BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE

1939

Under the conditions imposed by the treaty of Versailles at the end of world war one, Germany was forbidden to construct surface warships in excess of ten thousand tons.

They would address these limitations with profound thought and masterly skill in producing the Deutschland class Panzerschiffe, Admiral Graf Spee. 

Armed with two triple eleven inch main guns, no single British heavy cruiser could match them. This class of warship would later be referred to as a pocket battleship.

Thirteen days before the start of the Second World War, Graf Spee slipped her moorings at Wilhelmshafen and proceeded deep into the southern Atlantic Ocean.

On September 3rd 1939 when hostilities between Great Britain, France and Germany had been declared, Captain Hans Langsdorff implemented his plan for attacking enemy shipping.

On September 26th, Graf Spee sank her first vessel of the war, the British steamship SS Clement, with her crew spared and taken prisoner. 

Graf Spee sank four more vessels in the month of October, then Langsdorff received reports that no less than eight allied hunting groups comprising nearly twenty four warships were now searching for her.     

Captain Langsdorff then decided to withdrawal from the Atlantic. He then navigated around the southern tip of Africa and escaped undetected into the Indian Ocean.

On November 15th, while sailing of the island of Madagascar, Langsdorff ordered the sinking of the British tanker Africa shell.

This attack was merely a feint, a tactic to register his position and draw the Allies towards the Indian Ocean. Langsdorff then sailed well south of the cape and re entered the South Atlantic.

During the week of December 2nd to the 7th, Graf Spee sank three more ships, one being the Doric Star which managed to get off a distress signal which indicated Langsdorff's position. 

Langsdorff then ordered the Graf Spee to head for the river plate estuary off the coast of Brazil, where the richest prizes in enemy shipping would be offered to her.

British Commodore, Henry Harwood's squadron was assigned to protect the shipping lanes in and around the river plate and eastern coast of South America. 

Harwood ordered three of his four warships, the 8 inch gun, HMS Exeter and two 6 inch gun cruisers, HMS Ajax and Achilles to position themselves east of the river plate and await their foe.

At 6:15 am on December 13th, Exeter sighted smoke. Aboard the Ajax, Harwood ordered his force to split into two attack groups, with the Exeter comprising one and the two smaller cruisers forming the other.

At first, Captain Langsdorff believed that only one light cruiser and two destroyers stood before him. He thus continued boldly forward towards the enemy ships at full speed.

Langsdorff targeted the larger Exeter and open fired. The Exeter received two hits which knocked out 'B' turret and destroyed the bridge killing everyone but Captain Frederick Bell. 

With Graf Spee's attention focused on Exeter, Harwood ordered his two light cruisers to close the distance and attack, which forced Langsdorff to take his guns off the heavily damaged Exeter. 

They quickly raced in and hit the German warship with both British ships putting up a persistent barrage from their rapid firing 6 inch guns. 

The swift cruiser attack had knocked out one of Graf Spee's 5.9 inch secondary batteries plus inflicted damage to the bow, quarter deck and much of her external super structure.

But now the German eleven inch main guns were trained upon her smaller adversaries and released a thunderous salvo which knocked out the two aft turrets on Ajax and inflicted damage to the Achilles. 

Aboard the Exeter, Captain Bell awoke to find his ship in bad shape, she was burning and listing to port. He also saw that Achilles and Ajax were heavily engaged and were taking the worst of it.

Captain Bell gathered what officers were left to him and proceeded to take over the aft control station, bringing the Exeter's last remaining eight inch gun turret back into the fight. 

As Graf Spee continued to train her guns on the British light cruisers, Captain Langsdorff was in complete disbelief as shells began to rain down on his position from the direction of the Exeter.

Langsdorff was now forced to direct his ships main armament back on the crippled Exeter, thus allowing Ajax and Achilles to escape out of range.

Graf Spee's first salvos hit their mark, knocking out Exeter's last remaining turret At 7:40 am, turning her into a flaming wreck. Bell radioed Harwood that his ship was out of action and in danger of sinking. 

Exeter could do no more, Commodore Harwood ordered Bell to make for the Falkland Islands and Ajax and Achilles to disengage. 

With the Exeter now out of the fight and the two smaller cruisers effectivley out of range, Captain Langsdorff could now asses the damage to his ship. 

Although Graf Spee's superstructure was slightly damaged and she remained sea worthy, her water purification and raw fuel processing systems had been destroyed.  

Langsdorff therefore ordered Graf Spee to make for the neutral South American port of Montevideo in Uruguay for repairs and re supply.

On December 14th, Graf Spee entered the safe haven of Montevideo, while HMS Ajax and Achilles lay just outside Uruguayan territorial waters, determined to prevent her escape.

The HMS Cumberland arrived the next day from the Falklands. The arrival of this eight inch gun heavy cruiser narrowly restored the firepower balance for Commodore Harwood.

A diplomatic battle now ensued between the British, German and Uruguayan governments. The British contested the German warship leave port in twenty four hours. Langsdorff argued the ship needed two weeks of repair. 

Although Commodore Harwood's task force had been badly mauled, he could not afford to allow Langsdorff to escape and make for Germany, he thus ordered both his damaged light cruisers to turn and pursue. 

Under intense pressure from all sides, the Uruguayan government decided on a deadline of December 17th, allotting the Graf Spee a mere seventy two hours for repairs.

The British then began circulating rumors that a British task force lead by the battleship HMS Renown and aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, were lying in wait just outside of Uruguayan waters. 

On December 16th, Captain Langsdorff telegraphed the German Admiralty that his situation was dire and escape hopeless. After an emergency conference, Hitler approved the following cable.

Attempt by all means to extend time in neutral waters, Fight your way through to Buones Aires if possible, No internment in Uruguay, Attempt effective destruction if ship is scuttled.

Given these options, Langsdorff chose the latter and made arrangements to save his crew. On December 17th the Graf Spee's entire compliment was transferred to the German tanker Tacoma.

At 6:15pm, Langsdorff and a skeleton crew weighed anchor and steamed seawards. Four miles out, Graf Spee suddenly stopped, and was rocked by six large explosions which tore the ship apart, sinking her soon after.

At 8:45pm, Ajax reported to Harwood that Graf Spee had blown herself up, thus bringing to a conclusion the first surface challenge by the German Kreigsmarine to the British royal navy. 

Casualtie figures numbered 72 British sailors killed and 28 wounded in comparison to Graf Spee's losses of 36 killed and 60 wounded...

On December 20th, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Captain Langsdorff, aged 45, retired to his hotel room, wrapped himself within his ships ensign and shot himself.

Langsdorf was later buried in Buenos Aires Argentina with full military honors. The crew of the Graf Spee were interned until 1946 when they were repatriated back to Germany.

BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQIwnDpN6LI