Messy scrambly and all that, but many battles - just like the human mind likes'm - can be cut up into easier to understand parts that make up the whole. The attack on the Pratzen Heights after Napoleon dummy retreated from there. Burnsides Bridge. Picketts charge. Hell, even Spiers taking control during the attack on Foy. Parts of the whole.Likewise, Jutland has been parted several times over. Intial contact. The Night Action. Windy Corner. The Fleet Action. But generally speaking the most well named part of the battle - for me - is The Run to the North and The Run to the South. Both of these named parts were running battles generally centered around the German and British battlecruiser fleets. Since I've been on a "World War One German Battlecruiser" kick for the past few weeks - Seydiltz, Hindenburg, Von Der Tann, Derefflinger, etc etc etc have been the cover stars adorning Securityout! these days - I figgered I'd carry on w/ some writing on them. And of all the worlds actions involving battlecruisers, maybe only the Battle of the Denmarck Strait is more famous than these two parts of Jutland - certainly more famous than Dogger Bank or the sinking of the Repulse or the ... .whatever ... .
Ah - but backdrop better rite now - to what I really want to write about - what's a battle cruiser??
Nonexistent till about 1906, the very idea of a 'battlecruiser' really has to be discussed juxtaposed a discussion of 'battleships' - but because a discussion of Jacky Fischer and 'main battery all the same type' and all that is not what I'm feeling rite now, I'llw rite it in a few terse paragraphs: Generally speaking, there was a naval revolution in 1906. It involved the British navy producing a revolutionary new type of 'battleship': the Dreadnought. A single ship called Dreadnought was launched 'round this time, and it instantly made obsolete all that came before. The guns were concentrated around a single type - instead of many types. The armour was rationalised and centralised. New engines were made making the ship faster. In all, this new type of 'battleship' shocked the worlds navy into a new arms race - instantly Germany and England raced to create their new navies, France, Italy and Austria-Hungry had their race, Japan joined in, the USA,- even Brazil, Argentina, and Chile had their mini arms race.
But only the Germans and English sponsored their own 'battle cruiser' race. Dreadnoughts were 'battleships' in the traditional sense of the world - these were ships with the bigggest guns and the heaviest armour of any ships in the world. They were meant to meet the enemies battleships and trade gunfire until one side or the others ships sank. The British were able to build somewhere around 12 or so, and the Germans finished about 9. But during the war, as ships were damaged or in repair, these numbers were never constant. @ Jutland, I'm pretty sure there were 10 English and 7 German battle cruisers involved total. AT Jutland, the British main fleet had 28 dreadnaughts to the german 16 (plus 6 of the older obsolete 'pre dreadnaught' type of battleship)
But battlecruisers were a little different. They were giant ships that verily resembled battleships. Big ships, big guns. However, the main difference was in the speed and protection - the battlecruisers were faster because the armour wasn't quite as extensive. This was because their role was different. Battleships were to stay and trade shells with the enemy heavy ships- the armour was thought to be tuff enough so they could stay in line and be hit by shells but stay battleworthy. Battlecruisers were different - they were felt to be roboust enough to trade shells w/ enemy heavy units for a bit, but mainly just long enough to establish contact with the enemy - for scouting purposes - and draw their own navies dreadnaughts to smash the enemies fleet.
The battlecruisers were involved in a lot of fights in World War 1. Well, not a lot, but Jutland didn't exhaust battle honours for these ships. There was - for the English battlecruisers- the Battle of the Falklands in 1915. Dogger Bank. Plus, there were several of what were known as 'tip and run' raids - The Germans, in an attempt to draw out part of the British fleet and sink some of it started to sortie the fast battlecruiser squadrons to shell English coastal towns. The idea was that the fast German ships would shell the town, and the British would send their battlecruisers to counter them. What the germans hoped out of this was that maybe they could lure the British ships to the German main fleet hidden over the horizon - and this sink that part of the enemy fleet.
It was this wish to catch a part of the English fleet's battlecruisers away from their main support of dreadnaughts that lead to the The Run to the North and The Run to the South. The German plan almost worked. And, funnily enough, the British plans for their battlecruiser fleet worked as well - besides , of course, three of the ships exploding.
Nonexistent till about 1906, the very idea of a 'battlecruiser' really has to be discussed juxtaposed a discussion of 'battleships' - but because a discussion of Jacky Fischer and 'main battery all the same type' and all that is not what I'm feeling rite now, I'llw rite it in a few terse paragraphs: Generally speaking, there was a naval revolution in 1906. It involved the British navy producing a revolutionary new type of 'battleship': the Dreadnought. A single ship called Dreadnought was launched 'round this time, and it instantly made obsolete all that came before. The guns were concentrated around a single type - instead of many types. The armour was rationalised and centralised. New engines were made making the ship faster. In all, this new type of 'battleship' shocked the worlds navy into a new arms race - instantly Germany and England raced to create their new navies, France, Italy and Austria-Hungry had their race, Japan joined in, the USA,- even Brazil, Argentina, and Chile had their mini arms race.
