Admiral Graf Spee and his legendary captain. Fuhrer's pocket battleships. Corsairs of the Third Reich Ship Count Spee in German

On October 1, 1932, the construction of the so-called pocket battleships began in Germany, one of which, and perhaps the most famous, was the battleship "Admiral Graf Spee", launched at the end of June 1934. The battleship received its name in honor of the commander of the German squadron, Admiral von Spee, who died in the First World War in the battle of the Falkland Islands.

The name of the pocket, this vessel was due to some features in its design and equipment associated with the political situation that prevailed at that time in the world. According to the agreement concluded between Germany and its opponents in World War I, the former did not have the right to build ships with a displacement of more than 10 thousand tons, which did not allow her to have heavy warships belonging to the class of cruisers or battleships.

This restriction was officially in effect until Hitler came to power, but even after his approval as Fuhrer, the Germans for some time were afraid to clearly oppose existing international norms and therefore began to build battleships that had big number weapons, but at the same time characterized by a small displacement, which made it possible to make the ship absolutely legal, provided that the Western powers turn a blind eye to the extra 2,000 tons, which the builders failed to remove.

German battleship "Admiral Graf Spee"

However, the hopes of the Germans turned out to be fully justified, the Western powers preferred to turn a blind eye to the extra tons rather than enter into conflict with the state that was gaining strength, which at that time could be the only real obstacle to the communist threat spreading across Europe.

The Germans calmly completed the battleship, making it only 186 meters long and 21.65 meters wide, with a maximum draft of just over 7 meters. Thin armor also made it possible to significantly reduce the weight of the ship and bring it to acceptable standards, the armor coating, for conventional battleships, reaching a thickness of 36 centimeters, did not exceed 15 here, in some parts measuring only a few millimeters. Such a thin skin made the battleship very vulnerable to enemy submarines and aircraft, but at the same time did not deprive her of some advantages, primarily compactness and high maneuverability.

Given the unusual design of the battleship, the Germans had very high hopes for it, considering it invincible, the news of which they tried to spread as far as possible, while trying to belittle the importance of the English fleet, in which there were no ships of this type.

In the spring of 1936, the ship underwent its first tests, during which it had to go out into the Atlantic Ocean and reach Santa Cruz Island. The exercises with the participation of "Admiral Graf Spee" lasted for 20 days, and the battleship under own name it did not appear, the Germans tried to keep the secret appearance and equipping the battleship, out of fear that its weapons would malfunction and seem insignificant and pose no real threat to Western spies. In the lists of ships sent to take part in the exercises, the battleship was listed as an experienced artillery ship.

Upon returning from training, tests of the guns and equipment of the battleship were continued, in the fall of the same year, the ship took part in training maneuvers, and already in December, the flagship pennant of Rear Admiral von Fischel, commander of the Spanish squadron, flew over the battleship, after which he headed for Spain, to become a direct participant in the Civil War, one of the participants of which was supported by Hitler.


Return from training battleship "Admiral Graf Spee"

In February 1937, the battleship left Kiel and headed for the coast of Spain, for two whole months the battleship moved from one Spanish port to another, and already in early May returned to Germany, from where it went to England to participate in the international parade of warships under the leadership of the monarch himself . This summer, the battleship again appeared off the coast of Spain, but returned to Germany at the end of August. Until 1938, the ship cruised between Sweden and Spain, making short but necessary flights for Germany. In the summer of 1938, the battleship made a short voyage to the coast of Norway, subsequently taking part in a military parade led by Hitler himself.

In the autumn of 1938, a veteran of the First World War, Captain Hans Langsdorf, took command of the battleship - a brave and fairly straightforward man who asked for it to be the commander of the ship, being in disagreement with the Nazi policy pursued by Hitler's henchmen. The captain had an excellent reputation, he was known, even among his enemies, as an excellent manager, and therefore the battleship crew met him with great hopes, which were not slow to justify themselves, after a month of work at the post. The captain managed, like no other, to raise the morale of the crew and fine-tune their combat skills so well that during the exercises a team of more than 1000 people acted as a single unit.

In early August 1939, the captain received a secret order to proceed to the North Seas, and from there to the Atlantic, exploring the English and American sea routes, but in no case reveal himself. The task was received just a month before the outbreak of the Second World War, about the imminent start of which the battleship crew did not even suspect. The journey was more pleasant than dangerous, songs popular in the late 30s sounded on deck, the crew had fun and rested.

Hans Langsdorff took the course to the North Atlantic, upon reaching which already three days later, the ship turned sharply south and headed in search of British merchant ships, the task of sinking which was the primary secret mission of the battleship. The activities of "Admiral Graf Spee" had to be a secret, not only because the Germans tried to hide his existence, but also because officially the war between Great Britain and Germany has not yet begun, although no one in the Third Reich hid the preparations for it.

On September 1, Hitler made an appeal to the German nation, in which he reported on Poland's perfidious violation of the border of Austria annexed by the Germans, as a result of which the Germans had to engage in a skirmish and start a war. The captain of the Admiral Graf Spee received the news of the beginning of World War II along with an order to search for and destroy the British merchant fleet, which, unexpectedly for Hitler, declared war on Germany and defended Poland.


September 1, 1939 Hitler delivers an impromptu speech to the Reichstag

The battleship operated mainly off the coast of South America, attacking and destroying merchant ships, and capturing their crews according to martial law. By the end of the first month of hostilities, the team managed to detect and sink merchant ships with a total displacement of over 50,000 tons. Great Britain did not yet know such losses, horrified by the calculations made, the government allocated as many as 8 military squadrons to capture the elusive battleship, whose ships, due to the careful camouflage used on the German ship, could not detect it for a long time.

The captain of the battleship disguised it as an ordinary cruiser during the day, and at night he walked in complete darkness, finding his victims with the help of a small seaplane.

It was only by a miracle that the battleship was found, on the night of December 6, Captain Langsdorf ordered the team to conduct freelance exercises on the use of signal lights, the knowledge of which was not fully mastered by the crew. On a dark night, the ship was well lit and visible from afar, so that a small Norwegian ship passing by immediately saw and recognized it, notifying the nearest English warship of the find.

Early in the morning, the British warships discovered the target, the Admiral Graf Spee had nowhere to run, besides, the captain made another unforgivable mistake - he let the British get too close, although he might not have done it, his guns were capable of hitting a target located at a distance 22 kilometers, while the British artillery could not boast of such a range. Having retired to the maximum distance required for a shot, the battleship could easily destroy most of the English squadron and leave the battlefield without receiving a single damage, but for some reason this was exactly what he did not do.

