1940 HMS Achilles returns Home

[Merlin2Stage2Speed]

contd.

and had no chance of ever reaching her home base. Certainly British heavy units would have picked her off in her crippled state, if technical issues or the weather had not.

Langsdorf had to scuttle her - she had been already damaged beyond any hope of a successful return to base.

[Merlin2Stage2Speed]

That damage to the hull forward, especially one very large hole very near to the bow, would have rendered the Spee unsuitable for navigating the North Atlantic during the current winter season.

There was also an issue with her diesel engines - already causing problems and in need of an overhaul - there is the possibility that the resultant action, where the engines were operated at full throttle, may have caused some further problems.

I believe the Graf Spee was indeed defeated during the battle

[Merlin2Stage2Speed]

Great video!

In the opinion of many, that the damage inflicted by the Exter, Ajax and Achilles on the Graf Spee during the Battle of the River Plate did indeed cause enough damage to warrant Captain Langsdorf's decision to scuttle her.

Although all Allied 8 and 6 inch salvos failed to penetrate the Spee's armoured box, nonetheless there was significant damage caused to the Spee's main engine lubeoil separators, food stores and galleys - plus significant hull damage forward (contd)..

[MrPIT1956]

FANTASTIC VIDEO, MY FATHERS UNCLE SERVED ON THE ACHILLES DOWN AT THE RIVER PLATE, ALSO HE SERVED ON THE EXETER AS WELL

[luther303]

@MrPIT1956 what were their names mate?i had 3 family member serve on that ship?

[linbowe]

New Zealand, a once great little nation

[faffy1962]

I came to this video to watch it as my grandfather served on the Achillis, he is NZ and I am English.  The video was great but what a shame that this has been ruined by some of the comments on here. My grandfather would turn in his grave.

[Pheonixfromtheshale]

Gunnermac70: regarding Easycompany....ignore him, he's clearly a nutjob who enjoys stirring shit up with people. If you go to any video on here depicting Allied Commonwealth forces in WWII you'll find his lies and revisionist rantings on there. Ask him to back up any of his laughable delusions and he can't! because he knows it's complete made-up fantasy in his own head.

I think easy is either a 12 yr old with too much time on his hands, or someone with a few mental issues going on.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

gunnermac. OK. Lets compare directly. I know people who lived in Arnhem. Right throughout the German occupation, the Dutch families there were very well treated by the Germans. They Germans even walked on the pathways, careful not to trample over flowerbeds etc. When the English and allies came, they did horrible things to the Dutch. The raped many young girls, something that was never tolerated by the Germans. Anyway this is all off topic.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

Yes. We know about Oradour surGlane. As you said 247 people will killed. The English killed far more in Dresden. The village in France was targeted due to attrocities carried out by the Marquis. All sides had examples of bad deeds like this. The thing is that the Germans (nazis you call them) were honorable in the way they treated occupied countries - more so than the English.

[ToonandBBfan]

Google search Lidice.

Nothing "Honourable" was done by the Germans there.

Try not to be a moron all your life

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

Toon. We are talking about the English here, not the Germans. Anyway, no one was raped in Lidice.

[pramboy09]

@EasyCompanyAirborne

no infact we are talking about a new zealand boat.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

pramboy. No. I was being attacked over a discussion with gunnermac. I mentioned that the attrocities commited against Durch women by the "liberators" of Arnhem.

[pramboy09]

@EasyCompanyAirborne I don't know how you got onto this considering what the film is about, but what i will say is this. I'm sure there were attrocities done not only by the british but also the americans, war does some pretty horrible things to the human mind.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

pramboy. True. Unfortunately the subject matter did get diverted. I was responding to a personal attack. You are correct to bring back people to the discussion. I agree with the rest of what you said also. :)

[ToonandBBfan]

No they were put up against a wall and shot instead!!!!

There may well have been the odd rogue British/American troop who behaved badly whilst liberating Europe but its fuck all compared to what the Nazi's did across Europe.

Theres a picture on the web of a Russian women attempting to shield a child with her body whilst an SS bastard takes aim with a rifle.

Are you anti-English or something?

[Pheonixfromtheshale]

EasyCompanyAirborne is full of bullshit!

Seriously folks this 'individual' is mentally ill and should be ignored at all costs.

If you've experienced any of the man's vile racism or xenophobia, please msg me directly as i am compiling an ever growing list of the man's 'opinions' to pass onto the correct authorities to deal with.

