Chapter Summaries

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.

British and French forces bombarded Liège Fortress while Belgian troops attacked its German defenders and suffered heavy losses. After the Belgians withdrew at sunset, General Herbert ordered another assault the next day, with heavier bombs and artillery aimed at destroying the fortress.

• General Herbert criticized the French defense of Liège Fortress and ordered the Belgians to attack to reveal German firing positions.
• British bombers arrived ahead of the agreed attack, and the Belgian commander sent his troops forward under the bombardment.
• German defenders filled gaps in their lines and fought off the Belgian advance amid artillery, machine-gun fire, and bombing.
• After several hours, the Belgian troops withdrew, leaving the ground outside Liège Fortress covered with bodies.
• A staff officer reported the calculated German firing positions to General Herbert, who ordered continued bombardment and preparations for another attack the next day.

The German garrison at Liège Fortress endured days of bombardment and failed Allied assaults, losing most of its defenders and ammunition. As the exhausted commander prepared to destroy the fortress rather than surrender it, Model arrived with German reinforcements and joined the defense.

• The Liège Fortress commander refused to leave after being wounded and learned that the garrison had suffered heavy casualties.
• General Herbert ordered repeated Allied attacks, but the assaults failed for four days despite an enormous bombardment.
• With fewer than a thousand Germans still able to fight and ammunition nearly exhausted, the commander ordered soldiers to ignite the fortress's remaining TNT if the enemy broke in.
• The Allies launched another attack, but German reinforcements arrived and opened fire on the advancing troops.
• Model lit the commander's cigarette and ordered the soldiers to prepare for battle.

German reinforcements secured Liège Fortress and forced the Allies to withdraw after their assault failed. Model then ordered a surprise counterattack that shattered the Allied lines, and General Herbert died by suicide as his troops retreated.

• General Herbert recognized that the Allied offensive had failed after German reinforcements arrived and ordered his troops to withdraw from Liège Fortress.
• German infantry divisions and a cavalry division arrived at Liège Fortress, strengthening its defenses and crushing the Allied trenches with artillery fire.
• Model and the reinforcing commanders approved Operation Long Knife to attack the withdrawing Allies.
• German cavalry and infantry launched a night assault, routing the exhausted British and French troops and driving them back.
• General Herbert refused to leave headquarters and shot himself; his staff officer ordered the retreat, and German soldiers burned the dead at dawn as the war ended.

After the victory at Liège Fortress, His Majesty Eitel ordered a state funeral for the fallen and insisted that his generals return to the Prussia War Academy after the ceasefire. He then called Field Marshal Hindenburg and told him to come learn what the Allies planned at the Versailles Conference, warning that he had only one choice.

• Rommel reported that the battle for Liège Fortress had ended in victory, and Eitel noted that more than ten thousand soldiers had died.
• Eitel ordered a state funeral for the fallen, and Manstein supported the order and proposed medals for distinguished officers and soldiers.
• Eitel explained that honoring the fallen would strengthen Germany’s position at the Versailles Conference, and Guderian and Rommel apologized for objecting.
• Eitel ordered Guderian, Manstein, and Rommel to return to the Prussia War Academy after the ceasefire, overruling their objections.
• Eitel kept Rommel behind and called Field Marshal Hindenburg, then told him to come learn the Allies’ plans and warned that he had only one choice.

Field Marshal Hindenburg pledged his loyalty to Eitel and returned the imperial command standard and field marshal's baton. After receiving the Allies' invitation to the Versailles Conference, Eitel decided to attend in person with Hindenburg, leaving to negotiate Germany's future.

• Hindenburg reflected on Eitel's leadership and declared that he would follow him for the German Empire.
• Hindenburg sent Eitel the imperial command standard and field marshal's baton.
• Eitel unlocked new army-related national focuses after completing the military authority mission.
• Rommel delivered the Allies' invitation for Eitel to attend the Versailles Conference and reported that an American would discuss a grain sale contract.
• Eitel ordered Rommel to prepare his car and summoned Hindenburg to accompany him to Versailles.