The battle did not last long, the armor-piercing shells of the German ship very soon managed to take the English flagship out of Troy, but he himself received significant damage, so he was forced to seek shelter in the nearest deep-water port. The Uruguayan port of Montevideo turned out to be such a port, where the captain of the German ship hoped to sit out and get the necessary funds for repairs. The British did not enter the port, not wanting to violate the territorial waters of a neutral state. In Uruguay, Captain Langsdorf hoped to find support, but was faced with a demand to leave the port within the next 4 days, during which he would not have had time to do any repairs. Uruguay adhered to a neutral position, but still did not want to quarrel with Great Britain, on which it depended economically.

On December 17, 1939, the captain of the battleship made the only right decision in the current situation - he ordered to bury the dead and go to sea, having previously taken care of loading a large amount of TNT into the holds of the battleship. As soon as the ship reached the exit from the bay, behind which the British were waiting for it, there was a deafening explosion. The captain blew up his ship, he himself crossed ashore with the crew and got lost among the German settlers of Uruguay.

Subsequently, he was accused of cowardice and treason, unable to bear what, committed suicide.
To date, the remains of the "Admiral Graf Spee" are recognized as national property. Uruguay, they are carefully guarded and shown to those who wish as a museum exhibit.

"Admiral Count Spee" in Montevideo. Last stop

On the evening of December 17, 1939, a crowd of thousands of spectators from the shores of La Plata Bay watched a breathtaking spectacle. The war, which was already raging with might and main in Europe, finally reached carefree South America and no longer in the form of newspaper reports. Angular, with sharp chopped forms, like a medieval Teutonic knight, the German raider "Admiral Count Spee" moved along the fairway. Those who were versed in the naval shook their heads thoughtfully - the circumstances were too reminiscent of the events of 120 years ago, when the inhabitants of Cherbourg escorted the Confederate cruiser Alabama to battle with the Kearsarge. The crowd longed for battle and inevitable bloodshed: everyone knew that an English squadron was guarding the entrance to the Spee Bay. The “pocket battleship” (the English term, the Germans called such ships sawn-off battleships) slowly went beyond the territorial waters, the anchors rumbled in the hawse. And then explosions thundered - a cloud of smoke and flame rose above the ship. The crowd sighed in bewilderment and disappointment. The much anticipated battle did not take place. Betting and deals collapsed, newspapermen were left without fees, and Montevideo doctors were out of work. The career of the German "pocket battleship" "Admiral Count Spee" was over.

Sharp dagger in a narrow scabbard

In an effort to humiliate and trample Germany into the mud after the First World War, the Allies in the Entente entangled defeated country many restrictions, primarily in military terms. It was quite difficult to determine in a long list with no less impressive additions, clarifications and explanations: what can be worn by the defeated and what should it look like? With the death of the most combat-ready core of the High Seas Fleet by self-sinking in Scapa Flow, the British lords finally breathed easier, and the fog over London was not so gloomy. As part of a small "club for the elderly", which with a big stretch can be called a fleet, the Weimar Republic was allowed to have only 6 battleships, not counting a limited number of ships of other classes, which were actually battleships of the pre-dreadnought era. The pragmatism of Western politicians was obvious: these forces were quite enough to confront the Navy Soviet Russia, whose condition by the beginning of the 1920s was even more dismal, and at the same time completely insufficient for any attempts to sort things out with the winners. But the more voluminous the text of the treaty, the more points it contains, the easier it is to find the appropriate loopholes and room for maneuver in it. Under the Treaty of Versailles, Germany had the right to build new battleships with a tonnage limit of 10 thousand tons instead of the old ones after 20 years of service. It just so happened that the time the battleships of the Braunschweig and Deutschland types, which entered service in 1902-1906, were in service, approached the cherished twenty-year milestone by the mid-1920s. And already a few years after the end of the First World War, the Germans began designing the ships of their new fleet. Fate, in the person of the Americans, presented the vanquished with an unexpected but pleasant gift: in 1922, the Washington Naval Agreement was signed, imposing restrictions on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of ships of the main classes. Germany has a chance to create from scratch new ship, being within the framework of less stringent agreements than those of the Entente countries that defeated it.

At first, the requirements for new ships were quite moderate. This is a confrontation in the Baltic either with the fleets of the Scandinavian countries, which themselves had plenty of junk, or a reflection of the “punitive” expedition of the French fleet, where the Germans considered the main opponents to be intermediate-class battleships of the Danton type - it is unlikely that the French would send their deep seated dreadnoughts. The future German battleship at first confidently looked like a typical coastal defense ship with powerful artillery and a low side. Another group of specialists advocated the creation of a powerful 10,000-ton cruiser capable of fighting any of the "Washingtonians", that is, with cruisers built with the restrictions imposed by the Washington Naval Agreement. But then again, the cruiser was of little use in the Baltic, besides, the admirals scratched their heads, complaining about insufficient armor. A design impasse was formed: a well-armed, protected and at the same time fast ship was required. A breakthrough in the situation came when the fleet was led by Admiral Zenker, former commander of the battlecruiser Von der Tann. It was under his leadership that the German designers managed to cross the “hedgehog with a snake”, resulting in the I / M 26 project. Ease of fire control and space savings led to the optimal 280-mm main caliber. In 1926, the French, tired of victory, left the demilitarized and occupied Rhineland, and the Krupp concern could guarantee the timely production of new barrels. Initially, it was planned to equip the ship with an intermediate caliber - universal 127-mm guns, which was an innovative and progressive solution for those years. However, everything that looks great on paper is not always embodied in metal (sometimes, fortunately) or is realized in a completely different way. Conservative admirals, who are always preparing for the naval battles of a bygone war, demanded a return to the 150-mm medium caliber, which would be supplemented by 88-mm anti-aircraft guns. The further service of the "pocket battleships" showed the fallacy of this idea. The center of the battleship turned out to be overloaded with weapons, and, moreover, for the sake of economy, it was protected only by anti-fragmentation shields. But this seemed not enough to the admirals, and they also pushed through the installation of torpedo tubes, which had to be placed on the upper deck behind the main tower. Protection had to pay for this - the main armor belt "lost weight" from 100 to 80 mm. The displacement increased to 13 thousand tons.

The first ship of the series, serial number 219, was laid down in Kiel at the Deutsche Veerke shipyard on February 9, 1929. The construction of the head battleship (just so as not to embarrass the "enlightened navigators" and their friends, new ships were classified) did not go very quickly, and under the pretentious name "Deutschland" it was handed over to the fleet on April 1, 1933. On June 25, 1931, the second unit, the Admiral Scheer, was laid down at the state shipyard in Wilhelmshaven. Its construction was already proceeding at a fairly rapid pace. In the meantime, the appearance in Germany of some suspicious "battleships", having contractual dimensions on paper, but in reality looking very impressive, could not but disturb the neighbors. First of all, the French, who hastily began to design "hunters" for the German "Deutschlands". The fears of the French were embodied in the ship steel of the Dunkirk and Strasbourg battlecruisers, which surpassed their opponents in all respects, although they were much more expensive. The German designers needed something to respond to the appearance of the "Dunkirks", which caused some pause in the construction of the series. It was too late to make fundamental changes to the project, so they limited themselves to revising the third ship's armor system, bringing it to 100 mm, and instead of 88 mm anti-aircraft guns, more powerful 105 mm anti-aircraft guns were installed.


