Fall Of Giants

Fitz is posted in Paris to liaison between British and French forces. The French government flees Paris as German forces continue to advance. Fitz translates British intelligence gathered by the British Air Force to General Gallieni of the French Army. Intelligence suggests German forces are bypassing Paris. Both men feel that this exposes an unprotected flank of the German force and therefore presents a perfect opportunity to attack. Fitz is ashamed that Britain continues to retreat while France advances, and he decides to tell the French high command of the British army’s movements. Based on Fitz’s advice, General Joffre of the French army visits English headquarters and persuades them to join the attack. Gallieni orders all the city’s taxis to take French troops to the front line; Britain takes three days to march the 25 miles.

Both sides dig trenches near the Belgian town of Ypres. There is immense loss of life on both sides. At the front, British soldiers receive gifts of cigarettes and tobacco from Princess Mary on Christmas day. Fitz receives word that Bea has given birth to a healthy boy. Fitz is shocked that the frontline trenches are empty and sees that soldiers from opposing sides are shaking hands, talking, and playing football. Fitz sees Walter, and the two share a cigar.

The pregnant Ethel lives and works in Aldgate east of London. She works in a crowded workroom with 20 other women sewing British Army uniforms. Conditions are bad and the women’s workdays are long. She speaks to their boss about installing a medical kit for sewing-related injuries.

Ethel becomes a member of the Labor Union. Lady Maud speaks at a meeting of the Labor Union about the need for women to be paid the same as men for the same work. Many men in the audience question Maud in a hostile manner. Maud answers their questions intelligently and congenially. Ethel and Maud, who hadn’t seen each other since Ethel worked at Ty Gwyn, reconnect after the meeting. Ethel sends a letter to Billy (using a code from their childhood) admitting that she is miserable.

In Aberowen, Lev is still determined to make enough money to allow him to reach America. As he has done throughout his life, Lev sets up a gambling scheme. He cheats with Reese, a fellow miner and Aberowen local. The two men fix card games, which they play at the local pub; Lev continues to bet to raise the stakes, allowing Reese to collect winnings, which Lev and Reese share. Unfortunately, a reformed gambler from Lev’s past (now a priest) threatens to expose Lev. Lev takes one last risk to win the rest of the money he needs to afford a ticket to America. Lev and Reese cheat to win a huge hand, and soon after Lev is exposed. Lev grabs his possessions and manages to board a train to London before he is chased down by the angry men whom he cheated out of their money.

Billy travels to London to see Ethel. When Billy reaches Ethel’s home, he hears distressed moaning from inside and breaks down the door. Billy helps Ethel to give birth to a baby boy. Ethel admits to Billy that Fitz is the father of her child.

A British ship, the Lusitania, is torpedoed by Germany. Aboard the ship were 123 American citizens. This creates public outrage in America. American President Woodrow Wilson sends a stern message warning Germany away from sinking more ships with American citizens on board. He hopes a diplomatic response will allow America to stay out of the war.

Gus Dewar, an employee of Woodrow, returns to his hometown of Buffalo on holiday. While at an art lecture, Gus is drawn to Olga Vyalov, the beautiful daughter of the wealthy and powerful Russian businessman Josef Vyalov. He also talks to Rosa Hellman, an articulate journalist, about the delicacy of America’s current predicament in relation to the European war. Rosa intelligently defends Germany’s challenging situation in regard to the blockade: Germany was prohibited from accessing food and supplies by a naval blockade maintained by the Allied powers. When they attempted to retaliate in kind by sinking British vessels, they risked the involvement of the powerful American army and navy.

Gus becomes engaged to Olga, who he is infatuated with. Lev becomes a chauffeur for the powerful Josef Vyalov, and he begins a sexual affair with Olga. Olga becomes pregnant with Lev’s baby. Josef Vyalov, devastated and angry, insists that Lev marry Olga, and Olga calls off her engagement to Gus.

