A distinguished British maritime writer, Woodman offers a compelling reassessment of the British and German planning that led to the first and one of the most famous naval battles of World War II. The dramatic sea fight between the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee and the British cruisers Exeter, Ajax, and Achilles off the coast of South America in December 1939 is seen as one of the classics of naval warfare. Woodman argues that the long-accepted interpretation of events is ripe for closer scrutiny and reevaluation. Using eyewitness accounts, he graphically reconstructs the daylong battle and pursuit and draws penetrating portraits of the battle's opposing commanders. This important new work is certain to become the subject of close study and debate.
- ISBN10 1591140404
- ISBN13 9781591140405
- Publish Date 1 April 2008 (first published 20 March 2008)
- Publish Status Out of Stock
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Naval Institute Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 160
- Language English