Background to the Falkland Islands War
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. They lie three hundred miles to the east coast of Argentina and about eight thousand miles to Britain. Stanley is the capital of the islands. The two nations have laid claim to the Islands since the British seized them in 1833. It was later made a crown colony in 1841. The Falkland Islands War broke out on the 2nd of April 1982. Most of the inhabitants at the time were of British descent. However, it is claimed that the British drove out the Argentine populations that had hitherto been residing there after seizing the islands in the 19th century. In the years leading to the war, Argentina had undergone biting economic problems under the various military dictators that had taken over the leadership of the nation. The military junta at the time of the war was led by General Leopoldo Galtieri. To him, war with Britain was the perfect opportunity to divert Argentines' attention from their economic hardships and to whip up patriotic sentiments hence bolstering his political support.
The War
The onset of the war was characterized by an amphibious landing of Argentina's military on the islands. The landing was preceded by the civil occupation of the South Georgia islands on the 19th of March 1982. The British on the island were ill prepared as there was only a small contingent of the Royal Marines stationed there hence they were quickly overpowered. The event demanded a response from the British government, which at the time was under the leadership of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. The ensuing response was code named Operation Corporate. The war lasted for seventy-two days. It was made difficult given that the British had not made any express preparations prior to the war. The Ascension Islands provided the base for British military interventions.
After the capture of the South Georgia Islands, the British launched the Black Buck raids. Specifically, the air strikes targeted airfields such as the Stanley airport, and the air attacks were carried out by Royal Air Force. It had been hoped that the bombardment would prevent the landing of Argentine jets on the islands. The Argentine military, however, recovered quickly and rebuilt some of the critical infrastructures. The war strategy involved carrying out attacks from the sea and on air. Most of Argentina's air attacks were launched from the mainland, which had the effect of slowing down their response. An improved tactic was to use the Mirage III jets to act as decoys in bringing out the British Sea Harriers positioned at the premier Navy ship (the HMS Invincible) while their other planes continued to bombard British ships and positions.
The first major setback for the Argentines was the loss of the General Belgrano submarine in early May. It had the effect of weakening Argentina's naval power, which was forced to retreat to their bases on the mainland. They lost over three hundred men in the attack. It was swiftly followed by the sinking of Britain's HMS Sheffield. By late May, British land forces had been able to reach San Carlos on the northwest of the islands. San Carlos is commonly referred to as the Bomb Alley by the British due to the repeated bombing of its ground forces by the Argentine air force.
The ground troops mission was to proceed to Darwin and Goose Green with the ultimate prize being capturing Stanley. However, the battles preceding the landing exposed the weakness of the two nations - Britain on the sea and Argentina the lack of precise attacks on the British ships.
The Battle of Goose Green begun on the 27th of May. British ground forces flanked by the Royal Artillery Commando Battery attacked Darwin and Goose Green in a battle that lasted overnight. The British eventually won the battle. British Special Forces engaged with their counterparts on Mount Kent, which led to the eventual surrender of the Argentine Special Forces. Despite the focus having now turned on the ground battles, there were desperate attempts by the Argentine Air Force to down the Royal Navy ships with little success.
With the progressive British wins, more troops (approximately five thousand of them) were deployed to the islands, which helped in the advance to Bluff Cove and Fitzroy. A few of these troops were transported via helicopters as advance parties on the 1st of June. However, due to the heavy equipment coupled with logistical challenges, they would not have proceeded with their match. Instead, the equipment had to be transported by ships from San Carlos to Bluff Cove. It culminated in the scene of one the most fatal attacks on the British forces after an attack by the Argentine Air Force. It has been suggested that perhaps the fatal attack was as a result of the growing overconfidence of the British in their air superiority. It led to the ships setting sail unescorted.
The decisive Battle of Stanley begun on the 11th of June. The British ground forces launched a night attack on the Argentine forces supported by the Royal Navy attacking the enemy's defenses. Mount Tumbledown was the last frontier to be taken over by the British troops, which effectively meant that they had taken over the town of Stanley. On the 14th of June, the remaining Argentine garrison of about ten thousand soldiers stationed in Stanley surrendered to the commanding officer of the British forces. That occurred because they had been surrounded both by the sea and on the land. As the war came to an end, both sides had suffered heavy casualties with almost one thousand soldiers having paid the ultimate prize. Both Britain and Argentina suffered heavy casualties in the war; Britain lost close to three hundred soldiers while Argentina lost close to seven hundred soldiers. Despite Argentina conceding defeat in the war, their claim to the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands continues up to this very day.
Historical importance of the Falkland Islands
The war had far-reaching repercussions on not only the geopolitics of the world but also domestic politics of the two nations. Immediately after the war, there was a breakdown in diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Argentina, which lasted up to 1989. Although both countries resumed their diplomatic relations, the matter of ownership of the islands was never fully settled.
The defeat of Argentina led to mass protests on the streets of the main cities and towns in the country push for the fall of the military dictatorship under General Leopoldo Galtieri. The protests were successful as the dictator was deposed three days after the fall of Stanley. The victory in the Falkland Islands bolstered the popularity of the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. It led to the overwhelming re-election of Margaret Thatcher as the prime minister of the Britain in 1983.
On international politics, it affirmed the north-side divide, especially coming against the backdrop of the Cold War period. At the beginning of the war, the U.S tried to mediate in a bid to end the confrontation, fearing that Argentina would be inclined towards the Soviet Union. However, America's efforts were not successful and instead it chose to offer diplomatic and military support to the United Kingdom. Other western nations too such as France, New Zealand and West Germany supported the United Kingdom, therefore, further consolidating the closeness of the northern hemisphere nations that had been brought together under the Northern Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Norway was especially important to the United Kingdom campaign by providing intelligence on the positions of Argentine ships. Norway stole the information from the Soviet Union's satellites, which led to its being popularly referred to as the listening post.
It also strained the relationship between the United States and a majority of South American nations. It was against the backdrop of the Rio Treaty that had been entered between South American countries and the United States. The treaty mandated closer co-operation between the signatory nations. By supporting the United Kingdom at the expense of Argentina, the United States was seen as having broken the treaty. The war could have led to the resurgence of the Cold War, as there were reports that the Soviet Union provided the Argentines with the intelligence of the positions of British ships on the Atlantic Ocean. Perhaps the defeat of Argentina had the effect of preventing territorial conflicts with its neighbor Chile that would have resulted in an all-out war. The territorial conflicts were escalated by the successive military dictatorships. War with Chile would have divided the South American continent.
The Falkland Islands War also had the effect of bolstering Britain's international standing on the global scene, which had been hitherto declining especially after the Second World War. The war was also the largest symmetrical warfare since the Second World War and became a significant case study in the development of military interventions in the late 20th and 21st centuries.
Falkland Islands warzone and routes, Source: Brittanica.com. 2016
Landing ports in the Falklands, Source: Thinkdefence.co.uk
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