A doctrinal reconstruction placed Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse in Britain as commander of the South Atlantic task force, with Air Vice-Marshal Sir John Curtiss and Major General Jeremy Moore as his air and land deputies. Vice Admiral Derek Reffell would deploy as theater commander above Sandy Woodward and Michael Clapp, while Vice Admiral Peter Herbert continued to direct submarines from Britain because the forward ships lacked suitable long-range communications. Reffell had previously held the specialist amphibious appointment and could have operated from a command-capable ship such as HMS Bristol or a County-class destroyer. This arrangement would leave Woodward free to fight the carrier group and Clapp to run the amphibious force while the senior officer coordinated with submarines, politicians, and the other task groups.
Chapter · 32:21-35:28
The planned theater layer above carriers and landings
The doctrinal structure placed Derek Reffell forward to coordinate the carrier and amphibious groups while Peter Herbert retained submarine control from Britain.