Q&A · 2:35:37-2:38:24

What replacing Beatty before Jutland could change

A choice of historical interventions favors changing Beatty and his staff before Jutland, with possible consequences for later command experience.

Question

Which intervention would you choose: replace Beatty before Jutland, put Ernest King in charge of ordnance before the Mark 14, or remove L. Ron Hubbard in 1941?

Short answer

Replace Beatty before Jutland, because changing the commander and staff could alter both the battle and the later experience of the officers involved.

Notes

Replacing Beatty before Jutland is the preferred intervention because his staff would change with him, potentially resolving several problems in the battle. Different experiences for the officers involved could also affect their later careers and decisions. The alternative of putting Ernest King in charge of the Bureau of Ordnance draws concern about moving him away from aviation and burdening him with that bureaucracy. A more limited suggestion is to have him test whether air-dropped torpedoes actually work, then use his reaction to drive action. These are counterfactual choices rather than a demonstration that either appointment would guarantee a particular outcome.