Let me deal with the question you asked about the objectives of it first.
Let me ask you a question for a change: Just what the hell do you think this asinine death ride will accomplish?

I have answered that in my previous posts, but let me say it again:
The attack (German 1918 Spring Offensive) was the beginning of the end for Germany. They must have known that. The entire attack was designed to break the British and French
BEFORE the Americans got seriously involved as they knew that once the Americans arrived in mass, the war was lost for them.
Now, one of the historic objectives was the capture of Dunkirk, Calais & Boulogne (Lys Offensive). These were the main Channel supply ports. Had they been captured, it would have brought the Germans breathing space at worst. At best, their capture would have pushed the British out of the war. The removal of Britain from the war was the German aim.
The flow of supplies from England historically broke the German army and they never captured the ports. Should supply sailings be interrupted and/or delayed, the German army may have been able to take these ports and potentially achieve their strategic objectives due to less reinforcements & supplies arriving from them to aid the allies.
From historic evidence in wars, even the threat of a minefield is enough to stop all merchant sailings in an area (Especially Troopships!!) until it has been swept and cleared.
As shown by the loss of the
Novorossiysk (Ex-
Giulio Cesare) in Russia in 1955 to a WWII German mine, sweeping isn't a guarantee of safety either. One missed mine detonating a week later and the whole process has to be repeated, this results in even more delays. After the
Novorossiysk was sunk, Russian divers found 19 German mines on the bottom of Sevastopol Bay.
This would be the objective of the HSF Sortie. Sail into the channel, take out the defence ships, shell harbours and ports used in supply runs (Sunken ships in ports is a pain and slows down port operations, as does damage or destruction of port facilities as WWII demonstrated) and then lay a few minefields on their way out. Some German Light Cruisers could carry upwards of 160 mines. Sure, Aircraft could watch where they were laid, but the
WHOLE area would have to be swept to be sure it was safe for merchants. That would take time and delay supplies from England, and as above, any missed mines = more delays.
Each and every one of those messages is a potential leak and the Germans will not - cannot - rely on written orders for every one of them.
Flag signals, lamp signals..... I did say that the Germans would use these until the start of the naval attack..... Taking a page from the Japanese here. In 1941 they sailed a fleet and controlled it totally using flag and lamp signals. That fleet then launched a surprise attack on the American Fleet at Pearl Harbour.
Ever hear of signals intelligence? It's when you study the location, frequency, and responses within radio networks to gain intelligence without having to know the actual content of the messages involved. SIGINT is just as important as decryption and SIGINT gave Room 40 many breakthroughs during the war.


Ok..... I will say it again, just for you - for the
THIRD time - since you appear to have missed it each time: "Is it not therefore possible for the Naval High Command to give all orders as written, sealed orders and not use the radio for anything other than "normal" traffic, so as to give the impression that nothing was up?"
If there is only "normal" radio traffic, then there is no signals intelligence in relation to the sortie as the impression is given that nothing strange is going on.
Point in case: The Japanese did this before WWII, going to the extent of leaving their principal radio operators in harbour when they sailed, and the American Intelligence Service thought that the Japanese Pearl Harbour attack fleet was in still in harbour up to the time of attack!
Complete failure of Signals Intelligence.
The only reason they knew something was up (But not what) was because they were reading diplomatic codes. America knew that diplomatic ties were to be severed, but not that an attack was coming.
What I propose has worked historically, and I have supplied examples. Where is the problem of these things working in WWI? In essence, all I am doing is pulling part of a Japanese plan from 1941 forward to 1918 and applying it to the HSF. It is wrong of you to assume that the Germans could not think of doing this and implement it in 1918.
SIGINT is also why naval orders pertaining to this useless lunge at the Channel will tip off the Entente to Germany's planned land offensives
As I have explained, this would not be a useless lunge by the fleet. It would be in support of the Lys Offensive whose aim is to take the three main channel supply ports. The objective of the sortie would be to disrupt the supply lines to assist the German Army
The stillborn OTL plan was nonsense and did nothing but spark the mutinies that doomed Germany, you plan is nonsense too and will result in even more unrest - assuming the sailors actually allow the HSF to leave port.
I agree that
Plan 17 was a Death Ride, but since the GF is unaware in this proposal, as explained above then my plan is
NOT nonsense and
WILL NOT result in what you fall back on - What happened 7 months later..... Revolution.....
You could do this if there was a revolution in March 1918, but there was not so your argument there is a mute point. If the Germans made sure (Through the explained proposals) that the GF was unaware of the sortie, then it
IS NOT a Death Ride. They will be back in port
BEFORE the Grand Fleet can intercept. The Sailors
WILL NOT mutiny as it
IS NOT seen as a Death Ride.