Recaps

The British and German battlecruiser squadrons met in the North Sea, with Vice Admiral Beatty hoping to use his Queen Elizabeth-class battleships to outflank the Germans. The battle began as both sides opened fire, while the German Navy's 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron was still approaching.

• A German destroyer spotted the British Battlecruiser Squadron, and Vice Admiral Hipper ordered his ships to prepare for battle.
• Vice Admiral Beatty learned that six German battlecruisers were approaching and ordered the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron to outflank them.
• The two fleets formed battle lines and turned northeast as Vice Admiral Beatty sought to draw the Germans toward his main force.
• Vice Admiral Hipper reported the British maneuver to the flagship and accepted the prospect of a clash between the main fleets.
• At fifteen kilometers, Mackensen fired the first ranging salvo, and Vice Admiral Beatty ordered the British ships to begin bombardment.
• Both squadrons exchanged fierce fire, filling the sea with shell splashes as Vice Admiral Beatty prayed for a British victory.

The German and British battlecruisers traded fire in the North Sea as both fleets closed the range. The Germans began scoring damaging hits on British ships, leaving Vice Admiral David Beatty worried about the battle’s course.

• Vice Admiral Hipper’s SMS Friedrich der Grosse achieved bracketing fire on HMS Queen Mary and began firing salvos as Vice Admiral David Beatty ordered the British fleet to close the distance.
• Both fleets narrowed the range, and all six German battlecruisers and four British battlecruisers achieved bracketing fire.
• HMS Royal Princess scored the first hit, setting a fire aboard SMS Friedrich Karl without impairing its combat capability.
• SMS Friedrich der Grosse hit HMS Queen Mary, and Blücher hit New Zealand.
• SMS Friedrich Karl knocked out HMS Royal Princess’s aft main gun turret, wiping away Vice Admiral David Beatty’s smile.

Vice Admiral Beatty’s British battlecruisers fell behind as the German Navy held the engagement at its preferred range and landed increasingly effective hits. After HMS Invincible was destroyed and HMS Indomitable came under attack, Beatty relied on reinforcements from General Benjamin’s squadron to help reverse the situation.

• Vice Admiral Hipper kept the German fleet at twelve thousand meters, where its armor-piercing shells gave it an advantage over British fire.
• A 380mm shell from Mackensen hit Tiger, destroying a secondary gun and killing several sailors, and Vice Admiral Beatty asked General Benjamin to bring the 2nd Battleship Squadron for a pincer attack.
• The German Navy continued to dominate the exchange, and a hit on HMS Invincible’s No. 1 turret triggered an ammunition explosion that sank the battlecruiser.
• Von der Tann and Lothringen encircled HMS Indomitable as the British Battlecruiser Squadron was reduced to five ships.

Rear Admiral Benjamin hurried his three remaining Queen Elizabeth-class battleships toward the battle, while Vice Admiral Hipper’s squadron continued overwhelming the British battlecruisers. Benjamin’s reinforcements never reached the battlefield because Vice Admiral Spee’s six battlecruisers intercepted them and launched an encirclement.

• Rear Admiral Benjamin ordered his three battleships to speed toward Vice Admiral David Beatty, expecting they would turn the battle around when they arrived.
• Vice Admiral Hipper called for Vice Admiral Spee’s squadron to block the British retreat and help trap the British battlecruisers.
• HMS Queen Mary hit SMS Friedrich der Grosse’s No. 1 turret, but the shell failed to pierce its armor, though the blast killed the gunners inside.
• Von der Tann and Lothringen sank Indomitable, and Vice Admiral Hipper ordered the Blücher-class battlecruisers to encircle New Zealand.
• Vice Admiral Spee’s six battlecruisers encountered Rear Admiral Benjamin’s three battleships and launched an encirclement offensive against them.

Vice Admiral Spee’s six German battlecruisers intercepted Rear Admiral Benjamin’s three Queen Elizabeth-class battleships before they could reinforce Admiral Beatty. Both sides prepared for battle, and the German ships opened fire as the battle lines closed.

• An officer identified Benjamin’s three ships as British Queen Elizabeth-class battleships, and Spee ordered his six battlecruisers to pursue and destroy them.
• Benjamin realized his ships could not escape and reasoned that their 381mm guns might pierce the German battlecruisers’ defenses.
• Benjamin sent Beatty a telegram reporting that six German battlecruisers had stopped his squadron from reinforcing him.
• Benjamin ordered his battleships to slow down, form a battle line, and fight for the British Empire.
• Spee ordered his ships to prepare for an open battle as the opposing formations closed to fifteen thousand meters.
• The German Derfflinger-class and Moltke-class battlecruisers opened fire on Benjamin’s three battleships.

