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 der Grosse exercises, "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" won the Kaiser's "Schiesspreis" (Shooting Prize) for excellent gunnery in the I Squadron. In October, the ship was reassigned to the I Division of the II Squadron. In early December, the I and II Squadrons went on their regular winter cruise, this time to Danzig, where they arrived on 12 December. On the return trip to Kiel, the fleet conducted tactical exercises. Over the winter of 1906–07, "Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse" underwent a major overhaul in Kiel, which was completed by the end of April. By this time, the newest s were coming into service;