"Admiral Graf Spee" descends from the slipway

On September 1, 1932, the “battleship C” with construction number 124 was laid on the slipway vacated after the descent of the Scheer. . January 6, 1936 "Admiral Graf Spee" joined the Kriegsmarine. In memory of the admiral, who died in 1914 off the Falkland Islands, the new ironclad bore the coat of arms of the house of von Spee on her nose, and the gothic inscription "CORONEL" was made on the tower-like superstructure in honor of the victory won by the admiral over the English squadron off the coast of Chile. From the first two battleships of the Spee series, it was distinguished by enhanced armor and a developed superstructure. A few words should also be said about the power plant of Deutschland-class ships. Naturally, these so-called "battleships" were not intended for any protection of the Baltic waters - their main task was to disrupt enemy communications and combat merchant shipping. Hence the increased requirements for autonomy and cruising range. As the main power plant, it was supposed to install diesel engines, in the production of which Germany traditionally retained leadership. Back in 1926, the well-known company "MAN" began to develop a lightweight marine diesel engine. For the experiment, a similar product was used as an economic installation on the Leipzig light cruiser. The new engine turned out to be capricious and often failed: since the design turned out to be lightweight, it created increased vibration, which led to breakdowns. The situation was so serious that Spee began to work out options for installing steam boilers. But the MAN engineers promised to bring their brainchild to mind, besides, the requirements for the project did not provide for a difference in the types of installed engines, and the third ship of the series received 8 main nine-cylinder diesel engines provided for it with a total capacity of 56 thousand hp. By the beginning of World War II, the engines on all three ships were brought to a high degree of reliability, which was proved in practice by the first raiding of the Admiral Scheer, which covered 46,000 miles in 161 days without serious breakdowns.

Pre-war service


The Spee passes through the Kiel Canal

After various tests and equipment checks, the “pocket battleship” took part in the naval parade held on May 29, 1936, which was attended by Hitler and other top officials of the Reich. The resurgent German fleet was faced with the problem of training seafarers, and already on June 6, Graf Spee, taking on board midshipmen, sets sail for the Atlantic to the island of Santa Cruz. During the 20-day trip, the operation of mechanisms, primarily diesel engines, is checked. Their increased noise was noted, especially on the main course. Upon returning to Germany - again teachings, training, training voyages in the Baltic. With the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Germany took a lively part in these events. As a member of the "Non-Intervention Committee", whose function was to prevent the delivery of military supplies to both opposing sides, the Germans sent almost all of their large ships to Spanish waters. First, the Deutschland and Scheer visited Spanish waters, then it was the turn of the Graf Spee, which set sail for the Bay of Biscay on March 2, 1937. The “pocket battleship” kept its watch for two months, visiting Spanish ports between times and encouraging the Francoists with their presence. In general, the activities of the "Committee" over time began to take on an increasingly mocking and one-sided character, turning into a farce.


"Pocket battleship" at the naval parade in Spithead

In May, the Spee returned to Kiel, after which it was sent as the most modern German ship at that time to represent Germany in the naval parade on the Spithead raid, given in honor of the British King George VI. Then again a trip to Spain, this time short-term. The “pocket battleship” spent the remaining time before the big war in frequent exercises and training voyages. The commander of the fleet repeatedly raised the flag on it - the Spee had a significant reputation as an exemplary parade ship. In 1939, a large overseas campaign of the German fleet was planned to demonstrate the flag and technical achievements of the Third Reich, in which all three "pocket battleships", light cruisers and destroyers were to take part. However, other events took place in Europe, and the Kriegsmarine was no longer up to demonstration campaigns. The Second World War began.

The beginning of the war. Pirate weekdays

The German command in the increasingly deteriorating situation in the summer of 1939 and the inevitable clash with Poland and its allies England and France planned to start a traditional raider war. But the fleet, whose admirals rushed about with the concept of chaos on communications, was not ready to create it - only Deutschland and Admiral Graf Spee, which were constantly in close operation, were ready for a long trip to the ocean. It also turned out that hordes of raiders converted from commercial ships are only on paper. To save time, it was decided to send two "pocket battleships" and supply ships to the Atlantic to provide them with everything they needed. On August 5, 1939, the Altmark left Germany and went to the United States, where it was supposed to take on board diesel fuel for the Spee. The “pocket battleship” itself left Wilhelmshaven on August 21 under the command of Captain zur see G. Langsdorf. On the 24th, Deutschland followed its sistership, working in conjunction with the Westerfald tanker. The areas of responsibility were divided as follows: "Deutschland" was supposed to operate in the North Atlantic, in the area south of Greenland - "Graf Spee" had hunting grounds in the southern part of the ocean.

Europe was still living a peaceful life, but Langsdorff had already been ordered to observe the maximum secrecy of the movement, so as not to alarm the British ahead of time. The Spee managed to sneak unnoticed, first to the coast of Norway, and then to enter the Atlantic south of Iceland. This route, subsequently carefully guarded by British patrols, will not be repeated by any German raider. Bad weather helped the German ship to continue to go unnoticed. On September 1, 1939, the “pocket battleship” was found 1,000 miles north of the Cape Verde Islands. A meeting with Altmark was appointed and held there. Langsdorf was unpleasantly surprised that the supply team found and identified the German raider by a high tower-like superstructure, which has no analogues on other ships. Moreover, the Altmark itself was seen from the Spee later. Having received fuel and having completed the artillery supply team, Langsdorf continued sailing south, maintaining complete radio silence. Spee kept complete secrecy, dodging any smoke - Hitler still hoped to resolve the issue with Poland in the style of "Munich 2.0" and therefore did not want to anger the British ahead of time. While the "pocket battleship" was waiting for instructions from Berlin, his team, taking into account the opinion of colleagues from the "Altmark", took up the camouflage of the ship. From plywood and canvas, a second one was installed behind the front turret of the main caliber, which gave the Spee a distant resemblance to the battlecruiser Scharnhorst. Such a ruse could be expected to work with the captains of civilian ships. Finally, on September 25, Langsdorf received freedom of action - an order came from headquarters. The hunter could now shoot the game, and not just watch it from the bushes. The supplier was released, and the raider began patrolling the northeast coast of Brazil near the port of Recife. On September 28, for the first time, they were lucky - after a short pursuit, the British 5,000th steamship Clement, which was performing a coastal voyage from Pernambuco to Bahia, was stopped. When trying to send their first prey to the bottom, the Germans had to sweat a lot: despite the subversive cartridges and open kingstones, the ship did not sink. Two torpedoes fired at him passed by. Then 150-mm guns went into action and, spending precious shells, the obstinate Englishman was finally sent to the bottom. The war was just beginning, and both sides had not yet accumulated merciless bitterness. Langsdorf contacted the coast radio station and indicated the coordinates of the boats in which the crew members of the Clement were located. However, this not only revealed the location of the raider, but also helped the enemy to identify him. The fact that a powerful German warship was operating in the Atlantic, and not some kind of armed "merchant", alarmed the British command, and it promptly responded to the threat. To search for and destroy the German “pocket battleship”, 8 tactical battle groups were created, which included 3 battlecruisers (the British Rinaun and the French Dunkirk and Strasbourg), 3 aircraft carriers, 9 heavy and 5 light cruisers, not counting the ships involved in the escort of the Atlantic convoys. However, in the waters where Langsdorff was going to work, that is, in the South Atlantic, he was opposed by all three groups. Two of them did not pose an excessive threat and consisted of a total of 4 heavy cruisers. An encounter with Group K, which included the aircraft carrier Ark Royal and the battlecruiser Rinaun, could have been fatal.

