Recaps

In October 1918, Eitel Friedrich faced overwhelming Allied forces on the Meuse River line as Germany’s military position and political stability collapsed. After discovering a national-focus interface, he refused to flee and announced that he would ascend the throne at the front.

• General Konstantin reported that 450,000 Allied troops and 2,700 guns faced the 80,000 German troops defending the Meuse-Argonne line.
• A shell struck the command post, and several generals shielded Eitel Friedrich from the blast.
• A telegram announced that Wilhelm II had abdicated and was fleeing to the Netherlands with the crown prince, causing Eitel Friedrich to faint.
• Konstantin urged Eitel Friedrich to seek refuge in the Netherlands while the army held the front.
• A national-focus interface appeared before Eitel Friedrich, and he declared that he would ascend the throne at the front and live or die with the German Empire.

Eitel declared himself emperor of Germany and chose a policy to strengthen German combat effectiveness and domestic stability as Allied forces prepared to attack the Meuse River-Argonne line. The chapter ends with Pershing planning a major offensive while French commanders doubted the Americans would overcome the German defenses.

• Eitel ordered Konstantin and the Fifth Army to recognize him as emperor, then sent a telegram announcing his accession and vow to remain at the front.
• Wilhelm II supported Eitel's accession and privately urged him to flee to the Netherlands if the war went badly; the crown prince worried that Eitel would be blamed for defeat.
• Three days later, Eitel held an accession ceremony at the front and selected the German Emperor Principle policy, increasing German combat effectiveness and domestic stability.
• Eitel studied the Allied buildup on the map and believed the policy would help Germany withstand the expected attack on the Meuse River Line.
• Pershing outlined an offensive involving 200,000 troops, 2,700 artillery pieces, and bomber support, while Liggett promised to take the Meuse positions within three days.
• Gouraud and Berthelot warned that the Germans would be difficult to defeat, and privately anticipated that the American forces would suffer a crushing setback.

Eitel watched the Allied bombardment and the ensuing American assault on the German positions along the Meuse River Line. After the Americans were routed, Eitel rallied the Stormtroopers for the fighting ahead.

• Eitel learned from Konstantin that the Germans had located the enemy artillery but were holding their fire to avoid counterfire.
• After a three-hour bombardment, American troops advanced on the German positions, and French commanders Gouraud and Berthelot mocked their disorderly attack.
• The Germans revealed their troops and opened concentrated fire, causing heavy American casualties and a rout.
• Liggett angrily condemned the defeated American troops after they left thousands of corpses behind.
• Eitel addressed the Stormtroopers, urging them to continue the campaign, and they raised their weapons and pledged to fight for him.

Eitel and General Max von Gallwitz launched a coordinated gas and artillery barrage followed by a German Stormtrooper assault on American positions. French commanders Gouraud and Berthelot refused to intervene, and the chapter ended with the Americans overwhelmed as heavy rain fell across the battlefield.

• A Stormtrooper officer led his men across the Meuse River Line and halted them near the American positions as rain began to fall.
• Eitel heard Max von Gallwitz report the German artillery strength and shell supplies, then ordered preparations for the scheduled attack.
• German guns fired gas and high-explosive shells at the American positions, and the Stormtroopers charged once the bombardment began.
• Eitel ordered flares fired, while French commanders Gouraud and Berthelot recognized the stormtrooper assault tactics and refused to support the Americans.
• Poison gas incapacitated American soldiers, and Stormtroopers entered the trenches and shot the defenders as the rain intensified.

Eitel’s German forces launched a successful assault on the American defensive lines using creeping artillery barrages, Stormtroopers, and follow-up cavalry. As the Germans pressed toward the second line, Pershing ordered its commander to hold for twenty minutes while the commander warned that the attackers seemed like devils from hell.

• Eitel watched German artillery and Stormtroopers advance, while Konstantin praised the creeping barrage tactic Eitel had proposed.
• German forces captured the Americans’ first defensive position and advanced toward the second under successive shell barrages.
• American soldiers at the second line were hit by artillery and attacked by Stormtroopers in gas masks.
• Pershing and Liggett received reports of the German attack, and Pershing demanded that the second-line commander hold out for twenty minutes until reinforcements arrived.
• The second-line commander pleaded that the Germans were like devils from hell, and Pershing angrily smashed the telephone.

