Decisive victories determined war’s course

The Prussian military strategist Karl von Clausewitz once famously observed that war was the continuation of politics by other means.

At the end of April 1982, after the failure of frantic efforts to solve the Falklands crisis by diplomacy, Britain turned to military might to seize back the South Atlantic islands from Argentina.

Many people in Britain believed the crisis would never come to war and that even if it did the Argentinian forces would be easily overwhelmed.

The first military engagement - to retake the dependency of South Georgia - did nothing to dispel this misunderstanding of the reality of war.

On April 25, British forces took the island, which was defended by a small Argentinian force.

In the process helicopters from HMS Antrim, Brilliant and Endurance attacked and crippled an Argentinian submarine, Santa Fe, which had arrived to land reinforcements.

What was less well-known, as prime minister Margaret Thatcher told the media in Downing Street `rejoice, rejoice', was that the operation had started in disaster.

A few days earlier two helicopters crashed trying to evacuate special forces who had been put ashore to survey Argentinian positions but had found the weather conditions so intolerable that the mission was abandoned.

A second attempt to gather information led to two inflatable boats having to be rescued after they were swept out to sea, although on this occasion three boats managed to land without detection.

It was an early illustration of the unpredictability and potential for disaster of military operations, however well planned.

But the view that the Argentinian forces would be annihilated by Britain was reinforced by a series of early successes in the Falklands themselves.

Airfields on the islands were attacked by British aircraft and by naval gunfire, while in dogfights the Sea Harrier warplanes with the task force, of which there were worryingly few, won decisive victories.

As these actions took place the Argentinian navy, believing them to be the beginning of a British landing, advanced towards the task force.

Worried by this threat, the British commanders sought political approval to attack one of the Argentinian ships, the General Belgrano, which was being trailed by the submarine HMS Conqueror.

Believing the ship was still closing, ministers gave the go-ahead. But the Belgrano had by now changed course, a fact the Conqueror was signalling when she received approval to attack.

On May 2, the Belgrano was torpedoed and sank with the loss of 321 lives while she was outside of and heading away from the 200-mile total exclusion zone declared around the Falklands by Britain.

In terms of lives it was the most costly single engagement of the war and was a source of controversy for long afterwards, even though it did deter the Argentinian navy from venturing out of coastal waters again.

Not helped by headlines such as The Sun's notorious `Gotcha', Britain was now in danger of being perceived as the playground bully.

But that perception was dramatically altered and the reality of war brought home to the British public two days later.

HMS Sheffield, one of three Type 42 destroyers in a picket line protecting the British carrier group as it resumed air attacks on Stanley airport, was hit amidships by an Exocet missile.

Shortly afterwards, Captain James `Sam' Salt, the ship's commanding officer, recalled: `It was my decision (to abandon ship) and I feel awful about it. But there was no alternative.

`We could feel the heat of the deck through our shoes, the superstructure was steaming. Paint on the ship's side was peeling off. The area where the missile penetrated the hull was white hot.'

Sixteen of the 20 killed came from south east Hampshire. Particularly badly hit was the village of Stubbington, near Fareham, which lost four men.

The conflict now began to move into a new phase as the task force prepared to land troops on the islands.

Particularly worrying for the task force commanders was the knowledge that the Argentinian air force, which had avoided confrontations with the Sea Harriers after early losses, was virtually intact.

They chose to launch the landings at San Carlos on the west coast of East Falkland because it was lightly defended and the natural geography minimised the risk from air attacks.

Landings began in the early hours of the morning of May 21. By the time the Argentinian forces realised what was going on, 4,000 men were ashore.

British soldiers marching into Stanley

Over the next few days a furious battle was fought out between the Royal Navy and wave after wave of Argentinian warplanes as more troops, supplies and equipment were landed at San Carlos.

The British defence was in four layers: Sea Harrier combat patrols; ships known as the `missile trap' off the northern entrance of Falkland Sound; a `gunline' of ships in the sound and defences in the anchorage itself.

