Documents captured from Streonhalh may have encouraged a move toward Montevideo and the River Plate. They probably confirmed shipping patterns Langsdorff already knew. The Royal Navy had mapped global trade, and other navies had reasons to study the same routes, especially when considering how a weaker fleet could fight Britain. Britain's dependence on that trade offered an economic vulnerability that both sides understood. A weaker navy could identify concentrated shipping as a target, while the Royal Navy could use the same trade geography to anticipate a raider's movements. Captured papers could reinforce that assessment without being its sole basis.
Notable Point · 5:26-6:10
Captured papers and the geography of British trade
Documents captured from Streonhalh may have encouraged Admiral Graf Spee toward Montevideo and the River Plate, though they probably confirmed trade patterns already known to naval planners.