Team British Royal Navy Battlecruiser and 2nd Battleship Squadron are now in crisis. After the Battlecruiser detachment lost three Battlecruisers including the 'HMS Invincible', 'Indomitable' and 'New Zealand', only the 'Tiger', 'HMS Queen Mary' and 'HMS Royal Princess' were left struggling to support themselves. What they faced were six Battlecruisers from German Navy.
Although in the previous battle, the six Battlecruisers of German Navy were also hit. However, due to their strong defense and the poor performance of the shells fired by British Royal Navy's warships, they did not cause fatal damage to German Navy's Battlecruiser. Even these Battlecruiser still maintain intact combat effectiveness. This also puts the British Royal Navy Battlecruiser unit in a completely suppressed state.
On the other side, British Navy's 2nd Battleship Squadron's three 'Queen Elizabeth-class' Battlecruiser are also among German Navy 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron's Encirclement Offensive. The three ships 'Derfflinger class' Battlecruiser, which was not inferior to the 'Queen Elizabeth-class' Battleship, completely gained the upper hand with the assistance of the three ships 'Moltke-class' Battlecruiser. This made this naval battle very unfavorable to British Navy. If no miracle happens, the fate of British Navy Battlecruiser Squadron and 2nd Battleship Squadron is almost predictable.
British Navy is already lagging behind German Navy in terms of Capital Ships. If they lose the Battlecruiser unit and 2nd Battleship Squadron, they will lose nine Capital Shipss again. Then, it would be even more impossible for their remaining warships to defeat German Navy. Even if you want to compete with German Navy and lose both sides, that will be a luxury.
"How did this battle end like this?" David? Vice Admiral Beatty was about to collapse. The Battlecruiser detachment he led now only has three Battlecruisers struggling to support it. However, under German Navy and Encirclement Offensive, it does not seem to be difficult for these three Battlecruisers to be sunk. Such a result was definitely not what he expected, and it was something he had never thought of at all.
"General, 2nd Battleship Squadron has been entangled by Germany people, and even his own safety cannot be guaranteed. What should we do next?" asked a general.
Obviously, they have reached the most critical moment now. If things go wrong, they will all be annihilated.
David? Vice Admiral Beatty, there is no good solution at this moment. It can be said that when German Navy 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron appeared, it meant that their plan had completely failed. All the previous plans were of no use.
"Report the situation here to Admiral Jellicoe and tell him that we are waiting for his order." David? Vice Admiral Beatty said.
Under such circumstances, he could only kick the ball to John? Admiral Jellicoe. After all, John? Admiral Jellicoe is Commander to British Grand Fleet. At the most critical moment, he should be the one to make the final decision.
About fifty kilometers away from the battlefield, a huge fleet was sailing south at a speed of 12 knots. This fleet is very large, with hundreds of large and small warships. Guarded by a large number of small and medium-sized warships in the center, they are all huge Battleship. Among them, the most eye-catching ones are undoubtedly the 'Revenge-class' and 'Battleship' with a displacement of more than 30,000 tons.
On the Grand Fleet flagship 'Vengeance' number Battleship, John? Admiral Jellicoe is drinking strong coffee. Coffee without sugar tastes very bitter. However, it can cheer people up. John? Admiral Jellicoe was very tired after not sleeping at all last night. This makes him only able to refresh himself in this way.
"Your Excellency Commander, 5th Battleship Squadron has joined us." A general reported to John? Admiral Jellicoe.
John? Admiral Jellicoe nodded. 5th Battleship Squadron's three 'Bellerophon-class' Battleship and three 'St. Vincent-class' Battleship are the earliest batch of dreadnoughts built by British Navy. Although, there are many flaws. 305mm Main Gun is not very powerful either. However, the number of up to six ships is undoubtedly a great force for Royal Navy, which is seriously lacking in Capital Ships.
"David? Admiral Beatty Is there any news over there?" John? Admiral Jellicoe asked.
"There is no news yet." The general replied.
John? Admiral Jellicoe suddenly fell silent. He is particularly concerned about the Battlecruiser detachment and 2nd Battleship Squadron led by David? Vice Admiral Beatty. If David? Vice Admiral Beatty can win the naval battle, it will be very beneficial to them. It may even give them a chance to achieve their predetermined strategic goals.
However, John? Admiral Jellicoe also knows that it will be very difficult to win. Because their enemies are too powerful. Countless previous battles have proven that German Navy is very powerful. Every time they thought they were sure of victory, they ended up losing very ugly.
Ten minutes later, a Communications Officer ran up anxiously.
"General, urgent call from Admiral Beatty." the officer reported.
John? Admiral Jellicoe immediately took Telegram and started reading quickly. However, before Telegram finished reading, his face was already very ugly.
"Damn, how could this happen?" John? Admiral Jellicoe couldn't help but curse.
The carefully prepared plan failed once again. The Battlecruiser detachment has lost three Battlecruisers. Although they are the weakest of the three Battlecruisers, such losses also make them very painful. Not to mention, 2nd Battleship Squadron also fell into Encirclement Offensive of German Navy. It is foreseeable that their losses will increase in the future.
There is no doubt that with the disastrous defeat of the Battlecruiser unit and 2nd Battleship Squadron, Royal Navy has lost this naval battle. Even though John? Admiral Jellicoe still has 20 Battleship in his hands, he has no confidence in winning at all.
The best way is undoubtedly to order the fleet to retreat immediately and escape back to Scapa Flow. In this case, Royal Navy may be able to retain its main force and leave some hope for future battles.
However, John? Admiral Jellicoe also knew that the order to retreat could not be issued. That is inconsistent with their strategic purpose.