THE BATTLE OF THE JUTLAND
The Hochseeflotte (fleet of tall sea) German, pride of imperial Germany, was too for a long time been inactive in its bases in the triangle of Heligoland and many Germans they wondered for what motive you/they were built, at the cost of so many sacrifices, the great battleships, if then these remained in the harbors. In the 1916 assumed avevea the command of the Hochseeflotte the admiral von Scheer, a creature of the great admiral Von Tirpiz. It seemed impossible that the new commander, grown to the shade of the "father" of the German fleet, he also resigned him to the usual inactivity. But the admiral von Scheer already had in mind his/her plan. He intended to take back his/her episodes against the British coasts, but these operations didn't have to be thin to itself same.
The purpose was that to attract out of the "nests of eagle" of the Orcadis, of Cromarty Firth, of Rosyth the big one of the fleet English, to bring her/it between benches of mines and groups of submersibles in trap and finally to attach her/it. The mines and the torpedos had to reestablish the equilibrium (till now everything to advantage of the British), before the decisive fight among the two fleets of high ground. In the afternoon of 30 May of 1916 all the Germanic commanders were called to relationship on the respective flagships in the bases around Heligoland. Returned on board the captains they didn't tell an only word the incuriositis you equip, but after the sunset, the was orderly "sets of fight." To the first lights of the dawn the German fleet went out toward the open sea: at first the squadrons of the destroyer, the so-called ones "black Hussars"; then the light cruisers; then surrounded by the fast torpedinieres admiral Hipper's five modern battle cruisers,: the Lutzov. The Deerflinger, the Seydlitz, the Moltke and the Von der Tan: they will be the first ones to enter fight, those that will inflict the most greater losses to admiral Jellicoe's British fleet. And they finally went out the sixteen battleships of the admiral von Scheer, followed from you are her old ships of the class "Deutschland", united very slow and few protected that an untrustworthy ball will be revealed to the foot during the whole battle. In the misty day the Germanic fleet proceeded toward north, along the German coasts at first then Danish. Never so many ships germanichesis were inclined so much away from their bases of the Sea of the North. But despite the secret with which the Germans had surrounded their preparations, something had slipped out, so that the same 30 May the British admiralty had been able to take his/her first countermeasures.
In the distant 1914 the Russian had sunk the German light cruiser Magdeburg and narrow among the hands of a dead body you/they had found a code of signals. Realized the importance of the recovery, the Russian had sent to London the precious publication and the English you/they had done good use of it, succeeding in deciphering a part of the messages radio hostile. The German admiralty, despite the secret observed by the British on the recovery, he had suspected something, because the Germanic cruisers, in their offensive episodes toward the coasts English, found almost always, in the parts of the objective, a hostile naval strength. They had, therefore doubled the precautions, often changing the codes and reducing to the least one the radio communications. But by now the service information of the British admiralty, were, for so to say, entered in the hostile system and despite the changes he/she always succeeded in understanding something.
This way the 30 May of 1916 the admiralty could inform admiral Jellicoe's Grand Fleet that the hostile fleet was about to take the sea. The evening of the same day the British fleet was assembled sixty east miles of the Scottish coast, ready for every eventuality.
Never in the history two so mighty naval strengths were seen the one the other. That British however, it overcame for number, for speed and for power that German. The battle ships of the admiral Jellicoe were 28 against the 16 more the 6 old Deutschland of von Scheer. The speed of the dreadnoughtses English it was of 20 knots for the more lens and of 25 for the fastest (class Queen Elizabeth). The fastest German battleships reached at the most the 21 knots (the 6 Deutschlands didn't reach the 16). To the 144 guns from 305 and to the 100 from 230 mms. of the German fleet, that English opposed 48 from 381 mms. (class Queen Elizabeth), 10 from 355, 142 from 340 and 144 from 305. A broadside English equivaleva to 180.000 steel kilograms and of explosive launched on the hostile ships, that German to 86.500 kilos. The English were also superior in the field of the light shipping.