His second trophy, the British steamer Newton Beach, Spee captured on the Cape Town-Freetown line on October 5. Together with a cargo of maize, the Germans got an undamaged English ship's radio station with the appropriate documentation. On October 7, the Ashley steamer, carrying raw sugar, became a victim of the raider. Allied ships were actively searching for a robber who dared to climb into the Atlantic, into this "old English court". On October 9, an aircraft from the aircraft carrier Ark Royal discovered a large tanker lying adrift west of the Cape Verde Islands, which was called the American transport Delmar. Since no one was escorting the aircraft carrier except Rinaun, Admiral Wells decided not to conduct an inspection and follow the same course. So the Altmark supply ship escaped the fate of being destroyed at the very beginning of its voyage. From sin away transport moved to the southern latitudes. On October 10, the "pocket battleship" stopped the large Huntsman transport carrying various food cargoes. Having sunk it, on October 14, the Spee met with the almost exposed Altmark, to which they transferred prisoners and food from the captured English ships. Having replenished fuel supplies, Langsdorf continued the operation - on October 22, the raider stopped and sank the 8,000th ore carrier, which, however, managed to betray the distress signal, which was received on the shore. Fearing being discovered, Langsdorf decided to change his area of ​​activity and try his luck in the Indian Ocean. For the first time since the beginning of the campaign, contacting the headquarters in Berlin and saying that he plans to continue the campaign until January 1940, on November 4, Spee goes around the Cape of Good Hope. He moved towards Madagascar, where major ocean shipping routes intersected. On November 9, when landing in rough seas, the ship's reconnaissance aircraft Ar-196 was damaged, which left the "pocket battleship" without eyes for a long time. The calculation for rich booty, which the Germans were counting on, did not materialize - only on November 14 was the small ship Africa Shell stopped and flooded.

November 20 "Admiral Graf Spee" returned to the Atlantic. November 28 - a new rendezvous with the Altmark, pleasant for the crew exhausted by a fruitless campaign, from which they took fuel and updated the supply of provisions. Langsdorff decided to return to the successful waters for his ship between Freetown and Rio de Janeiro. The replenished ship could now continue cruising until the end of February 1940. Its engines were overhauled, and the aircraft mechanics were finally able to bring the reconnaissance aircraft back to life. With the flying Arado, things went more fun - on December 2, the Dorik Star turboship was sunk with a cargo of wool and frozen meat, and on December 3, the 8,000th Tairoa, which also transported lamb in refrigerators. Langsdorf again decides to change the cruising area, choosing for this the mouth of the La Plata River. Buenos Aires is one of the largest ports in South America, and several English ships called here almost daily. On December 6, "Admiral Graf Spee" meets with his supplier "Altmark" for the last time. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the “pocket battleship” conducts artillery exercises, choosing its own tanker as a target. Their result was extremely disturbing to the senior gunner of the ship, the frigatenkapiten Asher - the personnel of the fire control system showed a very mediocre level of proficiency in equipment for two months of inactivity. On December 7, taking away more than 400 prisoners, "Altmark" forever parted with his ward. By the evening of the same December 7, the Germans managed to capture their last trophy - the Streonshal steamer loaded with wheat. The newspapers found on board included a photograph of the British heavy cruiser Cumberland in camouflage. It was decided to make up for him. The Spee is repainted and a fake chimney is mounted on it. Langsdorff planned, after piracy at La Plata, to return to Germany. However, the story turned out differently.

Commodore Harewood's British cruiser force G, like persistent hunting dogs on the trail of a wolf, had long plowed the South Atlantic. In addition to the heavy cruiser Exeter, the commodore could count on two light cruisers - the Ajax (New Zealand Navy) and the Achilles of the same type. Patrol conditions for the Harewood group were probably the most difficult - the nearest British base, Port Stanley, was more than 1,000 miles from the area of ​​\u200b\u200bits activity. Having received a message about the death of the Dorik Star off the coast of Angola, Harewood logically calculated that the German raider would rush from the coast of Africa to South America to the most “bread” area for prey - at the mouth of La Plata. With his subordinates, he had long ago developed a battle plan in the event of an encounter with a "pocket battleship" - persistently close in order to make the most of the numerous 6-inch artillery of light cruisers. On the morning of December 12, all three cruisers were already off the coast of Uruguay (Exeter was hastily called from Port Stanley, where he was undergoing preventive maintenance).

Approximately in the same area, the Spee also moved. On December 11, his airborne plane was finally disabled during landing, which, perhaps, played an important role in the events that occurred later.

Wolf and hounds. Battle of La Plata

At 5.52, the watchers from the tower reported that they were seeing the tops of the masts, and Langsdorf immediately gave the order to go full speed. He and his officers thought that this was some kind of "merchant" hurrying to the port, and went to intercept. However, the approaching ship from the Spee was quickly identified as an Exeter-class heavy cruiser. At 6.16, the Exeter prosemaphored to the flagship Ajax that the unknown person looked like a "pocket battleship". Langsdorf decides to take the fight. The ammunition was almost full, and one "Washington tin" was a weak threat to the "pocket battleship". However, two more enemy ships, smaller ones, were soon discovered. These were the light cruisers Ajax and Achilles, mistaken by the Germans for destroyers. Langsdorf's decision to take the fight was strengthened - he took the cruiser and destroyers to guard the convoy, which should be nearby. The defeat of the convoy was supposed to successfully crown the Spee's modest performance.

