Evening star., 1924-12-05
Rx the AsEociated Press

By the Associated Press.
BOSTON, December 5.-What went
on behind the mistS that hung over
the North Sea while the British grand
feet and the high seas fleet of Ger
many fought the battle of Jutland on
May 81, 1916, is described in new terms
by the British admiralty eight years
later, and Its official narrative of this
outstanding naval engagement of the
World War, recently issued, conforms
TO an American version of the facts.
1t had been announced by the ad
miralty, at time when controversy
was rife in high British naval circles,
that no official account of the Jutland
engagement would be given out. A
blue book in 1920 had contained the
original British charts and reports.
But when Lord Sydenham, raising
formal question in the House of Lords,
pointed out that an American hiSto-
rian, Capt. Thomas G. rockingham,
L. S. r., of Boston, had made clear
certain essential facts of the battle
that called for a change in the British
official charts, renewed attention was
given to the battle details.
Strategy Praised.
The British admiraltys own narra-
tive, issued now as an official docu-
ment of 12o pages with new charts
and new conclusions, is the result
IL was the surprising strategy of
Admiral Reinold Scheer, commander
of the German forces, in executing
three times within a space of ~ min
utes, twice in defense and once in
attack. maneuver which the
British high command had declared
impossible of execution, that upset
all British calculations as to what had
occurred. This maneuver was a
simultaneous turn of Is battleships
ike the about-face of marching men,
with each ship swinging around al
most in its own tracks
1t was the Yankee historian, an
army officer during the World War,
who first brought to light the facts
of Admiral Scheer's amazing strategy
and tactics in a monograph, "A True
Account of the Battle of Jutland. &"
How the American learned what went
on behind the mists at Jutland he
has not divulged. but it is understood
that study OF the original battle
tharts, in the light of his knowledge
of the sea and ships. supplied the
first clue.
Visibility Was Low.
Tho official narrative takes up its
more important phases of review at
6:l5 pm. II was at that hour that the
British forces joined and Admiral
available to bear against inferior Ger
man forces, turned to deploy on the
port wing to form line of battle on
a course southeast by east, with an
advance fan of cruisers and destroy
ers stretched between the German
feet and approach to their base. The
British narrative says, '"The enemy
could only be seen f1tfully through
the mist" and adds that no battle
ships could fire for many minutes to-
gether because observation was so
poor.
These were the conditions, with the
Germans steaming at a speed of IT
knots, sinking the Invincible, Defense
and Warrier and striking mortal
blows to the Bla ok Prince as they
went, when Admiral Scheer had first
recourse to his un ncomprehended ma
neuver to save his fleet from envelop-
ment.
Reversed Three Times.
The German fleet reversed direction
three times in series of movements
that look on the com bined chart like
q whirligig, and this is now brought
out and described by the admiralty
narrative as it was described by the
American historian. The admiralty
narratives observations of the causes
for each of the several swing
abouts" by the German fleet take is
sue with the strategic motives given
IN Admiral Scheer's report.
The first German maneuver of