Watch Read Play: Battle of the River Plate

 “My policy with three cruisers in company versus one pocket battleship — attack at once by day or night.”

— Commodore Henry Harwood

Last summer I proposed a learning rationale called “Watch Read Play” (or WRP) encouraging people to explore interests by first watching media, then reading, and finally playing a game about a topic, usually historical, that might engage them. I haven’t had much of a chance to try it myself, but over time I managed to achieve that trifecta for the Battle of the River Plate. That clash was the first major naval battle of World War II, when the German pocket battleship Graf Spee — after preying on Allied merchant shipping — encountered a British cruiser squadron hunting the commerce raider across the vast spaces of the south Atlantic. The severely damaged Graf Spee sought refuge in Montevideo, Uruguay, and, after some diplomatic controversies with the British cruisers lurking in international waters, the crew scuttled the ship. I explored the battle through a variety of media, including the 1956 film The Battle of the River Plate, two books, and the latest game on the subject, The Hunt. Each offers a different perspective to experience.

Most folks focus on Pacific naval action in World War II, where the American navy and Marines fight their way across the ocean against Japanese forces. With the European Axis powers remarkably weak in sea power, only two main confrontations between British and German naval forces stand out in the public consciousness: the Battle of the River Plate and the sinking of the Bismarck. Both have a rich trifecta of coverage in films, books, and games. While I knew about the Bismarck, I didn’t learn about the hunt for the Graf Spee in depth until I discovered it through wargaming: specifically reading about it in Fletcher Pratt’s Naval Wargame published by The History of Wargaming Project. Pratt’s wargame has the distinction of “predicting” the outcome of a clash between a pocket battleship and several enemy cruisers, played on an apartment floor using Pratt’s rules several months before what would become the historical confrontation. I’ve since fought that battle several times, at first using Pratt’s own complex rules, then with Bob Cordery’s far more accessible Gridded Naval Wargames (with some modifications).

During my wargaming journey I wanted more context about the battle, notably the Graf Spee’s commerce raiding activities and the British cruiser squadron’s hunt for the pocket battleship across the vast expanses of the south Atlantic Ocean. So I found some sources to watch and read, and ultimately a new way to play out the Battle of the River Plate.

Watch

In the decades after World War II a spate of films released covering key battles, personalities, and even fictitious incidents (including my favorite, Where Eagles Dare). Both major Atlantic naval battles have their own films, including, of course, the aptly named Battle of the River Plate (or it’s American release title, Pursuit of the Graf Spee). Go watch it on YouTube while it’s still there. It’s a pretty faithful cinematic retelling of historic events in three stages: the Graf Spee’s raiding and the British hunt for the ship; the actual battle with British cruisers; and the aftermath in Montevideo where the Graf Spee briefly sought a haven from the prowling British cruisers..

The film is packed with notable elements. The cast includes many famous British actors, many of whom served in WWII: Anthony Quayle (who plays British squadron commander Commodore Harwood), Bernard Lee, Patrick Macnee, and Christopher Lee (with a cameo by Doctor Who’s first Master, Roger Delgado). Although the U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Salem portrays the German pocket battleship (a distraction for those familiar with the Graf Spee’s appearance), two veteran warships from the actual battle appear as themselves: HMS Cumberland and HMNZS Achilles. Although many bridge and interior scenes were obviously shot in a studio, the film features plenty of footage of vessels filmed at sea.

Obviously streamlined for the cinematic format, The Battle of the River Plate provides a good launching point for exploration of this engagement. The movie cuts studio shots with action filmed at sea dramatically enough to create tension and relate the overall story. I did find keeping track of various officers and the ships they commanded a bit difficult (aside from Quayle’s Commodore Harwood). Younger viewers may not appreciate the practical film effects and studio sets considering modern reliance on computer generated graphics. It’s not a movie the average viewer watches repeatedly, but it’s an entertaining retelling of historical events.

Read

Dudley Pope’s 1956 book The Battle of the River Plate was one of numerous published accounts of events cobbled together from available sources in the post-war years. Like the film, it’s a fairly straightforward chronological account focusing on the battle itself with some contextual information on events leading to the engagement and the consequences afterward. The battle narrative focuses on each side’s perception and the impact of damage, especially among the British crews...including the vocal relay necessary to lead from the HMS Exeter’s aft control position (nicely demonstrated in the film). The short appendices include material from German documents captured after the war, including an assessment of the action by several German naval departments and a detailed inventory of battle damage the Graf Spee sustained.

While Pope’s book offers a narrative of the engagement, Osprey Publishing’s River Plate 1939 provides a well-illustrated, in-depth look at the military operation. In Osprey’s typical style it includes a great deal of background material: a chronology, overview of the strategic situation, each side’s plans, commanders, and vessels involved. A detailed narrative of the battle includes a rendering of the time-annotated chart (a version also appears in Pope’s book). As usual for any Osprey military title, period photographs, original full-color illustrations, and numerous maps illustrate the campaign before and after the battle. It remains an ideal companion for those seeking a more military perspective on the battle or who prefer well-illustrated accounts.

These two volumes only represent the books on this subject I’ve read; others, far more recent than Pope’s, provide different perspectives and scholarship on the battle and the Graf Spee.

