The summer of 1916 saw the long-deferred confrontation of Germany’s High Seas Fleet and Great Britain’s Grand Fleet in the. The 24 minute animation gives the viewer an overview of the major “chapters” of the battle – the opening battle cruiser action, the Grand Fleet deployment, the Turn Away and the Night Destroyer actions. Just before 2:00 pm the light cruiser Elbing, on the western flank of the German scouting group, sighted the smoke of a small Danish steamer, the N.J. Fjord, on the horizon to the west. In fact, the British welcomed an engagement on the high seas, as they believed that their superior numbers and firepower would strongly favour them in open water. Scheer, did, however, have one more card up his sleeve which he sought to play in 1916. Paperback $19.95 $ 19. 95. The Battle of Jutland. The British still dominated the North Sea, and the Germans had not inflicted sufficient losses on their adversary to stand any chance of victory in a new action against its main fleet. Ships | The Battle of Jutland - Centenary Initiative 15005 page-template,page-template-ship-table,page-template-ship-table-php,page,page-id-15005,ajax_fade,page_not_loaded,,qode-child-theme-ver-1.0.0,qode-theme-ver-9.1.3,wpb-js-composer js-comp-ver-4.11.2.1,vc_responsive While the German main fleet was penned in German ports, this condition was amply fulfilled. Expanded Battle-Space - 200km x 200km battle space, with the North Sea as the back drop. The Battle of Jutland began on the afternoon of May 31, 1916, after a chance encounter in the North Sea between Vice-Admiral Sir David Beatty’s British Battle … The Battle of Jutland was a naval encounter between the Royal Navy's Grand Fleet under Admiral Sir John Jellicoe and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet under Vice-Admiral Reinhard Scheer on 31st May to 1st June 1916. The German High Seas Fleet hoped to weaken the Royal Navy by launching an ambush on the British Grand Fleet in the North Sea. To Jellicoe, Goodenough’s signal came as an illuminating surprise, but, unfortunately, it was not sufficiently detailed. They did not meet again, and, when darkness descended, Jellicoe faced the task of covering Scheer’s possible escape routes—southward directly to the Jadebusen or southeastward to the Horns Reef and then home. The battle involved 250 warships of the British and German navies, and, in terms of combined tonnage of vessels engaged, was the largest naval battle in history. As it turned out, the submarines failed in this function, and the policy was modified to take into account the possibility of attacking the Grand Fleet in separate parts. This was the crisis of the Battle of Jutland. The Battle of Jutland took place between the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet on the 31st May 1916 in the North Sea, off the mainland of Denmark. The British sustained greater losses than the Germans in both ships and men: three battle cruisers, three cruisers, and eight destroyers had been sunk against one battleship, one battle cruiser, four light cruisers, and five torpedo craft lost by the Germans; 6,768 British officers and men had been killed or wounded, against 3,058 officers and men killed or wounded in the High Seas Fleet. The Germans, now outgunned, turned for home. For Jellicoe it was a moment of triumph; for Scheer it was one of unparalleled danger. In late spring 1916, after months of calm in the North Sea following the naval action at the Dogger Bank, the main British and German fleets met in a face-to-face encounter for the first time. A decisive victory in this battle would have either ended WWI or … Battle of Jutland (May 31–June 1, 1916), naval engagement off the west coast of Denmark that was the only major encounter between the main British and German fleets in World War I. It took place during the First World War off the coast of North West Jutland. It was the most vital decision of the battle, and it was taken not a moment too soon. HMS Badger can be seen in the distance as it moves in to rescue survivors, but only six men survived. The Battle of Jutland, fought over two days from 31 May 1916, was the largest sea battle of the First World War. The Battle of Jutland: What if the Germany's Battleships Had Prevailed? It was the bloodiest day in British naval history, and the triumphant publication of such figures in the German press gave a worldwide impression that the Royal Navy had suffered a serious reverse. Ring in the new year with a Britannica Membership, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Jutland, 1914-1918-online - International Encyclopedia of the First World War - Battle of