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
King George V-class battleship (1939) and Italy, it was supposed by the designers of these battleships that the treaty might not be renewed and the ships of the "King George V" class were designed with this possibility in mind. All five ships saw combat during World War II, with "King George V" and "Prince of Wales" being involved in the action on 24 May to 27 May 1941 that resulted in the German battleship being sunk. Following this on 25 October 1941, "Prince of Wales" was sent to Singapore arriving on 2 December and becoming the flagship of Force Z. On 10 December, "Prince of