Somerville had returned from medical retirement because the Royal Navy needed his signals, electronics, and radar expertise. He then helped at Dunkirk and commanded Force H at Mers-el-Kebir before facing renewed doubts from Churchill about whether he was aggressive enough. After Cape Spartivento, Churchill and Lord Cork and Orrery pressed toward a court martial until Andrew Cunningham threatened to resign and defend Somerville. Questioning Somerville's fitness also exposes the institutional problem: an overstretched navy had recalled him because it possessed very few credible alternatives for Force H.
Notable Point · 8:31-10:28
Somerville, Churchill, and command confidence
The controversy after Cape Spartivento exposes tension between Churchill's demand for aggression and the Royal Navy's limited pool of suitable senior commanders.