The earlier Battle of Schoneveld exposed the weakness of the allied command arrangement. Rupert changed his squadron's order without signalling the wider fleet, while the French and English squadrons attempted to preserve incompatible positions. Their efforts to stay in the prescribed order instead produced a confused race among allied formations. The comparison with Oliver Cromwell is deliberately pointed: whatever else could be said about him, he communicated clearly with subordinates and kept control of his force. Schoneveld shows how a numerical advantage can be squandered when commanders cannot communicate a shared plan.
Notable Point · 8:13-9:46
Schoneveld exposes the allied command problem
Prince Rupert's unsignalled change of fleet order at Schoneveld illustrates how coalition command could produce confusion before Texel.