River Plate and the value of six-inch fire

Commodore Henry Harwood's force placed the Leander-class light cruisers Ajax and Achilles alongside Exeter, which is described as a cut-price County. In the pre-radar setting, a six-inch cruiser could engage at broadly similar practical ranges while putting more shells into vulnerable areas. Repeated hits could progressively damage or penetrate even when a single smaller shell could not, making rate and volume of fire tactically important. The numerical illustration contrasts 72 six-inch rounds with 32 eight-inch rounds over the same firing interval, showing why hit probability could offset individual shell power.