I reckon this is close to the perfect TH-cam history video - brilliant production values, good research, tight story. All it's missing is a World of Warships sponsorship! Great work.
Me too! But this is the worst researched video I've seen from him..which is very sad. Especially consider the wealth of material on this particular subject
The story of the Graf Spee extends beyond her scuttling, The Admiralty suspected the ship had a rader range finder because of the accuracy of her fire and wanted to get details of it, so British Intelligence created a front company in Montevideo which purchased the slavage rights and started inspecting the wreck and removing the suspect radar range finder, details of which were used to develop counter measures later on.
also,the graf spee had a hidroplane; for scouting tasks; but for reasons that don't remember now it was unavaible the days previous of this battle, that was one of the reasons why the graf spee fall in the trap
I love the style (bird’s eye view) that you use to narrate this extraordinary short documentary. This is how I view whenever I play strategical games or read battle maps that I get my hands to. The feeling of being emerged to the grand idea of how generals or tacticians view the possible or outcome of every military operation. I have been an avid fan of your soothing voice of narration and the visual animations and techniques you use for them. This really takes someone’s attention,
Can not agree more, where Kings and Generals and History March are inclined to address a larger public by embarking on a demagogic form of entertainment via close ups and video game reconstructions, Bazbattles consistently offers the most presteen overall interpretation of historical events. Let us not forget that "the closer you get the less you see"! There is a reason Boxing and UFC fans rush into the overcrowded arenas, there is a reason why soccer games did not loose any of their popularity since the introduction of high quality close up filming. Having a fixed overall view of a boxing match or a soccer game allows you to get a grasp of it all. The human brain is easily distracted, moving things on a screen demand a certain degree of attention, the more the close ups, the more the distraction, the more the entertainment, the greater the viewer base and the less one learns or understands anything because he was to overwhelmed, to distracted by the moving parts. So thank you Bazbattles for keeping your entertainment as sober as plausible, thank you for not yielding to mainstream demagogic post-Americana trends! Thanks.
@@Eric-bf7iy I second your statement upon this matter. Baz Battles never forgot to scope the whole scenario in every video they made, with no offense on channels such as Kings and Generals and many more which you have pin pointed upon your statement and still they got my respects. Baz Battles gave you the whole scope on the event giving you the chance to fully scrutinize your brain in processing the information with ease. As you have also stated and making it in comparison with real life tendencies and events, Baz Battles eliminated the obstacle of information traffic also the tendency to not grasp the information at all. It seems like Bas Battles is the narration of a history book or if you have ever heard of Dr. Mark Felton, Baz Battles is the animation of his words. It is truly fascinating on how detailed it is with near to pin point accuracy, let us nit forget that we cannot exactly pin point a specific area of a changing event in history unless evidence suggests the contrary. Since watching Baz and his animations years ago, the feeling of a spectator or a military tactician is already keen.
I love that it was not mentioned that the Exeter was being controlled from the rear of the she, and that a officer was on top of y turret giving gun directions to the crew
this feels like one of those rare few honorable battles in WWII. Both sides were fairly evenly matched, the Germans were actually trying to respect a countries neutrality (which is laughable at best), and the German captain not only scuttles his ship outside the harbor so as not block traffic but the man commits hara-kiri on his ships ensign but BUT only after he made sure every single one of his men were safe and ashore. sounds like a story from another time
Langsdorff committed suicide out of cowardice, not nobility. He had just majorly lost face for Germany and directly contradicted what Goebbels' propaganda machine had been saying about the outcome of the battle. The Nazis didn't care that he saved the crew in the process - they aren't exactly known for showing much concern for the lives of their soldiers. Had he returned to Germany, he would've been court-martialed and executed for abandoning his ship and embarrassing Hitler. His suicide is a stain on Graf Spee's otherwise very successful raid. A captain is supposed to go down with his ship, not alone on the bed in some South American hotel. One would think a career officer and firm naval traditionalist like Langsdorff would've understood that.
They did their best when trying to find a ship to play the Graf Spee, but the ship they used the Des Moines class heavy cruiser USS Salem. Looks nothing like the Spee, but they did their best.
Not quite. I think she was by then, the Indian Navy's '[New] Dehli'. Same vessel; totally different crew. If you look at her post HMNZS WWII & Guadalcanal Canal legacy, the ship loses its Aotearoa - NZ Mana: even though she's soon to be the flagship, (of a once again), resurgent India. Namashte
*Its September 4th on "**18:27**" little Dirck notices one of his favorite youtubers has finaly uploaded a video after a long hiatus Dirck without a second thought drops everything and clicks on it with great exitement* *The Video Was About To Begin*
What a blessing to have another Baz video, huge fan. Having born in Uruguay, gotta say that this battle is still talked about even today. In fact a few years ago, the decorative eagle from the Graff Spee was recovered and can be seen in a museum in Montevideo's port
Thank you @lolocrespi, that's good to know. As a child in England in the early 1950's I heard my parents talking about this battle with pride and it's significance. By the way my Father and all my uncles served.
He should've tried to break out and return to France. I imagine he shot himself because he would've been shot once he returned to Germany anyway. What good did it do scuttling the ship?!
@@HRHooChicken he was dead man walking and knew it. He choose not to do a suicide run, and get the crew killed. Also, losing the fight may have meant that his ship falls into enemy hands.
Breaking out - small chance of success. Scuttling - 0% chance of success. He would’ve been shot after a court martial for destroying his own seaworthy ship, especially after it was revealed there were no serious British reinforcements in the area. You could also imply that shooting himself suggests he regretting the decision. He might’ve lived if he tried sailing home.
