Falkland Islands’ War of 1982

Presented By:
SSgt. Robert M. Dykman
 Learning Objectives
• Geography of Falkland Islands and areas of
action
• History of Events (Pre-1982)

• Events of Falkland War (1982)

– Political Issues
– Military Actions
Where in the World are the
Falkland Islands?
•Great Britain to Falklands
8,000 miles
•Ascension to Falklands
4,000 miles
•Argentina to FI
300 miles
•Falklands to S. Georgia Islands
1,000 miles
•S. Georgia Is. to S. Sandwich Is.
400 miles
 History of Events (Pre-1982)
Early Colonialism
• 1522 – Possible Spanish (Magellan expedition) & Portuguese sightings of Islands
• 1592 – John Davis (Br.) of Desire possible sighting

• Circa 1600 – Dutch make first “undisputed” sighting of Islands

• 1690 – British make first recorded landing and lay claim

• 1765 - British are first to settle (W. Falkland island)

• 1767 – Spanish buy out French settlement (Port Louis) on E. Falkland

• 1770 – Spanish “ask British to leave (First documented conflict between Sp. & GB.)
Brits say “No way”
Spanish come back with superior military forces and “ask” again
Brits leave, but come back in 1771 threatening war
• 1774 – Brits withdraw for economic reasons
• 1811 – Spain withdraws from E. Falklands

• 1816 – Argentina gets independence from Spain

• 1820 – Argentina declares sovereignty over Falklands

• 1828 – First recorded Argentine settlements

• 1831 – American warship destroys the Argentine settlement on E. Falkland
in reprisal for the arrest of 3 US whaling ships in Falkland area
• 1833 – British reinvade and forcefully depose of Argentineans

• 1885 – British settlement of 1,800 on Falklands

• 1892 – British grant colonial status to Falklands

• 1933 and on – Roca-Runciman treaty (bilateral trade) exploits Argentina

Argentinean nationalists start to develop distaste for British encroachment

• 1964 – British fall on UN Charter calling for self-determination

• 1965 – UN General Assembly approves resolution inviting Britain and
Argentina to hold discussions to find peaceful solution to disputed
territories.
 The War Starts
• Background to economy – Argentina is in deep economic trouble; inflation
over 600%, GDP down 11.4%; manufacturing output down 22.9%; real
wages down 19.2%
• Background to politics – Mass disappearances of people by military juntas;
third dictator is in power since 1976 coup; Gen. Galtieri authorizes invasion,
“Operation Rosario”;
- CO of Navy, Adm. Anaya plans invasion for May 25th (Revolution Day) or
July 9th (Independence Day) to create as much popular support and
“distract” the populous about country’s problems; excessive problems push
invasion date forward
• March 19, 1982 – Scrap metal workers are accompanied by Argentinean
military personnel to S. Georgia islands. Britain tells military to leave.

• Mar. 26 – Final Invasion preparations

• Apr 2nd, 1982 – Argentinean Navy and thousand of troops invade Falklands.
Small detachment of British Royal Marines are no match. British Governor
orders to lay down arms. The Gov. and Marines are flown to Montevideo,
Uruguay.
• Apr. 3, 1982 – Argentine troops seize islands of S. Georgia and S.
Sandwich group. Massive solidarity in the streets of Buenos Aires.
-UN Security Council passes Resolution 502

• Late Mar. through Apr. thousands of conscripts are poorly trained

and rushed into service. More than 10,000 Argentine troops are on
Falklands.

• Apr. 8 thru 23 – US Sec State Haig, flies to London; EEC approves

trade sanctions on Argentina; Haig flies to BA to mediate; talks break
down on Apr 19; British Foreign Office advises all Br. Nationals to
leave Argentina.
 British Counter-Attack
• Apr. 25, 1982 – British Commandos retake S. Georgia
Argentine Sub attacked and disabled
Argentine CO, Astiz, signs surrender without firing shots, violated
military code’s article 751 (aboard HMS Plymouth)

•Main British task force leave Ascension Island for Falklands

• Apr. 30, 1982 – Pres. Reagan declares US support for Britain
British war exclusion zone in effect.

• May 1st, 1982 – Harrier & Vulcan British planes attack the Port Stanley
(Puerto Argentino) airfield. Three Argentine aircraft are shot down.

• May 2, 1982 - Belaunde Terry, President of Peru, presents a peace proposal to

Argentine President Leopoldo Galtieri, who gives a preliminary acceptance
with some proposed modifications. Before the Argentine junta ratifies the
acceptance, British submarine HMS Conqueror sinks the Argentine
cruiser General Belgrano outside the war zone (British Total Exclusion
Zone) and while sailing away from the islands. Almost 400 crewmen die. At
this point the Junta rejects the proposal.

• May 4, 1982 - Argentine air attacks from Super Etendard fighter planes using
Exocet air to surface missiles sink the British destroyer HMS Sheffield with
twenty men on board. One British Harrier plane is shot down.

• May 7, 1982 - UN enters peace negotiations.

•May 9, 1982 - The islands are bombarded from sea and air. Two sea Harriers sink
the Argentine trawler Narwal.

•May 11, 1982 - Argentine supply ship Isla de los Estados is sunk by the British
HMS Alacrity.

•May 14, 1982 - Three Argentine Skyhawks are shot down. PM Thatcher warns that
peaceful settlement may not be possible. Special British forces night raid on Pebble
Island; 11 Argentine aircraft destroyed on the ground, radar post & ammo dump.

•May 18, 1982 - A peace proposal presented by the United Nations Secretary
General, Perez de Cuellar, is rejected by Britain.

