Featured Video: The Battle of Jutland
From Old TV Documentary Series World War I
This Web cut (4:17) omits the opening phase of the battle, the Run to the South and Run to the North involving the clash of German and British battlecruisers, and Beatty's leading the German High Seas Fleet under the guns of his own country's battle fleet. Other inaccuracies in the script include: Beatty did not keep Jellicoe informed of the German battle fleet's whereabouts even while his ships were engaged with them (making Jellicoe's deployment all the more brilliant as it was worked out on the fly and mostly by hunch). German Adm. Scheer performed two battle turns away from the overpowering shellfire of the British fleet, inexplicably re-engaging the British after successfully turning away the first time. It was the murky visibility (a smoggy combination of coal smoke, mist, and cordite smoke) that saved the Germans' sorry butts, not nightfall (which came very late at that latitude so close to the longest day of the year). During the nighttime maneuvers that took the Germans across the track of the Grand Fleet, Jellicoe did not hold back his dreadnoughts; he did not receive any reports that his ships were in action against German battleships, or he certainly would have turned around and engaged them. Apparently British officers assumed the C-in-C could see anything they could see, although he was miles away on his own flaghip's bridge and catching 40 well-deserved winks at that. After Jutland, the German fleet did again sortie seeking battle, twice more in 1916; the first time on August 18, 1916 and the second (aborted) sweep on October 18. Lastly, though Jutland put the seal on British dominance vis-à-vis surface power, the U-boat campaign came close to winning the war for Germany. It cut off a serious portion of British food and matériel shipments from the U.S. in 1917-18. The British and Americans were at first unprepared for this form of warfare, deeply dreaded by Jellicoe. But it was Jellicoe, together with U.S. Adm. William Sims, who devised the successful counter-strategy: the convoy system, combined with aggressive ASW tactics by destroyers and other escort vessels.