ion with Von Scheer,
whose battleships fell in astern of the battle cruisers as these last
swung around to the northward and took up a course parallel to that of
Beatty and Thomas. Thus the running fight was resumed, with the
difference that both forces were now heading at full speed toward the
point from which Beatty knew Jellicoe to be approaching. Von Hipper's
delay in turning had permitted Beatty to draw ahead, and the relative
positions of the engaged squadrons were now those shown in Plate III.

[Illustration: PLATE II. Map of The Running Fight to the Southward.
3:48 to 4:40 P.M.]

It is during this part of the fight that the British accounts speak of
Beatty as engaging the whole German fleet and as being thus
tremendously overmatched. A moment's study of Plate III will make it
clear that this claim is not tenable. Without fuller information
than we have of positions and distances, it is impossible to say
exactly how many of Von Scheer's ships were able to fire on Beatty's
column, but certainly the total German force within effective range
could not have been materially larger than the British force it was
engaging.

As far as can be figured out from Beatty's own report, the only time
when he was actually pitted against a force superior to his own,
within fighting range, was after he had lost the _Indefatigable_ and
the _Queen Mary_, and before the dreadnoughts of Admiral Thomas's
force had reached a point from which they were able to open an
effective fire. He entered the fight with six battle cruisers opposed
to five. He then, for a short time, had four opposed to five. A little
later he had four battle cruisers and four dreadnoughts opposed to
five battle cruisers, and a little later still, as has just been
stated, the forces actually opposed within firing range became
practically equal.

About six o'clock, having gained enough to admit of an attempt to
"cap," Beatty turned his head to the eastward, but Von Hipper refused
to accept this disadvantage and turned east himself, thus continuing
the parallel fight on a large curve tending more and more to the east
(Plate IV). It was about this time that the _Luetzow_, Von Hipper's
flagship and the leader of the German column, dropped out of the
formation, having been so badly damaged that she could no longer
maintain her position in the formation. Von Hipper, calling a
destroyer alongside, boarded her and proceeded, through a storm of
shell, to the _Moltke_, on