THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 212, 4 June 1929, Page 14

THE BATTLE OF JUTLAND

GERMAN CLAIM DISPUTED. Mr. Archibald Colbeck, in a review in the London “Sunday Times” of the fourth volume of the “Official History of the War,” by Sir Henry Newbolt, says: “The Germans had every right to regard the Battle of Jutland as a. tactical success, for the High Seas Fleet had met its opponent, and had inflicted more damage than it had received.” This (writes Admiral Mark Kerr in correction) is not a correct description of the damage. To begin with, the engagement of the battle-cruisers was an action which took place before the Battle of Jutland, but even the loss of three battle-cruisers and two armoured-cruis-ers as the result of this engagement, without any material loss on the enemy’s side to counterbalance it, will not, if added to the casualties of Jutland, make our losses equal to the enemy’s. After our battle fleet joined battle with the High Seas Fleet, the losses of big ships on the British side were—one battleship torpedoed, speed reduced to 17 knots, but did not leave the line till the daylight fight was over, when she returned to harbour. On the German side one battleship, the Pommern, was sunk, two battleships were seen on fire, one fell out of the line from damage, and one battle cruiser fell out of line damaged. The tactical fight continued after dark, when Jellicoe sent the Abdiel to lay mines in the Horns Reef Passage, and attacked the enemy’s fleet with the flotilla, with the following results—One battleship believed to have been sank, four others badlv damaged by torpedo attack. As the High Seas Fleet passed over the Abdiel’s minefield, the submarine waiting on the bottom to report results stated that eleven mines were exploded as the German fleet passed through. After the war the leading German naval writer wrote that as a result of the Battle of Jutland so many battleships wore badly damaged that the dockyards could not hope to do the repairs, and consequently ships were laid up, and men and guns landed for service ashore. Thus the tactical battle was won by the Grand Fleet, and the strategical move was also in their favour.