Battle of Tsushima Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, described British Admiral John Jellicoe as "the only man who could lose the war in an afternoon". German naval commanders, for their part, understood the importance Kaiser Wilhelm II attached to his navy and the diplomatic prestige it carried. As a result of caution, the British and German fleets met in only one major action in World War I, the indecisive Battle of Jutland. 27 May 1905 (JST) 28 May 1905 (JST) The 1969 film "The Battle of the Japan Sea" (日本海大海戦, "Nihonkai-DaiKaisen") depicts the battle. Battle of Tsushima The Battle of Tsushima
Night action at the Battle of Jutland more to the north of the British ships. "Westfalen" at the head of the 1st Battle Squadron now led the revised column of battleships, followed by the III Battle Squadron and then the pre-dreadnought II Battle Squadron. The II Scouting Group of cruisers was placed ahead of the battleships, while the IV Scouting Group was similarly placed to starboard. The IV SG under Commodore Ludwig von Reuter mistook its position in the dark, so ending up on the port side of the battle line rather than starboard. The battlecruisers were ordered to take positions at the rear behind II Squadron,