Play

I’ve played out the Battle of the River Plate in miniature wargames as mentioned above. These experiences focused on the naval engagement itself. But The Hunt board game primarily stages its action during the British navy task forces’ search for the Graf Spee and the battleship’s efforts to sink merchant vessels. The climactic engagement relies more on card play than tactical maneuvering of ships...and that’s fine given how many ways one can game the actual battle on the tabletop.

The Hunt packs some quality components into a compact box: a sturdy game board with large, clearly-marked hexes and player aid tracks; large counters depicting ships and task forces; 36 cards; one die; and a host of useful wooden markers. Animation-style art graces the cards with depictions of ships and naval personnel bringing to visual life the card actions.

At its heart The Hunt is a two-player bluffing game with a hex board, counters, cards, and dice. It relies on several core concepts applicable to both sides, but the Germans and British each have some variations and the cards provide exceptions to many rules when played at the right time. Players start with one British task force in the space representing “Great Britain” and two convoy pieces at their ports of origin; two additional task force markers sit on a “strategy track.” The German player places the supply ship Altmark in a hex of their choice and writes down the hex where they wish the Graf Spee to start. Players draw five cards to begin.

The cards present players with some strategic choices. Each turn players initiate action using one card from their hand, either for the Action Point total shown or the event listed. Actions include moving ships one, two, or three hexes and initiating searches to engage enemy ships in the same hex. Here the Germans have it easy: although they spend two Action Points to search, they know where their target freighters or enemy task forces are on the map (though they obviously want to avoid British warships). Attacking a freighter obviously reveals the Graf Spee’s location...until it moves again (so searching and moving in the same turn remains a key strategy). Given the Graf Spee’s hidden movement, the British have a more difficult time finding the pocket battleship but spend only one Action Point on a search.

Each side gets some variation in these procedures. The Germans can launch the reconnaissance seaplane for a bonus to the search roll, but must spend an Action Point to make it ready again for future operations. The German player can also bank up to two unused Action Points for later use. The British can use cards with intelligence bonuses (spending one Action Point) to boost their search rolls or force the German player to place a “hint” marker on or adjacent to the Graf Spee’s current location hex. Cards played for their events rather than Action Points also provide bonuses or penalties as well as other modifications affecting play.

The British also have other actions each turn. The player starts by moving each convoy on the board one hex toward its destination (and replaces any sunk with new convoy markers). They may also spend two Action Points to advance a task force along the strategy track, bringing it closer to deployment in the Atlantic. When we played we realized the importance of getting at least one additional task force into the south Atlantic to help flush out the Graf Spee. They can also provide bonuses in the final battle.

Players never seem to have enough Action Points to accomplish what they want each turn, so they have some tough choices to make.

Card actions can provide (or limit) Action Points, affect searches, or even help the Graf Spee escape if discovered. Deciding to play a card for the Action Points or the event remains a key decision players face each turn. When played for the event, some cards are subsequently removed from play. For the Germans this makes a difference; the more cards set aside, the more difficult it is to make the roll to ready a used seaplane, which provides a key bonus in searches.

Should a British task force successfully search for the Graf Spee — requiring them to occupy the same space and make a successful search roll — it initiates the final battle. Players reveal cards over the course of five rounds, with the higher Action Point value winning and inflicting damage on the enemy; the one with the most damage loses. Or the Germans play the “Montevideo” card on the last battle round...without the British playing the “Scuttling in Montevideo” card. Of course the Germans can win if they sink five convoys...and the British win if they successfully deliver five convoys.

The game has some nice features beyond the multi-layered card strategies, including the use of the German seaplane and British intelligence to affect search rolls; the German ability to bank Action Points; the option for search bonuses or “hint” markers from British intelligence; and the limit on the German cards, usually drawn up to three unless in or adjacent to the supply ship Altmark’s hex, when it can draw up to five cards again (assuming it wants to give away a hint to its position).

I’ll admit some of the game’s more fidgety bits emerged when I played three games with my son. The card play provided enough exceptions to the rules it sometimes became difficult to keep objectives straight. That said, we enjoyed our three games, switching sides each time. I won twice, once as the British (my son strayed too close to the Great Britain hex) and once as the Germans (sinking five convoys), but in our final game his British task forces flushed me out and, in the battle, he annihilated the Graf Spee with some clever card play. Along the way we learned the nuances of using the German seaplane and banked Action Points, the benefits of moving another task force along the strategy track into the Atlantic, and how to position the Graf Spee ahead of a convoy to save Action Points for an initial move into their hex. We enjoyed the game and hope to bring it to the table again soon now that we both have a better sense how the fiddly bits work. If you like historical games and asymmetrical contests with hidden movement, The Hunt might fit the bill.

Finding These Resources

I encourage folks seeking to purchase these resources to support their local businesses, small, independent online stores, and in some cases, the publishers directly. I’ve included Bookshop.org links for both books mentioned above. Some public and academic libraries might offer access to these materials, notably DVDs of the film and copies of the books mentioned.

Finding games, however, often proves problematic. Obviously ask around at your friendly local game store (FLGS); if you don’t find it in stock on the shelves, ask if they can special order The Hunt for you. You might also find it on the secondary market, including used book and game stores, in the physical realm and online. If you’re looking for a brand new copy online, search for it and purchased from your preferred provider.

“For a captain with a sense of honor, it goes without saying that his personal fate cannot be separated from that of his ship.”

— Captain Hans Langsdorf