Evening star., 1939-12-20
Skipper Is Found
Dead of Wound
From Revolver
BY HAROLD X. MILKS,

Associated Press Foreign Correspondent.
BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 20-Capt.
Hans Langdorff today shot himself
to death "to share the fate of his
magnificent ship" the German
pocket battleship Admiral Graf
Spec, scuttled Sunday in the River
Plate while an allied f1otilla stood
offshore.
His body was found by an aide at
$50 m. in his room at the Buenos
Aires naval arsenal where he and
more than 1000 of his crew had been
interned since arriving here Mon
day.
Capt. Langsdorff killed himself
after a three-hour talk with the
officers of his staff. ending shortly
after midnight Before he left them
he made a complete circle of his
comrades, shook hands gravely with
each one and retired to his room,
asking that he not be disturbed,
since ne was Urea.
From the first moment he made
up his mind to share the fate of
his magnificent Ship said a state
ment by the German Embassy, and
an attache indicated that this de-
cision was made as long ago as
Sunday.
Joked With Companions.
At that time, it was believed. he
had Adolf Hitler's orders to destroy
his ship rather than take her again
into battle with the British cruisers
with which she had exchanged shots
In an all-day battle last Wednesday
off the Uruguayan coast.
Despite a presentiment of death
which other Germans as well as
naval officers felt when Capt. Langs-
dorf failed to 60 down with his ship
when he blew it up, he was almost
constantly laughing and joking with
his companions until he closed the
door of his room last night.
Neither his fellow officers nor
Argentine sailors and officers inside
the arsenal heard the death shot,
and there was no indication of the
suicide until the aide entered the
room this morning.
Capt. Langsdorn. who was As, the
son of K. G. Wilhelm Langsdorff, a
clergyman, will have a naval funeral
with full honors according to his
rank.
The Embassy announced that the
body would lie in state at the En-
bassy. The naval funeral is to be
attended by Argentine authorities
as well as Germans.
Embassy Statement.
The Embassy statement follows:
The commander of the glorious
pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spec
sacrificed his own life last night for
the fatherland, eliminating himself
voluntarily, as he himself has said
In a letter addressed to German
AMBASSADOR Won Thermann.
From the first moment he made
up his mind to share the fate of his
magnificent ship. Overcoming his
intimate desire in consideration of
the responsibility resting upon him
to ensure safe debarkation of crew
composed of more than 1000 young
men and, pending full knowledge of
the regulations which were to affect
these seamen, he postponed fulfill
ment of his design until he was
better able to carry out that duty
and also the duty of informing his
superiors of the event.
Having completed that mission
last night, the fate of the brave
sailor was sealed, the sailor who
wrote another glorious page in the
book of the German Navy"
Proud He Lost No Lives.
Capt Langsdorff, a slight man.
proud of the fact that there had
been no loss of life aboard nine
British merchant vessels he had
sunk in the raiding expedition
which preceded his ships final bat
tie, was detained in the naval ar
senal here after bringing his officers
and more than 1000 of his crew here
in tugs.
He left behind the burning hulk
Of his once proud 10.OO0-ton ship,
split asunder and on the bottom in
Is feet of water off Montevideo
Harbor.
Argentina ordered internment of
the German seamen-the crew in
the interior and the. officers in
Buencs Aires.
The German Ambassador and Ar
eentine authorities were imme-
diately notified of Capt. Langs-
dorffs death. The Ambassador
did not give the German crew word
of their commanders fate until he
had communicated it to the Ar
gentine minister of war.
At noon the crew, confined at
the naval arsenal, were summoned
and the announcement of Capt.
(See LANGSDORFF, Page A-3)