This treatment of the Battle of the River Plate concerns Kapitan sur Zee Hans Langsdorff's command of the Panzershiff Graf Spee, written from his point of view. The story of his mission is divided into coherent segments, each with a narrative orientating the reader, followed by an examination of the command decisions and the factors considered. The many problems Langsdorff faced are ruthlessly exposed. He made mistakes, but the book does nothing to diminish his reputation as a brave and honourable naval officer.