Real time Discusion thread

Western Front: British Expeditionary Force Commanded to follow French Orders

France had always been the senior partner on the Western Front, and the British Expeditionary Force could be sensitive about maintaining their independence. Thus it came as a shock when Prime Minister David Lloyd George, during a conference in Calais, suggested that Field Marshal Sir Douglas Haig should come under the command of French army chief Robert Nivelle. This meant subjugating Britain’s biggest army to their ally; Haig and his generals almost revolted.

Lloyd George’s reasons were personal as much as strategic, and the whole affair was conducted with the secrecy of a plot. He and Haig disliked each other, and David Lloyd George laid the blame for Britain’s large butchers bill in 1916 at Haig’s feet. Haig complained that he was insulted to have to serve under a “junior, foreign commander”. If vanity was partly to blame, Haig did have a strategic point. Nivelle had planned a spring offensives which he promised would “win the war”, but in the meantime Germany’s army had withdrawn to a totally new defensive position, the Hindenburg LIne, yet Nivelle refused to alter his plan. Reluctantly, however, Haig agreed to coordinate with Nivelle, provided he had the right to object to London over French orders.

Rear-Admiral Charles Vaughan-Lee, Director of Air Services, published a paper today for the Joint Air War Committee. In it he outlines that the first priority of the RNAS is not to support the fleet or engage in anti-submarine duties, but ‘To attack the enemy’s fleets, dockyards, arsenals, factories, air sheds, etc., from the coasts, whether the coasts be the enemy’s or own.’

British armed merchant cruiser HMS ALCENTARA, 15,831, a former passenger liner, on her way to rendezous with fellow AMC HMS Andes near the Shetland Islands when she encounters German merchant raider SMS GRIEF, 9,900 tons, herself a converted freighter, flying the Norwegian flag and bearing the name Rena. Captain Wardle orders the unknown ship to heave to. Wardle sends a boarding party in a boat to investigate. When the boat is near GRIEF changes flags and opens fire, hitting the boat. She then fires on ALCENTARA, damaging her stearing gear. ALCENTARA returns fire. GRIEF hits ALCENTARA with a torpedo. Within fifteen minutes both ships are on fire and sinking. Captain Wardle orders Abandon Ship and at 1100 ALCENTARA goes down. Light cruiser HMS COMUS and destroyer HMS MUNSTER find SMS GRIEF stationary and abandoned, and sink the crippled raider. Estimates of British losses vary between 69 and 72, with 190 to 230 Germans lost.