The Raiding Cruise of the Admiral Graf Spee

With the invasion of Poland pending, as war imminent, Germany dispatched her two available panzerschiffe into the Atlantic. Supply ships and tankers were dispatched also, to keep the warships at sea in the absence of German bases.

Admiral Graf Spee, under the command of Captain Langsdorff, slipped out of Wilhelmshaven on August 21, 1939, and sailed up the coast of Norway. The ship then turned west, passing unseen between the Faeroes Islands and Iceland on August 24. Graf Spee headed south, passing through the main Atlantic shipping lanes at night, to take up station northeast of the Azores. Here, on the 28th, Graf Spee met up with the supply ship Altmark, which, in the guise of an ordinary merchant tanker, had filled her holds in Texas with fuel oil for the raider. After topping of Graf Spee's bunkers, Altmark fell in behind the warship as they headed further south.

On September 3, 1939, British and France declared war on Germany over the invasion of Poland. Graf Spee and Altmark were west of the Cape Verde Islands, still heading south.

Despite the outbreak of hostilities, the raider was not allowed to commence warfare against Allied shipping, but was rather ordered on September 5 to avoid all contact with other ships. In the vain hope that a quick German victory in Poland and a lack of hostile action against British and French forces would lead to a very quick end to the war. So Langsdorff kept clear of shipping routes, crossing the equator on September 8 and taking up station in a seldom-frequented area of the South Atlantic. On September 11, Graf Spee's Arado seaplane, on a routine recognizance flight, spotted the British heavy cruiser HMS Cumberland on an intercept course with the German ships. The British lookouts did not spot the plane, which was able to alert Langsdorff to change course and avoid detection. Cumberland continued on her way from Freetown to Rio de Janeiro, none the wiser. Graf Spee remained in a holding pattern north of the River Platte - Cape of Good Hope shipping route, refueling twice from Altmark.

On September 26, Langsdorff finally received new orders. Her was to commence hostilities immediately, but with several restrictions: he was to attack only British ships, and not French ships. Actions with enemy warships were to be avoided, so as to not risk his ship. He was also to conduct warfare within the rules of the International Prize Law, in that all ships needed to be stopped and searched, and their crews and passengers taken off before it could be fired upon. Lastly, he was to avoid any incident that would alienate US opinion. Parting company with Altmark, Graf Spee went off to war.

As a lone unit in a hostile sea, Graf Spee would rely on cunning and confusion to avoid being cornered by enemy warships. She would display British and French flags to approach unsuspecting victims, and would change the name painted on her hull and her report signal ID several times, from Graf Spee to Deutschland to Admiral Scheer and back, so that any intercepted signals or reports of her sighting would cause confusion at the British Admiralty and lack credibility: a report from a neutral freighter of a 'confirmed sighting' of a ship know to be in the Baltic would be looked upon skeptically.

Not being required to respect the US's self-declared "neutrality zone," Langsdorff headed towards the coast of Brazil, to disrupt the flow of meat and grain to Britain along the shipping routes off Pernambuco. 75 miles northeast of the Brazilian port of Pernambuco, Graf Spee found her first victim just before noon on September 30. The captain of the 5050-ton freighter SS Clement spotted an approaching warship, and though it was the British cruiser HMS Ajax. But it was Graf Spee, who's Arado 196 seaplane was launched, and few machine gun bullets were sprayed at the bridge of the freighter. Clement's captain, F.C.P. Harris, stopped engines immediately, and ordered his crew to the boats after sending a distress message. Five rounds of 11-inch and 25 rounds of 5.9-inch gunfire then sank the abandoned freighter. The sea was calm, so Langsdorff took captain Harris, his chief engineer, and a hand injured while abandoning ship on board the Graf Spee, while the rest of the crew were given the correct course back to the South American port of Maceio, all reaching that location safely the next day. After treating the wounded man and questioning Harris, Langsdorff stopped the Greek steamer SS Papelemos. Her captain promised not to send a signal until reaching the Cape Verde Islands (a promise he kept), so the three British men were transferred to the neutral freighter and Graf Spee went on her way.

Knowing that Clement had gotten off a radio signal, Langsdorff took the Graf Spee off at high speed, choosing the Cape of Good Hope - Europe route as his next hunting ground. In that shipping route on October 5 Graf Spee found the British freighter SS Newton Beach (4650-tons) with a cargo of corn. The ship was stopped and a prize crew put on board so she could be used as a source of supplies, but not before a distress message was transmitted. Another British merchant ship heard this call, and passed it on later in the day to the HMS Cumberland. This was the worst case scenario for the Germans: a powerful British warship was in the area, the location of the raider was known, and heavy Allied reinforcements could be rapidly dispatched from Dakar, the West Indies, and Pernambuco to track down the raider within a few days. But Captain Fallowfield of the Cumberland, concerned with tipping off the position of his own vessel, incorrectly assumed that the radio call had been heard at Freetown, so he maintained radio silence. Graf Spee's luck had held out again.

