Originally Posted by
Chugalug2
Commanders were only there because of accident of birth
Largely true, the officer class was alive and well.
and by the same token could not be removed, to a different position that their subordinates were not willing to risk their careers in challenging their decisions, to yet another position that decisions taken at Board level are subject to Group Think, even though all are opposed (bar 2) to what the Group Think states. I am not persuaded by any of those scenarios.
Once at that position they could only be removed by Churchill and it could not be done in the course of that one day.
What we are looking at is a supposed best course of action after careful lengthy deliberation at the Admiralty. Of course the resultant order is sent in the name of the FSL, but the assumption of those receiving it is that is an overall agreed position and not contrary to it.
Quite
You cannot have a situation where one man can imperil thousands of others and millions of tons vital supplies simply because he is unwell, and thus rejects the advice given him by everyone else (bar 1). This is exceptional and requires exceptional response, rather like when Air Marshals issue illegal orders. Your duty then is to kiss goodbye to your career and report them to their superiors. Whether you do or not is the measure of you, not of them.
Equally true, no one argued that that should not be the case but clearly it was.
What we are arguing is that Pound had the power and no one was prepared to challenge it. I would also argue that the powers of command at that time were near absolute.
To come nearer to home and more recent times, we were on a 'mandatory' launch order. In the event that we were required to launch the order would be given by the CinC. Our captain at the time said he would refuse that order. Who would have been right had we been ordered to launch - this was peacetime.