Hipper's smaller force at Dogger Bank

The German order of battle was much smaller than the British concentration. Hipper's First Scouting Group contained Seydlitz, Derfflinger, Moltke, and Blücher, supported by the Second Scouting Group's light cruisers and the Fifth Torpedo-Boat Flotilla. The mix could raid and scout, but it lacked the depth of the British battlecruiser, light-cruiser, destroyer, and submarine force assembled through Room 40 intelligence. Blücher's lower speed and firepower made the rear of the line especially vulnerable during the retreat. This overview makes the later British failure to exploit its superiority easier to judge.