Working 15-inch shells turn battlecruiser damage into probable loss

Would Admiral Scheer try to protect damaged German battlecruisers in a fight against British 15-inch guns?

He might try, but effective 15-inch hits could slow the ships so badly that they would be sunk rather than merely escorted away.

A damaged battlecruiser might withdraw while it retained speed, but effective heavy-shell hits could take that option away. Even without a long fuze delay, a 15-inch shell detonating after armor penetration can open the ship to flooding and extensive internal destruction. Once speed is lost, a faster battleship can dictate the range and continue the engagement. Moltke illustrates the danger: she survived several British 15-inch hits partly because the shells failed to function properly, so reliable shells could have changed her fate as well as that of other German battlecruisers.