today in draw my life . the Falklands war
the Falkland Islands are an archipelago located in South America in the Argentine Sea
approximately 500 kilometers from the coast
at the beginning of the 19th century . Argentina had declared sovereignty over these islands
however . in 18 33
Britain seized the archipelago
and expelled the few remaining Argentine occupants . on the islands
thus the Falkland Islands became part of the list the British overseas territories
and the European power made sure to reject Argentinas claims
on April 2nd 19 82
the Argentine military junta . led by lieutenant Leopoldo Galtieri
renounced negotiations with Great Britain . and launched an invasion of the islands
the reason this decision was made was purely political
the junta had come under fire for economic mismanagement . and human rights abuse
they thought that by recovering the Falkland Islands . the Argentine people would join . and support the government
but although the confrontation caused enthusiasm in the citizens . the rejection towards the military government continued
evidence of government human rights violations
found that around 30 thousand were left missing . and thousands dead
This resulted in the freedom of the inhabitants being tortured . persecuted . censored . and limited
In addition to the abuse of these rights . the country also suffered economically
unemployment rose sharply . as GDP fell
in 19 82 inflation in Argentina was almost 165 percent
and it is considered one of the worst economic crisis in the country
In the initial invasion in April . Argentine troops quickly overcame the small English guard . in Stanley the capital
Despite the losses in their groups . the Argentine military followed orders not to cause casualties in the English troops
the next day . on April 3rd . Argentine sailors took control over the south georgia islands
located 13 hundred kilometers from the Falkland Islands
by the end of April . Argentina had managed to place 10 thousand troops in the archipelago . with little training and few resources
Another of the errors of the Argentine military junta . was having thought that Britain would not react or would not respond . to the invasion of the islands due to the distance they had from the European country
and because they had not been of special interest to the British
the only thing that was in negotiation between the two countries was the possibility of a shared administration of the territory
however under the leadership of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher .the UK reacted against the invasion
although she was in a detrimental economic moment
the British government declared the area 320 kilometers around the Falkland Islands a war zone
a naval force mounted around two aircraft carriers
HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible
which were sent to the archipelago on April 5th 19 82 . with departures from portsmouth
In addition to the aircraft carriers . the British response also included the nuclear submarine . the HMS conquerer
in total about 30 thousand men were on board this operation . which sought to reclaim the islands
On the one hand . Argentina had the support of some Latin American countries
Panama . Peru . and Venezuela
at the international level . the Soviet Union gave minimal support to the Argentine forces . On the other hand . the United Kingdom received great support from the United States
who Argentina had thought would remain in a neutral position
the American country allowed the English to use their communications equipment, air missiles, and military intelligence
Other countries that supported the British were France and Chile, the neighboring country to Argentina.
The Falkland Islands area became the zone of total exclusion
in other words, the area corresponding to 370 kilometers around the archipelago had an order
During the war, any ship or aircraft from any other country entering the area . could be attacked by English troops without reason or warning
As of April 23rd 19 82
any Argentine vessel or air vehicle . that could be considered a threat to the British forces . would be combated
this Declaration includes Argentine civil aircraft
Argentina responded immediately
Leopoldo Galtieri prepared for the defense . and announced to the Argentine people
if they want to come . let them come
On April 25th . the British fleet took control . over the South Georgia islands where they managed to capture one of the Argentine electric submarines
on May 2nd . the British nuclear submarine sank the Argentine ship General Belgrano . out of the war zone
where 323 of its 1093 . crew members died
the British counterattack consisted of bombing the airport . located in the capital of the Falkland Islands to avoid so that the Argentine Air Force . could send supplies to the troops in the islands
the british force depended on two aircraft carriers
and the loss of one of them . would mean its withdrawal from the war zone
the air coverage they had is limited . to only 20 short-range aircraft . armed with air missiles
To make up for the lack of coverage, the British used frigates as radar pickets.
