Victory in the Battle of the River Plate, the first major naval engagement of the Second World War, was a great boost to British morale during the ‘Phoney War’.When war broke out in September 1939, the German pocket battleship Graf Spee, commanded by Hans Langsdorff, was patrolling in the Atlantic. [12] She also had a 7° list, was being flooded and being steered with the use of her small boat's compass. The damage to Admiral Graf Spee, although not extensive, was critical; her fuel system was crippled. There were no friendly naval bases within reach, nor were any reinforcements available. When the sun rises,one of the crew says " There she is, the old tiriagi(sic)".What is this word and where does it come from, I've searched on the web and cannot find anything. Overwhelming British forces (HMS Renown, Ark Royal, Shropshire, Dorsetshire, and Neptune) were en route, but would not assemble until 19 December, although they could intercept earlier if Admiral Graf Spee headed north or north east from Montevideo shadowed by Cumberland and her smaller consorts. 244 and NLCC Exeter No. An accompanying photograph (above) from the funeral of crew members shows Langsdorff paying tribute with a traditional naval salute, while people beside and behind him—even some clergymen—are giving the Fascist salute. Since the estuary had sandbanks, Harwood ordered Achilles to shadow Admiral Graf Spee while Ajax would cover any attempt to double back through a different channel. The operation is being funded in part by the government of Uruguay, in part by the private sector, as the wreck is now a hazard to navigation. Instead, the combined fire of Ajax and Achilles drew Langsdorff's attention as both ships closed the German ship.[14]. If River Plate is not outstanding or especially gripping, it's also a solid, well made film; if there's little especially praiseworthy, there's less to carp about. By 06:50, Exeter listed heavily to starboard, taking water forward. The Battle of the River Plate ~ Trailer - video dailymotion Click here to … Rows of simple crosses in the Cementerio del Norte, in the north of the city of Montevideo, mark the burial places of the German dead. Widely regarded as one of the best and most intelligent British war dramas of the 1950s, The Battle of River Plate is the story of Britain's first significant naval victory in WW2. Maier, Rohde, Stegemann and Umbreit 1991, p. 166. It is also dangerous, as one of the three explosive charges we placed did not explode. Open fire at her!' RCSCC Harwood No. At 06:38, Exeter turned so that she could fire her port torpedoes and received two more direct hits from 283 mm (11.1 in) shells. [15] Also, had Admiral Graf Spee left port at this time, the damaged Ajax and Achilles would have been the only British warships that it would encounter in the area. Prisoners who had not been transferred to Altmark had remained aboard Admiral Graf Spee during the battle; they were released on arrival in Montevideo. At 10:05, Achilles had overestimated Admiral Graf Spee's speed and she came into range of the German guns. The gallant heroism of both the British Navy and the German Captain Langsdorff, who scuttles his own ship rather than face defeat, strongly appealed to Powell and Pressburger . Ajax was again hit by a 283 mm (11.1 in) shell that destroyed her mast and caused more casualties; Admiral Graf Spee continued to the south-west. 34 in Guelph, Ontario; the Navy League Wrenette Corps (NLWC) Lady Exeter (now disbanded) and the camp shared by all three corps, called Camp Cumberland (this camp no longer exists; it was decommissioned around 1999). In other cases, it was removed for a variety of practical reasons on the outbreak of the war, but because Admiral Graf Spee was already at sea when the war began, she went into action (and was scuttled) with it attached, thus permitting its recovery. Captain Bell's communications were wrecked. Richard Burton plays a Scottish Army officer put in charge of a disparate band of ANZAC troops on the perimeter of Tobruk with the German Army doing their best to dislodge them. Pursuit of the Graf Spee 13th. He ordered his squadron to steam toward the position 32° south, 47° west. The British could therefore afford to risk a tactical defeat if it brought strategic victory. The port of Mar del Plata on the Argentine coast and 200 mi (170 nmi; 320 km) south of Montevideo would have been a better choice for Admiral Graf Spee. Admiral Graf Spee entered Montevideo in neutral Uruguay, dropping anchor at about 00:10 on 14 December. This report included information that Ajax, Achilles, Cumberland and Exeter were patrolling the South American coast. During the battle, a total of 108 men had been killed on both sides, including 36 on Admiral Graf Spee. The biggest commercial success from British cinema’s most revered partnership, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, The Battle of the River Plate is a rousing retelling of the pursuit of German battleship 'Graf Spee Although technically a heavy cruiser because of the calibre of her guns, Exeter was a scaled-down version of the County class. This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the The Battle of the River Plate (film) article. The World War II adventures of a British convoy escort ship and its officers. only the tip of the mast remains above the surface. Led by British officers, partisans on Crete plan to kidnap the island's German commander and smuggle him to Cairo, Egypt to embarrass the occupiers. 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