Graf Spee's disguise could have served several purposes, including operations near the River Plate or movement within the American neutrality zone. The favored explanation is escape: an apparent American cruiser could take a route nearer the Americas and farther from concentrations of British forces. The alternative through the central Atlantic would cross fewer shipping lanes and avoid much of the shipping traffic. A course nearer the Americas could cross more shipping lanes, making her ability to pass as a local cruiser useful during encounters. The neutrality zone offered a possible route north before she turned toward home. On this reading, the disguise was meant to protect the return to Germany after the commerce-raiding mission. This interpretation also underlies the closing criticism of the film portrayal, which is judged to give the disguises the wrong purpose.
Chapter · 6:08-8:21
An American-cruiser disguise for the voyage home
Graf Spee's American-cruiser disguise may have been intended to exploit the American neutrality zone and avoid British forces during a return to Germany.