After the Stormtroopers failed to break the Americans’ third defensive line, they returned to camp as celebrated heroes, and Eitel welcomed them. Field Marshal Hindenburg revealed that he had considered agreeing to an Allied demand for Germany’s full withdrawal, but Eitel argued Germany was bound to lose and should instead secure better terms for negotiations.

• At dawn, the Stormtroopers withdrew with their fallen comrades after failing to breach the Americans’ third defensive line, and German soldiers saluted them as they passed.
• Eitel welcomed the returning Stormtroopers, while Allied observers and war correspondents watched their victory and considered its impact on peace negotiations.
• German soldiers buried the dead, and Eitel visited a wounded Stormtrooper who credited thoughts of the emperor with helping him survive.
• A staff officer told Eitel that Field Marshal Hindenburg was on the telephone, and Eitel went to the command post to speak with him.
• Field Marshal Hindenburg said he had considered accepting the Allies’ demand for a full German withdrawal but had changed his mind after Eitel stayed at the front and won a victory.
• Eitel reminded Hindenburg that Germany was certain to lose the war and urged him to focus on gaining bargaining chips for the negotiating table.

Eitel persuaded Hindenburg to hold the front rather than withdraw, then arranged to summon a group of promising officers to build his own command circle. He left to visit the soldiers fighting for Germany.

• Eitel told Hindenburg that withdrawing would leave Germany powerless in peace negotiations, and Hindenburg agreed to hold their positions.
• Eitel offered Hindenburg the choice of returning to suppress the rebellion or staying in command at the front; Hindenburg chose to stay.
• Eitel asked for a few men and ordered Konstantin to summon officers including Heinz Guderian, Erwin Rommel, Erich von Manstein, and Gerd von Rundstedt.
• Konstantin sent the orders and pledged his unconditional loyalty to Eitel.
• Eitel announced that he wanted to visit the soldiers at the front.

Eitel rallied German troops on the Meuse River Line after their victory, while the Allies argued over how to respond and Pershing ordered them to hold position. Eitel then told the Stormtroopers he would take them home to stabilize Germany’s rear, and they prepared to follow him.

• Eitel praised the German soldiers and urged them to fight to the death to defend their families and Berlin.
• Allied scouts reported the German troops’ resolve to the command post, alarming the Allied generals.
• Pershing asked the Allied commanders how to proceed, but the French generals and American commanders offered no support for another attack.
• Pershing ordered the Allied army to hold its defensive line and avoid rash action.
• Eitel ordered Konstantin to assemble the Stormtroopers and announced that he would take them home to stabilize Germany’s rear.

Eitel met with a group of young officers and outlined his plan to transfer them to the Fifth Army as Germany faced unrest at home and pressure to negotiate peace. After hearing Rommel's assessment and Manstein's warning about suppressing the workers' movement, Eitel listened as Guderian proposed quickly disarming rebellious naval personnel in the port cities.

• Eitel told the young officers that they would join his Fifth Army and that Germany needed to pursue peace negotiations.
• Rommel assessed Germany's weak supply situation, rising domestic unrest, and the need to preserve bargaining power before peace talks.
• Eitel explained that he planned to return home to quell the workers' movement, which was especially active in Berlin and several port cities.
• Manstein warned that sending troops to suppress the movement could weaken the Hindenburg Line and provoke further resistance.
• Guderian proposed that Eitel return to Berlin while he led a force to seize naval weapons in Wilhelmshaven, Lübeck, and other port cities.

Eitel approved Guderian’s plan to suppress the labor movement and entrusted him with one storm assault battalion, while preparing to return to Berlin with a small escort. After catching Rommel, Guderian, and Manstein joyriding on a motorcycle, Eitel ordered all three to accompany him home.

• Konstantin warned Eitel that his return journey would be dangerous, but Eitel confirmed that two storm assault battalions and a field cavalry regiment were ready to escort him.
• Eitel asked Guderian to carry out his plan with one storm assault battalion, and Guderian pledged to succeed while retreating to Berlin if the situation became untenable.
• Eitel reassured the assembled officers that he valued their safety, and Guderian and the other officers declared their loyalty to the emperor and the empire.
• The next day, Eitel found Rommel, Guderian, and Manstein racing a motorcycle through the trenches and ordered them to pack and return home with him.

