Wartime appointments were constrained by a shrinking pool of experienced senior officers. The Royal Navy and the other services lost officers to death and capture in 1939-40 after investing years in preparing them for high command. Sustained pressure also left some survivors overworked. Admiral James Somerville is given as an example of an officer who, in this assessment, needed a break but did not receive one. A poor appointment could still be blameworthy, although the available pool of rested, trained commanders was limited and the officers had different strengths.
Notable Point · 4:23-5:44
Senior-officer scarcity and overwork
Losses, captures, and exhaustion narrowed Britain's pool of experienced senior officers just as wartime commands multiplied.