How the dreadnought race weakened Germany's supporting fleet

A confined battle would bring the opposing screening forces into close combat. British destroyers were generally more numerous, larger, and more heavily armed than German torpedo boats designed primarily for offensive torpedo attacks. Individual German classes that matched British vessels would not remove the disparity across the whole force. Germany's limited cruiser strength reflected the same allocation problem. Keeping up in the dreadnought race within the navy's funding limits left too little money for a balanced supporting fleet, while seeking more money risked conflict with the army. Britain could sustain the capital-ship competition and continue building substantial cruiser and destroyer forces. The Harwich Force is offered as an example of additional British screening strength that could have widened the disparity at Jutland.