At 6.18 a German raider opened fire, firing at the Exeter with its main caliber. At 0620, the British heavy cruiser returned fire. Initially, Langsdorf gives the order to concentrate fire on the largest English ship, providing "destroyers" of auxiliary artillery. It should be noted that in addition to standard fire control devices, the Germans also had at their disposal the FuMO-22 radar, capable of operating at a distance of up to 14 km. However, during the battle, the Spee gunners relied more on their excellent rangefinders. The general ratio of artillery of the main calibers: six 280-mm and eight 150-mm guns on a "pocket battleship" against six 203 and sixteen 152-mm guns on three British ships.

The Exeter gradually reduced the distance and hit the Spee with its fifth salvo - a 203-mm shell pierced the 105-mm starboard mount and exploded inside the raider's hull. The German response was weighty, the eighth volley of the "pocket battleship" smashed the "B" tower on the "Exeter", a flurry of fragments riddled the bridge, injuring the commander of the ship, Captain 1st Rank Bell. More hits followed, knocking out the steering and causing more damage. Settled on the nose and shrouded in smoke, the Briton slows down the rate of fire. Until that time, he managed to achieve three hits in the "Spee": the most sensitive - in his KDP (control and rangefinder post). At this time, both light cruisers crept up to the “pocket battleship” at 12 thousand meters, and their artillery began to damage the lightly armored superstructures of the raider. It was precisely because of their persistence that at 6.30 Langsdorff was forced to transfer the fire of the main caliber artillery to these two "impudent ones", as the Germans themselves later said. The Exeter fired torpedoes, but the Spee easily dodged them. The commander of the German ship ordered to increase the distance to 15 km, leveling the already very annoying fire of Ajax and Achilles. At 6.38 another German shell knocked out the "A" turret on the "Exeter", and now he is increasing the distance. His companions rush at the raider again, and the heavy cruiser gets a breather. It is in a deplorable state - even the ship's Ajax aircraft, which was trying to correct the fire, reported to Harewood that the cruiser was on fire and sinking. At 0729, the Exeter disengaged.

Now the battle turned into an unequal duel between two light cruisers and a "pocket battleship". The British constantly maneuvered, changed course, knocking down the German gunners. Although their 152-mm shells could not sink the Spee, their explosions destroyed the unprotected superstructures of the German ship. At 7.17, Langsdorff, who commanded the battle from the open bridge, was wounded - shrapnel cut his hand and shoulder, and so applied to the bridge that he temporarily lost consciousness. At 07:25, both aft turrets of the Ajax were put out of action by a well-aimed hit by a 280-mm projectile. However, the light cruisers did not stop firing, achieving a total of 17 hits on the Admiral Count Spee. Losses in his crew amounted to 39 people killed and 56 wounded. At 0734, a new German shell demolished the top of the Ajax's mast with all the antennas. Harewood decided to end the battle at this stage - all of his ships were heavily damaged. Regardless of his English opponent, Langsdorff came to the same conclusion - reports from combat posts were disappointing, water was observed to enter the hull through holes at the waterline. The course had to be reduced to 22 knots. The British put up a smoke screen and the opponents disperse. By 7:46 the battle is over. The British suffered much more - only Exeter lost 60 people killed. There were 11 dead in the crews of the light cruisers.

Tough decision


The end of the German raider. "Spee" is undermined by the crew and is on fire

The German commander was faced with a difficult task: wait until night and try to slip away, having at least two opponents on his tail, or go to a neutral port for repairs. A specialist in torpedo armament, Langsdorff is afraid of night torpedo attacks and decides to go to Montevideo. On the afternoon of December 13, "Admiral Count Spee" enters the raid of the capital of Uruguay. "Ajax" and "Achilles" guard their enemy in neutral waters. Inspection of the ship gives conflicting results: on the one hand, the shabby raider did not receive a single fatal injury for himself, on the other - total amount damage and destruction raised doubts about the possibility of crossing the Atlantic. There were several dozen British ships in Montevideo, and the actions of the Germans were being monitored continuously from the nearest ones. The British Consulate skillfully spreads rumors that two large ships are expected to arrive, by which the Ark Royal and Rinaun are clearly understood. In fact, the "enlightened navigators" were bluffing. On the evening of December 14, instead of the Exeter, which had gone for repairs, the heavy cruiser Cumberland joined Harewood. Langsdorff is in difficult negotiations with Berlin on the subject of further fate crew and ship: interned in Argentina, loyal to Germany, or sink the ship. For some reason, the option of a breakthrough is not being considered, although Spee had all the chances for this. In the end, the fate of the German ship was decided directly by Hitler in a difficult conversation with Grand Admiral Raeder. On the evening of December 16, Langsdorff received an order to sink the ship. On the morning of December 17, the Germans begin to destroy all valuable equipment on the “pocket battleship”. All documentation is burned. By evening, work on preparing for self-destruction was completed: the main part of the crew was transferred to the German ship Tacoma. At about 18:00, flags were raised on the masts of the "pocket battleship", it moved away from the pier and began to slowly move along the fairway in a northerly direction. This action was followed by a crowd of at least 200 thousand people. Moving away from the coast for 4 miles, the raider dropped anchor. At about 20 o'clock there were 6 explosions - the ship sank to the bottom, fires started on it. Explosions were heard on the coast for another three days. The crew, with the exception of the wounded, safely reached Buenos Aires. Here Langsdorff addressed the crew for the last time, thanking them for their service. On December 20, he shot himself in a hotel room. Campaign "pocket battleship" was completed.


ship wreck

It was a mocking fate that the ship "Admiral Graf Spee" in a quarter of a century would rest on the bottom of the ocean, only a thousand miles from the grave of the man after whom it was named.

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After the defeat of Germany in the First World War, the victorious powers decided to impose many different restrictions on its fleet. They carefully worked out the paragraphs of the agreements, according to which the displacement of new ships, designed to replace battleships that had served 20 years, could not exceed 10,000 tons (“long”, 1016 kg each). At the same time, the maximum caliber of artillery was not specified: it was believed that only a heavy cruiser or a coastal defense ship could be “crammed” into the allotted framework. At the same time, when concluding the Washington Treaty, the winners themselves decided to set for their cruisers not only a similar displacement limit, but also to limit the caliber of their artillery - no more than 203 mm.

"Admiral Count Spee"

When the Germans began designing ships to replace ironclads, they really went the usual way at first: they developed a coastal defense ship with 38 cm guns and a conventional heavy cruiser "Washington" type with 210 mm guns. However, after several studies, they came up with a completely unusual project.

