Years of continuous operations wore down the Royal Navy's senior command pool, and even comparatively junior admirals were tired. Philip Vian rose from captain in 1939 to vice admiral by 1945. That pace would have appeared exceptional in the peacetime Navy. Wartime promotion brought officers of different ages and seniorities into the same ranks while prolonged command continued to take its toll.
Notable Point · 1:31:54-1:33:27
How wartime promotion reshaped carrier command
Rapid promotion and an exhausted senior-admiral pool changed who led the Royal Navy's late-war carrier forces.