A GERMAN VIEWPOINT OF JUT' LAND BATTLE.

Shannon News, 27 August 1929, Page 4

A GERMAN VIEWPOINT OF JUT' LAND BATTLE.

BOTH FLEETS LOST. The question has often been asked: "How did the Battle of Jutland come to be fought?" This has been explained by numerous reports, 'pamphlets and war historians, butt it is refreshing to obtain an opinion from a German naval officer who not only fought in the Jutland battle but was also engaged in the Dogger Bank affair. This is Lieutenant-Commander Kleikamp, of the Em den, who is chief instructor of cadets on the cruiser which recently visited these shores. He held the position of- -wireless officer on board the huge battle-cruiser Derfflinger of 25,000 tons, one of the largest and most 'modern units of' German cruiser fleet during the war period.

"We were '.enjoyed' to meet the British fleet," he explained with a smile, and he went on to chat interestingly of the battle in tolerably good English, his colleague, Lieutenant Krauss, interpreting whenever he found it a little difficult to express himself in good English. "Our meetings were viry scarce," he said, "but we had become acquainted some at the Dogger Bank, and were glad' of this latest opportunity. It was on January 24, 1015, that we met at Dogger Bank, and i--, was, not until May 31 of 1916 that we came in full contact with the British fleet. In the meantime we had carried out bombardments at Lowestoft and Yarmouth, while in April we fought some ships of the Channel fleet in a skinhiisih after the Lowestoft bombardment. This was only a few weeks prior to the Jutland battle. After the skirmish, both the German and British fleets showed distinct signs of greater activity, and the German rommand thought that frequent raids on the English coast would tire the English fleet and goad them into action. Our intention was to endeavour to force a battle. We left Wilhel'mshaven in the early morning of May 31, 1916, and the English knew this, because they intercepted a wireless message which they .were able to decipher. They did not know the German fleet's position, but they came across .the North Sea to meet us, and we hoped by several signs and the greater,activity of the smaller boats that the English would make their attack in the southern part of the North Sea. At four o'clock on May 31 the cruiser squadrons of both fleets met, as they had been sent ahead for exploration work." Battle Described* ..Lieutenant-Commander Kleikamp graphically 'described all the incidents of the battle from first to last. "It was four o'clock,", he said, "on the follswing morning when the last shot was fired, and the German Pom<mern, the only first-class battleship of the German fleet to be lost, was destroyed just prior to that. Personally, I was unable to see a shot fixed, but all the devils and orders came through by wireloss and made the.time for me most exciting. The Derfflinger was struck 17 times by major shells. In addition, the British scored against, the cruiser nine other hits by middle-class guns, but despite of this we were able to limp back to port under our own power. We lost on the Derfflinger 156 killed and 26 wounded. One shell killed 73 out of 78 men in one turret, and the remaining five escaped when the turret caught on fire." . Commander Kleiksunp showed by way of German and Admiralty reports.and charts the positions of both fleets throughout the battle, and frankly admitted that owing to the poor visibility and foggy conditions that existed throughout the night and early morning, that both fleets praetieally got lostr When daylight came the Germans were under ;the v belief that the British fleet was in a certain position, and he claimed that the British .fleet was under a similar misapprehension in regard to the germans. . At 4 a.m. the distance was so great between' both fleets that gunfire was considered impracticable, and so "both fleets went home. He explained that at one part of the fight the British had such an advantageous position, all its fire being cooncentrated upon the cruiser squad-' ron of the high seas fleet, that the Germans turned and ran for it., This was ar a time when thte leading battle cruiser Lutzow was put out of action, and thte Derfflinger took her place as leader of the squadron. The Seydlitz was also badly damaged at this time.

Later the Germans turned back to the attack, and then Admiral Beatty turned to make back for the battle fleet. The two battle fleets tlhen got t» grips. This at about 6 o'clock on the night of May 31. As the battle developed the High Sea Fleet turned again, and the German destroyer flotillas Averc ordered to attack. At this time the British turned to the east and as the range was too long, gunfire ceased for a time. Between 8 and 9 o'clock at night, the British fleet manoeuvred in an endeavour to cut the German High Sea Fleet off from its home port, but the night was so dark, and the positions so difficult to ascertain that the Germans were abi■'. to pass abaft the British line at about 10 o'clock. The attack went on in a desultory way throughout the night." At a. few minutes past three in the morning the Germans lost their only battleship, the Pommern, and within a few minutes of that the last shot was fired. The British went back to Seapa Flow, and the German fleet to Wilhelmshavon. "Practically the whole of the time that the battle was in progress," said Commander Kleikamp, "I was in the wireless room attached to the conning | tower, which was considerably damaged by shell-lire, but not put out of action. The vibration of the ship told us all when a hdt was recorded on beard and every time there was a 'cessation of firing we were*busy mending our wireless plant," Lieutenant-Commander Kleikamip is

a young, good-looking officer, destined, according to his colleagues, to reach a high rank in the German Navy.