"This naval battle, we could lose. But this war—the British Empire could not lose!" Once Vice Admiral David Beatty understood this, he immediately gave the order to retreat.
Although they had already lost many Capital Ships in this battle, getting even a few ships home was better than losing them all. At the very least, if these Battlecruisers were determined to retreat, the German Navy would not find it so easy to catch them. However, the three Iron Duke-class Battleships on the other battlefield would probably be unable to escape. Vice Admiral David Beatty could only adopt an attitude of making use of waste, ordering them to hold back the German Navy and create an opportunity for the other warships to withdraw.
Once the order was issued, the British Navy's remaining five Battlecruisers immediately turned about, accelerated, and sailed swiftly southward.
The British move greatly puzzled the German Navy. Why were the British running away in the middle of the fight?
"What is going on? What are they trying to do?" Vice Admiral Hipper was somewhat stunned.
"Damn it, they are not trying to flee, are they?" Vice Admiral Spee cursed.
"Flee? They have already lost so many Capital Ships. Is there any point in running now?" Hipper frowned.
Indeed, the British Navy's losses in this battle had been immense. Of the four King George V-class Battleships, three had been sunk and one heavily damaged. Of the nine Battlecruisers, three had been sunk and one heavily damaged. Furthermore, one of the four Iron Duke-class Battleships had already been sunk, and the remaining three appeared unable to escape either. With losses this severe, why were they still thinking of retreating?
"Could this be a trap? Or perhaps more British Capital Ships have arrived, and they want to lure us south so