Handlung

In the first major naval battle of World War II, the British Navy must find and destroy a powerful German warship.

In the fall of 1939, the German heavy cruiser (referred to as a pocket battleship) Graf Spee seems to have command of the Atlantic. In the first three months of World War II, she was responsible for sinking nine ships. The British sent three cruisers commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood to confront her. The battle took place on December 13, 1939 and the British came out on top. The Graf Spee headed for the neutral harbor of Montevideo, Uruguay. They were given only a short time to effect repairs and the British did their best to make them believe a British fleet of six or eight ships awaited them. Rather than chance the loss of his men, the German Captain ordered the Graf Spee scuttled.—garykmcd

December 1939, the early days of World War 2. The German pocket battleship Graf Spee is prowling the South Atlantic, sinking Allied merchant ships. The Royal Navy assigns several task forces the job of hunting down and sinking the Graf Spee. One such force is commanded by Commodore Henry Harwood and consists of the cruisers HMS Ajax, HMNZS Achilles and HMS Exeter. It encounters the Graf Spee of the coast of South America, near the mouth of the River Plate.—grantss

Set during the early years of World War II, the War in the Atlantic. The Royal Navy was fighting a desperate battle to keep the convoy routes open to keep the British Isles supplied. One great danger was the surface raiders, huge cruisers called "pocket battleships" that slipped out of German waters just before war was declared. The "Bismarck", The "Scharnhorst", The "Gneissau", and The "Graf Spee" were supplied by tanker and could strike anywhere. This is the story of how three lightly armed cruisers with only six and eight inch guns boldly took on a powerful pocket battleship armed with eleven inch guns. They should have been blown out of the water before they could fire a single shot, but...—Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>

In the early months of the Second World War (1939), Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine sends out merchant raiders to attack Allied shipping.

The Royal Navy was fighting a desperate battle to keep the convoy routes open to keep the British Isles supplied (Germany could feed itself, but England could not). One great danger was the surface raiders (in addition to the surface mines and the u boars), huge cruisers called "pocket battleships" that slipped out of German waters just before war was declared. The "Bismarck", The "Scharnhorst", The "Gneissau" and The "Graf Spee" were supplied by tanker & could strike anywhere. The Germans strike anywhere and even within territorial waters of neutral nations to gun the British supply ships. Before sinking them, the German take their supplies, which keeps them afloat at sea for months at a time. The Graf Spee can run at 25 knots and only 3 British ships can match its speed. British cruisers can match the 6, 11-inch guns on the Graf Spee. The captain of the Graf Spee knows the location of its supply ship at specific dates and hence can remain at sea indefinitely.

This is the story of how 3 lightly armed cruisers with only 6- and 8-inch guns boldly took on a powerful pocket battleship armed with 11-inch guns. Captain Patrick Dove (Bernard Lee), MS Africa Shell. Captain William Stubbs (Andrew Cruickshank), SS Doric Star. Captain John Robison (Peter Dyneley), SS Newton Beech. Africa Shell, Doric Star and Newton Beach are the merchant ships being hunted by the Graf Spee. Dove is captured and kept on the Graf Spee after his ship is sunk. He witnesses how the vast & powerful the ship is, along with the supply ship (Altmark) operations. The Graf Spee changes its call sign every few days to keep the British fleet guessing about its exact location. The Altmark transfers its prisoners to the Graf Spee as it is supposed to head to Germany for a shore leave. As Graf Spee sinks more ships, it picks the crew and packs them in a mess hall with Captain Dove.

The British are led by Commodore (later Rear-Admiral) Henry Harwood (Anthony Quayle), HMS Ajax, with Captain Charles Woodhouse (Ian Hunter) commanding flagship Ajax, Captain Frederick "Hookie" Bell (John Gregson) Exeter and Captain Edward Parry (Jack Gwillim) Achilles.

The Royal Navy responds with hunting groups whose mission is to stop them. The group that finds the heavily armed pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee near South America. Harwood concentrates his forces around the area of the river Plate based on the latest British intelligence. Harwood tracks the past movements of the Graf Spee and says that the ship will come to River Plate area for one final shot at the grain laden ships meant for the Brits, before retiring to Germany. The anticipate the Graf Spee to reach its new hunting grounds in 24 hours.

Its Wednesday, December 13th, 1939. Harwood was proven correct when at sunrise the spotters find the Graf Spee. They are outgunned since Admiral Graf Spee is equipped with long-range 11-inch (279 mm) guns, and the British heavy cruiser Exeter has much lighter 8-inch (203 mm) guns, and the light cruisers Ajax and Achilles have 6-inch (152 mm) guns. However, they go straight into the attack. The Graf Spee doesn't take advantage of its longer-range guns and moves in closer to the enemy ships.

The British use their superior numbers to split her fire by attacking from different directions, but Admiral Graf Spee, under Captain Hans Langsdorff (Peter Finch), Admiral Graf Spee, inflicts much damage on her foes. Exeter is particularly hard hit (with all their guns being out of action) and is forced to retire from the battle.

Admiral Graf Spee sustains some damage and takes refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo, Uruguay, for repairs. According to international law, the ship may remain in a neutral harbor only long enough to repair for seaworthiness, not to refit for battle. All the British prisoners are released from the Graf Spee as per the international naval treaties. The British (Eugen Millington-Drake (Anthony Bushell), the British Minister in Uruguay & M. Desmoulins (Douglas Wilmer), the French Minister in Uruguay) initially demand for the Uruguayan authorities (Dr Alberto Guani (Peter Illing), Uruguayan Foreign Minister) to send Admiral Graf Spee out to sea within 24 hours, as the law dictates. Dr Otto Langmann (John Chandos), the German Minister in Uruguay.

Captain Henry McCall (Michael Goodliffe), British Naval Attaché in Buenos Aires & Ray Martin (William Squire), British SIS agent in Montevideo keep an eye on the Graf Spee while it is in harbor. The Uruguay government allows 48 hours for the Graf Spee to set sail, despite the ship having 64 hits to the super structure alone. The Germans wanted 3 weeks.

Later, the Brits change strategy and ask for an extension so that reinforcements can arrive for an impending second battle. Harwood is not sure if his 3 ships are enough to force the issue and doesn't want the Graf Spee to get away this time. Harwood calls McCall to his ship and wants his help to make it happen.

In fact, the reinforcements are too far away (and would require several days to arrive), but local media (Helped by an unsecured phone call from McCall to the British ambassador in Beunos Aires, knowing fully well that the lines are monitored) spread reports that more British warships have arrived (A total of 13), including battleships and aircraft carriers; in fact, only three cruisers (Exeter having been replaced by HMS Cumberland) are waiting in station.

Taken in by the ruse, Langsdorff takes his ship out with a skeleton crew aboard. As the onlookers watch from shore, she heads down the River Plate for the open sea, bursts into flames with a series of explosions and is scuttled. That is a relief to the Royal Navy fleet, which was expecting casualties, and it reports, 'Many a life has been saved today'. Now on board a merchant ship, Langsdorff is complimented for his humane decision by Captain Dove.

Shortly thereafter, the Altmark is also arrested trying to enter Uruguan territorial waters.