The opening quotation shows how firmly German naval leaders expected Britain to seek out the High Seas Fleet and fight close to the German coast. Scheer's retrospective account establishes the assumption beneath German planning. The Royal Navy was expected to accept the risks of mines, torpedo craft, and a decisive battle rather than impose a distant blockade. That mistaken expectation shaped the strategic problem that led eventually to Jutland.
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Scheer's assumption that Britain would attack
Scheer's memoir frames the German expectation that the Royal Navy would seek an immediate fleet battle near Germany.