Sid Guttridge wrote:Hi JAG13,
One must judge victory or defeat by the results.
Indeed! And the RN suffer heavier losses, the KM kept trying to further diminish the RN material advantage so the result was what Campbell said:
"However, it had never been any part of Scheer's plan to engage the whole of the Grand Fleet, and though he had doubtless hoped for a still more favourable loss ratio, he could at least claim partial success, the most usual result in any operation of war. "
That is just it, it was a KM success that changed little, it moved the balance slightly in its favor, there were no strategic outcomes in this battle.
You write, "Jutland wasn't an attempt at breaking the blockade, the purpose of that sortie was simply to kep the HSF active, show the flag and maybe catch some RN cruisers if possible. The original operation that aimed at reeling in the BCF by attacking Sunderland had to be cancelled due to weather and zeppelin/Uboat availability, hence the new and reduced operation taking place nowhere near Britain!"
Yup, that is the tactical reasoning, and pretty unambitious it was given that the British blockade was slowly strangling Germany.
THat was the purpose of he operation, a very limited scope, and since it didnt aim at nor intended to change the strategic situation it cant be construed as a failed attempt to do that, cant it?
However, on a strategic level, the breaking of the blockade by winning mastery of the seas was the fundamental raison d'etre of the German High Seas Fleet, and it failed. The only moment when this was even possible was at Jutland, as no other fleet actions occurred. The result of Jutland was that the German High Seas Fleet had to run for home rather than continue the action under unfavourable circumstances. This was failure. It was said that Jellicoe was the only man who could have lost the war in an afternoon. He didn't. His fleet was ready to sail again within 24 hours. The German High Seas Fleets wasn't, and took no substantive risks to achieve its war aims after Jutland.
Nope, breaking of blockade was not its raison d'etre, specially since the blockade as it existed was utterly illegal and didnt even enter into nobody's calculations until very shortly before the war.
Again, no, you cant fail at doing something when you are simply not even attempting to do it, much less doing it! The HSF had NO INTENTION OF ENGAGING THE GF THAT DAY NOR TO TAKE ON THE BLOCKADE ON ANY MEANINGFUL WAY! It was a fortuitous encounter for them and one they didnt wish to take place, so once they became aware of the odds they sensibly turned round after getting the better of the fight.
Have the HSF destroy a third of the GF, it would have still made no strategic impact on the blockade, the artificial stick you are using to measure HSF success, hell, sink it all! That would STILL fail to place a dent on the blockade, that would entail putting KM ships in the GIUK to clear the AMC patrols...
Jellicoe's fleet was ready to sail because most of the ships that were hit to any degree of seriousness went up in flames... the KM ships took a beating, but survived to fight another day... I have no doubts about which ships anyone would have rather been if given a choice, a battered one or one that would explode and take down its whole crew with it...
Oh, the HSF sailed twice after Jutland in 1916 alone, the GF only sailed once, after losing two CLs called it quits and wouldnt leave unless the HSF would get really close...
Of course the British would have liked a decisive action, but preservation of the status quo was good enough for them to achieve their strategic aims. Thus Jutland was, in the greater scheme of things, a British victory.
Lol, I am sorry but that is simply absurd, it implies giving the German different motives and capabilities in order to torture a favorable result to the RN out of a rather unpalatable engagement.
Furthermore, Hitler's strategic actions in WWII were heavily informed by the effects of the British blockade in WWI. The result of Jutland was still impinging on German decision making decades after 1916.
Cheers,
Sid.
The blockade yes, Jutland no, that is simply rubbish.
Best,