Drachinifel: Uploads video about HMS Exeter BazBattles: Returns with a vid about the Battle of the River Plate *A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.*
My Grandad was on her, lost an eye but still helped putting out fires. He met King, Queen and Churchill in London page 3 Daily Mirror Feb 24 1940 One man stood alone. Albert Walford RN . I also have a ships bell from Graf Spee
Hi! Great work as always! I'm from Uruguay here! Here was a really famous and important event. For example, outside the city of Sarandí del Yí (about 100 miles from the port of Montevideo) there's a museum whith a lot of stuff about the Graf Spee. It's my understanding that a lot of the crew were located in that area.
My hometown, in Canada, was named after the HMS Ajax, during WWII. The town, on the shore of Lake Ontario, was created to make munitions for the war effort and needed a name for the Post office. They chose Ajax to honour her after the Battle of the River Plate. The people stayed after the war was won, and the town of Ajax lives on to this day. Many of the streets are named after crew members, including mine.
@Batchest Did you know the british attacked a fleet of french ships? They killed 1400 french sailors while they were in harbour in 1940. It's called the attack on Mers el Kebir. Admiral Sir James Somerville resigned after reciving the order citing how repugnent and cowardly it was. He was replaced with Andew Cunningham who did carry the order out. I'd rather follow orders from someone with a moral compass like Langsdorff or Somerville than someone like Cunningham that would follow orders like a mindless drone
He was a Captain. I just finished the book "I was Graf Spee's Prisoner" by Captain Patrick Dove, of the SS Africa Shell. He describes Captain Langsdorff as an honorable man.
@Batchest Well I don't believe in a collective guilt aproach when it comes to moral condemnation my friend. Particularly when involving brave men who served their nations honorably. I would also add that hundreds of thousands of none Germans served willingly in the German Wehrmacht. The majority were not ideologically motivated whatsoever and fought very hard for causes and reasons you are unaware of.
@@harrymiles2271 the french were offered surrender terms but the french admiral refused to this was a war of survival the french fleet would have taken over by hitler and could have changed the outcome of the war other french ships ecaped and joined the free french yes war is terrible brave sailors led by stupid leaders
The Battle of the River Plate What a goddamn blessing from BazBattles. “It’s the late evening hours of September 3. BazBattles has been working endlessly on a video, but due to a massive technical issue has lost everything a few hours prior. Knowing the viewers craved his content, he set out to ensure the community would get their video. Picking up his pen, he closed the error message and loaded some assets. He would overnight this video at all costs.” “The battle is about to begin.”
The last survivor of the graf spee died about 10 years ago, a lot of the crew stayed in Argentina in a town called Villa general Belgrano, and today is a great tourist spot to visit especially in oktoberfest.
yes,I went in 2013 and in a shop was a sailor suit with the eagle and the "admiral graf spee" name in it, the suit was black or dark blue, i don´t remember well, maybe that cloth wasn't original
SALTO. EL. ENVIDIOSO. !!!! LOS. MUERTOS. FUERON. SEPULTADO. EN. CEMENTERIO. DE. MONTEVIDEO. LOS. RESTANTES. HERIDOS. QUEDARON. MONTEVIDEO. QUEDAN. EN. EL. PAIS. Y. OTROS. PASAN. A. ARGENTINA. O. VUELVEN. A. ALEMANIA.
I've always loved how stubborn the crew of Exeter are here. 6 shots or so is all it takes to nearly mortally wound her and it's extremely clear she's no match even more so with one turret and there would be no dishonor in backing away at that time but the captain and crew had balls of steel and refused to leave the smaller ships to run and likely be sunk. The bravery of these crews is astonishing. Causing the Graf Spee to keep guns on her more than likely saved the smaller ships. The urge and willingness to sacrifice yourself for a brother is never to be underestimated. Stubborn ship
"It is useful now and again to shoot an admiral, to encourage the others" Admiral Byng was executed for "not doing his utmost" in the face of the enemy in the 18th Century, and while this is not the single act that created the aggressive traditions of the Royal Navy, the clear demands of naval officers remained even in 1939. This is not suggesting there would have been any punishment for withdrawing in WW2.
If I remember right, Harwood was willing to suffer extreme casualties, knowing that every dent in the Graf Spee could not be repaired and every shot it fired could not be replenished. So even if they were finished off by Langsdorff (and they knew there was every chance they would be) the Graf would be easy pickings for the next force of British warships it encountered.
@@CountScarlioni Just picture if the Graf Spee had run against the US Navy's Neutrality patrol...American light Cruisers where quite a bit bigger than Leanders and about the size of Exeter...
So glad Baz is back! Cannot wait for some Romance of the 3 Kingdoms battles to make it on this channel, but even without that I'm just so stupidly happy we're getting uploads again.
My finest WoWS moment was recreating this battle with an enemy Graf Spee with Exeter while both of us making reference to that battle. Whoever the Spee guy is, I salute you
According to the movie after being forced to retreat with almost crippling damage Exeter's Captain Bell signaled Commodore Harwood with the message "Request permission to submit revised list of spare part requirements." Gotta love the British knack for understatement.
Unlike other surface combatants that can retire to friendly ports when damaged, German surface raiders had few friendly ports. As such, even minor damage can result in a mission kill.
I was just talking to my dad last week saying how one of our history TH-camrs hadn't uploaded in awhile, we both missed him. Then he called me just the other day letting me know you uploaded again! I couldn't believe it! Welcome Back mah dude!
