Falklands

[MDRZulu 0]

Because I am lazy and dont want to go look up an article can someone tell me basically what/when/where/how happened. I know almost nothing about it. My history teacher didnt bother even speaking of it once but maybe it is that way in all US schools. Anyway start off with the brief non-biased crap first please, just the facts.

[ralphwiggum 6]

well, it's not a completely non-biased stuff, but here's a BBC news special

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2002/falklands/

simply.:

1.argentina invade las malvinas/falklands

2.uk retaliates

3.uk wins

[MDRZulu 0]

That helped alot but why did Argentina want stupid little islands?

[ralphwiggum 6]

distract attention from then regime. to avoid getting politically defeated, they needed to turn ppl's attention.

[Col. Kurtz 0]

Because the Falklands are 80 clicks away from Argentinia, so they claim that the Islands are theirs, and since the British wont give them up(one of the last parts of their empire )the Argentinians decided to invade and hope the English would let them have it.

[Badgerboy 0]

So we sailed down the Atlantic and took it back.

Rule Britannia!

[DarkLight 0]

Hmmm, is it a famous battle? I've heared the name before but i never knew what it exactly was....

[Badgerboy 0]

I would have thought it was mentioned some time in school. It was quite a intense war. It wasn't so much as a battle, more of a conflict. The fighting went on for a couple of months untill the Argentinians surrendered to British forces. (From start to finish)

[KingBeast 0]

A long time ago the Islands were Argentinian, and being British we decided we wanted them. So now British people live on the Islands, as British as me or any of the other British members. The Argentinians decided to take them, it was a cause that would bring the nation together as most Argentinians feel the Falklands are theirs.

So we sent out the task force, which also brought the nation together (great for maggies popularity)

Whats Ironic is,talks were supposed to begin on giving the islands back not so long before the Argentinians invaded. Now its not going to happen at least for a long long time, and a proper Garrison is kept on the Islands instead of a handful of Marines like when they were invaded.

The British Navy took a beating, due to the Argentinians using French boguht Exocet missiles which could not or at least were very hard to be defeated with the technology of the times. Harriers were one of the savings graces of the war, they shot down the argentinian planes and attacked ground targets and such. Not one of the Harriers was shot down by the Argentinian airforce, but some did take ground fire and some were accidentally lost etc.

The majority of the fighting was done by ground infantry, with only a couple of APC type vehicles being used, and only being used moderately.

SAS also had one of their largets losses, when a helicopter crashed with I think 10 of them were aboard.

[killagee 0]

Both the Argentnian Leader and Margret Thatcher (british PM) used the issue to distract attention from people at home. also there is oil in the falklands, but too deep to drill currently. The falklands war saved Thatchers election. A good book to check out is The battle for the falklands, which is great. The battle taught both sides, and the world alot about expiditionary forces, and show sthe value of well trained volunteer forces over masses of convicts. Basically, without tanker support, and the loss of South Georgia and other islands, the argentinians were unable to offer effective air support. Virgin Combat for Harrier fighter. England lost many ships to low level bombardment and anti-ship missiles. Argentinians lost Cruiser to a submarine, and a submarine to a british helicopter. THe special forces, marine and Para stories are well dociumented, but the argentinian side is not.

[Badgerboy 0]

Kingbeast, a lot of the losses taken by the RN were from Skyhawks and Daggers with Mk82 Snakeyes. Some of the worst losses were in San Carlos Water supporting the landings.

Through Fire and Water

Click above to get the book about HMS Ardent. My Ex GF's father was the flight commander on the ship. He was killed by a 500lb bomb whilst defending the ship with a light MG after the SAM system got taken out. Its a good read and brings over the facts and the emotion of the war.

[KingBeast 0]

I think you mean conscripts killagee? Thoguh convicts is pretty appropriate too

My favourite falklands picture...

The captured Royal Marines. Looking angry and twiddling their thumbs. And err their middle fingers

[KingBeast 0]

Badgerboy, I also read that the Argentinians forgot to arm a load of their munitions, so that they were just basically dropping chunks of metal onto the decks of the ships. Lucky us, in that respect. You are correct though. Sorry about your Ex's father

Another thing that is quite sad is reading about the Welsh Guards. They were all loaded up on a transport, and it was just sitting there hundreds of them on board when the argies attacked it. Lots of horrible burns from that one.

[Badgerboy 0]

Yes, they were forgetting to fuse their bombs. And then the BBC world service decided to mention it!

Dozy buggers. The next day the bombs started exploding....

This is why the military doesn't like the media around.

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Badgerboy @ Aug. 26 2002,12:14)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Yes, they were forgetting to fuse their bombs. And then the BBC world service decided to mention it!

Dozy buggers. The next day the bombs started exploding....

This is why the military doesn't like the media around.<span id='postcolor'>

Didn't the BBC also announce the invasion of San Carlos Bay?

[Badgerboy 0]

Yes, even before the Argies realised that they were landing! I would have throttled that reporter!

[ran 0]

at least now , we know that our exocets works .....

[Badgerboy 0]

Actually the one that hit the Sheffield failed to explode. Bad luck and structural damage affected the ship.

Personally I wouldn't think that was the best comment to make. Dozens of people died thanks to your missiles.

[ran 0]

but it was the first operationnal engagement of the exocet

same goes about your coments about the harriers , they're responsible of the death of hundred of argies

[Ex-RoNiN 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Badgerboy @ Aug. 26 2002,17:12)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Actually the one that hit the Sheffield failed to explode. Bad luck and structural damage affected the ship.

Personally I wouldn't think that was the best comment to make. Dozens of people died thanks to your missiles.<span id='postcolor'>

Actually I'm quite sure it exploded...or Sheffield was hit by 2 missiles.

I remember seeing a video from the Falklands where a Destroyer was hit by a missile...and I think it was the Sheffield

[ralphwiggum 6]

ran, badgerboy... cool down

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

Anyone knows the stats

when?

How long?

How many?

How many KIA?

What conditions of surrender?

[ran 0]

i know that the argies lost around 4000 men

[Badgerboy 0]

Ex-Ronin, the explosion you saw was the fuel igniting. The actual warhead failed to go off.

[Badgerboy 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Without the heavy helicopters the British troops were forced to march to take their first major objective - Goose Green.

The Second Parachute Regiment took the settlement, against overwhelmingly superior numbers of defenders.

Their bravery was exemplified by their leader, Colonel H Jones. He was killed, attacking an Argentine machine gun nest which had pinned down his men.

The settlement of just more than a 100 people was liberated on 28 May. Nearly a 150 Argentine soldiers were killed in the assault, and 18 British troops also died in the fighting.

With Goose Green taken British forces could begin their preparations to take the final prize, the Falklands' capital Port Stanley.

<span id='postcolor'>

With engagements like that its not a surprise we won convincingly. The Para's had to march the entire island in full kit.

See  this page for more info on this battle.