How Britain Tricked A Battleship Into Sinking Itself #short #history #ww2

The Battle of the River Plate (December 13, 1939) was the first major naval battle of World War II. The German "pocket battleship" Admiral Graf Spee, commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, had been raiding Allied merchant shipping across the South Atlantic, sinking around nine vessels. Britain and France sent multiple hunting groups after her. A force of three Royal Navy cruisers under Commodore Henry Harwood — HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax, and the New Zealand cruiser HMNZS Achilles — found and engaged the more powerful Graf Spee off the coast of Uruguay. Though outgunned (and with Exeter badly damaged), they inflicted enough damage that Langsdorff took refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo. The British then spread false reports that a powerful fleet, including the carrier Ark Royal, was waiting outside. Believing he faced overwhelming odds, Langsdorff scuttled the Graf Spee on December 17, 1939 — a major early morale victory for the Allies.

Source: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-battle-of-the-river-plate

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