DK - World War II Map by Map

BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE 43

Wilhelmshaven

Canary

Islands

Gibraltar

IRELAND

BATLTE

OFHE

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
nean (^) Sea
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
CONFRONTATION AT THE RIVER PLATE
The River Plate estuary was congested with merchant
traffic carrying grain and meat. Harwood concluded
that this would be the best place to tackle Graf Spee.
BATTLE STATIONS
5:30 AM–6 AM DECEMBER 13, 1939
In the early hours of December 13, Graf Spee’s
lookouts spotted what they first thought was
a convoy escort, but then quickly identified as
the Royal Navy heavy cruiser HMS Exeter, with
two lightly armed Leander-class cruisers, Ajax
and Achilles. Langsdorff did not flee and instead
ordered his crew to battle stations and to close
with the enemy at maximum speed.
3
Ajax reconnaissance
aircraft
5 EXETER DAMAGED
6 AM–6:30 AM DECEMBER 13, 1939
The British force spotted Graf Spee shortly after
6 am. The British doctrine on the engagement of
a superior ship had been developed by Harwood
himself a few years earlier: he duly divided his
force into two—Exeter turning north-west and
Ajax and Achilles north-east—to split the fire from
the heavily armed ship. Graf Spee opened fire and
concentrated her 11-in guns on Exeter, which, by
6:30 am, had been hit three times, losing a turret
and her Walrus spotter aircraft.
4
Graf Spee
Ajax and Achilles
combined route
Exeter
Ajax
Achilles
GRAF SPEE SCUTTLED
DECEMBER 13/14–19, 1939
Graf Spee sheltered in the neutral port Montevideo
and was permitted to stay until December 17 to
make repairs and off-load her wounded. On
December 15, a German officer thought he
spotted British ships approaching, and Langsdorff
became convinced that superior forces lay in wait.
Unwilling to lose Graf Spee, he took her into the
estuary, and at around 8 pm on December 17 she
was scuttled. On December 19, Captain Langsdorff
shot himself dead in a hotel room.
6
ATLANTIC HUNTING GROUNDS
Atlantic shipping routes were vital to
Britain’s global war effort. The German
raiding campaign against this shipping
required supply vessels and good luck to
remain undetected for extended periods.
KEY
Under British control
United States
Allied raider-hunting
groups
Principal shipping
area
Principal shipping
routes
Route of Graf Spee
AUG 1939 SEP OCT NOV DEC JAN 1940
2
3
4
5
6
1
TIMELINE
Major ship
damage
Altmark supply
ship waiting area
△ Scuttling of Admiral Graf Spee
Charges set on the pocket battleship Graf Spee were detonated on the evening
of December 17, 1939, to scuttle the ship. Her sinking was witnessed by a crowd
of more than 20,000 onlookers.
7:25 am Dec 13 Graf
Spee has been hit up to
20 times, with 36 crew
killed and 60 wounded.
7:25 am Dec 13 Ajax has
been hit several times by
Graf Spee, with seven crew
killed and 13 wounded. Her
aft turrets are disabled.
11:05 am Dec 13 Exeter has
been hit at least seven times and
remains seaworthy but gunless;
Harwood instructs her to head
to the Falkland Islands.
GRAF SPEE WITHDRAWS
6:30 AM–7:30 AM DECEMBER 13, 1939
Torpedoes fired by the British forced Graf Spee to lay
down a smokescreen and turn away. Ajax launched
her spotter plane at 6:37 am. She and Achilles were
closing range, firing heavily, drawing Graf Spee’s main
guns away from Exeter. Ajax was hit at 7:25 am and
had to turn east. Graf Spee was hit several dozen
times and withdrew west into the River Plate Estuary.
TORPEDO FIRE
Exeter
Ajax and Achilles combined
Ajax
6:18 am Dec 13 Graf
Spee opens fire on Exeter.
6:30 am Dec 13 Graf Spee
diverts some of her guns to
begin firing on Ajax and Achilles.
US_042-043_Battle_of_the_River_Plate.indd 43 19/03/19 5:38 PM