Q&A · 3:08:21-3:10:40

How the Royal Navy could break into the Baltic

A British Baltic advance would pass through the Skagerrak and Kattegat and probably favor the deeper, more distant Danish route, while Germany tried to seize Denmark and close the passage.

Question

What route would the Royal Navy take into the Baltic after a decisive victory at Jutland?

Short answer

It would pass through the Skagerrak and Kattegat and likely use the deeper Danish strait farther from Germany, while contesting German moves against Denmark.

Notes

Geography gives the fleet choices only after it passes through the Skagerrak and Kattegat. The deeper route farther from Germany is attractive for capital ships. The shallower alternative helps explain specialized shallow-draft design proposals for ships such as Courageous, Glorious, and Furious. Danish neutrality would be precarious because both Germany and Britain would treat control of the straits as operationally decisive. Germany might move into Denmark, while Britain might ignore objections to passage once a Baltic operation had begun.