Harwood did not know exactly which future war his South American relationships and local knowledge might serve. The region sat across trade routes connecting the Pacific and Atlantic, making it a natural theater for commerce raiding. An earlier conflict with Japan could also have sent Japanese forces toward British shipping in these waters. Harwood's peacetime preparation therefore belonged to a wider strategic setting than the eventual hunt for Graf Spee.
Notable Point · 5:22-6:48
Why the South Atlantic mattered beyond Graf Spee
South America's sea lanes made Harwood's regional preparations useful against German raiders and in other plausible conflicts involving Pacific trade.