Eighty years ago, the move of a fighting general to home command and a sweep of potential Quislings point to fear of an imminent invasion

The change in government and the growing military debacle in France triggered major changes at the top of the British Army. General Sir William ("Tiny") Ironside was moved from being Chief of the Imperial General Staff to command of home forces. Ironside was, and was seen as, a battlefield soldier so the demotion from the top job in the army after a brief tenure was not in itself a disgrace. Ironside would anyway by far have preferred the command of the BEF to being made CIGS. Moreover the move flagged a clear expectation that his fighting skills would be required to meet a German invasion. He was succeeded as CIGS by General Sir John Dill who had been commander of home forces before the war and was rather seen as having been passed over for the top job then. Both men were near retirement age and neither appointment was set to last. Amidst great constitutional acrimony King Leopold of Belgium took personal command of the Belgian armed forces and surrendered them unc