German terminology complicates any comparison of the screening forces. A Grosses Torpedoboot, or large torpedo boat, could approximate a destroyer, while a Hochseetorpedoboot, or high-seas torpedo boat, usually did so even more clearly. Those labels should not be confused with the much larger destroyers familiar from the Second World War or the present day. The G101, V1, and V25 groups contributed to a pre-war pool of 99 vessels, of which 61 were present at Jutland. Fleet comparisons can understate German destroyer-like strength when they translate names literally instead of comparing roles, age, armament, and operating context.
Notable Point · 1:37:02-1:38:42
German torpedo-boat labels can hide destroyer roles
The German categories for large and high-seas torpedo boats do not map neatly onto British destroyer terminology, even though many filled destroyer-scale fleet roles.