THE JUTLAND CONTROVERSY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 2831, 8 January 1925, Page 3

THE JUTLAND CONTROVERSY.

London, January 5. The publication of the book “The Scandal of Jutland,” by Admiral Sii .Reginald Bacon, has added fresh fuel to the Jutland controversy. Bacon declares the battle has been misrepresented by a smoke screen deliberately raised to jn'event the public learning the truth about Jutland, which constitutes a scandal. Regarding the battle, the writer severely blames Earl Beatty. He says* the general notion is that Earl Beatty. met and daringly engaged enemy and drew them into a trap, knowing that Earl Jellicoe’s Grand Fleet was coming up. The writer declares that Earl Beatty, instead of bringing the enemy to Jellicoe’s fleet, as a cat brings a mouse, actually ran away from the mouse within twenty minutes and never saw it again. He had to admit he did not even know the mouse had gone.

Admiral Bacon adds: “It is not uncommon, after a great war, for praise and blame to be unfairly proportioned. The German cruisers escaped from Dogger Bank through a series of errors made by Earl Beatty, but Sir Gordon Moore was blamed. It was to Earl Beatty’s lack of tactical appreciation that the fifth battle squadron was not engaged in the first phase at Jutland, but Rear-Admiral Evan-Tliomson, commander of the fifth squadron, was ungenerously and unjustly blamed. Lastly, through Beatty’s failure to give Jellicoe vital information, the latter could not deploy as fast as would otherwise have done.”

Admiral Bacon regrets thai when .Jellicoe was being attacked, Be;atty did not say a few words and instruct public opinion. British traditions demanded it. “Beatty’s failure in chivalry at that time will never be forgotten or forgiven by the Royal Navy.” “Eari Jellicoe led the licet at Jutland with matchless skill and left nothing undone to secure the enemy’s defeat. If the victory was less decisive than the nation hoped for, the blame does not attach to Jellicoe, but to his subordinate, Beatty,” says Admiral Sir Reginald Bacon. He contends that the battle cruiser Heel’s gunnery under Beatty was not good and says: “It was his business to see that his ships were able to shoot accurately. He canhe held blameless if thev failed.”

Admiral Bacon also points out that Beatty bad four battleships, besides six battle cruisers, and it was the latter’s duty after sighting the enemy, to avoid action until four battleships, then four miles distant, had joined his line; then to bring an overwhelming concentration of fire to hear, hut Beatty dashed headlong into fight. If he had awaited his battleships, the ensuing action, which resulted in the sinking of two British ships, might well have been a brilliant victory instead of being practically a defeat.

“Beatty’s second blunder was losing contact with the enemy when he turned and raced northward with the result that lie joined Jellicoe’s Grand Fleet dumb and unable to supply information vital for determining Jellicoe’s metod op deployment. It was under this handicap that Jellicoe had marshalled his forces and tie did absolutely the right tiling in deploying to port, instead of to starboard, towards the enemy. Sir Reginald Bacon sneers at Mr Winston Churchill’s confession that it was Beatty’s prowess at polo and hunting which influenced him in some degree in appointing Beatty to command the battle cruiser squadron over the heads of numerous seniors. Sir Reginald points out: “Horsemanship is a poor qualification for high command afloat,” and says Beatty had only handled a squadron of ships for two months prior to his appointment to one of the most important commands in the Navy. Sir Reginald Bacon insists that Beatty's lack of experience resulted in failure oil every occasion that his eai>aeit'- was tested as an admiral in command. He declares Beatty missed a complete victory in the Dogger bank fight in January, 1915, by turning away from a submarine at a critical moment, when by all canons, he should have steered at it. CHURCHILL'S COMMENT “PROUD I APPOINTED BEATTY.” London, January 6th.' In the course of an interview on other topics, Mr Winston Churchill interjected: “Bacon seems to be angry with both Beatty aud me. Nevertheless I am proud of the fact that I appointed Beatty.”