Video
The Royal Navy on the 14th of December 1939 - A River Plate 80 Video
Admiral Graf SpeeBattle Of The River PlateCommerce RaidingHans LangsdorffMontevideoNaval DiplomacyRoyal Navy
Study The Royal Navy on the 14th of December 1939 - A River Plate 80 Video, a Dr. Alex Clarke video from 14 Dec 2019, with 4 time notes. Topics include Admiral Graf Spee, Battle Of The River Plate, Commerce Raiding.
Time notes
- 0:00Graf Spee loses the protection of stealth and distanceChapter
Entering Montevideo strips Graf Spee of the distance and movement that had protected her commerce-raiding cruise, while each delay gives the Royal Navy more time to assemble.
- 3:47HMS Cumberland narrows Graf Spee's breakout windowNotable Point
Cumberland's arrival alongside Ajax and Achilles makes a successful breakout unlikely even before Ark Royal and Renown can reach the area.
- 6:19British and French diplomacy shifts from expulsion to delayChapter
Once stronger naval forces are on the way, British and French diplomats stop pressing Uruguay to expel Graf Spee and instead try to keep her in Montevideo.
- 8:16Ark Royal, Renown, and the limits of Montevideo's neutralityNotable Point
Ark Royal and Renown are racing south, raising the unresolved question of whether neutral Montevideo could protect Graf Spee if she remained in port.