It was the summer of 1914, and only two weeks had passed since Germany declared war against France.
As the German troops proved hard to contain by the French forces, the British spirits were high, with most people eager to see the newly formed Grand Fleet crush the Germans into submission.
However, no significant naval encounter took place during the following days, and instead, the French continued to lose territory.
As the British Expeditionary Force rushed across the English Channel to reach the French frontlines, First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill grew more impatient by the minute, disgruntled that the Royal Navy was not taking the initiative to attack the German High Seas Fleet.
Finally, Commodore Robert Keyes came forward with an ambitious plan to attack parts of the German Fleet outside their main base in Wilhelmshaven, and Churchill swiftly endorsed the operation. The scheme was highly risky and contentious, which led Admiral John Jellico to offer the support of the Grand Fleet and its battleships.
But Jellico’s offer was disregarded by an overconfident Admiralty, and the British destroyers moved to Helgoland Bight to meet a much more powerful force than they had bargained for…
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