About the conflict

The Falkland Islands were invaded by Argentina on 2nd April 1982, following years of territorial dispute between Great Britain, France and Spain, and then Argentina following their independence from Spain. Despite a spirited defence by a small detachment of Royal Marines with some of the Falkland Islands Defence Force, the Governor, Rex Hunt eventually ordered them to surrender to a vastly superior Argentine force.

The following day Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher announced the formation of a task force to liberate the Falklands. This Cabinet decision was backed by the leader of the opposition, Michael Foot, who stated Britain had “a moral duty, a political duty and every other kind of duty” to ensure the Falklanders could continue to live as they wished, as a territory of Great Britain.

The task force, including two aircraft carriers, HMS Hermes and Invincible, the assault ship HMS Fearless, plus other landing ships, and their accompanying escorts set sail for the South Atlantic from Portsmouth starting on 5th April. They were preceded by warships that had been carrying out manoeuvres off Gibraltar and three nuclear-powered submarines. More specialist vessels followed, including some 50 ships requisitioned from the commercial sector, amongst them the Canberra, QE2, and the converted hospital ship Uganda. In all, over 110 ships and 28,000 men headed for the South Atlantic.

South Georgia was retaken on the 25th April and a 200 mile exclusion zone was imposed by the British around the Islands on 28th April. On the 1st May an RAF Vulcan bombed Port Stanley airport in a record 8,000 mile round trip from Ascension Island. This was immediately followed by several sorties of Fleet Air Arm Sea Harriers bombing not only Stanley airfield but also the secondary strip at Goose Green.

The first of many air battles between the Fleet Air Arm and the Argentine Air Force took place off Stanley while the Royal Navy bombarded Argentine positions around the town and airfield. Sea Harriers, shot down the first Argentine Aircraft on 1st May. On 2nd May the Argentine Navy attempted a ‘pincer attack’ on the British carriers, resulting in the sinking of the cruiser the General Belgrano, with the loss of 368 Argentine lives, to date the only warship sunk by a nuclear-powered submarine in battle. After this the Argentine Navy took no further part in the conflict. Two days later, HMS Sheffield was hit by an Exocet missile, with the loss of 20 lives.

On the night of the 20th/21st May, the 3rd Commando Brigade consisting of three Royal Marines Commandos (40, 42 and 45), and two parachute battalions (2 and 3 PARA) and supporting units, landed in San Carlos Water on four beaches. There was little opposition, although two light helicopters were shot down. The main battle that ensued was between the Royal Navy and the Argentine Air Forces. On the first day every single Royal Navy escort was sunk or damaged in one of the fiercest air-sea battles since Crete in 1941. Over the following six days Argentine air attacks against the beachhead and shipping took place almost daily. Fortunately not one logistic ship or item of 3 Commando Brigade’s stores had been lost. Thanks must be given to the extraordinary bravery of the Mine Clearance Divers of the Royal Navy and Royal Engineers who defused a large number of bombs and so saved the ships.

On the 26th May, after the tragic news that the Atlantic Conveyor had been lost with essential helicopters still onboard, the move out of the beachhead began, with the majority of the 3rd Commando Brigade (42 and 45 Commandos and 3 PARA) heading east towards Stanley on foot and by helicopter, while 2 PARA attacked the twin settlements of Darwin and Goose Green. The Argentine garrison of Goose Green surrendered on 28 May after fierce fighting that lasted over 24 hours, and cost the lives of 17 British troops including the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel ‘H’ Jones who was subsequently awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross.

While the 3rd Commando Brigade were moving east to the high ground dominating Stanley, 5 Brigade landed at San Carlos on 1st June, where because of the shortage of helicopters, they had to be supported by a long southern sea route. The weather cleared allowing Argentine air attacks and both Sir Tristram and Sir Galahad were caught having landed almost all their stores. Tragically, some Welsh Guards and Sappers were still onboard when the ships were bombed.

On the 11th June after eleven days of patrolling, the attacks to defeat the Argentine Army defending Stanley started with a night attack by the 3rd Commando Brigade on three key hills, Mount Longdon, Two Sisters and Mount Harriet. By dawn these were taken, the heaviest losses being suffered by 3 PARA on Mount Longdon, where Sergeant Ian Mackay earned a posthumous Victoria Cross. But all three objectives were formidable involving a night of close-quarter fighting in rocky, rough terrain against a well dug-in enemy. The attack on Mount Harriet by 42 Commando Royal Marines was especially remarkable for capturing over 400 prisoners for comparatively light British casualties (two dead and 13 wounded). Two nights later both brigades attacked, with 2 PARA on Wireless Ridge, and the Scots Guards on Mount Tumbledown. By morning both brigade objectives were taken and the Argentine Army was streaming back into town. The 3rd Commando Brigade followed up immediately and by early afternoon on 14th June, the whole Brigade was in Stanley, while 5 Brigade remained outside.

That evening, General Menendez, the Argentine commander in the Falklands, surrendered to General Jeremy Moore, the British Land Force Commander and by 20th June all outlying settlements and other Islands were surrendered.

From beginning to end the conflict was a maritime one, supported from the sea. Without the Royal Navy, and the Merchant Navy, supported logistically by the Royal Air Force, the Islands would be part of Argentina to this day. The conflict lasted 74 days and claimed the lives of 255 British and 649 Argentine servicemen, and three civilian Falkland Islanders. The UK lost thirty-two aircraft, eighteen to enemy fire, and the following ships to Exocet missile and air attacks - HMS Sheffield, HMS Ardent, HMS Antelope, HMS Coventry, RFA Sir Galahad, the MV Atlantic Conveyor and the landing craft Foxtrot 4. Considerably more were damaged.

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SAMA 82
Veterans Agency
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The Falklands Conflict (Royal Navy)
The Falklands Conflict (Army)
The Falklands Campaign 1982 (RAF)