If Scheer's fleet becomes trapped between Jellicoe's battle line and Beatty's fast wing, the action turns into a pursuit instead of the historical confused night escape. Jellicoe can commit massed destroyer flotillas, light cruisers, and armored cruisers to keep damaged German ships under attack while the heavy line maintains pressure. The nearby Harwich Force could join if the collapse becomes clear, adding another screen across the route home. This is the extreme branch of the counterfactual, since an early German breakoff remains likelier. It shows how scouting and light forces could convert a battle-line advantage into the destruction of a retreating fleet.
Notable Point · 1:30:37-1:36:34
Destroyer pursuit could close the German escape routes
In the decisive branch, Jellicoe could commit destroyer flotillas and supporting cruisers to the melee, with possible Harwich Force intervention adding pressure on the German retreat.