Plot
In the early months of the Second World War, the German Navy sends out merchant raiders to attack Allied shipping. The Royal Navy responds with hunting groups whose mission is to stop them. The group that finds the heavily-armed pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee near South America is outgunned: Graf Spee is equipped with long-range 11-inch guns, while the three British cruisers, Ajax, Achilles and Exeter, have much lighter 8-inch and 6-inch guns. Despite this, they go straight to the attack.
The British are led by Commodore Harwood (Anthony Quayle), with Captain Woodhouse (Ian Hunter) commanding the Ajax, Captain Bell (John Gregson) the Exeter and Captain Parry (Jack Gwillim) the Achilles. The British use their superior numbers to "split her fire" by attacking from different directions, but Graf Spee, under Captain Hans Langsdorff (Peter Finch), inflicts much damage on her foes. Exeter is particularly hard hit.
However, Graf Spee sustains damage herself, and takes refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo for repairs. According to international law, the ship may remain at neutral harbor only long enough to make repairs for seaworthiness, not to refit her for battle. With reinforcements too far away, the British spread disinformation that an overwhelming force is lying in wait, hoping to buy time: while they are initially demanding that the Uruguayan authorities send the Admiral Graf Spee out to sea within 24 hours, as the law of the seas dictates, they suddenly lose interest and appear to tolerate the ship staying anchored for as long as she wants. This is a bluff intended to make the Germans believe that English warships are on the way, when none are. Taken in by the lies, Langsdorff takes his ship out with a skeleton crew and scuttles her.
Read more about this topic: The Battle Of The River Plate (film)
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