Jutland, National Records of Scotland - Battle of Jutland 1916, History Learning Site - The Battle of Jutland. Visibility had worsened, and smoke lay thick over the seas. Destroyers. While this action was in progress, British Commodore W.E. This is a major new account of the Battle of Jutland, the key naval battle of the First World War in which the British Grand Fleet engaged the German High Seas Fleet off the coast of Denmark in 1916. Jutland Key Features: State of the Art 3d RTS Game Engine - Play full screen or windowed mode. Beatty immediately withdrew northward to lure the enemy toward the rest of the Grand Fleet, the 5th Battle Squadron covering the withdrawal. The Lützow, the Derfflinger, and the battleship König led the line and were under broadside fire from 10 or more battleships, yet their main armament remained undamaged, and they fought back to such effect that one of their salvoes fell full on the Invincible (Hood’s flagship), causing an explosion which tore the ship in half and killed all except six of the crew. A map of the Battle of Jutland, a naval battle fought by the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet against the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet during the First World War.The only full-scale clash of battleships in the war, the Germans intended it to lure out, trap and destroy a portion of the Grand Fleet, as the German naval force was insufficient to openly engage the entire British fleet. Jellicoe’s battleships, steaming in six columns abeam of each other, would need to be deployed in one line before action. Updates? The Germans, giddy from the glory of Scheers brilliant escape, claimed it as a victory for their High Seas Fleet. The Germans, similarly, were well aware of the dangers inherent in a battle with the British Grand Fleet and had no intention of hazarding their ships in such a way. The Germans therefore adopted a divide-and-conquer strategy. Visibility was rapidly worsening, however, and it was 6:14 pm before Jellicoe received a reply to his urgent signal “Where is the enemy battle fleet?” Twenty seconds later he ordered his main battle fleet to deploy on the port wing division, thus giving the British the benefit of what light remained and also cutting the line of Scheer’s retreat. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. For the Royal Navy, command of the seas was of paramount importance. Hipper led his group to sea at 1:00 am on May 31—the van of a fleet of 100 ships manned by approximately 45,000 officers and men. The Battle of Jutland was fought in the North Sea of the Atlantic Ocean, near Denmark. Initial encounters between Beatty’s force and the German High Seas Fleet resulted in the loss of several ships. It re-creates the events of the battle and examines why the number of British warships that … This is not a good book for an introduction to Jutland but is an excellent book for someone who has read several books on Jutland and wants to dive deeper into the battle. As it was, the British trap was sprung prematurely. This is the complete order of battle for the Battle of Jutland fought between 31 May and 1 June 1916. Great Britain and Germany possessed the two most powerful fleets in the world at the time. Instead, their policy had been to keep the High Seas Fleet back and to let the submarines carry out the clandestine work of reducing the Grand Fleet piece by piece until it was sufficiently small for the Germans to face it with some hope of success. It was also the first and only time that the British and German fleets of 'dreadnought' battleships met each other in battle. Alexander-Sinclair, commanding the British 1st Light Cruiser Squadron aboard the Galatea, also saw the Danish ship and steamed off to investigate, accompanied by the light cruiser Phaeton. Cambridge Core - Military History - The Battle of Jutland. For their part, the British were inclined to believe that another fruitless sweep to find the Germans had taken place and that they would soon return to their respective bases. The German plan was simple. The war was between the Imperial German Navy and British Royal Navy. Omissions? Temporarily out of stock. Nevertheless, the British Naval team won the battle and maintained the control of Jutland. The bow and stern of HMS Invincible stick out of the water during the Battle of Jutland. Actual brutal defeat at Jutland might see a faster transfer of command to a far less competent officer (i.e Beatty) and the Royal Navy jetting straight into catastrophe. At first the British press agreed, but the truth was not so clear-cut. The 5th Battle Squadron (left behind by the faster battle cruisers) now joined the British line, and its heavy guns caused such damage to Hipper’s battle cruisers that the German torpedo-boat screen moved in to launch a torpedo attack. Scheer hoped to destroy Beatty’s force before Jellicoe’s arrived, but the British were warned by their codebreakers and put both forces to sea early. At this moment another British battle cruiser, the Queen Mary, blew up with a shattering explosion, having been hit in a main magazine. Some 40 miles (64 km) still separated him from Beatty’s battle cruisers—and how much farther away was the main enemy force? Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. The Germans damaged Beatty’s flagship, HMS Lion, and sank HMS Indefatigable and HMS Queen Mary, both of which blew up when German shells hit their ammunition magazines. At 7:16 pm, therefore, to cause a diversion and win time, he ordered his battle cruisers and torpedo-boat flotillas to virtually immolate themselves in a massed charge against the British. In total, … This battle was fought between the British Royal Navy's Grand Fleet and the Imperial German Navy's High Seas Fleet on 31 May and 1 June 1916, during the First World War.The list is in chronological order of the time of sinking. When it was over, 25 ships were at the bottom of the North Sea and more than 8,500 men were dead, three quarters of them Britons. Only German U-boats (submarines) were capable of jeopardizing the safety of the British merchant fleet, and their success was limited at this stage of the war. Both sides claimed victory: Germany because it had destroyed or damaged more ships, Britain because it … To Jellicoe it was by no means clear what had taken place. The Battle of Jutland, by John Brooks Summary: Overall I liked this book and would recommend it with a few caveats. Scheer reached the security of the Horns Reef minefields at about 3:00 am on June 1. Placing full reliance in the seamanship of his captains, Scheer at 6:36 pm ordered a 180° turn for all ships together (the last ship becoming the leader), and, as the battleships and cruisers steered away in retreat, torpedo boats draped thick smoke screens across their rear. By the time he recovered and regained his position, the High Seas Fleet, believing that a small British force coming from Harwich in the south was the main body of the Grand Fleet, had turned tail and made for home. At 3:48 pm Hipper’s flagship, the Lützow, opened fire, which was promptly returned, but during the next 20 minutes the British line suffered severely: the Lion, the Princess Royal, and the Tiger were hit repeatedly, and the Indefatigable, caught by two salvoes from the Von der Tann, capsized and sank. Beatty’s battle cruisers, with the 5th Battle Squadron in attendance 5 miles (8 km) astern, were reaching the eastern limit of their sweep and would soon turn northward to meet Jellicoe’s force at the rendezvous point. Ships of the German High Seas Fleet, June 1916. Goodenough’s 2nd Light Cruiser Squadron was patrolling south of Beatty’s main force, and at about 4:40 pm Goodenough reported having sighted the main body of the High Seas Fleet. Scheer felt that a more aggressive war policy might prove fruitful, and he soon formulated a plan in accordance with that belief. So long as the German High Seas Fleet was doing no direct harm, the British felt that it was best left alone. The significant fact, however, was that despite these losses the balance of power in European waters was not essentially changed. It lasted two days and involved all the vessels of both fleets. The British lost 14 ships and over 6,000 men, but were ready for action again the next day. It was the only time that the British and German fleets of 'dreadnought' battleships actually came to blows. Today we look at the Battle of Jutland, from the start of the shooting to the end of the battlecruiser action. Miraculously, there were no collisions. HMS Invincible's ammunition magazine exploded after the battlecruiser was hit by German shells. Naval Operations in the Dardanelles Campaign. With Dan Snow, Nick Hewitt, Shini Somara, James Windsor. Jellicoe was informed, and by 10:30 pm—before even the German scouting group had left the Jadebusen (Jade Bay)—the entire British Grand Fleet was at sea, Jellicoe’s force making for a rendezvous with Beatty’s near the entrance to the Skagerrak, fairly across the planned route of the German fleet. This chance meeting was extremely fortunate for the Germans, for Jellicoe’s battle squadrons were still 65 miles (105 km) to the north. Beatty withdrew until Jellicoe arrived with the main fleet. 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