THE JUILAND BATTLE

Hokitika Guardian, 13 February 1920, Page 2

THE JUILAND BATTLE

A GERMAN ACCOUNT. THE DERFLINGER’S PART. QUEEN MARY’S FINE WORK. (By Electric Telegraph—Co nr.'ight. • (Received this day at 8.40 a.m.) LONDON Feb. 11.

Commander Von Hasse, the senior | gunnery officer of the “ Derflinger,” has published a book in Berlin detailing the Jutland Rattle, which is entirely fortuitnous. The German High Sea. Fleet went to sea to cover a big raid on British shipping, and it was unexpected to find the British Grand Fleet, at sea. The Derflinger concentrated on the Queen Mary. "When the range opened to nineteen thousand yards, the German guns were outranged, and when they closed in the Indefatigible Was blown up, by the Von der Tann’s fire.

The writer pays a. high tribute to tlm Queen Mary’s superb gunnery, in firm-'; full salvoes at a fabulous speed till sh° blew up under the Derflinger’s sal""Then the four Queen Elizabeths arr : v ed, and their fifteen inchers had a tre mendous effect. These four, at one time, engaged the whole German Fleet Twilight found the German High Sea Fleet semi-circled by the British Grand Fleet, so the battle-cruisers and torpedoers were ordered to charge the enemy, to cover the retreat of the rest of the German .Fleet.

The Derflinger, leading the battlecruisers, met a veritable tornado of fire. Shell after shell crashed into the Derflinger and flames penetrated the ammunition room. Cartridges only burned, and did" not explode, proving the ship’s salvation. Darkness saved the battle-cruiscis from absolute destruction. Von Hasse adds that there was great relief when next morning the enemy were not sighted, for with our battered ships and ammunition almost gone, we could not have fought victoriously. The Derflinger alone had two hundred killed.