Heading east in the company of her prize, Graf Spee surprised the British steamer Ashlea (4220-tons) on October 7, which was loaded with sugar. Her radio operator had no chance to send a message, and the ship was boarded. The Germans gained useful intelligence when her captain, C. Pottinger, failed to destroy his confidential instructions from the Admiralty. Clement's captain had made the same mistake, and the German raider was now in possession, among other valuable documents, of a complete copy of the code given by the Admiraly to merchant ships. Langsdorff now had Ashlea's crew was put onto Newton Beach, and Ashlea was sunk with scuttling charges.

On October 8, German High Command dispatched the battlecruiser Gneisenau, the light cruiser Koln, and nine destroyers into the North Sea. They were to simulate a sortie into the Atlantic, going only as far as the south coast of Norway, attacking any light craft or merchant ships they encountered. After being sighted by Coastal Command, they would slip back to Germany. This had the effect of the Home Fleet being put to sea immediately, and the Admiralty, fearful of a German breakout into the Atlantic, was dissuaded from sending heavy units to join the hunt for Graf Spee.

On October 9, aircraft from the Ark Royal sighted Altmark southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. Captain Dau of the Altmark indicated that he was the American ship Delmar, and unwilling to take his flagship too far off its course for Freetown, Vice-Admiral Wells chose not to investigate, and the German supply ship was allowed to go on her way without even a cursory check. Altmark met with Graf Spee later that day, and received the transferred the crews of the two British ships. Having gotten all he wanted off Newton Beach, Langsdorff ordered her scuttled.

On the evening of the 10th, Graf Spee approached the British liner Huntsman (8200-tons), on passage from Calcutta to London with a cargo of tea. The liner's captain, A.H. Brown, mistook Graf Spee for a British cruiser, and allowed her to approach. The Germans then sent a signal threatening to open fire if the radio were used. Unwilling to risk the lives of his crew, Brown complied, and a prize crew took over Huntsman.

Returning to the waiting area outside the sea-lanes, Graf Spee refueled from Altmark. Though the Huntsman would make a good addition to the German war effort, Langsdorff realized that the chances of sailing her to Germany past the Royal Navy blockade were slim. Her captain joined the Graf Spee, while the rest of her crew was put on Altmark, and the ship was scuttled.

Using intercepted radio transmissions and his captured codebook, Langsdorff headed south for another try at the Cape - UK trade route. On October 22 Graf Spee, flying a French flag, approached within a mile of the 5300-ton Trevenion. Her captain, J. Edwards, recognized the pocket battleship and sent off a distress call at the last minute, completing it despite machine gun fire to the bridge of his ship. The Germans boarded the vessel, took off the crew, and scuttled her, but a British liner relayed her message to the C-in-C at Freetown. Realizing that his game was up, Langsdorff left the shipping lanes once again. He rendezvoused with Altmark on October 29 to refuel and transfer all of his prisoners. Admiral Raeder in Berlin suggested new hunting grounds, and Langsdorff agreed: the Indian Ocean. It was time for the wool harvest in Australia, and the Cape of Good Hope - Australia trade route should be both filled with valuable prizes and poorly defended.

Heading southeast, Graf Spee sailed for over 3000 miles, staying far south of the cape of Good Hope, which the raider passed on November 3. A message from Berlin commended the Graf Spee for her efforts and 100 Iron Crosses were awarded to her crew.

But the Cape - Australia trade route in the Indian Ocean did not bring the prey the Germans anticipated. The wool clipping in Australia came late that year, and the ships carrying it were sitting in Australia, not yet loaded. For 10 frustrating days Graf Spee slowly cruised in search of ships, sighting none.

So Langsdorff headed to the Mozambique Channel, between the African coast and Madagascar. On November 15 Graf Spee took the tiny British tanker Africa Star (700-tons) by surprise, capturing her before a distress call could be sent. The captain, P. Dove, and his crew were taken on board Graf Spee and the diminutive tanker, loaded only with ballast, was scuttled.

The next day Graf Spee closed on another vessel, only to find that it was the neutral SS Mapia, of Dutch registry. Her neutrality was respected and she was allowed to go, but Langsdorff decided that between her inevitable report upon reaching port, and the Africa Star being eventually reported late, he had just about worn out his welcome in the Indian Ocean. He sailed back to the Atlantic, passing the Cape on November 21.

Two days later Graf Spee arrived back at her original South Atlantic waiting area, where four days were spend in company with Altmark making repairs and adjustments to Graf Spee's engines. To confuse any ships that may have stumbled upon him in such a vulnerable state, Langsdorff ordered a second forward turret and second funnel constructed out of wood and canvas, radically altering the silhouette of his vessel to resemble HMS Renown. To pull British warships away from the area, the battlecruisers Scharnhorst and Gneisenau put to sea for a feint into the North Atlantic, disrupting Allied shipping and trying up the Home Fleet for a week before returning unseen to Germany.

