River Plate 1939 ─ The Sinking of the Graf Spee

The first major naval action of World War II, the Battle of the River Plate provided a much-needed victory for the British as they ended the hunting spree of the formidable German 'pocket battleship' Graf Spee across the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Fully illustrated throughout, this engaging study fills a gap in Osprey's coverage of World War II and will appeal to both military and naval historians alike.

Days before the outbreak of World War II a handful of German commerce raiders put out to sea to prey on Allied merchantmen. Amongst them was the Panzerschiffe ('armoured ship') Graf Spee, a formidable warship that boasted the firepower of a battleship but the size, speed and range of a cruiser. When World War II commenced, under the command of Captain Langsdorff the Graf Spee began a hunting spree across the South Atlantic and the Indian Ocean that eventual took her to the River Plate in search of her next victim -- an Allied convoy. Instead she found three Royal Navy cruisers under the command of Commodore Harwood, eager to put an end to the 'pocket battleship' that had been terrorizing Allied merchant ships.

Featuring full-colour artwork, archive photographs and meticulous research, this comprehensive volume explores the thrilling story behind the Battle of the River Plate, an engagement that unquestionably demonstrated the effectiveness of British seapower and diplomacy on an international stage.

Angus Konstam hails from the Orkney Islands, and is the author of over 50 books, 30 published by Osprey. He has written several books on piracy, includingThe History of Pirates, and Blackbeard: America's Most Notorious Pirate. A former naval officer and museum professional, he worked as the Curator of Weapons at the Tower of London and as the Chief Curator of the Mel Fisher Maritime Museum in Key West, Florida. He now works as a full-time author and historian, and lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.