On 31 May 1916, the Battle of Jutland was fought in the North Sea between the British under John Jellicoe against the Germans under Reinhard Scheer during the First World War.
Why did it happen?
In the years leading up to the First World War, public interest in naval affairs within the British Empire was at its height. German naval expansion triggered an expensive arms race between the two countries to build bigger and better battleships to fight another decisive naval engagement in the spirit of the Battle of Trafalgar. Britain and France decided to split responsibility for naval defence in case of war, with Britain looking after the English Channel and North Sea while France protected the Mediterranean Sea. When the First World War broke out in 1914, the British navy comprised 52 dreadnoughts and battlecruisers, outnumbering the German navy of 34 warships. While the German navy was unwilling to risk a set-piece naval battle, the British found it challenging to blockade German ports due to submarines, mines, and torpedo boats. The German strategy was to weaken the British navy by piecemeal sinkings until their numbers were low enough to engage and defeat in battle. However, Admiral Sir John Jellicoe's caution ensured this didn’t happen. Four months after Reinhard Scheer became German Admiral in January 1916, Jellicoe successfully lured the German High Seas Fleet into a large-scale naval battle at Jutland in the North Sea.
Who was involved?
The British navy at Jutland numbered 151 warships: 28 battleships, 9 battlecruisers, 8 armoured cruisers, and 106 torpedo boats. While David Beatty led the battlecruisers, John Jellicoe led the main fleet. The British plan at Jutland was to engage the German navy in a decisive encounter by “Crossing the T” of the German fleet to bring all their naval guns to bear in an enfilading fire. The German navy at Jutland numbered 99 warships: 16 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 6 dreadnoughts, and 72 torpedo boats. Franz von Hipper led the scouting force of five battlecruisers, followed by Admiral Reinhard Scheer’s main force of 16 battleships and 94 support vessels. The German plan at Jutland was for Hipper’s scouting group “to draw out part of the British Grand Fleet, which would then be surprised and destroyed by the German battleships” (Grant, 2008, p.265). Unbeknownst to the Germans, the British Royal Navy was already at sea and aware of their movements.
What happened?
At 3.42 pm on 31 May, the vanguards of the British and German fleets sighted each other and opened fire. The German warships proved superior to the British, scored many more hits, and sunk two cruisers. By 4.45 pm, David Beatty became aware of the German main fleet under Reinhard Scheer and ordered his forces to turn back towards the British Grand Fleet. At 6.10 pm, the British Grand Fleet arrived and formed a single battle line. At the same time, the German cruisers pursued the surviving British battlecruisers towards the British Grand Fleet. As the British fleet fired upon the German fleet, Scheer and Franz von Hipper disengaged from the British navy under the cover of a smokescreen. As the sun set at 8.15 pm, the German fleet retreated south. Jellicoe ordered a pursuit but couldn’t catch up with the German fleet, who made it back to port. During the battle, the British lost 6,784 killed and 14 warships sunk, while the Germans lost 3,039 killed and 11 warships sunk.
What changed as a result?
Although the Battle of Jutland ended inconclusively, both sides claimed victory, with Germany claiming a tactical victory for inflicting heavier casualties on the British. In contrast, Britain claimed a strategic victory for keeping the German navy blockaded in their ports for the duration of the war. In the immediate aftermath of the battle, the British public was bitterly disappointed at the performance of the Grand Fleet, having expected a naval victory on par with Trafalgar. In contrast, the Germans were overjoyed and replaced their surface warships with mines, submarines, and U-boats, with Germany resuming its unrestricted submarine warfare on 1 February 1917. Britain was initially slow to adopt a convoy system until May 1917, when the phasing in of convoys reversed the trend, and the United States entered the war against Germany. The German fleet was eventually scuttled by its crews in protest of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
Bibliography
Grant, R.G. Battle At Sea: 3,000 Years of Naval Warfare. New York, Dorling Kindersley, 2008.
Natkiel, Richard. Atlas of 20th Century Warfare. London, Bison Books, 1982.
Westwell, Ian. The Complete Illustrated History of World War I. Wigston, Hermes House, 2012.