The Plans Division [1] was the former war preparation and wartime strategic planning arm of the Admiralty Department from 1917 to 1964, The division originally became the main policy advisory and formulating body to the Chief of the Naval Staff.[2] It later came under the supervision of the Assistant-Chief of the Naval staff (Policy).
Division overview | |
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Formed | 1917 |
Preceding Division | |
Dissolved | 1964 |
Superseding agency |
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Jurisdiction | Government of the United Kingdom |
Headquarters | Admiralty Building Whitehall London |
Division executive |
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Parent Division | Admiralty War Staff, Admiralty Naval Staff |
When it transferred to the Navy Department (Ministry of Defence) it was renamed the Plans and Resources Division until 1971 it then became the Directorate of Naval Plans.
The Plans Division was established on 28 September 1917 it evolved out of the earlier Plans Section (Section 16) [3] of the Operations Division of the Naval Staff. Admiral Sir John Jellicoe, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff whose view was that plans and operations as functions should be separate and distinct.[4] The division existed until 1964 when the Admiralty department was abolished and its functions merged within a new Ministry of Defence and re-emerged as the Plans and Resources Division that was headed by the Director of Plans and Resources.
Responsibilities
The Plans Division would cover a far wider remit than devising the making of operational plans. Long-term policy in regards to the composition of all commands, fleets and squadrons were within its responsibility, continual projecting of naval construction programs were also another duty, however the procedures for planning was always in a constant state of modification due to the significance of changes from one aspect of the war at sea to another.
The business of the plans division was also closely coordinated with that of the Intelligence Division[5] as vital information about the enemy's perceived intentions or actions adversely affected both the preparation of and execution of all plans. This usually consisted of the day-to-day, even hour-to-hour communiques, reports and assessments regarding the actions and movements of every one of the enemy's assets. The scale and complexity was enormous in that it had to cover all the oceans and seas of the world, and that it might affect every British and Allied warships and merchantmen at sea this information in turn passed to the division who had to anticipate and plan contingencies for these types of changes.
Although the division prepared all naval plans the director was also a member of the (Joint Planning Committee) that included the directors of plans from the Army and Air force,[6] they collectively advised the Chiefs of Staff on all inter-Service planning problems. Only a low percentage of plans created received, for one reason or another, the Board of Admiralty's and First Sea Lord's approval; however strategic planning to anticipate every conceivable outcome had to be conducted, because a sudden requirement for an emergency plan might arise, this was particularly the case during both world wars.
As of 1917:[7]
Included:[8]
Included:[8]
Notes:Incomplete list, the division always had two assistant directors this is indicated where appointment dates overlap below they included:[9]
A more detailed breakdown of the distribution of work allocated within the division to the various staff sections can be seen below.
As of 1917:[12]
Section | Admiralty Room | Responsibility |
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(A) | (A.D.P.D) | Devise and prepare (all plans of operation both defensive and offensive) |
(B) | (A.D.P.D) | Determine (quantity and arrange for the provision of material to carry out plans.) |