Who actually won The Battle of Jutland?

Published 2024-03-06
The most important naval action seen during the First World War was, of course, the Battle of Jutland.

The date was the 31st May 1916. A trap had been set by the Germans.

Just off the coast of Jutland in Denmark, the largest nautical battle of the First World War was about to take place. The battle, involving 100,000 men and 250 ships, would last close to 2 days.

But who threw the first punch? And did Britain actually win the fight?

Find out more:

How codebreaking developed during the First World War:    • Before Bletchley Park | The code-brea...  

More about Jack Cornwall: Jack Cornwell And The HMS Chester Gun | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)

Boy (1st Class) John ‘Jack’ Travers Cornwell VC | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)

More about the Battle of Jutland: Battle of Jutland Timeline | Imperial War Museums (iwm.org.uk)

How did the First World War start?    • How did WW1 Start? | Causes of the Fi...  

Explore these stories with a visit to an IWM site: www.iwm.org.uk/

The First World War Retold: shop.iwm.org.uk/p/26674/The-First-World-War-Retold

Order and license the HD clips used in this video on IWM Film’s website: film.iwmcollections.org.uk/collections/_e4q5lP4A film.iwmcollections.org.uk/collections/_e4q2n5EA film.iwmcollections.org.uk/collections/_zEw5AXme

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All Comments (21)
  • If there is one thing Germany in both world wars can teach it's that tactical victories don't win wars
  • @alanclague2333
    Drachinifel has done a good series of videos on the Battle of Jutland. The first video was the set up to hhe battle and the run to the south. The second covers the run to the north to the night actions. The final video discussed the outcome and consequences.
  • @22grena
    The Royal navy lost more ships and sailors but the German fleet never left its home waters again to confront the Royal Navy until they surrendered. Therefore it was a win for the Royal Navy
  • @Masada1911
    Very hard to judge. But in my opinion the Germans needed to upset the status quo and they didn’t do that. So I have to say the British came out ahead.
  • Jellicoe kept the RN Fleet in being and continued to blockade the High Seas Fleet for the rest of the war. German sailors mutinied rather than sail out again in strength to try to break the blockade! Germany needed to win massively at Jutland, Jellicoe only needed not to lose the fleet!
  • @Geoff31818
    Notice you make no mention no of beatty’s abysmal signals and communication. Also he is the one that pushed for rate of fire on his ships resulting is chronic errors like removing flash doors so they can load the guns faster
  • @callumgordon1668
    My son won a competition to name a street in a new development in Rosyth sometime before 2009. We did a wee bit looking online and found there were streets named after Jellicoe and Beatty, but not for the battle of Jutland. So we still have a Jutland Street sign in the loft after my son, not so forward unusually asked if he could have the mockup they’d done for publicity. The year’s significant as I told the photographer there was still a living witness to the battle. He looked at me as if I was mad, but Henry Allingham was still alive then. I thought the analysis in your video was spot on. The Royal Navy lost more ships and men, but their tactics were sound and the Germans failed in their strategic objectives: destruction of the cruisers and breakout, whereas the British achieved theirs. Retained dominance and blockade and the Germans never came out again. In fact they mutinied in 1918 when their commanders wanted them to embark on a death ride into the North Sea. The battle indirectly leading to the US entering the war is an interesting point.
  • Despite the David Beatty's incompetence the battle went to the Grand Fleet.
  • @JH-ox7hn
    Very good documentary. Thanks a lot. I enjoyed Mr. Dickens' presentation and would like to see more of him.
  • @copferthat
    If a winning boxer quits on his stool, he's lost
  • @Floods-uy6tl
    Great video with a respectful and evenhanded conclusion.. thanks mate
  • Neither side achieved the objectives that they had planned but that was a strategic win for the British. The German fleet had to break out of the North Sea and they failed.
  • You could make a similar argument re the USS Constitution in the war of 1812. She won some individual skirmishes, picking on smaller ships mostly, (as is wise and fair in a war) but the US fleet never broke the Royal Navy blockade.
  • @rogerrees9845
    Another very interesting presentation..... Thank you....Roger...Pembrokeshire..
  • @cra0422
    The Germans won tactically by sinking more tonnage and causing more casualties, but the British won strategically because the German fleet went back to port and stayed there for the remainder of the war.
  • @alanb9443
    You should never measure victory by loss of men and equipment. It’s whether or not you met your strategic objectives. The USSR lost nearly 3x as many men and tanks as Germany in WW2 but no one is arguing Germany won the war. This is the mistake the US made in Vietnam, it doesn’t matter if you’re destroying their troops and equipment if theyre willing of taking the loss and capable of finding replacements.
  • @davidcrabbe9710
    Whilst I appreciate the need for brevity given the short running time, it would have been worth delving into why the Battlecruisers under Beatty suffered catastrophic explosions, why given the excellent positioning of the Grand Fleet so little damage was inflicted and also the exceptional way in which the High Seas Fleet was able to extricate itself from potential disaster. For anyone interested, I highly recommend Rules of the Game by Andrew Gordon.