Vice Admiral Spee’s six German battlecruisers encircled the three British Queen Elizabeth-class battleships while Vice Admiral David Beatty’s squadron struggled against German fire. The British battlecruiser New Zealand was destroyed, leaving Beatty’s forces in a worsening position.

• Vice Admiral Spee assigned his six battlecruisers to attack the three Queen Elizabeth-class battleships in pairs.
• Rear Admiral Benjamin concentrated the British battleships’ fire on the Derfflinger-class battlecruisers, leaving the Moltke-class ships free to attack.
• Vice Admiral Spee ordered the Moltke-class battlecruisers to fire at full power while the German and British squadrons exchanged heavy gunfire.
• A staff officer told Vice Admiral David Beatty that New Zealand was badly damaged, and Beatty ordered her crew to hold on.
• A Communications Officer reported that the 2nd Battleship Squadron was fighting six German battlecruisers and could not reinforce Beatty.
• New Zealand exploded, broke in two, and sank.

Vice Admiral David Beatty’s squadrons were being overwhelmed by German battlecruisers, and Admiral John Jellicoe learned that the British battle plan had failed. Jellicoe weighed retreat against his strategic objective as his fleet approached the battle.

• Vice Admiral David Beatty’s Battlecruiser Squadron was reduced to Tiger, HMS Queen Mary, and HMS Royal Princess, while the 2nd Battleship Squadron was encircled by German forces.
• Beatty admitted he had no solution and ordered an officer to report the crisis to Admiral John Jellicoe and request instructions.
• Admiral John Jellicoe’s fleet continued south, joined by the 5th Battleship Squadron, and received no news from Beatty for more than ten minutes.
• A Communications Officer delivered Beatty’s urgent telegram, and Jellicoe learned that three British battlecruisers had been lost and the 2nd Battleship Squadron was surrounded.
• Jellicoe recognized that retreat to Scapa Flow might preserve his fleet, but he knew he could not give the order because it conflicted with the strategic objective.

Admiral John Jellicoe ordered the Royal Navy Grand Fleet south to reinforce the battered British squadrons and seek a decisive battle with the Germans. As the German battlecruisers continued to inflict heavy damage, HMS Barham was crippled and the British forces remained in grave danger.

• Admiral John Jellicoe chose to commit the Grand Fleet to battle and ordered it south to attack the German Battlecruiser Squadron before the German main force arrived.
• Admiral John Jellicoe urged the Royal Navy officers and sailors to fight for the British Empire and raised their morale.
• German ships damaged HMS Malaya and destroyed HMS Barham's No. 2 main gun turret, while Rear Admiral Benjamin ordered his squadron to return fire and close with the main fleet.
• A British 381mm shell hit Hindenburg but caused only minor damage.
• German shells pierced HMS Barham's conning tower, killed its captain and other officers, and struck the ship again as German ships continued hitting the British battleships.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty's Battlecruiser Squadron continued to struggle against the German 1st Battlecruiser Squadron's encirclement.

Admiral Reinhard Scheer grew confident as German battlecruisers gained the upper hand against British forces, and he ordered the main fleet and aircraft carriers to prepare for the coming decisive battle. The chapter ended with the German main fleet speeding toward the battlefield while British ships continued to suffer losses.

• Scheer's adjutant reported that the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron had sunk Indomitable, HMS Invincible, and New Zealand and was encircling the remaining British battlecruisers.
• The adjutant reported that the 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron had encircled three Queen Elizabeth-class battleships and held the advantage.
• Scheer ordered the German fleet to increase speed and close in on the 1st Battlecruiser Squadron in preparation for a decisive battle with the British main fleet.
• A staff officer told Scheer that the aircraft carriers were about one hundred kilometers to the east, and Scheer ordered them to attack if they found the British main fleet.
• The German main fleet accelerated toward the battlefield as the German squadrons maintained the initiative and British losses grew.

The British fleet’s battered ships struggled to survive while Admiral John Jellicoe’s main fleet was still an hour away. Vice Admiral David Beatty ordered HMS Queen Mary to keep fighting, and she sank with all hands after repeated German hits.

