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
Kaiser Friedrich III-class battleship part in extensive training maneuvers in September 1902 with the rest of the fleet. Throughout the maneuvers the "Kaiser Friedrich III"-class ships operated as the opposing force, with the exception of "Kaiser Wilhelm II". As the fleet flagship, "Kaiser Wilhelm II" hosted Wilhelm II during several of the mock engagements and served as the observation point for the senior staff. Between 1907 and 1910, the ships of the class were heavily rebuilt, with the exception of "Kaiser Karl der Grosse". During the modernization, the ships had their superstructures cut down. Four 15 cm guns and one torpedo tube were also