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| SMS Leipzig Under Fire at the Falklands |
On the morning of 8 December 1914, in preparation for a dash home to Germany, Vice Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee was advancing his East Asian Squadron to Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands, with the objective of silencing the British communications center there.
His advance ships Gneisenau and Nürnberg, however, reported a substantial British squadron re-coaling in the harbor, although their reports were unclear or misinterpreted about the presence of capital ships.
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| Admiral von Spee |
Von Spee therefore neither appreciated his opportunity to bottle up and possibly disable major ships of his enemy nor factored into his calculations that the two modern battle cruisers on the scene could run down any of his ships in open waters and fire upon him from beyond his own ships' range. He chose to decline battle under the most promising and advantageous conditions and ordered his vessels to break off contact and sail southeast at full speed.
In a pursuit at sea, the British battle cruisers had multiple advantages over von Spee's ships. Their main batteries had greater range and, though coal-burning, they carried a limited amount of oil allowing maintenance of their great speed for a longer time. Coal-fired ships could only maintain their designated top operational speeds for about eight hours due to the need to clean fires, which required a temporary reduction in speed.
For von Spee it was both a missed opportunity and doomed escape. He lost his squadron, both his sons, and his own life. Here is a map showing the battle as it unfolded. Click on the image to enlarge it.
Sources: Over the Top, March 2011; World War I Document Archive (Map)
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