Dogger Bank, battle of the

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Dogger Bank, battle of the, 1915. The Germans created their high seas fleet as an expression of Germany's great power status and as a political lever to force concessions from Britain. It was not designed to win a war, and faced by a numerically superior enemy, the German admirals had no intention of obliging the British by seeking a naval action until they had reduced the Grand Fleet's numerical superiority by attrition. The battle of the Dogger Bank was fought in the North Sea on 24 January 1915. A raiding force of German battle-cruisers was intercepted and pounded by Beatty's battle-cruiser squadron. The action only convinced the German Admiralty that they were right to pursue a cautious strategy.

David French

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