Glad to see that your back! Also I like the world of warships sound effects as well! The Graf Spee was very well designed and was definitely a deadly adversary! A cruiser killer is what she was and she almost destroyed the Exeter. She also had the chance to destroy Ajax and Achilles as well, but she didn’t exploit her advantage. Presumably due to the engines being damaged. As for Captain Langsdorff he was definitely a brilliant, courageous, and selfless commander being that he chose his crews lives over sending them to their deaths in a hopeless battle with the “so called” British task force including battlecruiser renown who were waiting for him outside the river plate. This however was false information though it were true he still made the right decision in the end.
The Achilles was actually HMNZS Achilles. While originally and most generously provided by the Royal Navy, She was flagged as a Royal New Zealand Navy ship and crewed by New Zealanders. When she raised the her battle ensign for the very first time it had the 4 stars of the Southern Cross as part of it and the Kreigsmarine officers didn't initially recognise it. Well done to BazBattles, a great historical doco that's well presented. I look forward to more!
Hi Baz, I hope you're doing okay, in your personnal life as well, and I hope that making these videos still brings you joy. For our part, we're very glad you're still here.
Great documentation and animation, and your narration is gripping as always. "It is a cool drizzling morning, somewhere in the South Atlantic..." Shivers!
where Kings and Generals and History March are inclined to address a larger public by embarking on a demagogic form of entertainment via close ups and video game reconstructions, Bazbattles consistently offers the most presteen overall interpretation of historical events. Let us not forget that "the closer you get the less you see"! There is a reason Boxing and UFC fans rush into the overcrowded arenas, there is a reason why soccer games did not loose any of their popularity since the introduction of high quality close up filming. Having a fixed overall view of a boxing match or a soccer game allows you to get a grasp of it all. The human brain is easily distracted, moving things on a screen demand a certain degree of attention, the more the close ups, the more the distraction, the more the entertainment, the greater the viewer base and the less one learns or understands anything because he was to overwhelmed, to distracted by the moving parts. So thank you Bazbattles for keeping your entertainment as sober as plausible, thank you for not yielding to mainstream demagogic post-Americana trends! Thanks.
You know you're a thorn in the enemy's side when they send two carriers and two capital ships just to sink a single heavy cruiser. No wonder the admiralty was so desperate to keep the even stronger Bismark from doing what the Graf Spee did.
Problem was that the Graf Spee was superior to the Allied heavy cruisers. So to engage in favourable conditions the Allies had to send in capital ships. And having the whole of the South Atlantic to cover it would be a stroke of luck to find the Graf Spee with only a single capital ship . Remember even after staying a day at Montevideo and 4 capital ships the Royal Navy could not get any of them in range. Also the Bismarck was to big, supply consuming and just plain costly to use as a raider intercepting single ships in the south Atlantic. Royal Navy would probably be happy to see the Bismarck move to the south Atlantic and the Royal navy would just target it's supply vessel and have the Bismarck run out of supply within a couple of months.
The Graf for all its capability was something of a glass cannon. It couldn't repair any serious damage and there was no way to replenish its ammo. The British knew that, hence why Harwood was willing to throw his inferior ships at it regardless. They didn't have to beat it, just mess it up enough to make it ineffectual.
Glad to see another naval history content from this channel, hoping to see more of it in the future especially the naval battles in the pacific theatre.
Wow this is crazy. I hadn’t watched a Bazbattle vid for a year and randomly decided to watch one today and realised he hadn’t posted in months… and now a new vid!! Welcome back!
She was a bad girl, but even her master knew she was done. Time is of the essence in war, and she had none. Her record still remains, and she was truly a formidable enemy.
Fascinating video and much appreciate the upload! The oldest brother of my Grandfather served in the German navy as an officer during WW2. He was on submarine U-107 which sank British ship Colonial off Guinea, French West Africa; the entire crew of 100 survived and rescued by HMS. Centurion.
What I can never figure out is why the Graf Spee went full speed ahead. With her bigger guns she could have clobbered the British ships and stayed out of range of their guns. Why give them a chance to fight back? Simply turn the ship to port and pick them off.
It's probably because of the amount of ammunition. The farther away, the harder to hit and the more shots you would have needed. It had been mentioned in the video, that they had nearly no ammunition left after leaving the harbour (and would probably not have a way to resuply somewhere nearby).
Not judging Langsdoff, he's a great warrior. But I would dismiss the men, asking volunteers for a skeleton crew to man only the bridge, forward turret, one torpedo rack and engine. With scuttling charges set on seachests, would steam all ahead flank, guns blazing against brits. Try to launch the fishes and ram the bigger ship there, than scuttle.
@@marcl.1346 Yes, the British should have only sent a taskforce of exactly comparable strength, so Marc L would think more highly of them 80 years later
Hey Baz, there are some videos of yours who were unlisted because they were made before you got a professional voice actor to help out with the videos, but i found them very informative. They've been set to private however and it's a shame because they were quality on the research and informative just like your new content, so i think a lot of us would like it if you put them back on unlisted or let them out for everyone again,.
The fans deserve some sort of comment regarding an 8 month absence. Be a decent person, please. Even if it's "Sorry I was gone guys. Thanks for the support." Your views are way down and I think the channel took a permanent hit. Glad you are back but not feeling a lot of loyalty here.
@@dovetonsturdee7033 to abandon ship and die in cold waters. Don’t try to defend a disgusting regime doing disgusting things. What he did was cowardly.