to prevent Argentine surprise attacks
even so not all frigates had anti-aircraft systems
those weapons whose objective is to intercept enemy aircraft in flight
this left the British fleet vulnerable to possible Argentine attacks
they had no way to attack and fire the missiles if Argentina were to launch them
finally on May 4th . Argentine forces managed to sink the British destroyer . HMS Sheffield with a missile
while the attacks directed at Argentina caused the South American country to lose around 30% of its planes
This weakened the Argentine military force, and who was unable to prevent a UK landing on the islands.
they expected the UK to attack immediately after reaching the islands
so General Mario Menéndez . concentrated his troops in the capital Stanley . and to be prepared
However, the United Kingdom did not have the same plan.
the commanders of the British forces made the first landing in Puerto San Carlos
on the north coast of the Island
from there, they carried Stanleys attack over land
the English arrived unopposed on the islands on May 21st
but the Argentine defense, around five thousand men, quickly organized an effective resistance
and it took hard or intense battles to bring it down
Meanwhile, the Argentine Air Force . continued its attacks on the English Navy.
sinking two frigates . a destroyer . a container ship with two helicopters . and a troop landing ship
Still, Argentina was never able to damage the aircraft carrier . or sink enough English ships to jeopardize ground operations.
Argentines lost most of their aircraft, as well as their Falkland-based helicopters, and their ground attack aircraft
In total, Argentina lost 22 aircraft and 10 pilots to British operations.
a response to UK attacks was quickly provided
and Argentina managed to sink the cargo ship SS Atlantic Conveyor
carrying supplies for ground operations
the British only had one option to win the war
to wipe out Argentine ground forces
things made it seem easy to get
On the one hand . the elite Argentine troops were on the border . with Chile from whom they had an attack.
also the military corps located in the Falklands was not properly armed
and their capacity was not the same, as that of the British troops
Finally, the Argentines were not prepared for the strong cold that was in the area at that time of year.
departing from Puerto San Carlos, the English advanced to the South, under extremely adverse weather conditions
in order to reach other military camps on the islands
they fought for several days, coming to fight in hand-to-hand combat
four certain Argentine troops along various mountain ranges,
finally the British forces managed to take and occupy, the lands west of Stanley
with the United Kingdom surrounding and blocking the capital and the Main Port, Argentina did not find a way to defend itself
Then on June 2nd . the Algeciras operation was carried out in Spanish territory
the objective of the Argentine forces was to sabotage the British navy troops located in the church base of Gibraltar
and thus, prevent their departure to the Falkland Islands
their strategy was to sink a warship . with submarine mines and tactical divers . and do it covertly . and unofficially
however, the plan failed when British intelligence discovered communications between Buenos Aires and the Argentine embassy in Madrid.
the local police stopped the team, ending the operation
On June 14th General Menéndez signed the unconditional surrender . of the Argentine troops
thus declaring the end of conflict and war
however on June 20th . the last military action took place . where the British withdrew a small argentine barracks . from the South Sandwich Islands
there the Argentines maintained a scientific base, but due to the very low temperatures they miscalculated the moment of the attack and the resistance of the United Kingdom
on the Argentine side, 649 men were killed
47 planes and 6 ships destroyed
while on the British side, the casualties were lower with around 255 deaths
34 planes and 8 sunken ships
The reason why the number of deaths is much higher on the Argentine side . is due to the fact that many of the countrys soldiers were young .
poorly trained . poorly fed . and poorly armed
which limited their capabilities . against the best prepared British forces
the post-war consequences triggered the departure of the military government from Argentine power
he was seriously discredited for not having prepared or supported his own military forces in the invasion of the islands
which caused Galtieris resignation, ending more than 7 years of dictatorship in 19 83
Meanwhile in the UK . Margaret Thatcher turned the national support for the forces during the war . into a total victory for her Conservative party . in the following years parliamentary elections
the war ended in 19 82 . but the dispute over the Falkland Islands continues
Argentina continues to claim that the archipelago belongs to it . although its inhabitants, insist on remaining under British sovereignty
did you know about the Falklands war?
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