HSF victory :sheer instead of Ingenohl commander before raid on scarborough dec 1914

what if sheer became temporary commander of HSF because Ingenohl got very nasty flu before HSF departure in 15 dec 1914.Ingenohl was coward that got scared by British destroyers and robbed German navy only chance to become equal in capital ship to Royal navy in 1914-15. royal navy margin of superiority was 10 capital ships at end of 1914. in 16 dec 1914 HSF was steaming to doggerbank middle in northe sea as distance cover for hipper scouting force attacking English coast with 14 DN battleships and 9 cruisers and 56 destroyers and 8 PDN battleships against British force that was also steaming to doggerbank to ambush hipper scouting force return to Germany. British force was 6 DN battleships and 4 DN battle cruisers and 8 cruisers and 7 destroyers.

in OTL Ingenohl got report of fight between German and British destroyers in 5.20 clock morning 16 dec and in 5.30 clock order HSF return to Germany and significantly dint told hipper scouting force of HSf return to port. in otl 3 of 7 British destroyers where damaged and were no longer able to fight . if sheer was commander of HSF he will reinforce his screening force with cruisers fighting British and all British destroyers will be damaged and unfit to fight. British without their destroyers will be forced to use Battle-cruisers as scouting force because sending cruisers will make British battleships extremely vulnerable to torpedo attacks.British battle-cruisers will be send to help destroyers

Beatty commander of British Battle-cruisers was rash and very bad with communication. British Battle-cruisers had very bad gunnery as in Jutland. local sunrise in doggerbank is 7.30 clock. so if Beatty Battle-cruisers will run into 14 German battleships in dark without any warning. British battle cruisers are vulnerable as in Jutland 1916 it took 7 and 5 hits to destroy two British battle cruisers . 3 hits will slow battle-cruiser to less than 20 knot.
 
I'm pretty sure that Viceadmiral Lans was Scheer's senior officer. And given Lans prefference of focusing on the Baltic and sitting in port in the North sea I would say the entire thing gets cancelled or goes about as well as OTL.

EDIT: Wait, since Wilhelm II didn't give permission for more than the battlecruisers to sortie OTL the most likely result is Hipper getting sent alone as Lans won't disobey an order from the Kaiser. That might just result in Hippers destruction.
 
what if sheer became temporary commander of HSF because Ingenohl got very nasty flu before HSF departure in 15 dec 1914.Ingenohl was coward that got scared by British destroyers and robbed German navy only chance to become equal in capital ship to Royal navy in 1914-15. royal navy margin of superiority was 10 capital ships at end of 1914. in 16 dec 1914 HSF was steaming to doggerbank middle in northe sea as distance cover for hipper scouting force attacking English coast with 14 DN battleships and 9 cruisers and 56 destroyers and 8 PDN battleships against British force that was also steaming to doggerbank to ambush hipper scouting force return to Germany. British force was 6 DN battleships and 4 DN battle cruisers and 8 cruisers and 7 destroyers.

in OTL Ingenohl got report of fight between German and British destroyers in 5.20 clock morning 16 dec and in 5.30 clock order HSF return to Germany and significantly dint told hipper scouting force of HSf return to port. in otl 3 of 7 British destroyers where damaged and were no longer able to fight . if sheer was commander of HSF he will reinforce his screening force with cruisers fighting British and all British destroyers will be damaged and unfit to fight. British without their destroyers will be forced to use Battle-cruisers as scouting force because sending cruisers will make British battleships extremely vulnerable to torpedo attacks.British battle-cruisers will be send to help destroyers

Beatty commander of British Battle-cruisers was rash and very bad with communication. British Battle-cruisers had very bad gunnery as in Jutland. local sunrise in doggerbank is 7.30 clock. so if Beatty Battle-cruisers will run into 14 German battleships in dark without any warning. British battle cruisers are vulnerable as in Jutland 1916 it took 7 and 5 hits to destroy two British battle cruisers . 3 hits will slow battle-cruiser to less than 20 knot.

The British battlecruisers blew up at Jutland because of poor turret safety practices meant to increase the rate of fire, because of Beatty's observations and general idiocy after the Battle of the Dogger Bank IRRC. In 1914 the old safety first measures are in place and the British battlecruisers therefore won't go kaboom nearly so easily.
 
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The British battlecruisers blew up at Jutland because of poor turret safety practices meant to increase the rate of fire, because of Beatty's observations and general idiocy after the Battle of the Dogger Bank IRRC. In 1914 the old safety first measures are in place an the British battlecruisers therefore won't go kaboom nearly so easily.

Ahhhh the curse of unintended consequences ;)
 
I think it is unfair to call Ingenohl a coward. The Kaiser wasn't keen to see the paint get scratched on his pretty ships, those were the conditions Ingenohl was forced to operate under.
 
Much like their Political structure German Naval Command structure was atrocious.

OHL had the Kaiser acting in a ceremonial role whereas in the Naval command it was the opposite, the Admiralty Staff acted in an advisory role to the Kaiser, who commanded fleet elements personally.

Shit flows downhill from there.
 
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