Battle of the river plate book

Personal snap shot photograph album, taken whilst onboard hms exeter whilst serving with the america and west indies station. The battle of the river plate by dudley pope overdrive. It is the early years of world war ii and the royal navy must fight a desperate battle to stop germanys best battleship, the admiral graf spee, from sailing to the south atlantic. The battle of the river plate hardcover january 1, 1956 by dudley pope author. Part of its fame came because it took place in the phoney war period and part because of the unjustifiably high reputation of the admiral graf spee, the german pocketbattleship involved in the battle. The images include the ship, crew members, visits to peru, chil. River plate battle diagrams book nzhistory, new zealand. This tale of the battle of the river plate follows the machinations of the german war machine as kapitan zur see hans langsdorff commands the pocket battleship graf. So began the battle of the river plate, story which has its duplicates in british naval history, but which nevertheless brought pride and. What you need to know about the battle of the river plate. Woodman argues that the longaccepted interpretation of events is ripe for closer scrutiny and reevaluation. The battle of the river plate hardback pen and sword books. The battle of the river plate great military battles.

The battle of the river plate took place on december th 1939. Plate in early english was used to describe silver or gold. The ship, loaned to new zealand by the royal navy and crewed on the whole by new zealand sailors set a precedent the first new zealand warship to take part in a naval battle, the first new zealand unit to strike a blow at. It was distributed worldwide by rank film distributors ltd. The german heavy cruiser admiral graf spee had sailed into the south atlantic a fortnight before the war began, and had been commerce raiding after receiving appropriate authorisation on 26 september 1939. After retiring from the action hms exeter made for the british base on the falkland islands to make temporary repairs. Which is the most accurate film version of naval warfare, the. The battle of the river plate by gordon landsborough. Buy battle of the river plate reprint by dudley pope isbn. Miller actually beings by devoting quite a number of pages to a look at the work of german surface raiders during the first world war and on the impact of that war on the strategic. Jul 24, 2018 the battle of the river plate took place in december 1939, and featured the royal navy cruisers exeter, achilles and ajax, against the german panzerschiffe, graf spee. The graf spee was one of three deutschland class pocket battleships built by the germans in the interwar period to get around treaty restrictions imposed after world war i.

Battle of the river plate british and commonwealth military wednesday, december, 2017 reading time. The battle of the river plate history learning site. A compilation of documents and photos with details of the famous ww2 navel sea engagement, battle of the river plate, december 1939. Battle of the river plate 75th anniversary ministry for. The first naval battle of world war ii took place just off the coast of uruguay on december, 1939 as the german pocket battleship admiral graf spee is cornered in the waters of the river plate. The film stars john gregson, anthony quayle, and peter finch. This book was originally written in 1957, 18 years after the battle described, but it is too close to the battle to understand langsdorffs position as a ship that, if. The battle in the south atlantic was the first major naval battle of world war two. The battle of the river plate by dudley pope fantastic fiction. Author editor posted on december 14, may 11, categories 1939 tags battleships. When war broke out in september 1939, the german pocket battleship graf spee, commanded by hans langsdorff, was patrolling in the atlantic. May 18, 2015 the battle of the river plate took place on december th 1939. Despite severe damage, exeter made emergency repairs in the falklands before undergoing a major refit in britain.

River plate, battle of, fought off this south american river on december 1939 between the german pocket battleship admiral graf spee and an allied naval task force. What ships were used in the film the battle of the river plate pursuit of the graf spee. The battle of the river plate was shot in vistavision, a wide screen orthographic process using a horizontal film feed. Seventy five years later, the battle of the river plate still holds a. This book is a nice description of the battle, but it loses a bit in the interpretation of the issues. Hms amethyst taking hits from red chinese shore batteries. Seventy five years later, the battle of the river plate still holds a special place in this countrys naval history. The battle of the river plate 1956 movie mistakes, goofs. Buy battle of the river plate reprint by pope, dudley isbn.

Unsure as to who the exact person was but the english name of river plate was in use from the time of the visit by sir francis drake in 1578. In the first major naval battle of world war ii, the british navy must find and destroy a powerful german warship. With john gregson, anthony quayle, ian hunter, jack gwillim. The battle of the river plate was the first major naval confrontation of the second world war, and it is one of the most famous. The dramatic sea fight between the german pocket battleship admiral graf spee and the british cruisers exeter, ajax and achilles off the coast of south america caught the imagination in december 1939. The battle of the river plate is one of the most famous naval battles of the second world war, despite only involving four ships. Oct 15, 2019 the cruel sea is based on a work of fiction written by nicholas monsarrat.

