New Zealand's limited population did not prevent it from fielding effective forces with a strong service identity. Achilles connects that tradition to the Battle of the River Plate. The ship's transition from HMS to HMNZS also reflects the developing institutional identity of the Royal New Zealand Navy. Fleet size alone therefore understates the country's wartime contribution.
Notable Point · 1:33:08-1:33:45
New Zealand at war and the Battle of the River Plate
Achilles at the River Plate illustrates how New Zealand's small forces entered the Second World War from the beginning and made an early naval contribution.