Thanks people, together we'll get rid of this jackass once and for all.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

gunnermac. You have come up with a list of groups of people being killed. This happens in war. I could also go on about the rape of Dutch women by the allies "liberating" Arnhem.

The orders to "murder" British Commandos is in response to the attrocities they were intending to commit. They were told to take no prisoners, including civilians. 

Anyway, I think you are brainwashed and ignorant. I have spoken to many people who lived under the Nazis and support what I say.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

Yes, gunnermac. The Nazis were honorable. Many nazis recognized the actions of HMS Achilles after the war. It is about time England did the same. The German leaders went to New Zealand after the war. The English have never done the same. You see, I do know my stuff. Not ignorant like you English.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

gunner. I am being serious. I don't think you are. That is the differenc e between people like you and me. The Germans fought with honour.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

HMS Cumberland? No. I mean the Graf Spee. You forgot about that one.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

gunnermac. "The King" congratulated HMS Exeter and HMS Ajax. No mention was made of the other two ships in the battle.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

gunnermac. Actually it comes from the phonetic code reversed.

It doesn't work now as it is K for Kilo and G for Gulf. It was K for King and G for George, which caused a big problem as King George was already in phonetic form.

The battleship was always known as KG5 too. They refer to it as KG5 in the film Sink the Bismarck rather than King George the fifth, as that would have been very confusing.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

KG6 was the man that everyone was fighting for. He was the HM in HMS Exeter.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

gunner> Why is it then that KG6 and Churchill praised Exeter, and also mentioned Ajax.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

I may be an idiot, but I want the "fogotten ships" to be remembered also. There were four ships involved in the battle, not two.

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

No credit was given to this ship by KG6 or Churchill. They praised Exeter, even though the ship cut and ran.

[ToonandBBfan]

Exeter did NOT "cut and run".

She was ordered to withdraw due to the heavy damage she sustained.

Achilles contributuion WAS appreciated.

Exeter got the amount of attention she did because of the damage she suffered and because the British government wanted to make Lord Haw Haw look stupid because he had broadcasted that Exeter would never make it back home.

Churchill was after some good properganda to boost morale

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

Churchill was always after propaganda. Thats why he bigged up HMS Exeter and mentioned only two ships - the Exeter and Ajax. The Achilles did actually fight in the battle too.

[ToonandBBfan]

Everyone wants propaganda in wartime.

The damaged ship always gets the spotlight.

After the 2nd Guadalcanal battle, USS Washington had sunk Kirishima but South Dakota got all the credit

Why?

Because of the damage South Dakota had received, the intrest was all on her.

It caused great unrest between the 2 crews and the powers that be actually ordered that they never be given shore leave at the same time!!!.

Thanks

[EasyCompanyAirborne]

Toon. OK. It is a pity, though. I think that people should be taught that four ships fought in the Battle of the River Plate and not just HMS Exeter aided by HMS Ajax.

[KrazyDimondRX]

It makes me proud to of served for the RNZN

[Alroys01]

awsome video of NZ history

[Dhbrydon]

Just got back from South America, the anchor of Ajax is on display in Punta Aenas Uraguay and in Montevideo the gun sighting apparatus from Graf Spee is on display.

[SuperMrcat]

Very good to see this clip, My father was the Ship wright and petty officer on her at the River Plate, Brian Richard Banks and he would have been somewhere in the parade.

[MarsFKA]

The after director tower was also gifted to NZ, together with Y turret. In 1982, I saw them stored at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland, and had a good look over, and inside both of them. When it had became known in 1978 that INS Delhi - formerly HMNZS Achilles - was to scrapped, there was talk of buying the ship intact and preserving it in NZ as a memorial. However, the cast would have been prohibitive, so the compromise gift of turret and director tower was accepted.

[smashmansnake]

A street near me is named after this ship. The town I live in is called Ajax, named after the other ship, and all the streets are named after the crew members. The main street is Harwood Ave.

[searaider2]

sounds like Montevideo, Uruguay, only Millington Drake would be missing, lol

[smashmansnake]

lol

[pramboy74]

one of her guns in Auckland, NZ.

[advancedbiker]

Thanks for this excellent clip. I have been after this as I am researching the family history, as a relative Albert Bowers was Chief Petty Officer Sick Berth Attendant served on the ship and would have been in the clip

[pramboy74]

was he a new zealander?