Page 81 - NS-2 Textbook

74 MARITIME HISTORY

ers sunle Von Spee then decided to proceed around the had earlier broken the German naval code alld had gath-
cape to Port Stanley in December, hoping to capture the ered radio intelligence that tipped them off about the Ger-
base and its coal supplies. TI,e British, however, had sent man plans. Under the command of British admiral Sir
two additional cruisers to the Falklands to join six others Jolm Jellicoe were about 150 ships, including 28 dread-
already there, so ,vhen von Spee arrived on 8 December, noughts and several squadrons of cruisers and destroyers.
he found hinlself oUhmmbered. He tried to flee back First contact was made at about 1530 the afternoon of
west, but was overtaken and his ships were cut to pieces 31 May between opposing cruiser forces. Within min-
by the superior British force. This battle eliminated the utes, two British cruisers had been sunk by German
last major German surface forces outside the North Sea. cruisers, ·which were superior in armor and armament.
But the main action was yet to come. At about 1650, a di-
vision of four British dreadnoughts came into range with
GALLI POll AND JUTLAND
the German main body and began a nmning battle to the
In late 1914 the British war command concluded that if north, with Jellicoe's main body of nventy-four battle-
they could force the Dardanelles and capture Constantino- ships proceeding to join the action from the northwest.
ple, the Allies could then supply men and war materials About 1800 a long column of Jellicoe's battleships suc-
through Russia to the eastern front, thereby ending the war ceeded in "capping the T" on Scheer's force. (Capping
in a matter of months. The key to this plan was to capture the T is a classic naval tactic. A commander attempts to
the Turkish peninsula of Gallipoli, which commanded the malleUVer his column of warships into position at the
approaches to the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara. head of a T with an enemy column moving up the stem
Accordingly, but only after much delay, which al- of the T. This gives his ships full broadside capability
lowed the Turkish defenders to reinforce and secure their against the enemy ships while the enemy ships can bring
positions, an amphibious assault was launched against only their forward guns to bear.) Before they could do
Gallipoli in late April 1915. Because of a lack of experi- much datnage, Scheel' turned away to disengage. Jellicoe
ence, poor recomlaissance and bad planning, a lack of co-
ordination, and ineffective naval gunfire support, the
landings did not go well. Still, a sizable number of Allied
troops V\Tere eventually landed. Ho,vever, they were soon
deadlocked in position by an equal number of Turks
under the aggressive command of Mustafa Kemal, who
eight years later would found the Turkish Republic. The
stalemate continued until November 1915, when it be-
came obvious that the campaign would not succeed. The
Allied forces then began to withdraw, completing this
operation by Janualy 1916. Their successful withdrawal
under fire is still considered to be one of the most re-
markable amphibious evacuations in the history of mod-
ern warfare. As a result of the failed Gallipoli catnpaign,
Bulgaria joined the Central Powers and helped GermallY
conquer all of the Balkan cotmtries.
In January 1916 a new, more aggressive admiral was
given commalld of the German High Seas Fleet: Vice Ad-
miral Reinllard Scheer. He was determined to do selective
battle with the British fleet in order to reduce its numbers
and perhaps win control of the North Sea. Accordingly, in
May the fleet sortied from its base at Jade Bay and pro-
ceeded toward the coast of southern Norway opposite
Demnark's Jutland Peninsula to raid Allied shipping
there. Altogether there were some 100 German ships, in-
cluding 16 dreadnought and 6 predreadnought battle-
ships and a lltilllber of cruisers and destroyers in scouting
positions. Unknown to the German commandel~ hovv€ver,
the British Grand Fleet had sailed for the satne area the
day before from its bases at Scapa Flow and the Scottish
firths (openings of rivers into the sea). The Royal Navy The North Sea-Skagerrak area, site of the Battle of Jutland.