Emperor Eitel set out openly for Berlin, insisting that the German Empire would remain unshaken, while Konstantin stayed to command the front. After learning of Eitel’s return, Pershing considered Liggett’s proposal to attack but postponed a decision as peace talks advanced.

• Eitel refused an armored car and rode at the head of his troops, sending Manstein, Guderian, and Rommel to drive it instead.
• Eitel told Konstantin to hold the front and declared that his public return would show Germany would not fall; Konstantin sent a telegram announcing it to Berlin.
• Pershing and Liggett received news of Eitel’s return, and Liggett urged an offensive against the German lines while morale might waver.
• Pershing rejected Liggett’s proposal for the moment, citing Wilson’s push for peace talks, and ordered scouts to watch the German positions.

Eitel traveled overland toward Berlin while Rommel, Manstein, and Guderian devised precautions against an assassination attempt. After Guderian left to suppress naval mutinies, a gunshot rang out at the column’s camp near Berlin, leaving the threat unresolved.

• Eitel led his column toward Berlin and discussed the journey with Rommel, Manstein, and Guderian.
• Guderian proposed heading to the ports to put down naval mutinies, while Manstein and Rommel suggested using decoys and changing Eitel’s sleeping arrangements to thwart an assassination.
• Eitel approved the precautions, rode in the armored car, and shared a tent with Rommel while Manstein’s tent was left empty.
• As the column passed through Luxembourg, Guderian secretly departed with a battalion of Stormtroopers for Lübeck and Wilhelmshaven.
• After more than ten days, Eitel’s column reached the area beyond Leipzig and made camp near Berlin.
• A gunshot rang out during the night as the Stormtroopers changed guards, putting the soldiers on alert.

Eitel’s forces defeated an attack on their camp and captured several assailants, whom he insisted were his subjects rather than thugs. The next morning, a young prisoner challenged Eitel’s rule and argued that Germany should follow the Bolsheviks, prompting Eitel to ask whether the Russian October Revolution had inspired him.

• Eitel and Manstein discussed the war as Rommel reported that the attackers had been defeated and several ringleaders captured.
• Eitel ordered his Stormtroopers to lower their guns and treated the captured attackers as his subjects, then questioned their defiant leader.
• Eitel left the prisoners with Rommel and Manstein, who gave the young leader food and urged him to trust the Emperor.
• The next morning, the young man told Eitel that Germany no longer needed an emperor and that the workers’ future lay with the Bolsheviks.
• Eitel asked the young man whether the October Revolution in Tsarist Russia had given him the courage to make that claim.

Eitel brought Wilhelm, the son of Karl Liebknecht, back to Berlin and recognized him as a possible key to calming the workers' movement. By arguing that Germany’s defeat and Europe’s fragmentation caused its suffering, Eitel began persuading Wilhelm to consider unification as an alternative to revolution.

• Eitel ordered Wilhelm and the other captured workers to follow him to Berlin, while Wilhelm argued that peaceful change might be possible with the emperor’s support.
• A soldier recorded Wilhelm’s conversation, and Eitel learned that Wilhelm was Karl Liebknecht’s son and a potential way to break up the Spartacus League.
• Eitel kept Wilhelm close and listened as he criticized the war and the exploitation of workers.
• Eitel argued that Germany’s mistake was losing the war and facing a harsh peace, then described Europe’s divided borders as a cause of endless conflict.
• Eitel declared that Germany would unify Europe, and Wilhelm began pondering the idea of unification.

Eitel returned to Berlin and found its streets initially empty, but a crowd gathered to welcome him near the Reichstag. After giving a boy his Iron Cross, he called on the people to resist the enemy’s peace terms and never surrender.

• Eitel rejected Rommel’s suggestion that he enter Berlin in an armored car, saying he trusted his people, and sent a soldier ahead with instructions.
• Eitel and Rommel rode through Berlin’s silent streets toward the Reichstag, where a crowd had gathered to watch the emperor.
• A little boy thanked Eitel for his service at the front and said he would fight for the empire when he grew up.
• Eitel gave the boy his Iron Cross and declared that people working behind the lines were heroes too.
• Eitel urged the crowd to fight rather than accept the enemy’s demands, and the people answered by chanting, “Never surrender!”

Eitel confronted Prince Max over his actions and explained that Germany needed to preserve its military leverage while preparing for peace. He ordered Max to halt the Hipper Plan as Guderian’s troops advanced toward Wilhelmshaven, where Guderian ordered a captured rebel leader executed.

