The discussion contrasts naval and casualty-centred ways of judging merchant-shipping losses: most ships may arrive safely, while every sinking remains devastating to those aboard and their families. Admiral Graf Spee's rendezvous with Altmark south of the Cape Verde Islands then shows the logistics behind long-range commerce raiding. Altmark carried diesel fuel, ammunition, spares, food, and a substantial defensive armament, allowing the raider to remain at sea without a friendly port. The book connects convoy statistics with the less visible supply system that made a surface-raiding cruise possible.
Chapter · 27:07-29:14
Cargo liners, convoy losses, and the human cost of commerce war
A book on wartime cargo liners contrasts aggregate convoy success with individual loss and shows how Altmark sustained Admiral Graf Spee far from port.