Chapter 360: Pursue or Not Pursue!

He puts down the pencil and surveys everyone: "The question is simple: pursue, or not pursue?"

The conference room fell silent for a few seconds. Outside the North Sea was pitch black, only occasional searchlight columns slicing the night sky, those were destroyers searching for survivors or warning off submarines.

"Pursue." Major General Jeram was the first to speak, his voice decisive, "We have heavily damaged them; now is the time to expand the gains. If we let Sheer return safely to William Port, he'll repair for a few months and be ready again. But if we bite him tonight and strike once more before dawn…"

He paused, his eyes flashing with combat light: "We have a chance to end the German High Seas Fleet once and for all."

Studi shook his head: "Pursue? How to pursue? It's deep night, visibility under five hundred yards, the sea littered with wreckage, oil slicks, and survivors from both sides. Our destroyers report at least ten signs of German submarine activity. Pursuing under these conditions is like running blind in a minefield."

"But the Germans are sailing under the same conditions," Jeram retorted, "They are more chaotic than us, their losses heavier. If we don't act now…"

"If we act now," Major General Hol interjected, his voice calm, "we may run into mines, torpedoes, or be ambushed by German submarines. Don't forget, Sheer isn't a fool. He knows we're behind him and will certainly set rear‑guard forces and traps."

Jelico listened to the debate, his fingers unconsciously drumming on the table. This habit revealed his inner weighing—whenever faced with a major decision, he does this.

"How is the night‑combat training going?" he suddenly asked.

The Chief of Artillery cleared his throat: "Sir, to be honest… it's unsatisfactory. Our fleet trains mainly for daylight artillery battles; night combat is mostly theoretical. As for the Germans…" He pointed to an intelligence file on the table, "According to pre‑war intelligence, the German Navy places special emphasis on night‑combat training; they have systematic searchlight usage regulations, signal identification procedures, and close‑quarters melee tactics."

"In other words," Jelico summarized, "by day we're the hunters. At night the hunter and prey roles may swap."

"But the initiative remains with us!" Jeram insisted, "We have numerical superiority, battlefield posture superiority…"

"At night, numerical superiority can become a burden," Studi cut in, "Think about it: twenty‑plus warships chasing in darkness and thick fog, how to keep formation? How to identify friend or foe? How to coordinate fire? One mis‑identified target could result in friendly fire. One ship falling behind could be picked off by a German submarine."

He turned to Jelico, his tone earnest: "Admiral, I understand the lure of pursuit. But consider what happened after Trafalgar—Nelson won, but he died. If we risk a night chase tonight, even if we win, we may pay an unbearable price. And if we lose…"

He did not finish, but the meaning was clear.

Jelico remained silent. He looked out the window, at the black sea that had swallowed the Indefatigable, Queen Mary, Luzov, Bommern, and countless lives.

He recalled many years ago, when he was a young Lieutenant, an old Admiral had told him: "The hardest thing for a naval commander is not knowing when to attack, but knowing when to stop. Because when you win, you want more victories; and when you win more, you may lose everything."

"Our current spoils are already sufficient," he finally spoke, his voice low but audible to everyone in the room, "Sinking a German battleship‑cruiser, a pre‑dreadnought, heavily damaging several capital ships, forcing the German High Seas Fleet to retreat. Those achievements are enough to answer the Navy Department and the nation."

Jeram opened his mouth, ready to say something, but Jelico raised his hand to stop him.

"I know what you want to say, Jeram. 'A one‑stroke solution,' 'a historic victory.' But a commander's duty is not to create history, it is to protect the fleet. And tonight, the best way to protect the fleet is to avoid unnecessary risk."

He stood up and walked to the naval chart, his finger tracing the German fleet's retreat route.

"Sheer has two routes back to William Port. One is to detour through the Danish Strait, which takes more time and may encounter our blockade fleet. The other is to go straight through the Heen Reef channel—a minefield the Germans themselves laid; they know the passage."

His finger stopped at Heen Reef: "If he takes Heen Reef, we position our fleet on the western side of the channel to block his exit. If he takes the Danish Strait, we move northward to intercept at dawn."

"But then he'll get away!" Jeram couldn't help but say.

"Getting away is better than us charging into a night‑combat trap and losing more warships," Jelico said, his eyes sharp, "Remember, Jeram, the Royal Navy's primary mission is to control the seas, not to sink every German warship. As long as sea control stays in our hands, whether the German fleet hides in a harbor or sinks to the seabed makes little difference to us."

He paused, adding, "Moreover, I doubt Sheer will obediently take Heen Reef. That minefield is extremely dangerous at night, even for the Germans who know the channel. He's more likely to skirt the open sea and wait for daylight."

"Then we should pursue!" Jeram said.

Jelico shook his head: "No. We stay where we are, or slowly move north, keeping formation and vigilance. Let the destroyer detachments scout ahead, but keep the main fleet stationary. That's the safest option."

He looked at the others: "Any objections?"

Studi and Hol immediately shook their heads. The Chief of Artillery and the Chief of Navigation also agreed. Only Jeram, his face ashen, finally nodded slowly.

"Very good," Jelico said, "The orders are as follows: the main fleet sets course to 030°, speed reduced to 12 knots, maintain combat formation. The destroyer detachments split into three groups for scouting, each group assigned two light cruisers, scouting range twenty nautical miles. Once German main fleet is sighted, report immediately, but do not engage."

He gazed out at the pitch‑black night sky, his voice dropping low: "Now, let's see what Sheer will choose."

(Not planning to alter the result of the Japan‑Germany‑Netherlands Sea Battle, leaving room for a second battle; in the Japan‑Germany‑Netherlands Sea Battle, Britain achieved a strategic victory but lost more tonnage than the Germans)