New Zealand and Repulse manoeuvre to divide the enemy's attention and place the opposing formation between British firing positions. The German battleship then moves into the middle of the British capital ships and is caught in a crossfire rather than supported at a useful distance. Its 13.8-inch guns sound formidable, but their short 31-calibre form does not by itself rescue the tactical situation. The accompanying light cruisers compound the mismatch by closing against ships whose heavier and numerous secondary batteries they were not designed to fight.
Notable Point · 58:02-1:03:11
Crossfire punishes an isolated battleship and its unsupported cruisers
A fleet action shows how divided fire and poor formation choices leave a battleship caught between British capital ships while light cruisers face the wrong opponent.