• Rear Admiral Benjamin learned that the British main fleet would take an hour to reach the battlefield, while his damaged battleships faced overwhelming German fire.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty judged that the Royal Navy could not win and hoped the battle would end in mutual ruin rather than risk the main fleet’s annihilation.
• After German 380mm shells crippled HMS Queen Mary, Beatty denied her request to withdraw and ordered her to continue fighting.
• HMS Queen Mary took ten more hits within five minutes and sank, killing more than a thousand officers and sailors.
• Beatty mourned the ship and expected the two remaining British battlecruisers to be sunk soon by the German encirclement.

The British fleet suffered heavy losses as HMS Barham and HMS Royal Princess sank, leaving HMS Tiger as the last British battlecruiser. Admiral John Jellicoe’s main force arrived and opened fire on the German battlecruisers, while Vice Admiral Hipper withdrew and urged Admiral Spee to attack the British Queen Elizabeth-class Battleships.

• HMS Barham capsized and sank after shells destroyed her steering gear and breached her underwater armor.
• Admiral John Jellicoe learned that HMS Queen Mary and HMS Barham had been sunk, then ordered his fleet to prepare for an immediate attack.
• HMS Royal Princess’s ammunition magazine exploded, and the battlecruiser sank within two minutes.
• Vice Admiral Hipper ordered his squadron to encircle and sink HMS Tiger, the British squadron’s last remaining battlecruiser.
• Admiral John Jellicoe’s main fleet arrived and six Revenge-class Battleships opened fire on the German battlecruisers.
• Vice Admiral Hipper ordered a withdrawal and told Admiral Spee to seize the chance to destroy the British Queen Elizabeth-class Battleships.

The British fleet suffered heavy losses as German battlecruisers withdrew after devastating attacks on both British battlecruiser and battleship squadrons. Admiral Scheer ordered the German aircraft carriers to launch their first combat strike while the British fleet prepared for a decisive battle.

• Vice Admiral Hipper ordered the German 1st Battlecruiser Squadron to withdraw rather than face the British capital ship fleet.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty reported his defeat to Admiral John Jellicoe, who ordered Tiger to Scapa Flow and the fleet south to support the 2nd Battleship Squadron.
• Vice Admiral Spee's 2nd Battlecruiser Squadron sank HMS Malaya and heavily damaged HMS Queen Elizabeth before withdrawing.
• The German 1st and 2nd Battlecruiser Squadrons joined up and waited for their battleship fleet instead of attacking the British immediately.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered the German carrier formation to attack, and Heinrich Marshal Prince ordered its aircraft to take off.

Prince Heinrich led Germany’s new Carrier Fleet into battle as its aircraft launched toward the British Grand Fleet. Aboard the British flagship, Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty prepared for the coming decisive battle, hoping to sink enough German capital ships to save Britain.

• Prince Heinrich accepted Oscar’s offer to command the German Carrier Fleet and watched its aircraft launch from Vanguard and Victory.
• The German carriers sent a first wave of fighters and torpedo bombers westward, followed by a second wave of torpedo bombers.
• Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty waited aboard Vengeance as German battlecruisers drew the British fleet toward battle.
• Jellicoe aimed to sink more than twenty German capital ships, while Beatty said sinking fifteen would still be a major victory.

German carrier-based aircraft appeared over the British Grand Fleet and launched their first attack, catching the Royal Navy unprepared. British ships had no anti-aircraft weapons, and the chapter ended as German torpedo bombers attacked the Bellerophon-class and St. Vincent-class battleships.

• Tiny aircraft appeared in the eastern sky, and British lookouts identified them as German planes bearing Iron Crosses.
• Admiral Jellicoe ordered the fleet to stay alert, while Vice Admiral Beatty doubted that aircraft could threaten armored warships.
• Vice Admiral Hipper and Vice Admiral Spee watched the German carrier-based aircraft approach the British fleet.
• The German Commander ordered the aircraft to attack, and a signal flare directed the fighters and torpedo bombers.
• German fighters strafed British decks, killing and injuring sailors as others fled below, while torpedo bombers swooped toward Bellerophon-class and St. Vincent-class battleships.

German carrier-based aircraft attacked the British Bellerophon-class battleships with aerial torpedoes, overwhelming the ships and their unprepared crews. Bellerophon capsized after repeated hits, becoming the first warship sunk by carrier-based aircraft.

