DK - World War II Map by Map

42 GERMANY TRIUMPHANT 1939–1941

THE ROUTE

OF GRAF SPEE

In August 1939, Graf Spee

headed toward the South

Atlantic. With a top speed

of 28 knots, she was

designed to outrun

or outgun any pursuer.

GRAF SPEE SETS SAIL

AUGUST 21–SEPTEMBER 30, 1939

Graf Spee departed Germany with the tanker

Altmark on August 21, heading into the South

Atlantic. However, it was not until September 30

that Graf Spee claimed her first victim—the

5,500-ton (5,000–metric ton) merchant steamer

SS Clement—off Brazil. Three of the eight Allied

raider-hunting groups in the Atlantic—Forces

G, H, and K—were tasked with searching the

vastness of the ocean for Graf Spee.

1

ATLANTIC MISSION

OCTOBER 1–DECEMBER 13, 1939

Graf Spee sank eight more British merchant ships

on a mission that took her through the Atlantic

and into the Indian Ocean and back. Although she

needed repairs, Langsdorff opted to conduct one

more attack—to intercept a convoy that he knew

to be in the River Plate (Rio de la Plata) area.

However, he had been anticipated by Henry

Harwood, commander of Force G, who lay in

wait with two light cruisers and a larger heavy

cruiser, HMS Exeter.

2

Nov 15 Graf Spee

attacks the Africa Shell,

diverting the Allied search

effort from the Atlantic

into the Indian Ocean.

Oct 7

Ashlea sunk

Oct 7 Newton

Beech sunk

Dec 2

Doric Star

sunk

Dec 23–Jan 21 Graf Spee’s

supply ship, Altmark, loiters

undetected in the South Atlantic.

Dec 7

Streonshalh sunk

Dec 3

Tairoa

sunk

Oct 22

Trevanion

sunk

Dec 17

Graf Spee

scuttled

Sep 30

Clement

sunk

Oct 17

Huntsman sunk

BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE

On the night of October 13–14, 1939, a German U-boat sank HMS Royal Oak at her berth in Scapa Flow,

Britain’s main naval base. The audacious attack was a blow to British morale, but just two months later

the Royal Navy had claimed a victory against the odds in the first major naval battle of the war.

At the outbreak of war, Germany’s naval strategy was to avoid

direct combat between fleet units and instead use surface raiders

and U-boats to sink Allied shipping wherever possible, severing

Britain’s maritime lifelines. Weeks before hostilities began, German

warships and supply vessels went into the North and South Atlantic,

and most of the U-boat fleet took up station in the North Sea and

Atlantic approaches. There they awaited authorization to attack.

The flagship of the German navy (Kriegsmarine) was the Admiral

Graf Spee, a fast, modern, heavily armed pocket battleship commanded

by Hans Langsdorff. From late September to early December, Graf

Spee eluded detection and raided successfully, sinking nine Allied

merchantmen totaling 55,000 tons (50,000 metric tons). The British

and French navies organized hunting groups in areas throughout

the North and South Atlantic, and in the early hours of December

13, Graf Spee was spotted. In the ensuing Battle of the River Plate, the

smaller Royal Navy cruisers were able to harry Graf Spee and inflict

damage that forced her to take refuge in a neutral port for repairs.

The subsequent scuttling of Graf Spee was a major setback for the

German navy, greatly undermining the original strategy of using

its surface fleet to blockade British trade.

Allied merchant

ship Clement sunk

Altmark

tanker

Allied merchant ships sunk

See panel

Dec 13

Battle of the

River Plate

Wilhelmshaven

Canary

Islands

Gibraltar

IRELAND

Scapa

Flow

USA

CANADA

P A C I F I C O C E A N

SPAIN

EGYPT

NIGERIA

FRANCE

GREATER

GERMANY

UK

ITALY

LIBYA

GREECE

ALGERIA

INDIA

Freetown

Takoradi Lagos

Cape Town

SOUTH

AFRICA

FRENCH^ WEST^ AFRIC

A

SA

U

DI

(^) AR
ABIA
CUBA
London
Sydney
B
R
A
Z
IL
M
E
X
I
C
O
SW
ED
EN
N
O
RW
AY
Force L
Force Y
Force F
Force
M & N
Force K
Force H
Force G
New York
Boston Halifax
Kingston
Port of Spain
Rio de Janeiro
Montevideo
BRITISH
GUIANA
GOLD
COAST
PERU
Brest
B
O
LI
V
IA
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
INDIAN
OCEAN
M
ed
ite
rra
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6:30 am
7:00 am
7:00 am
7:08 am
7:22 am
7:30 am
7:30 am
8:00 am
6:14 am
6:15 am
6:36 am
6:46 am
Ajax hit
6:44 am
Ajax and (^) Ac
hilles
Exeter hit
Exeter hit
Ajax and Achilles
open fire
Ajax
opens fire
Exeter
opens fire
Graf Spee hit
T
o
t
he
F
al
kla
nd
Isl
an
ds
SOU
TH
A
TL
AN
TI
C
OC
EA
N
To^ M
onte
vide
o
Ajax
Ach
illes
Graf^ S
pee
Exeter
US_042-043_Battle_of_the_River_Plate.indd 42 24/05/19 2:11 PM