Order of battle at Jutland fast s, intended to act as the vanguard of the main battle line. At the Battle of Jutland, it operated with the Battlecruiser Fleet, and was escorted by the 1st Destroyer Flotilla. The commander of the 5th Battle Squadron was RAdm Hugh Evan-Thomas, M.V.O. 1st Destroyer Flotilla 1st Division/1st D.F. 2nd Division/1st D.F. The High Seas Fleet was the main body of the German surface navy, principally based at Wilhelmshaven, on the Jade River in North-West Germany. 3rd Battle Squadron" (III. Geschwader)" (Battleships) : RAdm Paul Behncke; flag lieutenant: Lt Cdr Frhr Ernst von Gagern 5th Division: RAdm Behncke 6th
Battle of the Somme "What remained of the old first-class peace-trained German infantry had been expended on the battlefield". A war of attrition was a logical strategy for Britain against Germany, which was also at war with France and Russia. A school of thought holds that the Battle of the Somme placed unprecedented strain on the German army and that after the battle it was unable to replace casualties like-for-like, which reduced it to a militia. The destruction of German units in battle was made worse by lack of rest. British and French aircraft and long-range guns reached well behind the front-line, where trench-digging