@@stevejh69 You don't actually know anything about the matter at all, do you? Graf Spee sank nine merchantmen. All nine were stopped, the crews taken aboard Graf Spee, and later transferred to a supply ship, Altmark. It is a matter of documented record that no Merchant Seamen was killed during Graf Spee's operations. It is not an opinion. Langsdorff was a decent man who had the misfortune to serve an evil regime. By the way. Upvoting your own post is not quite the done thing, old chap.
Hi Baz! Thank you so much for uploading your video on The Battle of the River Plate. Your World War II naval history videos are what I look forward to the most. I even made my own playlist of your naval history videos and put the battles in chronological order. So right now as of this post (9/30/21), my playlist starts with The Battle of the River Plate and ends with the Battle of North Cape. For a good history documentary, National Geographic made one on the Graf Spee called "Hitler's Lost Battleship". If you haven't seen it yet, watch it. I think you'll like it. For future, I hope you make more videos on the naval battles in the Pacific or in the Mediterranean. I'm glad that you're still here and I look forward to whenever you post your next World War II naval history video.
When the world needed him the most, HE UPLOADED !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice avatar reference
Even more,it's a naval ww2 battle
Can you please stop inserting that meme, I see it on ever damn vid on the platform. (I still liked your comment)
Was literally about to say this.
🙏🏻
I reckon this is close to the perfect TH-cam history video - brilliant production values, good research, tight story. All it's missing is a World of Warships sponsorship! Great work.
Great seeing you here
Surprised to see you here mate. :D
well it's also missing sources. but yeah very entertaining
@@ruckusfgc Well, we can't have the exact picture anyway can we ? if we can, then damn, we're advanced af but not advanced enough. heheeh
That's really appreciated and very kind to say so. Coming from you, high praise indeed!
I had to pinch myself twice just to make sure I read this right, glad to have you back Baz 👍
Seconded. Where ya been man! :)
Also agree!! So happy you are back Baz!!
I couldn't believe my eyes either. Then I went full Dooku.
"I have been looking forward to this"
same
Me too! But this is the worst researched video I've seen from him..which is very sad. Especially consider the wealth of material on this particular subject
The story of the Graf Spee extends beyond her scuttling, The Admiralty suspected the ship had a rader range finder because of the accuracy of her fire and wanted to get details of it, so British Intelligence created a front company in Montevideo which purchased the slavage rights and started inspecting the wreck and removing the suspect radar range finder, details of which were used to develop counter measures later on.
That's an awesome piece of trivia.
Interesting, thank you.
also,the graf spee had a hidroplane; for scouting tasks; but for reasons that don't remember now it was unavaible the days previous of this battle, that was one of the reasons why the graf spee fall in the trap
@@tirantloblanch1 It had a design flaw, when it "landed" on the water, it splayed the hot engine, making it crack and stop working.
The British are so tricky 😳
The legend is back. Good to see you, BazBattles!
Exactly what i was thinking where have they been? Missed them so much..
Baz actually died of covid. The channel is under new management, with the same narrator.
@@dfsdsfsdfsadfdsfa223 Do you have evidence? It’s hard to believe anything online these days.
woot!
I love the style (bird’s eye view) that you use to narrate this extraordinary short documentary. This is how I view whenever I play strategical games or read battle maps that I get my hands to. The feeling of being emerged to the grand idea of how generals or tacticians view the possible or outcome of every military operation. I have been an avid fan of your soothing voice of narration and the visual animations and techniques you use for them. This really takes someone’s attention,
Can not agree more, where Kings and Generals and History March are inclined to address a larger public by embarking on a demagogic form of entertainment via close ups and video game reconstructions, Bazbattles consistently offers the most presteen overall interpretation of historical events. Let us not forget that "the closer you get the less you see"! There is a reason Boxing and UFC fans rush into the overcrowded arenas, there is a reason why soccer games did not loose any of their popularity since the introduction of high quality close up filming. Having a fixed overall view of a boxing match or a soccer game allows you to get a grasp of it all. The human brain is easily distracted, moving things on a screen demand a certain degree of attention, the more the close ups, the more the distraction, the more the entertainment, the greater the viewer base and the less one learns or understands anything because he was to overwhelmed, to distracted by the moving parts. So thank you Bazbattles for keeping your entertainment as sober as plausible, thank you for not yielding to mainstream demagogic post-Americana trends! Thanks.
@@Eric-bf7iy I second your statement upon this matter. Baz Battles never forgot to scope the whole scenario in every video they made, with no offense on channels such as Kings and Generals and many more which you have pin pointed upon your statement and still they got my respects. Baz Battles gave you the whole scope on the event giving you the chance to fully scrutinize your brain in processing the information with ease. As you have also stated and making it in comparison with real life tendencies and events, Baz Battles eliminated the obstacle of information traffic also the tendency to not grasp the information at all. It seems like Bas Battles is the narration of a history book or if you have ever heard of Dr. Mark Felton, Baz Battles is the animation of his words. It is truly fascinating on how detailed it is with near to pin point accuracy, let us nit forget that we cannot exactly pin point a specific area of a changing event in history unless evidence suggests the contrary. Since watching Baz and his animations years ago, the feeling of a spectator or a military tactician is already keen.
I wonder what software does he use and how he makes these incredible animations
I love that it was not mentioned that the Exeter was being controlled from the rear of the she, and that a officer was on top of y turret giving gun directions to the crew
Dude of course that's how you view strategy board games a battlemaps... how else would you view them?