To the 14.30 of May 31 the big one of the German fleet was found to around 55 miles offshore the coast of the Jutland, to the height of the 56° parallel and you/he/she was preceded from of 57 miles toward north from the group esplorante of the admiral Hipper, of which you/they made part the 5 battle cruisers. The big one of the Grand Fleet to the same time, was to around 80 north west miles of the team of Hipper and you/he/she was preceded in turn, 64 southeast miles from his/her avant-garde, commanded by the admiral beatty, strong, besides, of 4 battle ships of the type Queen Elizabeth (Barham, Valiant, Malaya, Warspite) and of 6 battle cruisers (Queen Mary, Lion, Tiger, Princess Royal, Indefatigable and New Zeland). The two avant-garde were found approximately on the same parallel, 57° and distavano among them 40 miles.
At 14.20 o'clock the British light cruiser Galatea sighted and signalled two hostile torpedinieres, attracted in the zone by the smoke of a Danish merchantman. All the other British light cruisers, that formed a thin screen of protection around admiral Beatty's strength directed toward the Galatea that, 8 minutes after the signaling, it opened the fire against the hostile ships that appeared one after the other to the horizon.
Before setting sail the admiral Jellicoe you/he/she had imparted to Beatty the order of precerlo in direction of Heligoland of 65 miles; to maintain this rout up to the 14 and to less than not to have met hostile unity to return back up to visual distance from the mastergroup of the battleships. This would be moved then toward east and Beatty you/he/she would have effected another episode toward south. It was, in short, a raking in great style of the Sea of the North. A po ’of time was lost because distracted by the smoke of merchantmen and fishing-boats; at 14.15 o'clock the admiral Beatty had already imparted the order to reverse the rout and for first the battle ships had performed him. When the message of the Galatea the whole group of Beatty came, to exclusion of the shipping of escort, you/he/she was already sailing toward north.
While the light cruisers fougt between them, it appeared, behind those German, a long cloud of black smoke; it was the sure sign of the to draw near of an imposing naval strength and they were in fact the battle cruisers of Hipper. The admiral Beatty, to avoid that once more the German fleet it escaped the fight, without attending the return of his/her 4 superbattleships of the class Queen Elizabeth, it directed toward southeast, in the intention of tagliar the road to the group of Hiper. These, realized in turn the consistence of the team of Beatty, it maneuvered for attracting her/it under the fire of the battle ships that they followed him/it. In this way the two hostile teams him trovaron to sail on two parallel files to around 14 kilometers the one from the other.
At 15.45 o'clock the Lutzov opened the fire on the English Lion, they were the two leader. The Lion responded and immediately later also the other 5 British battle cruisers and the 4 Germans opened the fire. The first ship to be stricken, but without excessive damages, it was the Lion. Few minutes after the Princess Royal it struck the Lutzow. To the 16 the Von der Tan succeeded in putting 3 hits of one "hi" of 4 on the indefatigable that jumped in air. Twenty-five minutes later it was the time of the Queen Mary which, contemporarily centered by the "hi" of the Seydlitz and of the Deerflinger, him incendiva and in the turn of a miuto it literally jumped in air bringing with itself 1204 men. A pathetic detail: a great and pacific "three trees" with all the explained sails and immobilized by the calm, he/she remained during this clash fral and two hostile teams.
The Lion, on which the admiral Beatty was found, came also in the meantime seriously damaged by one "salute" of the Lutzow, that destroyed one of his/her turrets. To this point the situation he did criticism for the English. Come into contact with the enemy in a situation of clean advantage, after 45 minutes of fight they had lost 2 ships and they had a stricken bystander of it, while the German cruisers had not suffered some serious damage. After a few minutes also the Princess Royal disintegrated him, centered by one "salute" hostile.
At 16.10 o'clock they came on the team of Hipper the first brooms of the 4 British battleships of the class Queen Elizabeth, you return back in help of the cruisers. If their return had been more prompt, the team of Hipper would hardly be escaped the deadly fire of the 381 British; instead, shooting from well 16 kilometers of distance the fire of the battleships English it was not very precise.
