Langsdorff's search for bigger prizes and naval glory

A colleague named Chris suggests that Hans Langsdorff was trying to get Admiral Graf Spee caught because he did not want to fight for Hitler and Nazi Germany. That suggestion is rejected in favour of an explanation based on professional pride: Langsdorff wanted to return home victorious and win glory for his navy. The cruise had taken some prizes, but the large successes he wanted still eluded him. Richer shipping around the River Plate offered a chance to make up for that disappointment. A possible subconscious sense of defeat is compatible with this reading, without implying that he consciously or subconsciously intended his own death or the loss of his ship.