I missed the “The battle was about to begin”
It fits infantry battles better though
this feels like one of those rare few honorable battles in WWII. Both sides were fairly evenly matched, the Germans were actually trying to respect a countries neutrality (which is laughable at best), and the German captain not only scuttles his ship outside the harbor so as not block traffic but the man commits hara-kiri on his ships ensign but BUT only after he made sure every single one of his men were safe and ashore. sounds like a story from another time
100% agree
Because it is.
??? pls go and learn... there are a lot of "honorables" battles. And to be clear... war has a lot of things but honor isnt one of them....
@@marcos14223 Well, it was still 1939, a lot had yet to come...
Langsdorff committed suicide out of cowardice, not nobility. He had just majorly lost face for Germany and directly contradicted what Goebbels' propaganda machine had been saying about the outcome of the battle. The Nazis didn't care that he saved the crew in the process - they aren't exactly known for showing much concern for the lives of their soldiers. Had he returned to Germany, he would've been court-martialed and executed for abandoning his ship and embarrassing Hitler.
His suicide is a stain on Graf Spee's otherwise very successful raid. A captain is supposed to go down with his ship, not alone on the bed in some South American hotel. One would think a career officer and firm naval traditionalist like Langsdorff would've understood that.
Fun fact: in the film battle of the river Plate HMS Achilles is played by herself.
And HMS Exeter was repaired only to be sunk in the battles off Indonesia in early 1942
They did their best when trying to find a ship to play the Graf Spee, but the ship they used the Des Moines class heavy cruiser USS Salem. Looks nothing like the Spee, but they did their best.
As is HMS Cumberland, even though she was a disarmed trials ship by then...
Not quite. I think she was by then, the Indian Navy's '[New] Dehli'. Same vessel; totally different crew. If you look at her post HMNZS WWII & Guadalcanal Canal legacy, the ship loses its Aotearoa - NZ Mana: even though she's soon to be the flagship, (of a once again), resurgent India. Namashte
@@johncunningham6928 but she failed to show up at the actual Battle of the River Plate; only in the later film
*Its September 4th on "**18:27**" little Dirck notices one of his favorite youtubers has finaly uploaded a video after a long hiatus Dirck without a second thought drops everything and clicks on it with great exitement*
*The Video Was About To Begin*
Yusss!
What a blessing to have another Baz video, huge fan. Having born in Uruguay, gotta say that this battle is still talked about even today. In fact a few years ago, the decorative eagle from the Graff Spee was recovered and can be seen in a museum in Montevideo's port
It's such a good film too.
From The Gods
Thank you @lolocrespi, that's good to know.
As a child in England in the early 1950's I heard my parents talking about this battle with pride and it's significance.
By the way my Father and all my uncles served.
Langsdorff was an honorable man. Saving his crew his greatest act.
He refused to go down with the ship, saving the crew first. Yet accepting his fate was sealed. Legend.
My father was on the Achillies, he believed had the Graff Spee come out fighting I wouldn't be here writing this today.
He should've tried to break out and return to France. I imagine he shot himself because he would've been shot once he returned to Germany anyway. What good did it do scuttling the ship?!
@@HRHooChicken he was dead man walking and knew it. He choose not to do a suicide run, and get the crew killed. Also, losing the fight may have meant that his ship falls into enemy hands.
Breaking out - small chance of success. Scuttling - 0% chance of success. He would’ve been shot after a court martial for destroying his own seaworthy ship, especially after it was revealed there were no serious British reinforcements in the area.
You could also imply that shooting himself suggests he regretting the decision. He might’ve lived if he tried sailing home.
Drachinifel: Uploads video about HMS Exeter
BazBattles: Returns with a vid about the Battle of the River Plate
*A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.*
Yes!!!
........
Love drach
This channel also brilliant 😌
My Grandfather served on the Exeter during the Battle of the River Plate. He was a Colour Sargent in the Royal Marines.
A mate of mine has the ship's clock.
My Grandad was on her, lost an eye but still helped putting out fires. He met King, Queen and Churchill in London page 3 Daily Mirror Feb 24 1940 One man stood alone. Albert Walford RN . I also have a ships bell from Graf Spee
HE'S ALIVE!
LES GOOOO!
So happy to see you again!!
😂
Hi! Great work as always!
I'm from Uruguay here! Here was a really famous and important event. For example, outside the city of Sarandí del Yí (about 100 miles from the port of Montevideo) there's a museum whith a lot of stuff about the Graf Spee. It's my understanding that a lot of the crew were located in that area.
My hometown, in Canada, was named after the HMS Ajax, during WWII. The town, on the shore of Lake Ontario, was created to make munitions for the war effort and needed a name for the Post office. They chose Ajax to honour her after the Battle of the River Plate. The people stayed after the war was won, and the town of Ajax lives on to this day. Many of the streets are named after crew members, including mine.
The German admiral sounds like an officer you would be proud to sail under
@Batchest Yes?
@Batchest Did you know the british attacked a fleet of french ships? They killed 1400 french sailors while they were in harbour in 1940. It's called the attack on Mers el Kebir.
Admiral Sir James Somerville resigned after reciving the order citing how repugnent and cowardly it was. He was replaced with Andew Cunningham who did carry the order out.
I'd rather follow orders from someone with a moral compass like Langsdorff or Somerville than someone like Cunningham that would follow orders like a mindless drone
He was a Captain. I just finished the book "I was Graf Spee's Prisoner" by Captain Patrick Dove, of the SS Africa Shell. He describes Captain Langsdorff as an honorable man.
