The Battle of the River Plate

I must say that the British filmmakers stayed true to the facts, deviating only when depicting the results of British gunfire. The most damage that both light cruisers could have caused the German raider were casualties, damage to the wooden parts of the ship, its lightly armored superstructures, and the paintwork. Commodore Harwood was fortunate in that Captain Hans Langsdorff was indeed an outstanding raider who, despite all expectations, stuck to the conventions. However, it turned out that he failed in most aspects of intense combat, as he not only made one mistake but a whole bunch of them. Before, during, and after the battle. As for the ships used, they felt quite off. Sure, Admiral Graf Spee ended up the way it did, and its sister ships met their fate in the Baltic, so the actual appearance of the German raider can only be seen in a photograph in the captain's cabin, which was replaced in the film by the somewhat oversized American heavy cruiser Salem of the Des Moines class. The creators did not even try to hide its code designation. The same fate befell Exeter, which was defeated in the Java Sea. Its sister ship (though visually different) sank off Crete, so it had to be replaced with a light cruiser. Ajax also met a similar fate (scrapped in 1949), and the only original participant in the battle during the filming was Achilles, although it was missing turret X (removed during the war in favor of increasing anti-aircraft armament). The reinforcement in the form of the heavy cruiser Cumberland was indeed original, but even this veteran no longer had the turrets of its 203mm guns, as it had already taken on its post-war form as an experimental artillery vessel. Well, I've digressed again into my interests; nevertheless, I must admit that the British did everything they could to honor their heroes, not hesitating to acknowledge the qualities of their opponent, earning my respect and a heartfelt five-star rating. / Lesson learned: A more modern version of the David and Goliath story, which, unlike the fairy tale, is true. (2023.07.14)