The anchorage area became known, fittingly, as `bomb alley'. HMS Ardent was sunk and HMS Argonaut and Brilliant badly damaged. Other ships were saved because of defective Argentinian bomb fuses, though one did later go off, destroying HMS Antelope, as attempts were made to defuse it.

The Argentinian air force also suffered terrible losses. Between May 21 and 24, more than 40 Argentinian planes were shot down, many of them falling victim to Sea Harriers which had asserted air supremacy.

On May 25, Argentina's national day, another air attack was launched. HMS Coventry was hit by three bombs and sank with the loss of 19 men.

On the same day two Super Etendards were launched to search for the British carriers 100 miles north-east of Stanley. Their Exocet attack was deflected but one missile locked on to the merchant vessel Atlantic Conveyor.

The ship was hit with the loss of 12 lives and an important cargo of helicopters which greatly reduced the British forces ability to move men and equipment around the islands.

Attention now switched to the land campaign where, after days of British losses at sea, there was political pressure for a success.

On May 28, the 600 men of 2 Para, under the command of Colonel `H' Jones, launched an attack on Argentinian forces which, it turned out, numbered more than 1,000, at the settlements of Darwin and Goose Green.

It was a grim battle in which the British forces initially suffered from a lack of air cover because the Sea Harriers were unable to leave their carriers in a sea mist.

At one point, in an attempt to relieve pressure on his men, Col Jones led an attack on an enemy trench and was killed by fire from another trench. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

Despite the problems, the Paras slowly broke down Argentinian resistance. Harriers were at last able to provide air support and devastatingly attacked Argentinian artillery positions.

On May 29, the Argentinian forces at Goose Green finally surrendered. As this battle was being fought, the advance on Stanley itself was underway, with 45 Commando, Royal Marines, and 3 Para, yomping 50 miles across the islands over difficult terrain and in harsh conditions.

On June 1, some 3,000 reinforcements of 5 Infantry Brigade, which had travelled south on the QE2, landed at San Carlos. The aim was to move them to Fitzroy, south west of Stanley, to help encircle Argentinian forces.

As options for securing the area were considered, 2 Para took matters into its own hands by telephoning a resident at Fitzroy who told them the few Argentinians there had departed.

Seizing the opportunity, they flew to Fitzroy and Bluff Cove by Chinook helicopter so saving themselves a long march.

But, given the shortage of helicopters, the rest of the troops had to be moved by sea and over the next few nights ships transported them from San Carlos, concluding with the Welsh Guards.

On June 8, the landing ship Sir Galahad, with the Welsh Guards on board, was at Fitzroy with sister vessel Sir Tristram.

In what was to become one of the greatest disasters to hit the British forces during the conflict, there were then delays in disembarking the troops.

The two ships were caught in daylight by Argentinian aircraft and bombed. Fifty men were killed and 57 injured.

Now the final phase of the war began against the remaining Argentinian forces in the Stanley area, numbering some 9,000.

On the night of June 11/12 three key areas of high ground were seized; 3 Para took Mount Longdon, 45 Cdo Two Sisters and 42 Cdo Mount Harriet, with the loss of 50 Argentinian and 25 British lives.

The same night HMS Glamorgan was withdrawing from a shore bombardment when she was hit by a shore-launched Exocet missile. Thirteen men died but the ship was not lost.

On June 13, the final assault took place. The Scots Guards took Mount Tumbledown, which was heavily defended by an Argentinian marine battalion and 2 Para overwhelmed Argentinian forces on Wireless Ridge.

At Mount William, the Gurkhas advanced in a daytime attack - it was felt the enemy would be unnerved by seeing these troops because of their ferocious reputation - and the Argentinian forces retreated.

With British troops on the outskirts of Stanley it was clear to the Argentinian commanders that the war was lost.

On June 14, just ten weeks after the Argentinian flag had been raised on the Falklands, the Argentinian commander General Menendez, surrendered.

Memories
Main Menu