At 16.35 o'clock the admiral Beatty sighted the long line of the battleships of von Scheer that came on the place of the fight. Beatty immediately ordered to his/her ships to reverse the rout and to go himself/herself/themselves toward the big one of the Grand Fleet; Hipper, feeling himself/herself/itself by now sure, having of stern the big ships of von Scheer, it followed him/it aiming toward north. From both the parts he kept on shooting and also the German battleships of the class Koenig had entered action. But, the moment of the sunset approaching himself/herself/itself, the English were favorite in the operations of aim, having the sun to the shoulders while the Germans had him/it against. The Kurfuerst, the Markgraf and the Koenig repeatedly came stricken, but the excellent corazzatura them protesse from every serious damage both to the artilleries that to the cars.
At 16.15 o'clock it appeared of bow to the ships of von Scheer, in a big semicircle of fire, the whole Grand Fleet. The commander in German head thought that to make to face to his ships the concentric fire of the greatest fleet English would have been suicidal and definite to break away from the enemy. In the meantime the German cruiser Wiesbaden, with the cars in damage, you/he/she was taken under the fire of a lot of hostile ships, while at 16.31 o'clock the Germanic Deerflinger, one of the cruisers of Hipper, the true heroes of the battle, struck with a salute the big cruiser English Invincible, that sank in few seconds bringing with itself in the abysses 1020 of the 1026 men of the crew.
At 16.35 o'clock the amiraglio von Scheer ordered to the torpedinieres to launch him on the enemy; contemporarily it made to complete to each of his/her ships, at that time on-line of line, a right-hand conversion of 180°. It was found therefore to sail toward southwest, toward the coasts English, since the preceding rout was for northeast. Jellicoe meanwhile you had gotten further at first toward west, to avoid the attack of the torpedo ones toward south, was directed then for cutting to von Scheer the road of house. At 19.20 o'clock the German commander changed again rout, aiming toward east and therefore on the enemy. In the relationship done after the battle von Scheer it said that the practically intact fleet having and being stopped the pressure of the enemy, it had the impression that the battle didn't have to end in that way and that pits his to have to look for again the contact.
The historical English don't think it this way. They believes that von Scheer has malgiudicato the disposition of the component teams the British formation and that he believed with that approached to fall on the last ships of the hostile fleet, to cross her and to regain a rout verse his/her own bases, to east of that held by the English.
And instead it happened really on the center of the formation avversaria, that sailed in groups toward south of division. Because of the haze the sighting relatively happened to brief distance and the battle ships immediately opened a terrible fire, especially on the usual battle cruisers of Hipper which, with the battleship Koenigs, were to the state-of-the-art one. The Lutzow, repeatedly stricken, it skidded and him appruava fearfully, while a group of hunting covered him/it with a smoke curtain. The Seydlitz had a fire to bow. And once more Scheer it pushed forward the torpedo ones and it gave the order "battle cruisers on the enemy." The unbelievable battle cruisers of Hipper, although harshly tried already, they launched on the ships of Jellicoe as a regiment of cavalry to the position. Between them the Seydlitz that had already boxed a torpedo and 4 hits of big caliber. The admiral Hipper had passed meanwhile from the Lutzow on board of the Deerflinger, with all the survivors of the cruiser by now firm. The wreckage definitely came then sunk with 2 torpedos by the same Germans. To the left the Germans sighted a group of old cruisers armored English; I taken under the fire of the few artilleries of the ships of Hipper he/she anchors able to shoot, two British unities were struck and in 2 minutes they jumped in air.
The Seydlitz and the Deerflinger, again centered by the big calibers English, they hardly succeeded in shooting some hit. The Seydlitz, with many flooded places, he/she didn't succeed in maintaining the speed. Again stricken on the bridge of command and on the towers, the heroic Seydlitz owed at first accodarsi to the German fleet and then to abandon her/it. He/she will succeed in reaching with the proper half Wilhelmshavens with his/her own means some days after the fight. You/he/she had boxed a torpedo and 24 hits of big caliber. You/he/she was commanded by the captain of vessel Egidy.
