In Rudyard Kipling’s report of the Battle of Jutland, he eloquently describes the action on the North Sea. The fighting occurred over two days in the early summer of 1916. Being a staunch supporter of the Allied cause, he describes ‘the adventures of several couples of destroyers who, on the night of May 31, were nosing along somewhere towards the Schleswig-Holstein coast, ready to chop any Hun stuff coming back to earth by that particular road.’
Kipling concludes in typically vivid fashion, remarking that ‘If lost hounds could speak when they cast up next day, after an unchecked night among the wild life of the dark, they would talk much as our destroyers do.’
Such words set the scene for what proved to be an iconic battle in the history of naval warfare.
The British Royal navy, commanded by Admiral John Jellicoe and assisted by Admiral David Beatty, were pitted against the German Navy’s High Seas Fleet, who were led by Admiral Reinhard Scheer with the support of Admiral Franz Ritter von Hipper.
Admiral John Jellicoe
In terms of the physical commitment of both navies, the battle represented a considerable engagement. The German fleet held 16 dreadnought and 5 pre-dreadnought battleships, 5 battle cruisers, 11 light cruisers and 61 fleet torpedo boats. On the other side, the superior Royal Navy consisted of 28 battleships, 9 battle cruisers, 8 armoured cruisers, 26 light cruisers, 78 destroyers, 1 minelayer, and 1 seaplane.
In these terms, the engagement ranked as one of the largest naval battles in history.
The battle itself was a complex affair. Hipper commanded a smaller scouting group of battlecruisers, whose intention was to lure the British fleet toward Scheer’s larger contingent, which was waiting further afield.
Given that a loss would have been catastrophic for the British, Jellicoe adopted a cautious approach in engaging with the Germans. As Churchill later stated, he ‘was the only man on either side who could have lost the war in an afternoon.’
Map of the Battle of Jutland
This was at odds with the aggressive mentality of Beatty, who found himself falling into the German trap. With the battle now underway, much destruction occurred and it seemed as though the British were progressively gaining the upper hand.
However, the Germans managed to retreat under cover of darkness during the night, eventually returning home on June 1. In this case, the leadership of Jellicoe could be called into question, as he missed the opportunity to seize outright victory.
The Battle of Jutland proved to be the only major naval engagement of World War I. In claiming victory, the German side could point to the British incurring heavier losses. However, following the battle, the German high command was no longer inclined to engage directly with the Royal Navy, whose overarching strength had been established.
HMS Warspite and HMS Malaya during the Battle of Jutland
Arguably, this led to the German’s reliance on submarine warfare, which in turn precipitated the entry of the United States into the Great War. This, of course, had a profound impact on the outcome of the overall conflict. Ultimately, how one weighs tactical and tangible triumph is critical when assigning victory one way or the other.
Join Patrick and his panel of experts as they share their insight into this iconic naval battle.
Which side can truly claim victory? What was the dynamic between Jellicoe and Beatty? And how did this naval battle impact the remainder of World War I?
Listen in as Patrick as his panel discuss these questions and other topics related to the Battle of Jutland.
