Admiral Graf Spee's last working Arado Ar 196 had broken down, leaving the ship without aerial reconnaissance. Visual observation from the ship then limited how far ahead she could search. Her horizon and lookout positions defined what she could discover independently. The failure left a modern commerce raider using reconnaissance methods comparable to those available to warships at the beginning of the First World War.
Chapter · 0:09-0:52
Graf Spee loses her last working Arado scout
The breakdown of Admiral Graf Spee's last working Arado Ar 196 removes her independent aerial reconnaissance on the eve of the River Plate battle.