Turning Point - Sekigahara: Toyotomi's Global Expansion and its Consequences

Phase 27 - Great War (4)

The strategic victory of the Japanese Navy in the Indian Ocean had a significant impact on Europe as well. It was not a minor skirmish; the world's mightiest British Royal Navy was defeated in a head-on battle. In Germany, the Battle of Ceylon was hailed as a historic achievement comparable to Trafalgar, while in Britain, it stirred a sense of crisis not seen since the Napoleonic Wars.

And in response to the Indian Ocean situation, the German Navy began to move. For the Germans, it must have been a feeling that it was now their turn. Furthermore, since many of the Japanese Navy's battleships were of German origin, the confidence of the German Navy soared.

On the other hand, Britain, while diligently trying to convey to its citizens and allied nations that the reports from the Allies contained significant exaggerations, was internally deeply shaken. They had to maintain control over the Indian Ocean sea lanes at all costs, but the German military had suddenly gained new vigor.

To put it mockingly, it was a situation where one had to hold down two overflowing pot lids, and moreover, they were scorching hot lids.

. . .

Around the end of May 1916, the balance of power in the North Sea was nearly equal.

Britain had 21 battleships, including dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts, 6 semi-dreadnought battleships, and 6 various types of battlecruisers. Germany, on the other hand, had a combined total of 17 dreadnoughts and super-dreadnoughts and 5 various types of battlecruisers. Both sides also had powerful pre-dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers, but it was believed that the outcome of the war would be determined by the number of their most powerful ships.

Moreover, during this time, Germany was conducting favorable operations in various locations, and Britain's war economy was greatly hindered by Japan's actions. Therefore, within the German Navy, there was a growing sense that it was time to turn the tide of the war through a fleet battle.

Vice Admiral Scheer, who had become the new fleet commander, executed a full-scale sortie on May 31. In response, Admiral Jellicoe, leading the British Grand Fleet, also launched a full-scale sortie. The two major naval powers, Britain and Germany, conducted the largest fleet battle in history, surpassing even the Indian Ocean.

The British fleet consisted of the flagship (HMS Iron Duke), 20 battleships, 6 battlecruisers, 26 cruisers, 63 destroyers, etc., while the German fleet consisted of the flagship (SMS Friedrich der Grosse), 22 battleships, 5 battlecruisers, 11 cruisers, 51 destroyers, etc.

The British side had the advantage of possessing a large number of capital ships and, furthermore, they had four of the state-of-the-art Queen Elizabeth-class battleships, capable of 25 knots and armed with 15-inch guns. The Germans had the advantage of high individual ship performance and the ability to concentrate all their powerful ships. Additionally, although it was not widely known until later, the German side had superior rangefinders and long-range firing capability. Although Germany had a slight advantage in battleship numbers, their fleet included five pre-dreadnought battleships, making the overall strength somewhat equal, with a slight disadvantage for Germany. The advantage in auxiliary vessels was clearly on the British side, and if they displayed the same level of aggressiveness as the Japanese Navy had, the British side would have been even more favored.

However, the German side had received elements that instilled confidence in their own ships at the last minute. They had received detailed encrypted messages from Japan regarding the battle, which praised the effectiveness of the German defensive methods and firing systems. While the Japanese Navy often had complaints about the low seakeeping abilities and poor living conditions of the German-style designs, they highly praised the defensive methods and firing systems in this case. Furthermore, the Japanese Navy reported that during the late stages of the battle, a British ship had sunk after a likely penetration from a shell from above the main gun turret, but their own battleships had avoided a similar tragedy thanks to their robust defensive methods, particularly in the handling and storage of ammunition.