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River Plate, battle of the
River Plate, battle of the, 1939. A German ‘pocket battleship’, Graf Spee, heavily armoured, with 11-inch guns, sinking British merchant ships in the South Atlantic, was attacked on 13 December 1939 by three British cruisers, Exeter (8-inch guns), Ajax, and Achilles (both 6-inch guns). Though putting Exeter out of action, Graf Spee withdrew to Montevideo in the Plate estuary. Captain Langsdorff then blew up and sank Graf Spee rather than fight the superior British force he expected and shot himself. Early in 1940 HMS Cossack entered Norwegian waters and liberated merchant seamen taken prisoner by the Graf Spee and transferred to the Altmark. British confidence in the skill and daring of the Royal Navy was confirmed.
R. A. C. Parker |
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JOHN CANNON. "River Plate, battle of the." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "River Plate, battle of the." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-RiverPlatebattleofthe.html JOHN CANNON. "River Plate, battle of the." The Oxford Companion to British History. 2002. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-RiverPlatebattleofthe.html |
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River Plate, battle of the
River Plate, battle of the, 1939. A German ‘pocket battleship’, Graf Spee, heavily armoured, with 11-inch guns, sinking British merchant ships in the South Atlantic, was attacked on 13 December 1939 by three British cruisers, Exeter (8-inch guns), Ajax, and Achilles (both 6-inch guns). Though putting Exeter out of action, Graf Spee withdrew to Montevideo in the Plate estuary. Captain Langsdorff then blew up and sank Graf Spee rather than fight the superior British force he expected and shot himself.
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Cite this article
JOHN CANNON. "River Plate, battle of the." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN CANNON. "River Plate, battle of the." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-RiverPlatebattleofthe.html JOHN CANNON. "River Plate, battle of the." A Dictionary of British History. 2004. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O43-RiverPlatebattleofthe.html |
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Plate, Battle of the River
Plate, Battle of the River (13 December 1939) A naval action between British and German forces in the South Atlantic. It was the first major naval surface engagement of World War II, in which the German battleship Graf Spee, which had sunk many cargo ships, was damaged by three British cruisers and forced into the harbour of Montevideo, from which she emerged only to be scuttled by her crew on Hitler's orders.
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Cite this article
"Plate, Battle of the River." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 31 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Plate, Battle of the River." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (May 31, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-PlateBattleoftheRiver.html "Plate, Battle of the River." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved May 31, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-PlateBattleoftheRiver.html |
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