Battenberg's strategy and political vulnerability

The Marksman programme was a British return to the large-destroyer leader after Swift. Work had begun under Louis of Battenberg and continued when Fisher returned as First Sea Lord at the beginning of the war. Battenberg's naval-intelligence background and understanding of logistics and amphibious warfare supported his strengths in global strategy. In this interpretation of his fall, he had bridged rival naval factions during peacetime but failed to recognise that some officers who helped him into office also wanted him removed. The prospect of leading the navy in war gave those rivals a stronger incentive to compete for his position. His strategic ability therefore coexisted with a weakness in domestic politics.