Wilhelm II, German Emperor after his consent had been gained that major changes to the high command could be effected. Wilhelm was in favour of the dismissal of Helmuth von Moltke the Younger in September 1914 and his replacement by Erich von Falkenhayn. In 1917, Hindenburg and Ludendorff decided that Bethman-Hollweg was no longer acceptable to them as Chancellor and called upon the Kaiser to appoint somebody else. When asked whom they would accept, Ludendorff recommended Georg Michaelis, a nonentity whom he barely knew. The Kaiser did not know Michaelis, but accepted the suggestion. Upon hearing in July 1917 that his cousin George V
SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II and the removal of some of her searchlights. While the ship was laid up, "Admiral" Hans von Koester replaced Hoffmann as the fleet commander, a position he would hold until the end of 1906. The annual training routine began at the end of March 1901 with squadron exercises in the Baltic. On the night of 1–2 April, "Kaiser Friedrich III" ran hard aground on the Adlergrund, a shoal to the east of Cape Arkona, and "Kaiser Wilhelm II" lightly brushed the bottom. After a short inspection, it was determined that "Kaiser Wilhelm II" was undamaged, and so Prince Heinrich transferred