Jutland 1916: Clash of the Dreadnoughts

The only major fleet engagement of World War I, and one of the great battles of naval history, the 1916 Battle of Jutland has been surrounded by controversy ever since. The British public felt Admiral Jellicoe had failed - a reaction rooted in a hundred years of the 'Nelson cult', a conviction that anything short of a Trafalgar-style annihilation a poor substitute for victory. True, the German Fleet had sunk more ships and suffered fewer casualties, but never again did they emerge from port to take on the might of the Royal Navy. British had forced them to disengage and run for port and were still cruising off Denmark spoiling for a fight. This title recounts in detail how on an early summer's evening in 1916, the two fleets clashed head to head: the events that followed would spark a polemic that still rages today. The only major fleet engagement of World War I, and one of the great battles of naval history, the Battle of Jutland has been surrounded by controversy ever since. The British public felt Admiral Jellicoe had failed - a reaction rooted in a hundred years of the 'Nelson cult', a conviction that anything short of a Trafalgar-style annihilation a poor substitute for victory. True, the German Fleet had sunk more ships and suffered fewer casualties, but never again did they emerge from port to take on the might of the Royal Navy. Both sides knew there was no prospect of the Germans winning a surface battle. This title recounts in detail how on an early summer's evening in 1916, the two fleets clashed head to head: the events that followed would spark a polemic that still rages today.