Emperor Eitel set out for the Versailles Conference amid German crowds who hailed him for the victory at Liège and his leadership. He promised to bring peace and ensure every household could eat bread and drink milk, leaving with the people’s support and their hopes resting on him.

• Eitel left the Berlin City Palace as citizens cheered, while Guderian asked Rommel and Manstein why the Emperor was so popular.
• Rommel and Manstein praised Eitel’s leadership, describing how he had revived factory production, supplied the front, and secured a grain sales contract with the Americans.
• Eitel reflected that public support gave him power, but recognized that Germans lacked both food and hope and wanted the war to end.
• Eitel raised his marshal’s baton and told the crowd he was going to the Versailles Conference to bring peace to Europe.
• Eitel promised that after the war every German household would have bread and milk, then departed as the crowd cheered him.

Eitel traveled to Versailles for the peace conference, telling Rommel he intended to unite Europe under German rule and make Germany a world-spanning power. He arrived at the conference with Hindenburg and Rommel and entered the room to face the hostile Allied representatives.

• Eitel told Rommel that a united Europe would end its wars and that he would lead Germany to create an empire spanning the world.
• Rommel was captivated by Eitel’s vision and pledged to give everything to fulfill his wishes.
• Eitel arrived in Versailles, where Hindenburg briefed him on the Allies’ stance and promised to shoulder their pressure.
• Eitel, Hindenburg, and Rommel entered the conference room as reporters photographed them and the assembled delegates watched with hostility.
• A greeter directed the German representatives to their seats.

Eitel challenged the Allies’ proposed peace terms, refusing to accept Germany’s unconditional surrender and warning that the German Empire had not lost. The negotiations ended with Eitel questioning whether the Allies could sustain the war.

• Eitel refused to sit in the shabby chairs until the Allies replaced them.
• Eitel read the peace terms and objected when he saw that they demanded Germany’s unconditional surrender.
• Eitel began to leave, but David Lloyd George persuaded him to stay and discuss the demands.
• George listed the Allies’ demands, including reparations, military and territorial restrictions, and the surrender of war criminals.
• Eitel declared that Germany had not lost, and Clemenceau argued that the Allies could continue the war with their army and logistics.
• Eitel questioned whether the Allies’ logistics could truly sustain them in a continued war.

Eitel argued that the Allied peace terms were too harsh and appealed for an armistice that would not sacrifice the German people. Prime Minister George agreed to discuss revisions, while Clemenceau opposed Eitel’s proposals; the negotiations remained unresolved.

• Eitel cited the strain of supply lines and growing antiwar sentiment as reasons for the Allies to pursue peace.
• Eitel described the suffering he had witnessed and said Germany wanted peace but would not accept terms at the German people’s expense.
• Clemenceau accused Germany of causing the war, but Prime Minister George offered to discuss changes to the treaty.
• Eitel demanded that Germany’s territory remain undivided, prompting Clemenceau to insist that Germany be split and George to defer the dispute for further discussion.
• Eitel objected to reparations of 132 billion gold marks but accepted military disarmament, the end of compulsory conscription, and the dismantling of military factories.

Eitel explained that Germany could accept demilitarization while preserving military readiness and rebuilding its arms industry when needed. At the peace conference, he agreed in principle to France reclaiming Alsace and Lorraine but demanded payment for German investments and safe passage for the German inhabitants.

• Hindenburg challenged Eitel's agreement to the demilitarization treaty, and Eitel explained his plans for the soldiers, officer training, and an Imperial Research Institute.
• Eitel told Hindenburg that Germany could rebuild arms production from its blueprints and planned to acquire undeveloped mineral deposits and oil fields.
• At the next day's conference, George said the Allies accepted most of Eitel's proposals but left France's objections for Clemenceau to raise.
• Clemenceau demanded Alsace and Lorraine, along with demilitarized zones in the Rhineland and other areas, and Eitel agreed to discuss returning the regions.
• Eitel demanded payment for Germany's industrial and mining investments and insisted that France safely escort the German people in Alsace and Lorraine back to Germany.

