Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz agreed to prepare the fleet to attack British supply lines and said the Bavaria-class battleships and Mackensen-class battlecruisers should enter service in the first half of next year.
• Oscar and Grand Admiral Count Tirpitz expected Britain’s losses at sea to force a decisive naval battle in the first half of the next year.
• Oscar told Wilhelm II that the 8th Army Corps would hold back Russia’s attack and buy the Western Front a month or more.
• Oscar said farewell to Gundelinde and his son, then boarded a special train bound for Königsberg.

Germany demanded that Belgium allow its army to cross Belgian territory as the Schlieffen Plan began, while King Albert I and his officials weighed the threat. The German ambassador presented the demand, leaving Belgium to decide whether to yield or resist.

• Wilhelm II ordered Prime Minister Bülow and Foreign Minister von Kiderlen-Wachth to demand passage through Belgium before the German offensive began.
• Albert I convened Belgium’s ministers and generals to discuss the German army massing at the border.
• Foreign Minister Kohlmann argued that Belgium’s neutrality should protect it, while Prime Minister Brockville warned that Germany would pursue victory regardless.
• Belgium’s Minister of War claimed Fortress of Liège could stop a German invasion, though the fortress had been built for outdated artillery threats.
• The German ambassador asked Albert I to withdraw Belgian border troops and let German forces pass, promising not to harm Belgium’s security or interests.

King Albert I and Belgium’s ministers faced a German ultimatum to join the German-led Allied Powers or accept the consequences. They resolved to reject the demand, prepare to defend Belgium, and seek help from Britain and France.

• The German Ambassador offered Belgium a place among the Allied Powers and gave it twenty-four hours to respond, warning of consequences if it refused.
• King Albert I and Prime Minister Broqueville discussed the threat, and Belgium’s ministers declared they would resist rather than surrender their independence.
• King Albert I decided Belgium would formally reject Germany’s demands the next day and ordered thirty thousand troops sent to the Fortress of Liège.
• King Albert I ordered Foreign Minister Kohlmann to request aid from Britain and France in case German forces attacked.

Britain initially hesitated to join the war, hoping France and Russia would weaken Germany, but Germany’s ultimatum to Belgium forced the British government to act. After Belgium rejected German passage and Germany invaded, Britain declared war on Germany.

• Germany gave Belgium twenty-four hours to allow its troops passage, prompting the British Cabinet to meet on August 2nd.
• Asquith, Richard Haldane, Sir Edward Grey, and Churchill discussed warning France and Belgium, but concluded Britain could not send its Expeditionary Force in time.
• Asquith ordered Britain to promise assistance to Belgium and warned Germany that an invasion would bring Britain into the war.
• On August 3rd, Belgium rejected Germany’s demand and prepared to defend the Fortress of Liège, while Britain formally warned Germany.
• Germany declared war on Belgium and crossed its border on August 4th, and Britain formally declared war on Germany that day.

The German Meuse Army Corps attacked the Belgian Fortress of Liège but struggled against its powerful forts, artillery, and machine guns. After repeated assaults failed, General Otto von Emmich reported the setback to General Staff Headquarters, leaving the German advance stalled.

• King Albert appointed General Leman commander of the 3rd Division and military governor of Liège, ordering him to defend the position to the death.
• On August 5th, German forces attacked the forts of Liège, but Belgian artillery and machine guns inflicted heavy casualties.
• Major General von Weichtel halted his brigade's attack, and General Otto von Emmich's subsequent assaults were also repelled.
• German Zeppelin airships and tanks provided little help against the Belgian fortifications.
• General Otto von Emmich reported the stalled attack to General Staff Headquarters and urged a rapid breakthrough.

After the German assault stalled at Liège, Moltke the Younger sent massive siege guns to General von Emmich, who used them to destroy the Belgian forts. Germany captured the fortress by August 16, clearing the way for more than a million troops to advance toward the Marne River despite losing over forty thousand men.

• Wilhelm II learned that the Meuse Army Corps had been stopped at Liège and suffered heavy losses.
• Moltke the Younger ordered secret 420mm Krupp guns and borrowed 305mm Škoda guns sent to General von Emmich, who was told to take the fortress within a week.
• On August 12, von Emmich began bombarding Fort de Fléron, and the heavy guns destroyed the fort and killed its defenders.
• German guns destroyed two more forts on August 13 and continued shelling the remaining defenses until only Fort de Loncin remained.
• Commander Leman refused to surrender Fort de Loncin, and a German salvo ignited its ammunition depot and destroyed the fort.
• The German Army captured Liège on August 16 after losing more than forty thousand men, opening the route toward the Marne River.

At Wilhelmshaven, Field Marshal Count Tirpitz and Admiral Reinhard Scheer prepared the German Navy to strike British shipping as war with Britain approached. Two battlecruiser squadrons and thirty submarines set out under orders to attack sea lanes while avoiding the British main fleet.

• Admiral Reinhard Scheer reported that the fleet from Kiel Harbor was sailing to Wilhelmshaven through the Kiel Canal, and Field Marshal Count Tirpitz ordered secrecy and caution.
• Field Marshal Count Tirpitz learned that thirty submarines and their supply ships were ready for the operation.
• After six battlecruisers arrived, Field Marshal Count Tirpitz told the High Seas Fleet commanders that war with Britain was imminent and Admiral Reinhard Scheer assigned their missions.
• Admiral Hipper and Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee were ordered to lead two battlecruiser squadrons into Atlantic waters west of Britain, while General Fiers would lead thirty submarines against British sea lanes.
• Field Marshal Count Tirpitz cautioned the commanders to avoid the British main fleet and preserve their ships, and the German fleet sailed from the harbor at midnight.

Vice Admiral Spee and Vice Admiral Hipper led German battlecruiser squadrons into the Atlantic to hunt British merchant ships and transports after Britain and Germany declared war. Spee ordered the ships to begin free hunting, while the German submarine force was still en route.

• Germany abandoned Blue Island and brought Vice Admiral Spee’s Pacific Fleet back to the homeland, leaving Japan’s government in turmoil.
• Spee received word that Britain and Germany were expected to go to war and kept in contact with home for further orders.
• On August 4, Spee’s 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron entered the Atlantic under cover of fog.
• After Britain and Germany declared war, Spee ordered Goeben and Seydlitz to begin free hunting and sent light cruisers and destroyers to scout separately.
• Spee’s and Hipper’s battlecruiser squadrons spread out across the sea to search for British merchant ships and transport vessels.