Firstly, they decided to use diesel engines as the main machines. Secondly, the main armament was to consist of six 28 cm guns in two three-gun turrets. Thirdly, much attention was paid to the fire control system, which turned out to be very successful and perfect. Fourth, armor protection has become unusually powerful for a cruiser-class ship. With the use of diesel engines, a huge cruising range was directly linked, and the desire for all-round weight savings led to the use of a number of technological innovations in the construction. True, the new battleships turned out to be expensive, and therefore the Weimar Republic could not immediately allocate funds for the construction of three units. As a result, the lead Deutschland was laid down in February 1928, the second in the Admiral Scheer series - in June 1931, and the last Admiral Graf Spee - only October 1, 1932. he entered the system in January 1936. The construction of this most advanced diesel raider was actually carried out after the Nazis came to power, who were not so afraid of international scandals due to the violation of "vile and criminal treaties unjustly imposed on Germany."

The ship, built at the shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, had the following performance characteristics: standard displacement - 12,100 tons, total displacement - 16,582 tons. Waterline length - 181.7 m, maximum - 186 m, width - 21.65 m, draft the largest is 7.43 m. The total power of the eight main diesel engines is 56,800 hp, the speed is 26 (maximum - 28) knots, and the cruising range is 16,300 miles. The thickness of the armor belt - up to 100 mm, decks - up to 70 mm, towers - up to 140 mm, wheelhouse - 150 mm. The total weight of the armor was 3000 tons. Artillery armament consisted of 2? 3 28 cm (283 mm) main caliber guns, 8 1 15 cm secondary caliber guns, 3 2 105 mm anti-aircraft guns, and 4 2 37 mm 10 1 20 mm anti-aircraft guns. The artillery was supplemented by two four-tube 533 mm torpedo tubes in lightly armored mounts. There was also a catapult and equipment to accommodate two float scouts. The crew exceeded 1000 people. It is worth noting that even before the start of World War II, Admiral Graf Spee received a rather primitive, but already quite efficient radar.

It was completely clear what class these ships belonged to, the British came up with a special name for them “Pocket battleship” - “pocket battleship”. In Germany, they were officially listed as battleships (Panzerschiffe).

Shortly after the completion of the tests, the battleship went on a trial voyage to the Atlantic, and in December 1936 became part of the German squadron operating off the coast of Spain engulfed in civil war. Directly in the waters near the Iberian Peninsula, the “pocket battleship” visited several times, but each time it was there for a relatively short time and was not particularly noted, but often participated in various ceremonial events. For example, he represented Germany during the celebrations at the Spithead raid in May 1937.

When, in August 1939, tension in Europe began to grow rapidly and it became clear that things were heading for another war, the command decided to bring the raider to the open spaces of the Atlantic ahead of time. The ship, commanded by Captain zur see G. von Langsdorf, left Wilhelmshaven on the 21st and successfully sailed into the ocean. By September 1 - the day of the German attack on Poland - he was in the Central Atlantic, where he successfully met with the Altmark supply ship, which had also left Germany ahead of time.

On September 10, the “pocket battleship” crossed the equator and headed further south, but the order to begin active operations from Germany did not arrive until the 25th. On the last day of the month, the British steamship Clement was captured, and its sinking was accompanied by a number of "jokes": the ship did not want to sink, and two torpedoes fired passed by. I had to use artillery. Observing the laws of cruising war, Langsdorf provided the English sailors with the opportunity to escape, but unmasked his ship. The British and French immediately sent several strong formations to search for the pickpocket. Later, operating in the South Atlantic and entering the Indian Ocean, the Admiral Count Spee captured eight more prizes. At the same time, the Ar-196 airborne aircraft was actively used to search for more victims. The raider sent the last prey to the bottom on December 3, and after that he transferred the next captives to the Altmark, sending it to Germany. The destroyer of trade itself moved to the mouth of La Plata.

By this time, the British were able to correctly determine the location of the battleship, and the squadron of Commodore G. Harwood arrived in the same area as part of the heavy cruiser Exeter and the light cruisers Ajax and Achilles. Opponents found each other early in the morning on December 13, and the Germans at first mistook light cruisers for destroyers. The commander of the "pocket battleship" decided to concentrate fire only on the heavy ship, and from 06:18 to 07:40, the Exeter received several hits and withdrew from the battle. However, the light cruisers took advantage of the fact that the enemy's attention was focused on the heavy cruiser and resolutely approached. They scored many hits and, although their six-inch shells could not inflict too much damage on the ironclad, forced him to abandon his intention to finish off the Exeter. Although as a result of the battle all three "British" suffered (total losses - 72 killed), and the strongest of them failed, the "pocket battleship" also got it. 36 people died on it and there were injuries, but the main thing is that its commander lost self-confidence. Not trying to deal with the "insolent", he chose to go to a neutral port - the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo.

The term of stay there, according to international laws, expired on the evening of December 17, 1939. By this time, the heavy cruiser Cumberland approached the Ajax and Achilles to help, but the Germans overestimated the strength of the enemy and decided not to go to sea to certain death. At about 6 p.m., the Admiral Graf Spee left, and two hours later it was blown up by its own crew on the border of territorial waters. The ship burned for three days, and its wreck sank in shallow water. Captain zur see Langsdorf shot himself in Buenos Aires on December 20 ...

"Altmark" in Norwegian waters was intercepted by English destroyers, all the prisoners were released. Two other battleships - Lutzow (formerly Deutschland) and Admiral Scheer - were transferred to heavy cruisers in December 1939. Both of them died in the last month of the war. And the skeleton of the "Admiral Count Spee" was partially dismantled for metal, partially left at the place of death. Already in the 2000s. Underwater archaeologists have brought to the surface many different items, including individual tools.

Options Tonnage standard - 12100
total 16020 t Length 181.7 / 186 m Width 21.65 m Draft 7.3 m Booking belt - 100 mm, bow - 18 mm, stern - 45 mm, longitudinal bulkhead - 40 mm, deck - 18 + 45-30 mm, beams - 60 mm, towers - 140 - 85 mm, barbettes - 125 mm, wheelhouse - 150 - 50 mm, PTP - 45 mm Technical details Power point 8 nine-cylinder two-stroke diesel engines MAN,

two screws

Power 56 800 l. With. Speed 28 knots Autonomy of navigation 16,300 miles at 18 knots Crew 1070 people Armament Artillery 2x3 - 283mm/52, 8x1 - 150mm/55 Torpedo-mine armament 2x4 - 533 mm TA Anti-aircraft weapons 3x2 - 105mm/65, 4x2 - 37mm/83, 10x1 - 20mm/65 Aviation 1 catapult, 2 seaplanes

Heavy cruiser "Admiral Graf Spee"- one of the heavy cruisers of the "Deutschland" Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. In the pre-war German fleet, he was listed as an armadillo (German. panzerschiffe). In naval literature, the term "Pocket Battleship" is widely used. Pocket battleship) is an ironic classification of ships of this type, invented by the British press in the 1930s.

