How a Nazi Battleship Captain Was Tricked Into Sinking His Own Warship
Just before he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger, the German officer penned a final note. "For a captain with a sense of honor, it goes without saying that his personal fate cannot be separated from that of his ship," wrote Hans Langsdorff on December 19, 1939, in a hotel room in Buenos Aires. Langsdorff finished his letter to the Nazi ambassador to Argentina, lay down on a German battle flag, and shot himself.
For further reading: River Plate 1939: The Sinking of the Graf Spee by Angus Konstam.
Michael Peck is a contributing writer for the National Interest. He can be found on Twitter and Facebook.