Evening star., 1939-12-24
War at Sea

Rough and violent times lie ahead"
ubiquitous Winston Churchill warned
Britain last Monday night. Events of
the few days just preceding his address
and the days since demonstrate that, if
anything, his declaration was an under
statement. Certainly, he might well have
added the adjectives dramatic and spec
tacular in any description of naval ac-
tivity of the past 10 days.
Review of this activity and its attend
ant ramihcations is best presented
chronologically.
On Sunday morning, the Admiral
Graf Spec, newest and perhaps most
powerfully efficient of Nazi Germany's
three feared pocket battleships, lay in
Montevideo Harbor Scared by wounds
from the guns of three smaller British
ships and in dubious shape to renew
her battle of the past Wednesday. For
three days her crew had worked to
make her shipshape. had removed their
wounded, preparing apparently to make
dash for open seas.
Outside, beyond the horizon but
within fighting range, a grim circle of
French and British warships waited;
even the clear skies and moonlit nights
were on their side if Nazi raider at
tempted to emerge. And time was tick
ing on, bringing closer to Capt Hans
Langsdorff the choice of giving his ship
into Uruguayan internment, into des-
perate battle. or -?
It was midafternoon when he moved;
then almost reluctantly the Graf Spec
nosed her way just beyond
Sinking of harbor limits, halted again.
Grof Spee Over her sides spilled Off
GERS and crew; few mo-
ments of calm then roaring explosion
and fierce flames enveloped the vessel.
Within three minutes, Germany's proud
est naval fighter was resting on muddy
bottom of La Plata River.
To nearby NaZi freighter Tacoma went
part Of her crew, across river to Buenos
Aires went officers and remainder of
men. On Thursday, German govern
ment sharply protested their intern
ment.
But her spectacular end did not con-
clude the saga OF the Graf Spec.
Just before he had weighed anchor
In Montevideo Harbor, Capt. Langsdorff
had dispatched a message combining
thanks and bitter protest to Uruguay's
government; thanks for their kindness
and sympathy in permitting burial of
Graf Specs dead, treatment of her
wounded; protest at their insistence that
his ship clear the harbor or be interned
by Sunday night.
Perhaps it was for this reason that he
ordered his barge to cross the broad La
Plata to Buenos Aires instead of re-
turning to Montevideo when his ship
went down. On Tuesday
lonqsdorff night, Langsdorff talked
n Suiride long with his fellow off,
GERS, shook hands gravely
with each as they left his room, gave or
ders that he was not to be disturbed.
At $50 am. on Wednesday an aide en-
tered his room to find Langsdorf dead,
a bullet from his own gun fired through
his head; gone ito share the fate OF his
magnificent ship"
Conflicting stories accompanied this
entire episode-that Chancellor Hitler
personally had ordered destruction of
the Graf Spec to save her from falling
into British hands; that the choice had
been left with Langsdorff and had been
dictated finally by consideration for his
crew. But nothing sullied the reputation
of the Naz officer who boasted that in
four months of successful raiding of
allied shipping there had been not a
single life lost.
That Langsdorff's ship had charged
dearly for its defeat was revealed fully
on Monday when British admiralty an
nounced death of 70 seamen and officers
on three cruisers which drove Spec into
Montevideo Heaviest loss was on Exeter,
where toll was Sc men, five officers as
German shells raked craft badly.
On day after Graf Spec ran into trio
Of relentless British cruisers 80 000-tOn