The Battle of Jutland proved, both to the Germans and British, the strengths and weaknesses of the naval fleets. Both sides accomplished something during the battle, even if the outcome was inconclusive. The Germans were able to use the battle to promote their propaganda that they could match firepower with the British on the high seas, even if in all actuality they were not. On the other hand, the British were able to show just how powerful their navy was, despite the fact of its recent decline. The military importance of the fighting was rather insignificant, but the Battle of Jutland will always be remembered as the first real naval battle in modern warfare.
David Beatty commander British battlecruiser squad...
Rear Admiral David Beatty of the Royal Navy.
Profile portrait of Reinhard Scheer.The Battle of Jutland, also called The Battle of Skogerrak by the Germans (Skagerrak was the waterway between Norway and mainland Denmark), was a clash of the two major naval titans of the day, the British Grand Fleet and the German High Seas Fleet. This entire battle however, basically occurred because of an accident, and may never had taken place if the story of how the two steaming fleets even came to see that one another were in the water, right next to one another. This incredible meeting of the two fleets, while certainly not anticipated at that exact moment, was almost a certainty. The grounds for battle would be drawn, and naval history would be made on May 31 and June 1, the year of 1916.
A naval battle on the rough seas of the North Sea had become inevitable to both sides during the war. A battle on the North Sea had been prepared for, anticipated and even encouraged by the British. They believed that without a doubt, the tremendous size and firepower of their Royal Navy could and would annihilate the German...