The Battle of the River Plate(13 December,1939).

Captain Hans Langsdorff - A Military Hero!

In February 2010 Langsdorff`s log book came to light in a Spanish edition in Montevideo. El Museo de la Armada Nacional in Pocitos has limited copies of "Admiral Graf Spee Diario de Guerra". This book is a word by word, day by day translation of Captain Langsdorff's log book (kriegstagebuch). At last, serious Spanish historians can consider the captain`s problems and decisions directly from the source. We can now correct many of the inconsistencies still circulating in the historical record. It's time to get the correct facts behind the headlines. Anyone reading his diary can look over his shoulder and verify the massive problems Langsdorff found in the diesel technology.

THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM THE SPANISH EDITION OF CAPTAIN LANGSDORFF'S LOG BOOK.

Page 248: Graf Spee arrived in Montevideo with serious damage. Prospect of effective repairs was reduced because Voulminot, the company with the best facilities, refused to work on the ship. A smaller Italian company - Copollo - accepted the job.

Page 249: Captain Langsdorff explains the most critical problem is the condition of the engine installations. The auxiliary engines have run twice the recommended hours of operation. This has resulted in oval pistons, cracks in the supporting bases and cylinders - cannot guarantee more than 17knots.

Gilbey note: Graf Spee's engine troubles began 3rd and evolved to a critical level on 26th November - 17 days before the Battle of the River Plate.

Page 152: (3 November, 1939) Support column in auxiliary engine #1 broken.

Page 155: (4 November, 1939) Cracks found in base of auxiliary engine #2.

Page 199: (26 November, 1939) Pistons out of round causing smoke emissions. During maintenance, dismantled eleven pistons and ten piston rods to change rings and packing. Also cleaned out all muffler openings.

Cracks found in bases of all (four) auxiliary engines. Total fifteen cracks after 1786 hours of operations.

Adjustment nuts stripped in auxiliary engine #2. It needs specialists from manufacturer and ship imobile (dockyard) to calibrate the weight. Bases of auxiliary motors weakest point of engine installations in battle conditions.

Page 200: Engine maintenance manuals recommend complete shipyard inspection of auxiliary engines every 1000 hours of operations.

Maximum speed now 23knots - great care and special attention to operation of auxiliary engines.

Gilbey note: 26 November, Captain Langsdorff reviews Graf Spee's mission.

Page 202: SKL instructions: Graf Spee must raid enemy commerce as long and aggressively as possible. At least to draw the most potent enemy forces to protect their merchant ships. Enemy must not obtain prestige from the early loss of a pocket battleship or a total lack of action.

Engine installations require dockyard overhaul. Already planned for January, 1940. Spee mission is coming to an end.

Page 203: A pocket battleship can outgun enemy warships up to HMS Renown. But extraordinary moonlight in South Atlantic leaves Spee visible outside gun range - cannot shake off fast shadower.

Spee's sinkings to date (6 ships-23,000tons)will not affect outcome of war but when joined with mines and submarines will deny enemy control of the seas. Spee has disappeared from the Atlantic without detection. Raises possibility of a second raider if we have significant results homebound.

Page 204: Depending on condition of engines, Spee will raid in area of Trevanion sinkings until about 6 December. Then, depending on state of engines, will return home or raid River Plate trade routes.

Page 205: December new moon in North Atlantic when homebound. Instructions to Altmark for rendezvous dates and co-ordinates. Planned eight possible locations from 4 December until 14 December. First (4.Xll "Anton") 19s/18w. Last (14.Xll "Hans") 25s/20w.

Page 210: (29 November) New instructions from SKL responding to 15 November report.

To maintain secrecy homebound, no engagement with cruisers in middle or north Atlantic - except in espectionally favorable circumstances. SKL calculate Spee in Shetland/Bergen end of January/first of February - possibility of help from warships.

Instructions basically concur with Spee plans. No new resolution is necessary.

Page 215:(2 December) Liner Doric Star (10,086 tons) from New Zealand with wool, wheat and frozen meat captured.

Page 217: No additional damage to engine installations. But irregular performance in #4 engine and cracks in bases of all auxiliary engines. Will continue raiding.

Page 219: (3 December) Steam ship Tairoa (7,983 tons) from Australia with wool, frozen meat and butter. Transmitted wireless alarm. Spee used 3.7cm guns to stop transmission. Merchant captured.

Page 220: Tairoa captain advises very firm orders to transmit warning. Accepts full responsibility.

Page 222: Spee will raid south of Rio de Janiero, then eastward and south of Rio de La Plata to give impression of heading for Cape Horn.

Page 227: (6 December) Met Altmark. Saw her smoke from distance. Later learned that Spee's smoke also visible from distance due to light wind and clear sky.

Page 228: Running speed 17knots. Decide to practice searchlight drill with Altmark. Alarm - merchanr ship running without lights. Usual morse challenge in English may cause scuttling if ship is German. Monitor to ensure merchant is not using wireless. Stopped searchlight excercise and resumed original course.

Page 231: (7 December) Captured steamer Streonshalh (3,895 tons)., 5,600 tons wheat from Argentina for Britain.

Merchant captain has image of Deutschland posted in his bridge. Taken from Montevideo newspaper that reported sinking of Rawalpindi. He wished to identify details of pocket battleship.

Claims he did not use wireless and signal alert to prevent Spee from firing guns and to avoid loss of life.

Captain says he threw his prepared bag of secret documents into the sea and also a second bag of papers over the side. Spee's prize crew recovered this bag of papers.

These papers showed routing of Streonshalh into Montevideo - 200 miles from coast and arrived 8 November. Sailed out 29 November routed first to 35deg.5's/46deg47'w and then 31deg33's/35deg47'w towards Freetown passing west of Ascension. In this situation perhaps the ship without lights was English.

Page 233 Possibility of other ships in this category near turning points. Decide to search ten miles south of Streonshalh's route.

SKL advises: According to accumulated information, Highland Monarch (14,000 tons), Marconi (7,400 tons), Ashbury (3,901 tons) and Southgate (4,862 tons) left Plate about 5 December.

Page 234: Perhaps these ships will not form convoy because of speed differences but even if sailing solo, Spee may capture some part on present course about 9 December.

Page 236: ( 9 December) Continuing search. 1st. Officer of Streonshalh (captive on board Spee) found with astrological calculations that confirmed his ship's routing. Very important that all navigation documents are destroyed if a ship is captured!

Page 235: We assume that solo merchants travel east from Montevideo then follow a narrow line toward Ascension - Freetown and north to Britian.

237: From SKL Achilles in Montevideo. Ark Royal and Renown operating from Capetown.

Page 238: (10 December) Continuing search. Arado 196 aircraft sent out. Problems with radio communications and long distance observation. It is difficult for a fast aircraft to sight and correctly report on a single ship in the open sea of the Atlantic without being seen.

Gilbey note: Captain Langsdorff's personal log ends 10 December. Captain Kay's signature verifies the veracity. December 11 - 12 - 13 notes and later dates are input from Captain Niebuhr's diary.

Page 245: (11 December) Continuing search. Arado 196 airplane sent on patrol. Saw nothing. Arado engine problems. Cannot repair on board.

Page: 245: (12 December) Continue searching. During the night made Zig-Zag route. Dismantled airplane.

Page 245: (13 December) Battle of the River Plate. Battle report - seven pages - was sent to Germany 17th January, 1940. Receipt confirmed on 2nd February, 1940.

Please keep posted to this page for exclusive up-dates.

Joseph Gilbey, Montevideo, Uruguay. February 2012.