• Four German torpedo bombers dropped torpedoes on Bellerophon, and two struck despite the ship's evasive turn.
• German aircraft attacked Magnificent and Reckless, hitting them with one and two torpedoes respectively.
• John Jellicoe and David Beatty watched the attacks from Vengeance and realized the Royal Navy had no preparations for aircraft-launched torpedoes.
• A second attack hit Bellerophon with two more torpedoes, and flooding overcame the damage-control crews.
• Bellerophon lost its balance, capsized, and became the first warship sunk by carrier-based aircraft.

German carrier aircraft sank the Battleship Bellerophon and badly damaged two others, leaving Admiral Jellicoe and Vice Admiral Beatty to confront Britain’s growing disadvantage. As they believed the attack was over, a second wave of German torpedo bombers approached the Grand Fleet.

• Admiral Jellicoe granted permission to abandon the sinking Bellerophon, but fewer than two hundred of its more than seven hundred crew escaped.
• The Magnificent and Reckless survived torpedo strikes but suffered severe flooding and damage.
• Vice Admiral Beatty and Admiral Jellicoe acknowledged Germany’s lead in naval aviation and doubted Britain could catch up in time.
• Jellicoe and Beatty took comfort in the belief that German aircraft could not threaten Britain’s most powerful battleships.
• A second wave of forty-eight German torpedo bombers appeared, and Jellicoe feared the Grand Fleet would suffer further losses.

German carrier aircraft sank the British Navy’s Bellerophon-class and St. Vincent-class battleships, annihilating the 5th Battleship Squadron. The British fleet was left with fourteen battleships to face Germany’s twenty-four battleships and twelve battlecruisers.

• German torpedo bombers sank HMS Magnificent and HMS Reckless, completing the destruction of the British Bellerophon-class battleships.
• Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty recognized that German aircraft were targeting British capital ships but could not stop the attacks.
• German torpedo bombers sank HMS St. Vincent after disabling its steering gear and flooding its hull.
• German aircraft sank HMS Collingwood and HMS Vanguard, wiping out the St. Vincent-class battleships.
• After expending their torpedoes, the German aircraft withdrew, leaving the British Navy with fourteen battleships against Germany’s twenty-four battleships and twelve battlecruisers.

Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty realized the battered British Grand Fleet could neither defeat the German forces nor escape their encirclement. With Admiral Reinhard Scheer’s main fleet blocking the north and German battlecruisers threatening the other routes, they chose to keep fighting and hoped to sink as many German ships as possible.

• Vice Admiral David Beatty urged Admiral John Jellicoe to withdraw after the British fleet was reduced to fourteen fighting warships.
• Admiral John Jellicoe warned that twelve German battlecruisers could prevent their escape and overpower the remaining British battleships.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty proposed using cruisers and destroyers to break through with torpedo attacks, but Admiral John Jellicoe said the German main fleet had likely cut off their retreat to the north.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty accepted that the British fleet had been trapped by the German plan, which had weakened them before the main fleet’s final attack.
• Admiral John Jellicoe ordered the British fleet to keep fighting and try to sink as many German warships as possible.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer’s High Seas Fleet waited north of the British fleet, leaving the surviving British ships facing defeat or annihilation.

The German carrier-based aircraft sank six British battleships without losses, and Admiral Reinhard Scheer sent the High Seas Fleet south to face the remaining British forces. The German fleet reached the battlefield at noon, where Admiral John Jellicoe awaited a final battle despite expecting defeat.

• Heinrich Marshal Prince learned that the first aircraft strike had sunk Bellerophon and heavily damaged Magnificent and Reckless.
• The second strike sank Magnificent, Reckless, and three St. Vincent-class battleships, completing a carrier victory without aircraft losses.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer declined to order another carrier strike and ordered the High Seas Fleet south to engage the British fleet.
• Admiral John Jellicoe prepared to fight the Germans despite knowing the remaining British ships could not defeat them.
• The German High Seas Fleet's main force appeared on the battlefield at noon.

Admiral John Jellicoe and Admiral Reinhard Scheer deployed their fleets for a final clash, and the German High Seas Fleet began attacking the Royal Navy from two battle lines. As the opening exchange revealed the faster firing rate of the German Bavaria-class battleships, Jellicoe recognized that the British disadvantage was worsening.