The admiral Jellicoe, also this time didn't accept the German challenge, limiting at first himself/herself/itself to maintain under the fire of its battleships the German unities, but getting further himself/herself/itself in front of the threat of the torpedo ones and the cruisers. This tactic of his was worth him in country numerous criticisms. It was said that to the second approached of von Scheer the commander of the Grand Fleet you/he/she would have been able to divide his/her formation, taking so the German fleet among two fires.
Him, instead, showing to fear not so much the guns how much the German torpedos, preferred to break the contact for then to take back the rout toward south. To the 21 two formations sailed on parallel routs, distant few miles the one from the other, in direction of the benches of mines of Heligoland, the German fleet to west and that British to east. For the admiral von Scheer the situation did more and more him dangerous. Toward the 3 of the morning the light would have been enough to open the fire and him he/she didn't want to be himself/herself/themselves to you for you with a fleet so more powerful person for 18 consecutive hours. It owed therefore to pass to east of the British fleet to regain his/her own bases.
At 9.14 o'clock he ordered for radio "south-south-east rout a fourth grade east; speed 16 knots." This meant to make to cross to the blind one the hostile formation: it was a risk that absolutely owed to be raced.
At 10.30 o'clock a German group of explorers came into contact with a team of British light cruisers. The old German cruiser Frauenlob struck by a torpedo sank, while two unities English Dublin and Southampton came seriously stricken. A hour later it was the big one of the Germanic fleet to cross a formation of destroyer nemci, some of which you/they were put out fight both from the German fire, and from the collisions with the biggest ships. Shortly after the midnight the cruiser armored English Black Prince, suddenly finding himself/herself/itself behind the battleships of von Scheer, fulmineamente it came sunk by a broadside of the Thuringen (the German credetteros to have destroyed the Eurydalus).
The last clash happened at 2.10 o'clock when the old German cruiser Pommern was sunk by a torpedo.
The battle of the Jutland, called by the German historians of the "Skagerrak", you/he/she was ended. Passing for the clear of corridors from the south mines of Horn Riffs, the Germanic fleet it reentered in his/her bases; that English, to the height of the 55° parallel, it reversed the rout and once you rake up the waters of the fight looking for possible remained hostile unities shot by the big one of the formation, it made rout toward the harbors of house.
The Germans immediately sang victory and according to the figures you/he/she cannot be given them blame.
You/they had sunk 3 battleships, 3 battle cruisers, 8 destroyer for a total of 115.025 tons.
The English had sunk 1 old cruiseliner, 1 battle cruiser, 4 light cruisers and 5 torpedinieres for a total of 61.180 tons.
The dead English had been 6945 against the 2921 Germans.
But the Grand Fleet was practically intact and the British block had been as before firm.
Refusing to hock seriously the powerful his/her supercorazzates the admiral Jellicoe had abdicated to win a battle but you/he/she had left every perspective of final victory intact.
The proportion among the two fleets had been unchanged and this was the meaning of the victory English.
The German objective was that to finally reopen the street of the Atlantic; to reach him/it von Scheer would have had to inflict strong losses to the British fleet.
He/she didn't succeed us, the longest arm of the artilleries of Jellicoe always held him/it to distance from the supercorazzates English. When the admiral German throwing to the attack the cruisers and the torpedinieres Jellicoe withdrew back him. The tactic was not certain that could thrill in country the descendants of Nelson, but when the war ended it made him a budget of the victory and he/she was seen how much part represented in it the fleet of Jellicoe.
After the Jutland the German fleet went out of its harbors for a fleeting apparition in Atlantic the 19 August of 1916 and then anymore.
Jellicoe had won.
From the analysis of the battle it clearly emerges as the German battle cruisers (on the paper fast and with inferior calibers in the guns of those English) you/they were clearly shown superior to those English sinking them with relative facility and also holding up with exceptional strength the calibers from 381 of the supercorazzares English (you see the extreme case of the Seydlitz).
The same tell him for the German, less heavy but more effective bullets of those English.
The Hochflotte would perhaps have had to retry to go out of his/her own harbors and to force the block and not to die of starvation
THE PROTAGONISTS OF THE BATTLE