The Battle of
Jutland occurred in
WWI and pitted the massive
British armada against the smaller but more advanced
German Navy. This battle defies all common sense about naval battle
tactics, because the British should have moped the floor with the Germans.
The two forces committed many resources to scouting, due to the poor visibility. The massive British task force came upon the German fleet quite by accident. Immediately the German commander scrambled a hasty Destroyer torpedo attack, a desperate move to try to even the odds. Incredibly the British commander turned away from the torpedo attack. This would later be scrutinized by military historians.
When it was all over the German fleet was annihilated, but militarily the Germans won the battle. They had been out numbered almost 8 to 1 yet still inflicted 2 to 1 losses in both men and ships, despite having their T crossed twice. Tactically the British lost the Battle, they had superior numbers yet took twice as many losses as the enemy. Also they failed to exploit a tactically superior position.
This put an end to German surface operations in WWI.
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Thank you as always for contrasting viewpoints