• May 21, 1982 – Operation Sutton The British make an amphibious landing near
Port San Carlos, on the northern coast of East Falkland. From this beachhead the
British infantry advances southward to capture the settlements of Darwin and Goose
Green before turning towards port Stanley. The British HMS Ardent is sunk by an
Argentine air attack. Nine Argentine aircraft shot down.

•May 23, 1982 - The British HMS Antelope is attacked and sinks after unexploded
bomb detonates. Ten Argentine aircraft destroyed.
•May 24, 1982 - Seven Argentine Aircraft destroyed.

•May 25, 1982 - HMS Coventry is hit by 3 1000 lb air bombs dropped from
Argentine Skyhawks; 19 British dead. The MV Atlantic Conveyor is hit by an
Exocet missile and sinks 3 days later, 12 more British dead. Heaviest air attacks
by Argentine forces

•May 28, 1982 - More air-raids on Port Stanley.

- British 2nd battalion, Parachute Regiment (2-Para), take Darwin and Goose
Green in what was arguably the longest and toughest battle of the War.
- According to Goose Green: a battle is fought to be won by Mark Adkin:
Though outnumbered (2 to 1: 600 vs. over 1400), low on ammunition,
lacking adequate fire support, fighting over open ground, and in daylight
against prepared positions, the 2-para emerges as the winner in this first big
and critical land battle. British 2-Para Lt. Col. "H" Jones dies in this battle
and later awarded a Victoria Cross.
- In all, 17 2-Para soldiers, and about 200 Argentine soldiers were killed
during this battle. About 1,400 Argentine surrendered and were taken
prisoners. According to Argentine sources only 400 of the over 1400 recruits
were in condition to fight and the British report as presented by Mark Adkin
is way overrated.
•May 29, 1982 - Warships and Harriers bombard Argentine positions.

•May 30, 1982 - Shelling continues as British troops advance. The British 45
Commando secures Douglas settlement; 3-Para recaptures Teal Inlet.

•May 31, 1982 - Mount Kent is taken by British troops. The Falklands' capital of
Port Stanley is surrounded.

•June 1, 1982 - Britain repeats its cease-fire terms.

•June 4, 1982 - Britain vetoes Panamanian-Spanish cease-fire resolution in the

UN Security Council.

•June 6, 1982 - Versailles summit supports British position on Falklands.

•June 8, 1982 - An Argentine air attack on British landing craft Sir Galahad and
Sir Tristam at Port Pleasant south of Bluff Cove. 50 British die.
•June 12, 1982 - The British 3-Para
mounts an assault on Mount
Longdon. The battle on this heavily
defended position, which was
supposed to last until dawn, proves
much tougher and longer than
expected. Mount Longdon and its
surroundings are finally taken after
hand to hand combat with the
Argentine troops position by
position. The British casualties
mount to 23 men, one of which,
Sergeant Ian John McKay of 3-Para
is later awarded a posthumous
Victoria Cross, 47 more British are
wounded. The Argentine suffered
over 50 dead and many more injured.
6 more British die shortly afterwards.
British 45 Commando takes Two
Sisters and 42 Commando takes
Mount Harriet with support by the
guns of 29th Commando regiment
and naval gunfire from a number of
Royal Navy frigates.
•June 12, 1982 - The 2nd Scots Guards seize Mount Tumbledown in another bloody
battle. 9 British and about 40 Argentine die. Another 34 Argentine soldiers surrender
and taken prisoners. 32 British are wounded. [Source: Tactics of Modern Warfare by
Mark Lloyd]. The cruiser HMS Glamorgan is hit by an Exocet missile as it was
bombarding on shore Argentine positions. 13 British die.

•June 14, 1982 - The large Argentine garrison in Port Stanley is defeated, effectively
ending the conflict. The Argentine commander Mario Mendez, agrees to "an un-
negotiated cease fire ... with no other condition than the deletion of the word
unconditional" from the surrender document which he signs. About 9800 Argentine
troops put down their weapons.

•June 20, 1982 - The British re-occupy the South Sandwich Islands. Britain formally
declares an end to hostilities, and the two-hundred mile exclusion zone established
around the islands during the war is replaced by a Falkland Islands Protection Zone
(FIPZ) of 150 miles. From start to finish, this undeclared war lasted 72 days, claimed
nearly 1000 casualties (236 British and 655 Argentine), many of them innocent
conscripts that were drafted in a hurry by the Argentine Junta. The war had a cost of
at least 2 billion dollars. From a political point of view, the war helped the reelection
of Margaret Thatcher (who was losing popularity before the conflict started) and
brought down Leopoldo Galtieri who was quick to resign afterwards, paving the road
to the restoration of democracy in Argentina.
 Operation Sutton
Facts
• Forces: 14,000 Argentine, 9,000 British
– Argentine forces mostly conscripts against British Marines & Commandos
– Argentine Navy negligible, Air Power damaging to Brits
– Brits 101-ship task force, Harriers &
• British Commanders felt somewhat overwhelmed by scope of operation
• Good Pre-Invasion Intel for British by SBS (Special Boat Section) & SAS
(Special Air Service) Units
• Poor comm. tech at certain points of campaign
• San Carlos Inlet – Hills, Width of passage and waterways
• Argentine airpower stretched to limits
• Exocet Vs. Sea Wolf
• NGFS thought outdated
• Four beaches at San Carlos, 8-9 hours of daylight
• Differing levels of surprise achieved in almost every landing
•Brits given 36 hours of no bombardment to continue build-up
(End of D+1 to D+3)
•Argentine Air Force did not operate at night

•“Who’s in charge here!”

RADM Woodward, CATF
Brigadier Thompson, CLF
Maj. Gen Moore, CLF
•Brits overcame 8,000 mile logistic line; San Carlos landing was textbook,
complete surprise is not really possible with technology; quality, training, morale,
& motivation are key for troop performance
 Some paid the price
for the victory that others could
rejoice!