{"product_id":"the-battle-of-the-river-british-admiralty-9781474542593","title":"THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE An account of events before, during and after the action up to the self-destruction of the Admiral Graf Spee","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn 13 December 1939, the South Atlantic witnessed the Royal Navy's first major clash of World War II at the Battle of the River Plate. The German heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee, commanded by Captain Hans Langsdorff, engaged a British squadron under Commodore Henry Harwood-HMS Exeter, Ajax, and HMNZS Achilles. Having begun commerce raiding in September, Graf Spee was intercepted off the Río de la Plata.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExeter was heavily damaged and forced to withdraw; Ajax and Achilles shadowed the crippled German ship until she entered neutral Montevideo. Believing overwhelming British forces lay in wait, Langsdorff scuttled Graf Spee on 17 December and subsequently took his own life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis engagement highlighted the deadly stakes of naval warfare, where hundreds of Royal Navy ships were lost or damaged to enemy action, from U-boats to aircraft and mines, across the globe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e British Admiralty\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 147454259X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781474542593\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Naval \u0026amp; Military Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/14\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 24\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.15lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.61h x 6.69w x 0.07d","brand":"British Admiralty","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48437783920895,"sku":"9781474542593","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_bd31ec90-533d-437f-a11d-efae9d80370e.jpg?v=1777164030","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-battle-of-the-river-british-admiralty-9781474542593","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}