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1939 Battle of the River Plate... Admiral Graf Spee...
1939 Battle of the River Plate... Admiral Graf Spee...
Item # 721616
December 14, 1939
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, Dec. 14, 1939
* Battle of the River Plate
* Pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee
* Argentina & Uruguay
* World War II - WWII
The top of the front page has a five column headline: "BRITISH BATTER NAZI RAIDER; MANY KILLED IN SEA BATTLE" with subheads and two photos of the main warships involved. (see images) More inside.
Complete with all 40+ pages, light toning at the margins, some small binding holes along the spine, generally in very nice condition.
background: The Battle of the River Plate, fought on 13 December 1939, was the first significant naval engagement of World War II, occurring off the estuary of the River Plate near Uruguay. The battle pitted the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, against a British hunting group known as Force G, which included the light cruisers HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax, and HMS Achilles. Graf Spee, after raiding British merchant shipping, encountered the British cruisers and engaged in a fierce battle, damaging HMS Exeter while sustaining damage herself. Outnumbered and facing logistical constraints, Graf Spee retreated to the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay, for repairs, but under pressure from international law and British disinformation suggesting a superior force awaited her, Langsdorff made the decision to scuttle the ship on 17 December 1939. The battle was a morale boost for the Allies early in the war, demonstrating effective cruiser tactics against larger warships, and ended tragically for Langsdorff, who committed suicide shortly afterward rather than face capture, upholding the strict sense of honor he felt as a German naval officer.
Category: World War II
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