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During the course of May and June 1982, remote and sparsely-populated settlements in the Falkland Islands became household names in Britain.

In Falkland Sound and San Carlos Water, British ships endured wave after wave of Argentinian air attacks as they landed forces on the beachhead. On land, the name of Goose Green became forever linked with victory against the odds as the paratroopers defeated a larger Argentinian force.

Bluff Cove and Fitzroy were also destined to have an enduring association, though it would be for disaster rather than victory, when the landing ships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram were bombed on June 8.

As the campaign drew to an end and the British forces converged on Stanley, even the names of barren and windswept hilltops around the capital became famous- Mount Longdon, Two Sisters, Mount Harriet and Tumbledown. On June 14, white flags were reported to be flying over Stanley. The Argentinian forces has surrended and the war for the Falklands was over.

The British Task Force was able to use Ascension Island as a staging point before sailing onwards to the Falklands. Ascension was also the nearest dry land from which Britain could fly planes. However, it was still such a long way from the islands (3,759 miles) that aircraft could only reach them by refuelling.

While the British task force had to rely on carrier-based aircraft, the Falklands were within the range of enemy warplanes at air bases on the Argentinian mainland. More than 100 Argentinian aircraft were shot down.

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