The Jutland Scandal: The Truth about the First World War’s Greatest Sea Battle

Two important analyses of the crucial WWI naval battle that took place off the coast of Denmark in 1916, The Truth About Jutland (1927) by Vice-Admiral Harper and The Jutland Scandal (1925) by Admiral Bacon, return to circulation in time for the battle’s centenary. The Battle of Jutland remains controversial and has been debated by professional naval officers and historians for 100 years. At issue is whether the British Fleet Admiral John Jellicoe squandered an excellent opportunity to destroy the German High Seas Fleet in a decisive naval engagement. The two books were written in defense of the decision-making of Admiral Jellicoe. Harper, who produced the original unpublished official British Navy report on the battle, wrote primarily to provide an unbiased public record of events. His accurate, if spare, chronological account describes the proceedings and compares them to accepted British naval tactics. Bacon writes more specifically to combat direct attacks on Jellicoe’s performance by newspapers and Winston Churchill. Both authors wrote for a lay audience; their clear and authoritative accounts emphasize issues such as tactics, technology, command, and seamanship, with little attempt to describe the experience of battle. There are many better histories of Jutland, but these accessible works are mandatory for serious students of naval warfare and WWI. Illus. (July)