Design and construction

Laid down on February 9, 1928, launched on May 19, 1931, commissioned on April 1, 1933. Built at the shipyards of Wilhelmshaven in violation of the terms of the Versailles Treaty of 1919. Named in honor of Count Maximilian von Spee (1861-1914) who died on the Scharnhorst flagship during World War I in a battle with an English squadron off the Falkland Islands. Ironically, this ship was sunk off the coast Latin America, where the sailors of the Eastern Squadron of Count Spee found their last refuge during the First World War. For its time, the Graf Spee was a rather unusual ship that attracted the attention of naval circles around the world. It was believed that he was able to defeat any heavy cruiser and evade the pursuit of any battleship.

Pre-war service

Already during the tests, the ship made several training voyages. "Spee" was immediately prepared high role: On May 29, she became the flagship of the Kriegsmarine at a large naval parade with the participation of Hitler and other high officials of the Third Reich.

Since May 20, 1936, comprehensive tests have been carried out navigation equipment and electronics, and on June 6, the "pocket battleship" went on its first long voyage to the Atlantic, to the island of Santa Cruz. During the 20-day campaign, exercises and testing of equipment and devices, in particular, artillery, continued (formally, Spee was listed as an experimental artillery ship in this campaign). Upon returning on 26 June to Wilhelmshaven training sessions continued. In the fall, the ship took part in maneuvers.

On December 16, 1936, Rear Admiral von Fischel, appointed commander of the German fleet in Spanish waters, raised the flag on the Spee. The ship took an active part in the Spanish Civil War. Having made final preparations in Kiel on February 14, 1937, on March 2 he headed for the Bay of Biscay. A two-month voyage with visits to many Spanish ports ended in Kiel on May 6 of the same year.

On May 15, the Admiral Graf Spee, as the most modern German ship, represented Germany on the raid in Spithead, where a parade was held in honor of the British King George VI with the participation of warships from all countries. At the end of the Spithead week, Spee returned to their homeland.

After replenishing supplies and a short rest, Spee again left for Spain on June 23. But already on August 7, 1937, the battleship returned to Kiel. In the autumn of the same year, small campaigns took place in Sweden (from September 18 to 20) and Norway (November 1-2). At the beginning of 1938, a short exit to Spanish waters: having left Kiel on February 7, the ship returned on the 18th.

"Admiral Graf Spee" at sea. 1936

Until the summer of 1938, the Admiral Graf Spee was mainly in the port, making only short exits to coastal waters. In late June - early July 1938, the "pocket battleship" made another exit to the North, to the Norwegian fiords. On August 22, he participated in a large naval parade, which was hosted by the Fuhrer Hitler and the regent of Hungary, Admiral Horthy. During this event, the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen was launched. Autumn "Admiral Count Spee" spent on long trips, making two trips to the Atlantic (October 6-23 and November 10-24), visiting the Spanish port of Vigo, Portuguese ports and Tangier.

From January 1939, the ship underwent her first scheduled overhaul at Wilhelmshaven, which was completed by March. The Kriegsmarine command planned a large foreign campaign under the leadership of Admiral Bem, in which all 3 pocket battleships, the cruisers Leipzig and Cologne, as well as destroyers and submarines, were to take part. In order to "show the flag" "Admiral Graf Spee" stood for several days on the roadstead in Ceuta. He only had time to return to his homeland and replenish supplies, as the Second World War began.

Cruise in the Atlantic

Campaigns of Admiral Graf Spee

By August 1939, the Admiral Graf Spee ceased to be the most powerful ship in the fleet, but its role in possible hostilities remained very significant. The plan, developed by the leadership of the Kriegsmarine and approved personally by Hitler, provided for the expulsion of "pocket battleships" and supply ships at sea long before the start of the attack on Poland. Their huge range and the ability to replenish supplies made it possible to stay in the waiting areas for several months in order to, depending on the development of events, either start raiding actions or return home quietly and peacefully.

On August 5, 1939, almost a month before the start of the war, the Altmark supply ship, designed to work in tandem with the Spee, left for the United States, where it was supposed to take diesel fuel and dissolve in the ocean before meeting with the "pocket battleship", which, in turn, left Wilhelmshaven on the 21st under the command of Captain zur see Hans Langsdorf. On August 24, it was followed by "Deutschland", "working" together with the tanker "Westerwald". Both sisterships became the vanguard of the German fleet in the ocean, dividing the Atlantic among themselves: "Admiral Count Spee" headed for its southern part, and his partner went to a position south of Greenland.

"Spee" managed to go unnoticed, first to the coast of Norway, and then to the Atlantic south of Iceland. He became the only German raider who passed this way, which was subsequently carefully covered by the British (English patrol cruisers took up positions only on September 6). Bad weather helped the Germans pass unnoticed all the way to the waiting area. The ship was in no hurry, and by September 1, the day the world war began, she was 1000 miles north of the Cape Verde Islands. On this day, he met with Altmark. "Admiral Graf Spee" transferred to the "Altmark" a military team, light weapons and two 20-mm guns, handing over flammable cargoes at the same time and taking full stock fuel.

For almost the entire first month of the war, the “pocket battleship” moved at low speed towards the equator, dodging any smoke on the horizon and remaining undetected. For camouflage, a second one was installed on the ship above the bow tower, made of plywood and canvas, thus turning it into a semblance battleship Scharnhorst type. Despite the primitiveness of the scenery, this measure subsequently made it possible to deceive inexperienced merchant sailors several times.

On November 14, the small motor-tanker "Africa Shell" was stopped and sunk. November 20 "Admiral Count Spee" rounded the southern tip of Africa in the opposite direction and crossed into the Atlantic Ocean.

On December 2-3, 1939, two English ships were sunk. On December 6, the raider replenished fuel supplies from the Altmark supply vessel and conducted artillery-ranging exercises using its own supply vessel as a target. The senior gunner, frigate-captain Asher, remained dissatisfied with their result, since for more than three months of forced idleness, the personnel of the fire control system of the main caliber were noticeably dequalified.

In December, the English commodore Harwood, who commanded the G search group, decided to concentrate three ships of the group in the Rio de Janeiro-La Plata area - the heavy cruiser Exeter and the light cruisers Ajax and Achilles. On December 12, 1939, these ships joined 150 miles east of the mouth of the La Plata River.

On December 11, 1939, the Admiral Count Spee's airborne seaplane crashed again and was beyond repair.

Battle of La Plata

On the morning of December 13, 1939, at about 6 o'clock in the morning, the Admiral Graf Spee collided with a squadron of English cruisers; on the Spee, the tops of the masts were found at 5:52, at 6:16 from the cruiser Exeter, a report was received: “I believe that this is a“ pocket battleship. ”At first, the British light cruisers were mistaken for destroyers, that is, the commander of Admiral Spee » Captain zur see Hans Langsdorf believed that he was fighting a cruiser and two destroyers.

