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If you do not have any value add to provide about this thread, please go discussing your other subjects in another place.CM-DS prelude : Somerville for Spartivento
Bye Antonio
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If you do not have any value add to provide about this thread, please go discussing your other subjects in another place.CM-DS prelude : Somerville for Spartivento
To me there's only one way to read it. Even Winston admitted he'd jumped the gun, based on irrational over-reaction to signals from the operation without actually knowing any of the detail. There are pages and pages of material which I may get round to posting, but the bottom line is that even though Lord Cork's Board of Enquiry exonerated Somervile and he unofficially wrote to him saying the criticism was disgraceful, the Board of Admiralty still continued to say the Commander of Force H was at least partially at fault. Keeping on the right side of the PM.Alan Hillgarth, * who's just been home dined with me last night. He has been at Chequers for the weekend. Asked Winston why a Board of Inquiry had been ordered on me and all Winston said was "My boy, mistakes are often made in war." You can take that answer either way. After dinner I got a signal that Bismarck and Hipper were out [sic] were out........
and to the same correspondent on 13th July P285By the way I found out what was in the famous letter which had to be retrieved unopened. It was to inform me that Bobbie Harwood would be relieving me. Apparently that was decided last September! In due course the letter was sent and someone woke up to the fact that it would be associated with the 27th November and in view of the Board of Inquiry that would not do. So that's why it was recalled so hurriedly. I also hear that Tom P[hillips] is the one who is striving so desperately to get rid of me and understand he's sick as mud about Genoa ie it was not someone else who did the job. Well as you know I don't care a raspberry and if they've got a better bloke for Force H, then send him out quick.......
Of course, if subtle Pound let Winston have his way and it backfired, then maybe the former First Lord would mind his own business, but the effect on the troops' morale- Somerville and his subordinate captains, was destructive and did not "ginger them up" at all. However a political advantage in a fight with the PM was hardly worth such damage to general morale so Pound would surely have been less keen to do the same over Leach and Wake-Walker even if Winston had learned nothing from the earlier reverse.Syfret has joined me temporarily and from talks I've had with him it's abundantly clear that Winston was at the bottom of your affair and mine too! I told Syfret what we objected to was the fact that our brother Admirals did not have the guts to stand up to W even when they knew something quite unfair and improper was being done...........