Eitel, Clemenceau, George, and Wilson negotiated Lorraine’s industrial assets, reparations, and Germany’s military limits. The leaders agreed to value Lorraine’s facilities at thirty billion gold marks and halve reparations, while leaving the High Seas Fleet’s fate undecided.

• Eitel demanded fifty billion gold marks for Lorraine’s industrial facilities and the repatriation of Germans, prompting Clemenceau to collapse after protesting.
• George intervened, urging both sides to compromise and arguing that Eitel’s proposed valuation was excessive.
• Eitel lowered the valuation to thirty billion gold marks and asked about reducing Germany’s reparations.
• George proposed halving reparations to sixty-three billion gold marks, with thirty billion for Lorraine offsetting France’s share, and called for limits on Germany’s navy and a ban on its air force.
• Eitel accepted the proposal in principle but said he would consult his ministers about the High Seas Fleet and asked for understanding over repayment.
• Wilson, George, and Clemenceau each agreed to the proposal, leaving Clemenceau isolated at the negotiations.

At the assembly, Britain and France ignored Italy’s territorial proposal and divided Germany’s overseas colonies. Eitel accepted the treaty without objection after realizing the few colonies left to Germany included mineral-rich New Guinea, giving him resources for his future plans.

• Wilson felt humiliated as Britain and France dismissed America’s claim to a share of the spoils.
• The Italian representative raised Italy’s proposal concerning the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, but George, Wilson, and Clemenceau offered him no support.
• The assembly divided Germany’s overseas colonies while Hindenburg and Rommel watched, and Eitel silently endured the proceedings.
• Eitel reviewed the revised treaty and recognized that New Guinea’s undiscovered mineral deposits could provide Germany with valuable resources.
• Eitel declared that he had no objections, and George felt relieved after returning a few less valuable colonies to Germany.

After accepting the peace terms, Eitel calmed Rommel’s anger and sought President Wilson, believing the German Empire needed time and foreign support to rebuild. Eitel offered Wilson the High Seas Fleet, and Wilson asked him to explain the deal.

• After the parliamentary session ended, Eitel returned to his lodgings and heard Rommel insist that Germany should refuse to sign and keep fighting.
• Eitel told Rommel that fighting would bring Germany only ruin and said he would make the other powers pay after gaining time to develop.
• Eitel asked Rommel to arrange a meeting with President Wilson and reasoned that America might support an isolated German Empire.
• Eitel met Wilson, who criticized him for agreeing to peace talks, but Eitel said Germany had no reason to continue the war.
• Eitel offered Wilson the German High Seas Fleet as a major business deal, and Wilson leaned forward and asked for details.

Eitel sold the High Seas Fleet to President Wilson in exchange for money, long-term resource and reconstruction contracts, and a large loan. The next day, Eitel and Rommel arrived at the conference hall for the formal signing ceremony.

• Eitel offered the High Seas Fleet to President Wilson, who proposed five million dollars and twenty-year resource and reconstruction contracts.
• Eitel accepted Wilson’s terms and shook hands with him to seal their partnership.
• Eitel claimed the German Empire was impoverished and asked Wilson for a loan.
• Wilson agreed to lend the German Empire five hundred million dollars at the normal interest rate, and Eitel left with Rommel.
• The next morning, Eitel and Rommel approached the conference hall, where the guards opened the doors for the German representatives.

Eitel signed the Treaty of Versailles despite his reluctance, then returned to Germany and was welcomed by its people. He declared that the peace was only a temporary armistice and vowed that Germany would rise again.

• Prime Minister George opened the Treaty of Versailles signing ceremony as Eitel and the other representatives took their seats.
• Clemenceau mocked Eitel for hesitating, and Eitel signed the treaty while memorizing the faces of the gathered representatives.
• After the ceremony, Wilson solemnly nodded to Eitel, who left with Rommel and Hindenburg.
• Eitel reflected on his role as Germany’s emperor during the train journey and realized he could no longer view history as an observer.
• Manstein led Eitel through cheering crowds in Berlin, where a wounded soldier thanked him for his service.
• Chancellor Max and General Rudolf welcomed Eitel at White Hall, and Eitel called the peace a twenty-year armistice and promised Germany would rise again.