A raider concentrating on merchant tonnage could have headed straight for the River Plate and perhaps later shifted towards Freetown. Trade passing through the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal gave a raider little reason to operate far to the south. Graf Spee's southern movements therefore suggest a priority of creating a psychological threat to trade across a wide area. That approach could disrupt trade without requiring many attacks. Langsdorff sought maximum effect with minimum effort while trying to keep his cruiser alive.
Notable Point · 1:34-2:28
Psychological commerce warfare in the South Atlantic
Graf Spee's route away from busy trade lanes suggests a campaign meant to spread anxiety across a wide area while keeping the cruiser alive.