@Batchest Well I don't believe in a collective guilt aproach when it comes to moral condemnation my friend. Particularly when involving brave men who served their nations honorably.
I would also add that hundreds of thousands of none Germans served willingly in the German Wehrmacht. The majority were not ideologically motivated whatsoever and fought very hard for causes and reasons you are unaware of.
@@harrymiles2271 the french were offered surrender terms but the french admiral refused to this was a war of survival the french fleet would have taken over by hitler and could have changed the outcome of the war other french ships ecaped and joined the free french yes war is terrible brave sailors led by stupid leaders
The Battle of the River Plate
What a goddamn blessing from BazBattles.
“It’s the late evening hours of September 3. BazBattles has been working endlessly on a video, but due to a massive technical issue has lost everything a few hours prior. Knowing the viewers craved his content, he set out to ensure the community would get their video. Picking up his pen, he closed the error message and loaded some assets. He would overnight this video at all costs.”
“The battle is about to begin.”
Bruhh u should definitely get a heart from baz just bcos of this comment lol
Pls edit 'platte' to plate bro
@@TheUnsungHeroes Edited
The last survivor of the graf spee died about 10 years ago, a lot of the crew stayed in Argentina in a town called Villa general Belgrano, and today is a great tourist spot to visit especially in oktoberfest.
yes,I went in 2013 and in a shop was a sailor suit with the eagle and the "admiral graf spee" name in it, the suit was black or dark blue, i don´t remember well, maybe that cloth wasn't original
SALTO. EL. ENVIDIOSO. !!!! LOS. MUERTOS. FUERON. SEPULTADO. EN. CEMENTERIO. DE. MONTEVIDEO. LOS. RESTANTES. HERIDOS. QUEDARON. MONTEVIDEO. QUEDAN. EN. EL. PAIS. Y. OTROS. PASAN. A. ARGENTINA. O. VUELVEN. A. ALEMANIA.
The legend has returned. Also love playing this battle in Atlantic Fleet Lite.
I've always loved how stubborn the crew of Exeter are here. 6 shots or so is all it takes to nearly mortally wound her and it's extremely clear she's no match even more so with one turret and there would be no dishonor in backing away at that time but the captain and crew had balls of steel and refused to leave the smaller ships to run and likely be sunk. The bravery of these crews is astonishing. Causing the Graf Spee to keep guns on her more than likely saved the smaller ships. The urge and willingness to sacrifice yourself for a brother is never to be underestimated. Stubborn ship
Yeah the crew must have been tough. Reminds me a bit of the Yorktown at Midway
Of course the two smaller ships would have fought like hell, one was crewed by Kiwis. Admitably they would have a major disadvantage.
"It is useful now and again to shoot an admiral, to encourage the others"
Admiral Byng was executed for "not doing his utmost" in the face of the enemy in the 18th Century, and while this is not the single act that created the aggressive traditions of the Royal Navy, the clear demands of naval officers remained even in 1939. This is not suggesting there would have been any punishment for withdrawing in WW2.
If I remember right, Harwood was willing to suffer extreme casualties, knowing that every dent in the Graf Spee could not be repaired and every shot it fired could not be replenished. So even if they were finished off by Langsdorff (and they knew there was every chance they would be) the Graf would be easy pickings for the next force of British warships it encountered.
@@CountScarlioni Just picture if the Graf Spee had run against the US Navy's Neutrality patrol...American light Cruisers where quite a bit bigger than Leanders and about the size of Exeter...
Definitely been looking forward to this one. Great timing too with Drachinifel's video on Exeter!
Exeter is only about 10 miles from where I live, very proud of the Cruiser
No coincidence, I'm sure.
As I recall, Jingles covered some of the history about the Exeter in one of his recent uploads.
Great minds thinking alike? Or ... conspiracy?? 🤔
So glad Baz is back!
Cannot wait for some Romance of the 3 Kingdoms battles to make it on this channel, but even without that I'm just so stupidly happy we're getting uploads again.
My finest WoWS moment was recreating this battle with an enemy Graf Spee with Exeter while both of us making reference to that battle. Whoever the Spee guy is, I salute you
thats so cringe
@@konk8429 Cringe! Cringe! Cringe! That's pretty much all you single-celled organisms say
@@Harshhaze Don't forget about BASED BASED BASED CHAD
Yeah, in game Spee wouldn't have a chance against V and two VI levels. Only if he is really lucky and they are really bad.
@@konk8429 oh no, some people had a lot of fun, we have to stop them
According to the movie after being forced to retreat with almost crippling damage Exeter's Captain Bell signaled Commodore Harwood with the message "Request permission to submit revised list of spare part requirements." Gotta love the British knack for understatement.
Unlike other surface combatants that can retire to friendly ports when damaged, German surface raiders had few friendly ports. As such, even minor damage can result in a mission kill.
I was just talking to my dad last week saying how one of our history TH-camrs hadn't uploaded in awhile, we both missed him.
Then he called me just the other day letting me know you uploaded again! I couldn't believe it!
Welcome Back mah dude!
The fog of war effect is excellent, it's one of those things I didn't know how much I missed until I saw it here.
Love when you cover naval battles. It's an often overlooked aspect of warfare, yet my favorite. Merde!
Sacre Bleu?