But only the Germans and English sponsored their own 'battle cruiser' race. Dreadnoughts were 'battleships' in the traditional sense of the world - these were ships with the bigggest guns and the heaviest armour of any ships in the world. They were meant to meet the enemies battleships and trade gunfire until one side or the others ships sank. The British were able to build somewhere around 12 or so, and the Germans finished about 9. But during the war, as ships were damaged or in repair, these numbers were never constant. @ Jutland, I'm pretty sure there were 10 English and 7 German battle cruisers involved total. AT Jutland, the British main fleet had 28 dreadnaughts to the german 16 (plus 6 of the older obsolete 'pre dreadnaught' type of battleship)
But battlecruisers were a little different. They were giant ships that verily resembled battleships. Big ships, big guns. However, the main difference was in the speed and protection - the battlecruisers were faster because the armour wasn't quite as extensive. This was because their role was different. Battleships were to stay and trade shells with the enemy heavy ships- the armour was thought to be tuff enough so they could stay in line and be hit by shells but stay battleworthy. Battlecruisers were different - they were felt to be roboust enough to trade shells w/ enemy heavy units for a bit, but mainly just long enough to establish contact with the enemy - for scouting purposes - and draw their own navies dreadnaughts to smash the enemies fleet.
The battlecruisers were involved in a lot of fights in World War 1. Well, not a lot, but Jutland didn't exhaust battle honours for these ships. There was - for the English battlecruisers- the Battle of the Falklands in 1915. Dogger Bank. Plus, there were several of what were known as 'tip and run' raids - The Germans, in an attempt to draw out part of the British fleet and sink some of it started to sortie the fast battlecruiser squadrons to shell English coastal towns. The idea was that the fast German ships would shell the town, and the British would send their battlecruisers to counter them. What the germans hoped out of this was that maybe they could lure the British ships to the German main fleet hidden over the horizon - and this sink that part of the enemy fleet.
It was this wish to catch a part of the English fleet's battlecruisers away from their main support of dreadnaughts that lead to the The Run to the North and The Run to the South. The German plan almost worked. And, funnily enough, the British plans for their battlecruiser fleet worked as well - besides , of course, three of the ships exploding.
The Run to the South was the name given to the meeting engagement between the enemies battlecruiser squadrons. Both sides met that day because lookouts in both navies went to investigate a smudge of smoke on the horizon. The smoke belonged to a little steamer, but as both sides investigated the smoke - they spotted each other.
Well - maybe they didn't spot each others main fleet - but they spotted enough of it to realise something huge was up this day. The British battlecruisers - separated from their main fleet by many miles - spotted the German battle cruisers and gave chase south. And it was here that both nations battlecruisers basically fulfilled the eact mission that they were designed for. For tyhe Germans, they were luring a small part of the enemies fleet towards their own main fleet - waiting to annihilate it. And the British battlecruisers were scouting out the enemies main fleet so that they could bring their own fleet into action and overwhelm the enemies main fleet.
And man what punishment the British took on the Run to the South,. Because of the sun and atmospheric conditions, the Germans were able to really lay upon the British. from 3.48pm to 4.54. Despite having a six to five superiority in battlecruisers @ this point, the Germans almost took out the Lion, and then exploded the Indefatigable and the Queen Mary. Despite now being outnumbered 5-4, the British had a little help from a fast squadron of Dreadnaughts (four of them in hailing distance) that kept them from being overwhelmed.
And then - main German fleet sighted. The German battlecruisers had done exactly as they were designed - here the British hjad a small part of their overall force many miles away from their main support - and it was in tatters. But now it was the British turn to shine. They had done their duty- they had battled through the enemies scfreening and scouting forces and now could turn 180 degrees and lure the Germans back to be overwhelmed by the British main fleet. Plus - the sun and atmosphere were now in the British favour - and it dtarted to tell. This was now the Run to the North portion of the battle - basicsally, the British were now hightailing it out of there drawing the Germans North.
This has always been a huge bit of interest for me. When the main fleets collided, the Germans twice doing the whole "Battleturnawaytogether" maneuver - once with the assistance of what was called "The Death Ride of the Battlecruiser", windy corner and all that is as interesting. But something about giant ships manuevering in line, racing though the North Sea, exchanging shells clanging off 10-15 inches of armour, while NINE MILES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER - deeply fascinating.
And that's reallty all I got - I didn't intend for more here. More follows with a discussion of me and Jutland...
And then - main German fleet sighted. The German battlecruisers had done exactly as they were designed - here the British hjad a small part of their overall force many miles away from their main support - and it was in tatters. But now it was the British turn to shine. They had done their duty- they had battled through the enemies scfreening and scouting forces and now could turn 180 degrees and lure the Germans back to be overwhelmed by the British main fleet. Plus - the sun and atmosphere were now in the British favour - and it dtarted to tell. This was now the Run to the North portion of the battle - basicsally, the British were now hightailing it out of there drawing the Germans North.
This has always been a huge bit of interest for me. When the main fleets collided, the Germans twice doing the whole "Battleturnawaytogether" maneuver - once with the assistance of what was called "The Death Ride of the Battlecruiser", windy corner and all that is as interesting. But something about giant ships manuevering in line, racing though the North Sea, exchanging shells clanging off 10-15 inches of armour, while NINE MILES AWAY FROM EACH OTHER - deeply fascinating.
And that's reallty all I got - I didn't intend for more here. More follows with a discussion of me and Jutland...
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