Billy decides to sign up for the army and joins the 8th Battalion of the Welsh Rifles. Dai Union had barely spoken to his son Billy since Billy left their church two years earlier, but he speaks to Billy and hugs him before he leaves to go to war. Billy leaves Aberowen to spend the last of his leave (before he leaves for France) with Ethel in London. Billy has sex with Mildred, Ethel’s lodger.

Elsewhere in London, Maud is arrested for her involvement in a dispute about soldiers’ wives separation allowances. This allowance is only granted to women who display “good behavior” as dictated by government representatives, who often withhold payment to women who are seen fraternizing with the opposite gender or in pubs or dance halls. Maud and Ethel manage a newspaper called The Soldier’s Wife, which is an anti-war publication that advocates for the rights of women; They are often involved in campaigning on behalf of their readership.

When he arrives in France, Billy is angry to find out that Fitz is the officer in charge of his battalion: The Aberowen Pals. Meanwhile, on the German frontline in France, Walter watches as the British forces appear to be preparing for another offensive. He ponders the difficult situation of German high command, who avoid declaring unrestrained naval warfare on Britain, despite the fact that they are blockaded, to avoid American retaliation.

The British bombard the German’s frontline trenches for 10 days and nights. Walter stealthily approaches the British frontline to ascertain when the inevitable attack from British troops will happen. He is shocked to observe about 16 thousand British troops and allies preparing for an imminent attack.

Fitz and the other commanding officers assure the British troops that the bombardment will have killed all the Germans in the front trenches of the German line, and they would not face any resistance. Instead, when the British are sent into no-man’s-land in orderly lines, they are mowed down by German machine-gun fire and shells. When Billy’s battalion is sent forward, he is shocked to see the ground is littered with the corpses and body parts of British soldiers. Billy leads a small group of men, hopping from shell crater to shell crater, to destroy a German machine-gun nest. When German soldiers begin to advance toward them, the men are forced to abandon the parts of the German front line that were captured. Fitz is badly injured in the battle.

A 16-year-old boy, Owen Bevin, who slipped away from Billy’s division before the fighting began is court-martialed for desertion and sentenced to death.

Ethel decides to take her son, Lloyd, to meet her family in Aberowen. Ethel’s mother and grandfather are excited to see her and to meet Lloyd, but her father, Dai Union, is furious; He insists he has no grandson and refuses to look at Ethel.

Soon after, telegrams arrive at Aberowen from the war office. Families wait, terrified, to see if a telegram telling of the death of a loved one will be delivered to them. In the wake of the devastation, Ethel’s father repairs his relationship with Ethel and accepts her and Lloyd into their family. At a multi-faith service held for the lost sons, brothers, and fathers of Aberowen, Dai Union uses his sermon to criticize the voting system in Britain. He suggests many men died in a war they did not consent to given that almost half of the country is excluded from the vote through the franchise system.

Grigori, by virtue of still being alive, has been elevated to the rank of a non-commissioned officer—a sergeant—within the Russian army. He still must report to superiors from the aristocratic class. When he requests more ammunition for his unit, he is punched in the face and loses a tooth. Katerina has given birth to a son, Vladimir, who is now 18 months old. Grigori writes to Katerina regularly and often reflects on his last night with Katerina; he regrets not having sex with her.

Grigori’s priority as a platoon leader is to preserve the lives of his men rather than following the instructions of higher-ups. He cleverly lags behind with his unit during one battle. A commanding officer encounters Grigori’s unit just as other Russian soldiers appear as they retreat from a group of advancing Austrians. The commanding officer orders Grigori and his men to fire upon the “cowardly deserters” (525). Instead, Grigori shoots the commanding officer and retreats with the other Russians.

Grigori’s platoon is posted back in Petrograd (previously called Saint Petersburg), the city where he lived with Lev and Katerina. The platoon is responsible for defending the tsar. Grigori is shocked by the cost of food and the widespread poverty and hunger in the city. He visits Katerina, who declares her love for Grigori. They have sex, and Grigori becomes a father to Lev’s child, Vladimir.