• Eitel asked Rommel for news of Guderian’s advance toward Lübeck and summoned Prince Max.
• Eitel confronted Max over the abdications and peace efforts, but lowered his pistol after Max warned that Germany faced unrest and revolution.
• Eitel told Max that peace was near but Germany had to hold the Hindenburg Line to secure bargaining power.
• Eitel signed an order for Max to halt the Hipper Plan and gave him authority to deal with anyone who obstructed it.
• In Lübeck, Guderian ordered a captured naval rebel leader executed and urged his troops to hurry toward Wilhelmshaven.

Eitel learned that his weak control over Germany had kept the Hearts of Iron System’s missions and features locked, and he chose the Kaiser Autocracy path’s Retake the Empire focus. As Guderian’s troops advanced toward Wilhelmshaven and Admiral Erich Raeder resisted orders to abolish the Hipper Plan, someone knocked on Eitel’s door.

• Eitel met with Max, Manstein, and Rommel, who discussed holding his accession ceremony after the Wilhelmshaven rebellion was suppressed.
• Eitel inspected the system’s missions to become the true German Emperor, crush the Wilhelmshaven rebellion and workers’ movement, and gain control of the armed forces.
• Manstein reported that Guderian had quelled the rebellion in Lübeck and was heading for Wilhelmshaven, while Max reported that Admiral Erich Raeder refused to carry out the order abolishing the Hipper Plan.
• Eitel ordered Max to bring Raeder to him and assigned Rommel to serve as his secretary.
• Eitel unlocked the Waking the Tiger, Kaiser Autocracy branch and selected the Retake the Empire national focus.
• Someone knocked on Eitel’s door after the focus took effect.

Eitel persuaded Marshal Erich to abandon the Hipper Plan, helping calm the sailors in Wilhelmshaven, while Guderian arrested the remaining rebellion leaders. Eitel completed his mission and unlocked the Industrial Module.

• Eitel met Marshal Erich and argued that the High Seas Fleet could not win and that the Hipper Plan was fueling the naval rebellion.
• Erich agreed to abolish the Hipper Plan after Eitel promised to preserve him as marshal and rebuild the German navy.
• Eitel and Erich issued a joint declaration, and sailors in Wilhelmshaven gradually abandoned their plans to rebel.
• Rebellion leaders and a worker decided to proceed with their uprising despite the plan’s cancellation.
• Guderian led armed soldiers into the leaders’ meeting and arrested them in Eitel’s name.
• Eitel received notice that he had completed the mission to quell the Wilhelmshaven rebellion and workers’ movement, unlocking the Industrial Module.

Eitel learned that the Wilhelmshaven naval rebellion had been quelled and received Wilhelm, who had captured Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg. He unlocked the Industrial Module, chose the Four Year Plan, and organized military production as he prepared to hold the Hindenburg Line.

• Manstein reported that Guderian had arrested 47 people, including three ringleaders, and quelled the main naval rebellion in Wilhelmshaven.
• Wilhelm arrived at the White Hall with Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg bound, saying he had captured the Spartacus League leaders after embracing Eitel’s ideas.
• Wilhelm declared his intention to lead supporters into military service, and Eitel praised him before ordering Rommel to take the prisoners away.
• Eitel opened the Industrial Module, selected the Four Year Plan, and received an additional National Focus slot.
• Eitel assigned his military factories to produce ammunition, weapons, artillery, shells, and military supplies, then resolved to keep Allied soldiers from advancing past the Hindenburg Line before the Versailles Conference.

Eitel met General Ludendorff, who agreed to help arrange his coronation with the Prince of Baden as the German front stabilized. When the Allies summoned Eitel to Versailles two days before the ceremony, he decided to go and confront them, leaving the coronation preparations to continue in his absence.

• Rommel told Eitel that General Ludendorff had arrived, and Eitel invited him into his office.
• Ludendorff congratulated Eitel and said he and the Prince of Baden would authenticate Eitel’s coronation oath.
• Eitel agreed to Ludendorff’s plan, and Rommel told him the coronation was set for ten days later.
• Rommel delivered the Allies’ schedule for the Versailles assembly, which required Eitel to attend in person eight days later.
• Eitel decided to go to Versailles and told Rommel to have the Prince of Baden and Ludendorff await his return for the coronation.

