Jutland

(book)

Reviewed by Tony Gibbs

by Geoffrey Bennett

Another book on the Battle of Jutland? Yes, and it's quite a good one too! This is a paperback volume from the Wordsworth Military Library, covering the events leading to conflict and the early sparring engaged by both sides.

The opening chapters cover the political decisions and fears, as Germany elects to challenge British naval might. This ultimately polarizes both countries, former allies and friends, and results in war.

Also covered are the early operations. Mostly people think of naval conflict in WW1, when Jutland comes to mind. But there was a whole series of clashes before, when each side was trying to lure the other into an ambush. Jutland started out as yet another ambush attempt, which bloomed into what was widely expected to be a naval Armageddon.

I found the book excellent reading. It is full of eye-witness accounts of all stages of the action. Both large and small ship movements are plotted. A wealth of maps and diagrams are used, which illuminate the various stages of the battle, as broken down by the author. A good number of statistics are available which provide interesting insights as to gunnery efficiency, for example. There is a complete Order of Battle inside the back cover, and there is also a list of sinkings (3 British capital ships to 2 German). Since the weather played a large role in the unfolding battle, an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages to both sides is given.

The conclusion attempts to answer the question "Who won?" One quote that sums it up for me was from an American newspaper of the time whose headline ran "The German fleet has assaulted its jailor, but is still in prison."

Lastly however, as much as I like this book, I must point out that this is strictly a British narrative with little input to clarify the German position or experience. Available from Combined Publishing for $12.99 plus s&h. http://www.combinedpublishing.com

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