The British Navy in Battle
By . New York: DOUBLEDAY, PAGE AND Co. 1919. Crown 8vo., viii + 358 pp. With maps. $2.50.
THIS is an important book. It is neither a description of the navy at work, nor a general history of naval operations (the war against the submarine is dealt with not at all), but a detailed criticism of the greater naval actions from the professional critic’s point of view. The opening chapters of the book, ‘Sea Fallacies,’ ‘Elements of Sea Force,’ ‘Some Root Doctrines,’ ‘Naval Gunnery,’ and so forth, deal with the theory — one might almost say the dogma — of naval affairs; the succeeding chapters have to do with the destruction of the Koenigsberg, the end of the Emden, the Dogger Bank affair, and Jutland the much-disputed.
Though the account of the little-known Koenigsberg affair is a stirring and dramatic tale, it is probably the story of the Jutland battle which will be of most interest to Americans. But if the reader is to understand Mr. Pollen’s account of the battle (he deems it a virtual defeat for British sea-power), he will find it wise to have some idea of the group for whom Mr. Pollen speaks.
There are, in Great Britain, two schools of naval thought: one attached to the offensive-defensive policy, the other to a policy of vigorous attack. Lord Jellicoe is the proponent of the first school; Admiral Beatty of the second. Mr. Pollen is the literary champion of the ‘Beatty’ school. He attacks the navy’s ‘purely defensive rôle,’ he has little use for the mentality which will link ‘invincible’ to ‘victorious’; and it is only in exploits of the Zeebrugge order that he sees hope for the future. In dealing with the Jutland battle his bias is instantly visible, and Lord Jellicoe is raked over the coalsfor not closing with the German fleet.
‘Sir John Jellicoe was perfectly willing to fight if the Germans would come out and fight on his conditions. . . . Napoleon speaks bitterly of his admirals who acted as though they could win victory without taking risks.’ To Sir David Beatty, however, is accorded a pæan of praise.
But this controversy cannot be gone into here. Lord Jetlicoe justly held, and continued to hold, the confidence of the Admiralty; Admiral Beatty certainly fought a very dashing battle. At any rate, the navy won the war. The German fleet lies at Scapa Flow. Let us be content with Mr. Pollen’s fine analyses, and postpone a decision of Jutland till we have access to the complete records of the opposing navies. H. B. B.