• Admiral John Jellicoe ordered the Royal Navy’s fourteen battleships to form a battle line and prepare for a final fight.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer split the German capital ships into two battle lines to attack the British from both sides, while Vice Admiral Maximilian von Spee took the remaining battlecruisers to confront smaller British ships.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty protested the German tactics, and Jellicoe ordered the British fleet to target the German flagship and fight with all its strength.
• At 12:34, the German 1st Battle Line opened fire on the British flagship Vengeance, and the Royal Navy returned fire from more than fifteen kilometers away.
• Vice Admiral David Beatty was shocked that Bavaria-class battleships could fire a salvo every minute, while Jellicoe realized the British disadvantage was growing.

The German Navy’s superior fire control let its battleships bracket British targets and suppress the Royal Navy during the engagement. Although the British Vengeance finally achieved bracketing fire against Bavaria, Sachsen scored the battle’s first hit at 12:54.

• Sachsen bracketed Ramillies and began concentrated fire, alarming Vice Admiral David Beatty and Admiral John Jellicoe.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered Sachsen to sink the British warship, and Captain Konix Longhart directed the battleship’s salvoes at Ramillies.
• Württemberg bracketed Royal Sovereign, and more German warships shifted to concentrated fire as the British struggled to find their range.
• Vengeance bracketed Bavaria, briefly encouraging Admiral John Jellicoe, but Sachsen scored the first hit of the battle at 12:54.

After Ramillies lost its observation and fire-control equipment, Admiral John Jellicoe ordered it to remain in battle as a decoy. Sachsen began closing in on the damaged battleship, and Colonel Lohart opened fire at close range.

• A 380mm shell from Sachsen destroyed Ramillies's observation and fire-control equipment and started a fire aboard the British battleship.
• Admiral John Jellicoe rejected a staff officer's suggestion to withdraw Ramillies and ordered it to keep fighting to draw German fire.
• Admiral Reinhard Scheer approved Colonel Lohart's request to close Sachsen on Ramillies despite the risk of British battleships attacking.
• Admiral John Jellicoe ordered Resolution and Royal Sovereign to target Sachsen as it approached.
• At twelve thousand meters, Colonel Lohart ordered Sachsen's main guns to fire on Ramillies while the German battleship continued closing the distance.

The British and German battleships exchanged heavy fire as Admiral Reinhard Scheer held to his plan. A shell from Regent Leopold struck Agincourt’s stern and set off three magazines, leaving the British battleship fatally damaged as Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty watched in shock.

• The Battleship Ramillies fired back at Battleship Sachsen, but its shells landed far from their target.
• Admiral John Jellicoe ordered Battleships Resolution and Royal Sovereign to turn their guns on Sachsen, while Admiral Reinhard Scheer ordered Baden and Württemberg to keep firing on them.
• Battleship Agincourt poured fire at Regent Leopold, whose crew continued firing in orderly salvos.
• A Regent Leopold shell pierced Agincourt’s No. 6 main turret, Saturday, and detonated its magazine.
• The blast set off the magazines of Agincourt’s other stern turrets, destroying its stern and forcing its crew to flee.
• Admiral John Jellicoe and Vice Admiral David Beatty watched in shock as Agincourt faced destruction early in the battle.

The British fleet lost HMS Agincourt, while Scheer directed Regent Leopold and Helgoland to attack Ireland. Sachsen’s risky close-range assault badly crippled Ramillies, leaving the British battleship near destruction.

• Admiral Jellicoe and Vice Admiral Beatty discussed HMS Agincourt’s sinking and ordered the fleet to keep fighting.
• Scheer praised Regent Leopold’s crew and ordered it to join Helgoland in attacking Ireland.
• Sachsen closed to ten thousand meters and fired repeatedly at Ramillies while Resolution and Royal Sovereign tried to stop it.
• Sachsen’s hits damaged Ramillies’ port side, disabled its No. 2 main turret, and destroyed its funnel, which crushed the No. 3 main turret.

Admiral John Jellicoe ordered Ramillies to remain in the battle as Resolution and Royal Sovereign attacked Sachsen, but the German battleship destroyed Ramillies. The burning ship sank in the North Sea with several hundred crew still aboard, worsening the Royal Navy’s position.

• Admiral John Jellicoe refused Ramillies permission to withdraw and ordered Resolution and Royal Sovereign to attack Sachsen.
• Colonel Lohart directed Sachsen’s guns to keep firing on the damaged Ramillies.
• A shell from Sachsen tore into Ramillies’ conning tower, killing the captain and the officers inside and leaving the ship without command.
• Ramillies took further hits, caught fire, and flooded as the crew tried to keep the ship balanced.
• The acting captain ordered the crew to abandon ship, but several hundred sailors went down with Ramillies.