At 0618, the first salvo of the German raider fell between the English cruisers, and four minutes later the Exeter's guns began to speak. Mistaking the light cruisers for destroyers, the commander of the Admiral Count Spee, Captain 1st Rank G. Langsdorf, ordered the main caliber artillery fire to be concentrated only on the heavy cruiser. Over the next twenty minutes, the Exeter receives several hits, as a result of which the second bow tower was broken, the command bridge was destroyed, communications were disrupted and the rudder control mechanisms were disabled. Going to the aft conning tower, the commander of the English ship orders a torpedo salvo to be fired at the German battleship, and at that very moment the ship is shaken by two more heavy hits. Shrouded in smoke, settling on the bow and listing on board, the Exeter leaves the battle at 7.40.

Meanwhile, light cruisers, fired only by the battleship's auxiliary artillery, slipped through the danger zone and, according to Langsdorf, behaved with "incomprehensible impudence." When at 7.16 the raider turned south, intending to finish off the Exeter, the light cruisers Ajax and Achilles, rushing to the aid of their brother, fired so accurately and efficiently that two shells disabled the artillery fire control system on the Admiral Count Spee". And although these actions did not go unpunished - one 280-mm German shell disabled the stern towers on the Ajax, and the other demolished its mast - both Englishmen continued to follow the "pocket" battleship departing to the east like shadows. At midnight, when the Admiral Count Spee anchored in the Montevideo roadstead, Ajax and Achilles, separated, hurried to block both exits from the mouth of La Plata. The next night they were joined by the heavy cruiser Cumberland, which was all Harwood could do against the German raider.

Although the damage to the Admiral Graf Spee was not very great, she needed repairs, which could not be done in the three days provided by the Uruguayan government according to international law, moreover, ammunition was coming to an end. Realizing his predicament, the English agents in Montevideo spread rumors: "Admiral Count Spee" at the exit from La Plata was waiting for a strong English squadron, which included the battlecruiser Rinaun and the aircraft carrier Ark Royal. Believing in the imminent death of his ship, Langsdorf sent a request to Berlin, from where an almost personal order from the Fuhrer was received: do not accept battle, destroy the ship. Langsdorff ordered the ship to be scuttled. The team went ashore and were interned. The commander shot himself.

Combat career score

Before her death in the harbor of Montevideo, the "pocket battleship" seriously annoyed the British, having managed to sink eleven merchant ships.

Notes

Links

Literature

  • Michael Powell The last campaign of "Count Spee". Death in the South Atlantic. 1938-1939 = Death in the South Atlantic: The Last Voyage of the Graf Spee. - Moscow: Tsentrpoligraf, 2006. - 272 p. - (Behind the front line. military history). - 5000 copies. - ISBN 5-9524-2536-4
  • Nenakhov Yu. Yu. Encyclopedia of cruisers 1910-2005. - Minsk, Harvest, 2007.
  • Patyanin S. V. Dashyan A. V. and others. Cruisers of World War II. Hunters and defenders - M .: Collection, Yauza, EKSMO, 2007.
  • Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946.- Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.A. : Naval Institute Press, 1996.

For me, the most remarkable thing in history is mystical coincidences. It's nice when this or that event is decorated with a pretty halo of total fatality and existential inevitability. I will tell about one mystical coincidence today. (Or maybe tomorrow or in a month, I don’t know when you, dear site visitor, are reading this text).

In the second half of the 19th century, the heir to the noble family von Spee, a boy with a typical German name, Maximilian Johannes Maria Hubertus, entered the service of the imperial naval forces of Germany. Thanks to his noble birth and military talent, he made a brilliant career, and the First world war met in the position of vice admiral. In addition, Maximilian von Spee was also the commander of the East Asian cruising squadron, in peacetime controlling the colony, and in military time preventing enemy ships from sailing calmly in the seas-oceans. Shortly after the start of the war, von Spee, in the company of his squadron of five ships, was already cutting through the waters along the Brazilian coast in the hope of profiting from British anchors.

On November 1, 1914, von Spee's squadron at the Battle of Coronel defeated the British squadron of Rear Admiral Christopher Cradock. Two Englishmen went to the bottom armored cruisers, Cradock himself and 1,560 others. The victims of the German side can be counted on the toes of one ostrich foot - only two sailors. Defeat is still a soapy stain on the crystal surface of the naval greatness of Great Britain.

The answer of the offended British did not have to wait long. Already on December 8, 1914, the squadron of Count von Spee, sailing near the Falkland Islands, was overtaken by eight British ships under the command of Vice Admiral Doveton Sturdy. In the Battle of Falkland, the German fleet lost three ships and more than 2,000 people, including Vice Admiral Count Maximilian von Spee and his two sons. Subsequently, Churchill himself paid tribute to the courage of the deceased von Spee: "He was like a flower in a vase, it was pleasant to watch him, but he was doomed to death." In Germany, the count posthumously became a national hero. The most advanced German heavy cruiser or pocket battleship "Admiral Count Spee" was even named after him. Speaking of battleship...

"Admiral Graf Spee" was launched in June 1934, and the daughter of the late Vice Admiral, Countess Hubert von Spee, broke the bottle on her side. After several years of service, the battleship was sent to cruise in the southern part of the Atlantic.

It looked like "Admiral Count Spee":

During the autumn months of 1939, the Admiral Graf Spee managed to sink about ten British ships. Moreover, from one of them, the captain of the battleship Hans Langsdorf "borrowed" an English walkie-talkie that decorated his wheelhouse and helped to intercept British messages. On December 13, 1939, the naughty German battleship was finally discovered by the allied forces in the form of two British and one New Zealand cruisers.

During the battle off the Argentine coast, Admiral Count Spee received minor damage, was forced to hide in La Plata Bay and ask the government of Uruguay for permission for a three-day repair in one of the ports. Having received permission, Captain Langsdorf began to listen to the captured English radio. And he panicked. From the messages intercepted by him, it followed that at the entrance to La Plata Bay, not three cruisers, but a whole squadron arrived in time to wait for the battleship.

Langsdorf did not know that he had fallen victim to a bluff: no squadron was expected. Moreover, many historians still believe that the fast German battleship had every chance of breaking through and escaping British pursuit. After a three-day period, Captain Langsdorf made a fateful decision: to sink the battleship Admiral Graf Spee. The team was interned, and the captain shot himself.

As you can see, both Count von Spee himself and the battleship of the same name died in the waters of the same ocean, off the coast of the same Argentina, with a difference of 25 years and 9 days. Here is such an academic example of a mystical coincidence in history.

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