Eitel rejected the Allies’ proposed armistice terms and confronted their arrogant diplomatic envoy, insisting that Britain’s emperor negotiate with him personally. He declared that Germany would fight to the bitter end rather than accept humiliating terms.

• Rommel presented Eitel with the Versailles Conference schedule and proposed armistice terms, which Eitel tore up.
• Rommel drew his pistol on the Allied envoy, but Eitel ordered him to let the envoy speak.
• The envoy argued that Germany was doomed because Allied troops threatened its borders and Britain had blockaded the seas.
• Eitel rejected the envoy’s claims and refused to be swayed by appeals to his ties to the British royal family.
• Eitel demanded that Britain’s emperor come negotiate in person and warned that Germany would fight rather than accept the proposed terms.

Eitel rejected the Allies’ peace terms and planned to use their divisions to secure American support and grain for Germany. He exposed Friedrich Ebert’s secret agreement, had him arrested, and gained the Social Democratic leaders’ backing to keep fighting.

• Eitel refused to attend the parliamentary session and told Rommel that he would send the peace terms to the Americans to exploit tensions between them and Britain and France.
• Eitel summoned the Social Democratic Party leaders who had met with the diplomat and showed them a new peace document drafted by Rommel.
• Philipp Scheidemann condemned the humiliating terms, and Eitel confronted Friedrich Ebert for agreeing to the diplomat’s request.
• Ebert admitted his mistake, resigned as party leader, and was taken away by soldiers to face prosecution for treason.
• The remaining Social Democratic leaders apologized to Eitel and pledged to reject the terms and fight for Germany.

Eitel prepared Germany for a final battle while Wilson responded to a secret peace document by ordering American forces to hold back and proposing a trade deal with Germany. As Allied troops prepared to attack Liège Fortress, Hindenburg ordered its garrison to hold out for five days until reinforcements arrived.

• Eitel ordered Rommel to send weapons and ammunition to the front, reinforce Liège Fortress, monitor Allied movements, and confirm that the peace document had reached Wilson.
• Wilson verified the document's claims but decided America could not yet leave the Allies, so he ordered Pershing to make only a token effort in operations.
• Wilson told Lansing to offer Germany support at the peace conference in exchange for accepting American goods and signing a fifteen-year grain sales contract.
• British and French forces dug trenches near Liège Fortress as the Belgium Field Army prepared to attack, and the fortress commander reported the threat to Hindenburg.
• Hindenburg ordered the Liège garrison to hold out for five days, promised rapid reinforcements, and prioritized its supplies.

Model escorted urgently needed weapons and supplies toward Liège Fortress while German commanders arranged reinforcements for its threatened garrison. As trains headed for the fortress, Falkenhausen suspected Hindenburg was maneuvering against him, and the coming battle appeared set to affect parliamentary proceedings.

• Model ordered the new weapons and equipment sent to Liège Fortress and personally led a battalion escorting the supplies by train.
• After learning the train would take three days to arrive and reinforcements at least five, Model ordered his soldiers to prepare to fight upon reaching the fortress.
• Farner consulted his uncle Falkenhausen about the order to send two infantry divisions to Liège Fortress, and Falkenhausen assigned Schörner to lead one division while arranging the other from his own sector.
• Schörner set out for Liège Fortress, hoping that serving under the Emperor's orders would let him claim credit for his achievements.
• Falkenhausen suspected Hindenburg was trying to undermine him as trains carrying reinforcements departed for Liège Fortress.

Allied commanders prepared to attack Liège Fortress, while the German defenders braced to hold it until reinforcements arrived. Eitel worried that the trains would not bring help in time and began considering how faster transport could change the situation.

• General Herbert and Lieutenant General Jean Degoutte ordered an attack on Liège Fortress in three hours and outlined a plan for the Allied assault.
• British and French soldiers shared food and cigarettes in the trenches as a veteran warned young Jones to stay close during the battle.
• A German officer learned that 8,726 troops defended Liège Fortress with plentiful ammunition but no heavy artillery, and ordered them to hold out for five days.
• Eitel worried that his orders had come too late, while Rommel listened and trains raced toward Liège Fortress with reinforcements.
• Manstein reported that three infantry divisions and supplies had been dispatched, but warned Eitel that holding the fortress for five days was unlikely.
• Eitel lamented the slow trains, and Rommel and Manstein seized on his suggestion that greater speed could help.