Langsdorff decided that his ship and crew were about ready to go home. Having sailed over 30,000 miles, Graf Spee's engines were in need of more repairs than could be made at sea. Langsdorff decided to make one more sweep of South America to disrupt trade along the coast to the UK, and then head back to Germany for a well-deserved overhaul for his ship and R&R for his crew. He would first hunt the Cape - UK trade route unitl December 6, and once the enemy was aware of his presence he would take his ship to the River Plate area for a final sweep against beef and wheat from Argentina, and head for Germany with the New Year. Refueling and provisioning from Altmark on November 26, Langsdorff decided to redistribute his prisoners. Captains and first officers would return to Germany on Graf Spee, while Altmark would land the rest at a neutral port. Ironically, Langsdorff wrote that because Graf Spee's period of commerce raiding was nearing the end, it was no longer absolutely necessary to avoid action with enemy warships. Should an enemy warship sight and attempt to follow Graf Spee, he would close the range and use his ship's powerful guns to at least damage it so as to eliminate the threat of a shadowing warship calling in reinforcements.

The two ships separated, and Graf Spee made her presence known off Africa on December 2. The liner Doric Star (10,100-tons) was sighted bound for Britain from New Zealand with mutton, butter, cheese, and wool. Rather than use disguise, Langsdorff opened fire from long range, which allowed the liner to send a distress call before being overwhelmed. This properly stirred up a hornet's nest in the area, and the Germans planned to put a prize crew on the liner for later use as a supply ship before dashing across the Atlantic. But just as German seamen boarded this valuable prize with her rich cargo, Graf Spee's seaplane ran out of fuel and had to make a forced landing. Recalling his crew he ordered the liner scuttled, and raced off to recover his valuable aircraft and its crew, which were located just before nightfall.

At sunrise on the 3d, Graf Spee captured the steamer Tairoa (7980-tons), sinking her after taking off the crew. But Tairoa's captain Star had gotten off a distress signal before is radio room was wrecked by gunfire.

On December 6, Graf Spee met up with Altmark again. After exchanging prisoners for fuel and provisions, Graf Spee headed westward to the River Plate area. Captains Star and Brown (Huntsman) were also transferred to Altmark, so that they might look after the captive crewmen.

On the evening of December 7, Graf Spee sighted the freighter SS Streonhalh (4000-tons) bound for Britain from Montevideo. Her captain, J. Robinson, hoped that Graf Spee was a British cruiser and delayed sending a distress call until it was too late. Robinson attempted to dispose of his secret documents in weighted bags, but a German sailor saved one before it sank. From this packet Langsdorff learned that British shipping leaving Buenos Areas and Montevideo steered for a point 300 miles east of the River Plate, before turning north-northeast past Pernambuco for Freetown. Langsdorff now knew where to find rich pickings before heading back to Germany. After taking off the crew, the ship was scuttled, bringing Graf Spee's total to nine vessels totaling more than 50,000 tons, without a sailor on either side being killed or wounded.

Langsdorff was warned of the great numbers of British and French warships hunting for him, but German High Command indicated that all the heavy units were at Freetown or Cape Town. Four British cruisers were known to be off South America, but they were expected to be operating independently either on patrol or escorting merchant ships. Alone, each was no match for Graf Spee. Langsdorff headed for the newly discovered British shipping route, and planned to intercept a convoy of four ships that would sail from Montevideo without escort on December 10.

On December 11, Graf Spee's seaplane took off for its usual dawn patrol, sighting nothing. But the plane suffered another in a series of cracked engine cylinders, and Graf Spee was fresh out of spares, so Langsdorff would no longer have the benefit of his eyes in the sky.

December 13, Graf Spee reached the point 300 miles from Montevideo where she expected to find her final four victims. The lack of aerial recognizance caused Graf Spee's luck to run out: dawn broke, but no merchant ships were sighted. Instead, at 0552, two, and then four masts broke the horizon. Graf Spee went to action stations at 0600, and by 0610 her lookouts had correctly identified the newcomers: the heavy cruiser HMS Exeter, and the light cruisers HMS Ajax and HMAS Achilles.

Outnumbered and with a speed disadvantage of seven knots, Graf Spee had no chance to outrun her opponents. Langsdorff turned his ship at the British cruisers, ran his ship up to 24 knots (the most it could do with a fouled bottom), and engaged the enemy. The raiding cruise of the Graf Spee was about to come to a dramatic end at the Battle of the River Plate.

The ensuing battle, and the eventual scuttle of the Graf Spee, is covered in the section "The Battle of the River Plate".