Glad to see that your back! Also I like the world of warships sound effects as well! The Graf Spee was very well designed and was definitely a deadly adversary! A cruiser killer is what she was and she almost destroyed the Exeter. She also had the chance to destroy Ajax and Achilles as well, but she didn’t exploit her advantage. Presumably due to the engines being damaged. As for Captain Langsdorff he was definitely a brilliant, courageous, and selfless commander being that he chose his crews lives over sending them to their deaths in a hopeless battle with the “so called” British task force including battlecruiser renown who were waiting for him outside the river plate. This however was false information though it were true he still made the right decision in the end.
Welcome back, we missed your excellent documentaries! Another well done, informative, and enjoyable effort!
I'm so pumped that BazBattles is back!
I was sooo happy Baz was back, I even watched the ads...
You have to feel for the Captain of the Graf Spee he knew he was screwed but had to play the cards he was dealt
The Achilles was actually HMNZS Achilles. While originally and most generously provided by the Royal Navy, She was flagged as a Royal New Zealand Navy ship and crewed by New Zealanders. When she raised the her battle ensign for the very first time it had the 4 stars of the Southern Cross as part of it and the Kreigsmarine officers didn't initially recognise it. Well done to BazBattles, a great historical doco that's well presented. I look forward to more!
The comment I was looking for 😅
Hi Baz, I hope you're doing okay, in your personnal life as well, and I hope that making these videos still brings you joy. For our part, we're very glad you're still here.
Same from here. Hope real life is being kind enough to Baz and crew. Glad to see you back
Yes mate! Once in a few months I suddenly remember your channel and search you up to see if you have a new vid and today is one of those days!
THE LEGEND IS BACK AGAIN
Thanks!
Thank you kindly!
Great documentation and animation, and your narration is gripping as always. "It is a cool drizzling morning, somewhere in the South Atlantic..." Shivers!
where Kings and Generals and History March are inclined to address a larger public by embarking on a demagogic form of entertainment via close ups and video game reconstructions, Bazbattles consistently offers the most presteen overall interpretation of historical events. Let us not forget that "the closer you get the less you see"! There is a reason Boxing and UFC fans rush into the overcrowded arenas, there is a reason why soccer games did not loose any of their popularity since the introduction of high quality close up filming. Having a fixed overall view of a boxing match or a soccer game allows you to get a grasp of it all. The human brain is easily distracted, moving things on a screen demand a certain degree of attention, the more the close ups, the more the distraction, the more the entertainment, the greater the viewer base and the less one learns or understands anything because he was to overwhelmed, to distracted by the moving parts. So thank you Bazbattles for keeping your entertainment as sober as plausible, thank you for not yielding to mainstream demagogic post-Americana trends! Thanks.
You know you're a thorn in the enemy's side when they send two carriers and two capital ships just to sink a single heavy cruiser.
No wonder the admiralty was so desperate to keep the even stronger Bismark from doing what the Graf Spee did.
Problem was that the Graf Spee was superior to the Allied heavy cruisers. So to engage in favourable conditions the Allies had to send in capital ships. And having the whole of the South Atlantic to cover it would be a stroke of luck to find the Graf Spee with only a single capital ship . Remember even after staying a day at Montevideo and 4 capital ships the Royal Navy could not get any of them in range. Also the Bismarck was to big, supply consuming and just plain costly to use as a raider intercepting single ships in the south Atlantic. Royal Navy would probably be happy to see the Bismarck move to the south Atlantic and the Royal navy would just target it's supply vessel and have the Bismarck run out of supply within a couple of months.
'A single heavy cruiser' is an unfortunate understatement. She was somewhere between a CA and a BC in reality
The Graf for all its capability was something of a glass cannon. It couldn't repair any serious damage and there was no way to replenish its ammo. The British knew that, hence why Harwood was willing to throw his inferior ships at it regardless. They didn't have to beat it, just mess it up enough to make it ineffectual.
Finally you uploaded! I am so happy and also stoked to seeing your future plans but please don't take as long
So glad you've returned, hope everything was well during your absence.
Jep, totally agree. Glad to have you back Baz. Damn I missed his voice👍🏻
BY GOD HE UPLOADED!
Edit: Very good video, always love your naval combat videos.
I was just wondering what happened to you guys yesterday, very happy to see you have uploaded again
Glad to see another naval history content from this channel, hoping to see more of it in the future especially the naval battles in the pacific theatre.
It's good to have you back and uploading videos again. 😊
FINALLY, HE'S BACK!! BAZBATTLES IS BACK!!!
Very happy you are back, one of my most beloved channels
Miss you Baz. Much love.
Oh man, I missed your content so much hahaha your videos are so polished and enjoyable. It's good to see you back
Amazing work as always, please continue the World War 2 series videos! I would love to see Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Wow this is crazy. I hadn’t watched a Bazbattle vid for a year and randomly decided to watch one today and realised he hadn’t posted in months… and now a new vid!! Welcome back!
She was a bad girl, but even her master knew she was done. Time is of the essence in war, and she had none. Her record still remains, and she was truly a formidable enemy.
BBBB! Baz Battles is Back BABY!!!!!! So glad to have you back Baz!
Another Baz Battles episode! Today is a good day
Its about time you guys posted a new video! It hasn't been the same!
Great to see you're back! Would absolutely love to see some battles from the Thirty Years War or the Napoleonic Wars!
Fascinating video and much appreciate the upload!
The oldest brother of my Grandfather served in the German navy as an officer during WW2. He was on submarine U-107 which sank British ship Colonial off Guinea, French West Africa; the entire crew of 100 survived and rescued by HMS. Centurion.
Return of the king
Just YESTERDAY i realized i hadnt seen a new vid from you in a while. How good to see you.
