History of the United Kingdom during the First World War and the German Imperial Navy did come into contact, notably in the Battle of Heligoland Bight, and at the Battle of Jutland. In view of their inferior numbers and firepower, the Germans devised a plan to draw part of the British fleet into a trap and put it into effect at Jutland in , but the result was inconclusive. In , the High Seas Fleet tried a similar enticement operation and was "lucky to escape annihilation". The lessons learned by the Royal Navy at Jutland made it a more effective force in the future. In 1914, the navy had also
Order of battle for the Battle of Greece facing the Germans numbered 65,110 men, only about half of whom were combat-worthy. The Commonwealth forces were constituted as the "'W' Force", named after its commander, Lieutenant General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson: Order of battle for the Battle of Greece This is the order of battle of the German, Greek and British Commonwealth units on 5 April 1941, prior to the German invasion of Greece and Yugoslavia ("Operation Marita"). The German invasion and conquest of mainland Greece is known as the "Battle of Greece". The German forces were grouped under "Generalfeldmarschall" Wilhelm List's 12th Army, which comprised: The 1st Panzer