World War II by country warships and the German ship "Admiral Graf Spee" fought the Battle of the River Plate in the zone. This prompted a joint protest from several Latin American nations to both sides. ("Admiral Graf Spee" took refuge in Uruguay's capital, Montevideo, claiming sanctuary in a neutral port, but was later ordered out.) In early 1942, President Baldomir broke off diplomatic relations with the Axis Powers. On 15 February 1945, near the end of the war, Uruguay dropped its neutrality and joined the Allies. Uzbekistan was part of the Soviet Union during World War II. So see this article's section on the
World War II in popular culture period and its impact on what happened afterward. World War II has provided material for many films, television programmes and books, beginning during the war. The film aspect had reached its peak by the 1960s, with films such as "The Longest Day" (which had been adapted from a book), "The Great Escape", "Patton" and "Battle of Britain". In the UK the actor Sir John Mills became particularly associated with war dramas, such as "The Colditz Story" (1954), "Above Us the Waves" (1955) and "Ice Cold in Alex" (1958), and was seen as the personification of Britain at war, conveying heroism