Naval operation
Battle of the River Plate
13 Dec 1939 – 17 Dec 1939 · Off the River Plate estuary
On 13 December 1939 the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, under Captain Hans Langsdorff, fought three British Commonwealth cruisers led by Commodore Henry Harwood: HMS Exeter, HMS Ajax and HMNZS Achilles. Exeter was badly damaged and Graf Spee's fuel system was crippled, so she could not reach home. She took refuge in neutral Montevideo and, facing a threatened British force, was scuttled on 17 December on Langsdorff's order.
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- [1]Battle of the River Plate
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