BATTLE OF JUTLAND

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 32, 9 February 1929, Page 20

BATTLE OF JUTLAND

A TACTICAL ENGAGEMENT

Mr. Archibald Colbeck, in a review in the London "Sunday Times" of tho fourth volume of the "Official History of tho War," by Sir Henry Newbolt, says: —"The Germans had every rigtr 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, tho engagement of the battle-cruisers was an action which took place before rhe Battle of Jutland, but oven the loss of three battle cruisers and two anno a-ed-cruisers as the result of this engagement, without any material loss on tLj 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, tho losses of big ships on the British sid* 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 tho German side one battleship, the Pommern, was sunk, two battleships were seen on fire, ■ one fell out of tho lino from damage, and tone battle cruiser fell out of line damaged.

The tactical fight continued after dark, when Jellicoe sent the Abdiel to lay mines in the Horna Reef Passage, and attacked the enemy's fleet with thf flotilla, with the following results:— One battleship believed to have been sunk, four others badly damaged by torpedo attack. As,, the High Seas Fleet passed over the Abdiel's mine field, the submarine waiting on tLe bottom to report results stated that 11 mines were exploded as the German fleet passed through.. : After the war the leading German naval writer wrote that as a result of the Battio of,.Jutland, so many battleships were badly damaged that the dockyards dould not hope to do che repairs, and consequently ships wu-o laid up, and men and guns landed foj service ashore. Thus the tactical battle was won by the Grand Fleeand the strategical move was also in their favour.