What I can never figure out is why the Graf Spee went full speed ahead. With her bigger guns she could have clobbered the British ships and stayed out of range of their guns. Why give them a chance to fight back? Simply turn the ship to port and pick them off.
It's probably because of the amount of ammunition. The farther away, the harder to hit and the more shots you would have needed. It had been mentioned in the video, that they had nearly no ammunition left after leaving the harbour (and would probably not have a way to resuply somewhere nearby).
The best time to watch bazbattles was 4 days ago. the second best time is now. so happy to see another video.
finally
I literally just wondered today how long I haven't seen a video from your channel and you literally uploaded this right after.
Not judging Langsdoff, he's a great warrior. But I would dismiss the men, asking volunteers for a skeleton crew to man only the bridge, forward turret, one torpedo rack and engine. With scuttling charges set on seachests, would steam all ahead flank, guns blazing against brits. Try to launch the fishes and ram the bigger ship there, than scuttle.
Good way to get the Spee captured.
@@MXB2001 with all seachest blown, they would only capture her from the bottom of the sea...
Easy to say from a comfy chair, over 80 years after the event.
Ohh were have you been. But thank you you came back hope your ok god bless you.
Baz: *naming very important German warship*
Me: haha giraffes pee
One of the 4 kings of TH-cam historians is finally back with a new video !!!!!
Haven't watched the vid yet, but damn that must be a huge plate to host an entire naval battle on
When people say “you’ve got a lot on your plate” they mean it this time.
how I missed you my friend.. Please continue the channel as fast as possible . We promise our full support
Not much "valor" when you have a massive numerical advantage but okay.
the german ship had way more firepower and heavier armor .
@@AkkaAlbatros Even still she was in the disadvantage.
@@marcl.1346 Yes, the British should have only sent a taskforce of exactly comparable strength, so Marc L would think more highly of them 80 years later
I DAMN NEAR CRIED TEARS OF JOY THIS MORNING THANK YOU FOR GETTING BACK IN THE SADDLE LETS SEE WHAT YOU GOT IN STORE FOR YOUR FANS
Hey Baz, there are some videos of yours who were unlisted because they were made before you got a professional voice actor to help out with the videos, but i found them very informative. They've been set to private however and it's a shame because they were quality on the research and informative just like your new content, so i think a lot of us would like it if you put them back on unlisted or let them out for everyone again,.
Good to have you guys again! Welcome back!
The fans deserve some sort of comment regarding an 8 month absence. Be a decent person, please. Even if it's "Sorry I was gone guys. Thanks for the support." Your views are way down and I think the channel took a permanent hit. Glad you are back but not feeling a lot of loyalty here.
So nice to have you back Baz!!
Baz!!! I did a double take when I saw the thumbnail, it's so great to get a new upload! Really enjoyed the vid!
So good to have you back! It even gives me hope that someday you may cover more conflicts in South America
Thought you might have stopped TH-cam. Good to see you back man!
Not gonna lie, I did miss your videos and I'm glad to have you back
We missed you buddy. Glad you're back.
I was surprised that this channel made another video. I was thinking I would never watch a new video here ever again. Awesome.
My favorite history TH-cam channel is back!!!!!
I literally just got to thinking today about your other boat vids and how I hadn't seen you in awhile, and bam, here you are! Wonderful!
The channel that made me interested in history, Muah, I love you guys so much!
Legend! He sunk defenceless merchantmen, then did not pick up survivors! Glad he went to the bottom, just a shame he didn't take his crew with him!
Actually, Langsdorff did not kill a single British merchant seaman. He ensured that they were given time to abandon their ships.
@@dovetonsturdee7033 to abandon ship and die in cold waters.
Don’t try to defend a disgusting regime doing disgusting things.
What he did was cowardly.
@@stevejh69 You don't actually know anything about the matter at all, do you? Graf Spee sank nine merchantmen. All nine were stopped, the crews taken aboard Graf Spee, and later transferred to a supply ship, Altmark.
It is a matter of documented record that no Merchant Seamen was killed during Graf Spee's operations. It is not an opinion.
Langsdorff was a decent man who had the misfortune to serve an evil regime.
By the way. Upvoting your own post is not quite the done thing, old chap.
Real glad you're making videos again
these are the best vids out there good to have you back
This is the kind of content that I love about your channel. Keep it up!👍
BAZ OLD MATE! , welcome back, we've missed you, Love your work!
Dude I've been waiting for you for so long, glad you came back
I posted on twitter a few weeks ago like "where baz"....and here he is to bring us more glorious battle.
The return of the king! This has made my day. Welcome back Baz!
Hi Baz! Thank you so much for uploading your video on The Battle of the River Plate. Your World War II naval history videos are what I look forward to the most. I even made my own playlist of your naval history videos and put the battles in chronological order. So right now as of this post (9/30/21), my playlist starts with The Battle of the River Plate and ends with the Battle of North Cape.
For a good history documentary, National Geographic made one on the Graf Spee called "Hitler's Lost Battleship". If you haven't seen it yet, watch it. I think you'll like it.
For future, I hope you make more videos on the naval battles in the Pacific or in the Mediterranean. I'm glad that you're still here and I look forward to whenever you post your next World War II naval history video.
I've watched many vids about the battle of River Plate, but I can't let a BazBattles video go un-watched.
hope there are more vids on the way.
YAAAAAAY YOUR BACK! I was starting to feel sad that BazBattles stopped uploading but it’s all cool now :)