Patreon 74: What if History - Greenboy shells had been developed and deployed in time for Jutland.

No. The Germans already assumed British shells worked, although heavier damage during the action could make them break off earlier.

Set the alternate-history premise against the heavy but often overlooked damage that British fire inflicted on German ships at Jutland.

Seydlitz's crew and British fears of torpedo attacks help explain how the badly damaged battlecruiser survived the journey home.

Less sensitive shellite fillings, stronger projectiles, and improved caps were intended to carry an explosive charge through armour before it burst.

The Greenboy programme required stricter angled-plate trials, new manufacturing standards, and time to distribute the improved ammunition.

Rapid fleet expansion and pressure to deliver ammunition competed with stricter testing, even as the Royal Navy invested in more accurate fire control.

British Battleships of World War One is recommended as the better volume for this subject.

Follow the proposed 1914 divergence: Goeben is damaged and forced into a Greek port, giving Britain evidence that its shells have failed against modern German armour.

See how obsolete plate trials, manufacturer-friendly conditions, staff turnover, and weak political incentives repeatedly blunted attempts to impose realistic shell testing.

Changes in the authority of the Director of Naval Construction and Third Sea Lord offer one explanation for later procurement difficulties.

Learn why British doctrine expected high-explosive or CPC shells to blind and burn an enemy at long range before armour-piercing rounds were used at closer range.

It was too far away, faced an unfriendly neutral Italy and other Allied forces, and would not risk much of the fleet to save one German battlecruiser.

CPC means common pointed capped, but the wider distinction is complicated by inconsistent period and secondary-source classifications.

Trace the wider consequences of preventing Goeben's Ottoman service: a different Dardanelles problem, altered support for Russia, and possibly another Queen Elizabeth-class ship at Jutland.

Trace how avoiding Troubridge's historical disgrace might change the orders, reinforcements, and professional pressures surrounding Cradock before Coronel.

See why demonstrated shell defects could push the battlecruiser force toward both higher firing volume and more disciplined accuracy before its first major North Sea clash.

Possibly, but not automatically. Fisher's campaign against him and the outcome at Coronel could still force Battenberg out.

See why testing spread from 15-inch projectiles through 13.5-, 12-, 9.2-, 7.5-, and 6-inch ammunition instead of ending with the Queen Elizabeth class.

Compare the proposed capital-ship strength by gun calibre and the reasons Dreadnought and Australia remain outside the alternate battle.

No. The scenario keeps other historical conditions unchanged except where the existing divergence alters them.

An available Queen Elizabeth could join Evan-Thomas as a fifth fast battleship or become Jellicoe's flagship.

See why visibility, target allocation, and signalling still leave the British battlecruisers exposed on the Run to the South.

Follow the pioneering attempt to launch an aircraft from the fleet to locate German light cruisers, and why reporting failures limited its effect.

Watch the shell hit that nearly destroys Lion and Major Francis Harvey's order that prevents the flash fire from reaching Q magazine.

Compare the historical damage to Von der Tann with the likely effect of 15-inch and 13.5-inch shells that penetrate before bursting.

Yes. Using the historical programme as a benchmark, an earlier discovery gives Britain enough time to replace ammunition across the fleet, rather than supplying only a few ships.

More destructive British hits could remove German battlecruisers before they contribute to later British losses, including Queen Mary's destruction.

Because their defects have been demonstrated. Existing stocks would be replaced once they were known to be ineffective.

Wiesbaden's disablement draws ships into an encounter in which Hipper initially mistakes Defence for the German cruiser Rostock.

British and German destroyers fight around the battlecruisers before Nestor and Nomad are immobilised and overtaken by Scheer's battle line.

Goodenough's reconnaissance gives Beatty and Jellicoe their first warning that Scheer's main battle fleet is at sea.

Accurate British 15-inch fire could turn existing hits on German battlecruisers and Markgraf into losses that force Scheer to withdraw early.

Hits that historically caused limited flooding become a possible sinking or scuttling problem when the shells penetrate and explode properly.

Yes. The proposed ship is a roughly 28-knot, fully protected successor to the Queen Elizabeth class rather than a conventional battlecruiser.

Potentially. Fast survivors might escape, but crippled ships could slow the fleet enough for Jellicoe to catch it.

Possibly all four.

Earlier German losses could spare Invincible and Princess Royal, while effective shells make the Grand Fleet's later engagement more destructive.

Destroying Wiesbaden outright could remove the reason for Defence to approach the position where German fire sank her.

König survives several damaging British hits historically; the proposed Queen Elizabeth flagship combines a larger shell with reliable penetration and detonation.

Shark's isolated fight against four German torpedo boats earns Loftus Jones the Victoria Cross and illustrates the navy's aggressive destroyer ethos.

See why a German retreat with crippled ships, rather than cleanly sunk ones, could expose the High Seas Fleet to interception after dark or at dawn.

Probably a scout cruiser with characteristics resembling the later Tribal destroyer.

Not inherently. Battlecruisers become dangerously exposed when used against threats their protection was not meant to withstand, while their intended roles remain valid.

Damaged dreadnoughts could be just as slow or slower. Sacrificing the pre-dreadnoughts would buy little time against the Grand Fleet.

Follow the argument that a shattered High Seas Fleet could let Britain press into the Baltic, affect German war prospects, and make later U-boat pressure less decisive.

Earlier adoption of improved naval shells could have reduced competition with the army's expanding artillery demand.

No. Soft caps, weak shell bodies, premature explosions, and unreliable fuzes all contributed to the failure of British armour-piercing ammunition.

Consider how an alternate Jutland might favour 28-knot, heavily armoured fast battleships, reshape American and Japanese plans, and weaken the path to naval limitation.

Yes. Moving to 16.5-inch or 18-inch guns is accepted as a possible development.

The groundwork began under Wilson and was carried forward by Harding; remove Wilson's postwar framework and the treaty becomes much less likely.

Hear Hall's black-eye analogy for a battle that left Britain holding the strategic position despite its visible losses.

Not immediately. Germany would need time to expand its submarine force, while Britain could move quickly with heavy destroyer and light-force protection.

Follow the deliberately cautious speculation about a Lenin-led revolution, Austro-Hungarian survival, federation, republican government, or a replacement monarchy.

A French general fits Napoleon's ascendancy. In this scenario, a British royal could advertise friendship with Britain and help seek protection from France and Italy.

The proposal is rejected because Britain would want to keep its immediate successors available. Prince Arthur is suggested instead.

Look beyond the usual blame placed on Ralph Seymour to the senior officers responsible for supervising Beatty's communications staff.

Consider how an unmistakable fleet defeat might replace the stab-in-the-back story with a warning against challenging British sea power.

Milne is preferred as the more proficient admiral, despite being less dashing than Beatty.

No. A peace dictated by the victorious Royal Navy would impose especially severe restrictions on German naval industry.