Worst-Case Scenario for British at Jutland?

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Old1812

Old1812

It's true that Scheer and Hipper did very well at Jutland - probably better than they had any right to, considering how close the Grand Fleet came to cutting them off during their escape. However, I wanted to see just how close we can get to Scheer's grand plan to destroy Beatty actually working.

I was wondering if having Scheer follow Hipper somewhat more closely could help this - perhaps by leaving II Battle Squadron behind, but then Scheer effectively did that IOTL anyway - while Jellicoe continues at his OTL course and speed.

However it happens, British losses are more severe, with the Battle Cruiser Fleet losing perhaps three or four BC's, including Lion, and maybe even one of Evan-Thomas' BB's if the High Seas Fleet is quick enough. Jellicoe arrives, but the Grand Fleet isn't able to strike much more than a glancing blow at the Germans, probably losing one or two BC's or BB's in total. In the aftermath of losing Beatty, I assume Horace Hood will take command of the battlecruisers.

With the British losing what amounts to a squadron of battlecruisers, is it possible they may be able to persuade Japan to send some ships to the North Sea? This is a stretch, as only the brand new Kongo-class would have the necessary speed, and they barely persuaded the IJN to send units to the Mediterranean.
 
CV(N)-6

CV(N)-6

Lion goes boom, Warspite is lost when circling, the QE (Malaya?) that had a massive fire near the secondary magazines goes boom, Jellicoe deploys the fleet in the wrong direction due to even less information coming from the very desperate situation in the south and has the vanguard of the fleet banged up before the rest can get in range of the HSF. The two fleets lose contact before engaging in a sporadic night action that sees the Germans get the better of the British light forces like OTL and torpedo several BBs. GF and the now BC squadron return home in disgrace.
 

subway dreaming

If the Kaiserliche Marine is more confident and the Royal Navy is forced to concentrate more on defending the British Isles, might the German admiralty persuade Wilhelm to stick to "cruiser rules" instead of engaging in USW? Delaying the US entry even by a few months might cause Russia to throw in the towel early.
 

Jacarí

Old1812 said:
It's true that Scheer and Hipper did very well at Jutland - probably better than they had any right to, considering how close the Grand Fleet came to cutting them off during their escape. However, I wanted to see just how close we can get to Scheer's grand plan to destroy Beatty actually working.

I was wondering if having Scheer follow Hipper somewhat more closely could help this - perhaps by leaving II Battle Squadron behind, but then Scheer effectively did that IOTL anyway - while Jellicoe continues at his OTL course and speed.

However it happens, British losses are more severe, with the Battle Cruiser Fleet losing perhaps three or four BC's, including Lion, and maybe even one of Evan-Thomas' BB's if the High Seas Fleet is quick enough. Jellicoe arrives, but the Grand Fleet isn't able to strike much more than a glancing blow at the Germans, probably losing one or two BC's or BB's in total. In the aftermath of losing Beatty, I assume Horace Hood will take command of the battlecruisers.

With the British losing what amounts to a squadron of battlecruisers, is it possible they may be able to persuade Japan to send some ships to the North Sea? This is a stretch, as only the brand new Kongo-class would have the necessary speed, and they barely persuaded the IJN to send units to the Mediterranean.
Click to expand...

There are a couple ways, several RN ships had close calls, plus there is always the scenario in which Scheer keeps his cool and doesnt rush to aid Hipper, and simply develops his envelopment maneuver.

Then there is the night fighting...
 
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