German Forces

  • Pazerschiffe Admiral Graf Spee
    Commanding officer: Capt. Hans Langsdorff
    Notes: Damaged by two 8in and eighteen 6in shells; approximately 36 killed, 60 wounded.

British Forces

Force H

South American Division
  • Commodore Henry Harwood
    Notes: Promoted Rear Admiral effective 13th December on 14th December.
  • CA HMS Exeter
    Commanding officer: Captain F. S. Bell
    Notes: Damaged by seven 11.1in hits; approximately 61 killed, 23 wounded.
  • CL HMS Ajax (flagship)(flagship)
    Commanding officer: Captain C.H.L. Woodhouse
    Notes: Damaged by one 11.1in hit and near misses; 7 killed, 5 wounded.
  • CL HMNZS Achilles
    Commanding officer: Captain W.E. Parry
    Notes: Damaged by splinters; 4 killed.

In addition

  • HMS Cumberland
    Notes: At the Falkland Islands; ordered to sail from Port Stanley 0946 13th December, not expected off the Plate until the evening of 14th December.
  • HMS Dorsetshire
    Notes: Ordered to the Plate from Cape Town on 13th December.
  • HMS Shropshire
    Notes: To follow on 15th December.
  • HMS Ark Royal
    Notes: At Rio de Janiero on 17th December; to be off the Plate on 19th December, 1200 hrs.
  • CB Renown
    Notes: At Rio de Janiero on 17th December; to be off the Plate on 19th December, 1200 hrs.
  • CL Neptune
    Notes: At Rio de Janiero on 17th December; to be off the Plate on 19th December, 1200 hrs.

Hunting Groups

As formed 5th October 1939

Force F

North Atlantic & West Indies
  • Berwick
  • York

These ships did not operate toether, but separately escorted convoys.

Force G

Southeast coast of South America
  • Cumberland
  • Exeter
  • Ajax
  • HMNZS Achilles

Ajax and HMNZS Achilles joined later.

Force H

Cape of Good Hope
  • Cumberland
  • Sussex
  • Shropshire

Force I

Ceylon
  • Eagle
  • Cornwall
  • Dorsetshire

Force J

North Atlantic
  • Glorious
  • Malaya

Force K

Permambuco-Freetown
  • Ark Royal
  • Renown
  • Neptune
  • Hardy
  • Hero
  • Hereward
  • Hostile
  • Clyde

Force L

North Atlantic
  • Repulse
  • Furious

Force X

Pernambuco-Dakar
  • Dupleix
  • Foch

Force Y

West Indies
  • Strasbourg
  • Hermes
  • Neptune
    Notes: To Force K

Additional escorts for Atlantic Convoys

  • Warspite
  • Revenge
  • Resolution
  • Emerald
  • Enterprise

Sources

  • Chronology of the War at Sea 1939-1945 by J. Rohwer and G. Hummelchen
  • Colonel and the Falklands by G. Bennett
  • The War at Sea, Volume 1 by S.W.Roskill
  • British Cruisers in Action by P.C. Smith and J.R. Dominy
  • The Gathering Storm by W.S. Churchill