An article about the battle of the river plate, which took place. Pursuit of the graf spee in the united states is a 1956 british war film in technicolor and vistavision by the writerdirectorproducer team of michael powell and emeric pressburger. Detailsthe first encounter at sea of the second world war took place along the south american coast when three british ships inflicted enough damage on the german pocket battleship admiral graf spee to corner it in montevideo harbour. An account of events before, during and after the action up to the selfdestruction of the admiral graf spee. The captain, encouraged by british misinformation, chose to scuttle his ship rather than face destruction. The first naval battle of the second world war gordon. Jan 21, 2020 what ships were used in the film the battle of the river plate pursuit of the graf spee. One of the hunting groups sent by the british admiralty to search for admiral graf spee, comprising three royal navy cruisers, hms exeter.

Langsdorff and the battle of the river plate 316 printed pages this compelling new study of the battle of the river plate concentrates on kapitn zur see hans langsdorff, the commander of the german pocket battleship graf spee it is written from his point of view. Using eyewitness accounts, he graphically reconstructs the daylong battle and pursuit and draws penetrating portraits of the battles opposing commanders. On december 1939, the crew of hms achilles engaged the german pocket battleship admiral graf spee, off the coast of uruguay, on the river plate. The dramatic sea fight between german pocket battleship admiral graf spee and the british cruisers exeter, ajax and achilles off the coast of south america caught the imagination in december 1939. This tale of the battle of the river plate follows the machinations of the german war machine as. The film was known in the us by the alternative titles. The fighting off the river plate cost langsdorff 36 killed and 102 wounded, while harwoods ships lost 72 killed and 28 wounded. It details in a reasonable amount of detail the story of the graf spee, from her departure from nazi germany in 1939, to her eventual demise in the river plate in uruguay in december of that year. The battle of the river plate was the first naval battle in the second world war and the first one of the battle of the atlantic in south american waters. When hms achilles opened fire on the german pocket battleship admiral graf spee on december 1939, it became the first nz unit to engage the enemy in the second world war. The battle was the first major naval confrontation between the royal navy and the german fleet of world war two. Under the conditions imposed on germany by the treaty of versailles at the end of the first world war, the german navy was forbidden to construct surface warships in excess of 10,000 tons. He fully appreciates that the film is of a sort that transposes reality. What ships were used in the film the battle of the river.

There have been a number of books and articles published about the battle of the river plate on december 1939, the first major naval action of the second world war. British naval forces pursue german battleship the admiral graf spee, finally blockading the vessel in montevideo harbour, where its commanding officer is faced with an impossible choice. Dudley pope, author of many books, both fiction and nonfiction, has written another excellent nautical story. This account of the famous episode was first published.

This book was originally written in 1957, 18 years after the battle described, but it is too close to the battle to understand langsdorffs position as a ship that, if found, would likely be chased down. For background, monsarrat was in the royal navy volunteer reserve and was called into royal navy service in 1940 as a sublieutenant. Featuring full colour artwork, archive photographs and meticulous research, this comprehensive volume explores the thrilling story behind the battle of the river plate, an engagement that unquestionably demonstrated the effectiveness of british seapower and diplomacy on an international stage. The battle of the river plate and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. She represented a grave threat to allied shipping, sinking eight merchant ships. 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. If your idea of the battle of the river plate is based on peter finchs portrayal of captain karls langsdorf, commander of admiral graf spee in the classic movie then this book has plenty to offer.

Buy the battle of the river plate reprint by dudley pope isbn. Millions of products all with free shipping australia wide. Battle of the river plate by richard woodman overdrive. This battlegame book is a 42page book containing a ww2 tactical naval game for 2 players, using simplified battleship captain system, with full rules, river plate, denmark strait, merselkebir scenarios, 20 rated warships bb, bc, ca, cl at 14500 scale. This tale of the battle of the river plate follows the.

The official dispatch summary extract from lectures presented by sir eugen millington drake, k. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. It was distributed worldwide by rank film distributors ltd the films storyline concerns the battle of. Battle of the river plate battle of the river plate. River plate battle diagrams book booklet showing detailed battle diagrams from the battle of the river plate. A distinguished british maritime writer, woodman offer. The author tips a nod to the wellknown eponymous movie of the battle of the river plate that used the uss salem as the graf spee and two real ships from the battle, the former hmnzs achilles and the elderly hms cumberland. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. This tale of the battle of the river plate follows the machinations of the german war machine as kapitan zur see hans langsdorff commands the pocket battleship graf spee on a mission to cripple british shipping.

The battle of the river plate by dudley pope book cover, description, publication history. This important new work is certain to become the subject of close study and debate. The battle of the river plate was the first naval battle of world war ii and the only battle of world war ii to take place in south america or its waters. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Ships from the royal navys south american division took on the might of germanys graf spee which was successfully attacking merchant shipping in the south atlantic. During the voyage she stopped three times to bury her dead at sea. The biggest mistakes you never noticed in the battle of the river plate 1956. The book opens with the political and military background to the battle, followed by a detailed account of naval operations in the south atlantic that led to the confrontation off the river plate on december, 1939, switching back and forth from the german to the british perspective as necessary. Achilles role in the battle was a special source of pride for new zealanders, who welcomed the ships crew home at huge parades in auckland and wellington in early 1940.