 The question as to whether overall control of the expedition lay with Filchner, or with the more experienced Vahsel – he had been second officer on the Gauss Expedition of 1901–03 – had not been satisfactorily resolved, and created a situation of divided command.Factions formed behind these alternative leaders, followed by animosities and threats of violence.König, firmly aligned with Filchner, alleged that he had been shot at; Filchner slept behind locked doors with a loaded pistol by his side, for protection.