The Falklands War: Ten Weeks in the South Atlantic

In April 1982, Britain and Argentina went to war over a group of remote islands in the South Atlantic. The Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Islas Malvinas, were thousands of kilometres from Britain and only a few hundred kilometres from the Argentine mainland.

The conflict lasted just ten weeks, but it involved amphibious operations, submarine warfare, carrier aviation, air-to-air combat, anti-ship missile attacks, special forces operations and some of the fiercest infantry fighting Britain had experienced since the Korean War.

The war was also unusual because Britain had to project military power approximately 8,000 miles (13,000 km) from home against an enemy that was fighting close to its own mainland. Argentina possessed numerical advantages in several categories, particularly ground troops and aircraft, yet Britain ultimately defeated the Argentine forces and regained control of the islands.

The Falklands War is therefore an excellent case study in the importance of logistics, naval power, air superiority, training, leadership and the ability to sustain a military campaign at extreme distance.

Why Were Britain and Argentina Fighting?

The dispute over the Falklands was much older than the 1982 war.

Britain had occupied the islands since 1833, although Argentina had maintained a claim to sovereignty over them. Argentina considered the islands part of its national territory and called them the Malvinas.

Britain, meanwhile, regarded the Falklands as a British Overseas Territory. Most islanders were of British descent and wanted to remain under British sovereignty.

For decades, the two governments negotiated without reaching an agreement.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, however, Argentina was experiencing serious economic and political problems.

The country was ruled by a military junta headed by Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri. The government faced declining popularity, economic difficulties and growing opposition.

The Falklands issue was deeply emotional in Argentina.

Recovering the islands could potentially rally public support around the government.

That calculation proved disastrously wrong.

The Argentine Invasion

On 2 April 1982, Argentine forces invaded the Falkland Islands.

The British garrison was tiny. The Royal Marines stationed on the islands were heavily outnumbered, and the British government in London had no large military force immediately available in the South Atlantic.

The Argentine forces quickly occupied the islands.

The following day, Argentina also occupied South Georgia, another British territory in the South Atlantic.

Argentina expected Britain to accept the occupation or negotiate from a position of weakness.

Instead, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's government decided that the islands would be retaken by force.

The British government assembled a task force and sent it south.

The National Army Museum notes that the British task force consisted of approximately 100 ships and carried a reinforced 3 Commando Brigade, while additional forces were subsequently sent south.

Britain was now attempting something extraordinarily difficult:

to fight a war on the other side of the world against an enemy defending territory close to its own homeland.

The Forces Involved

The numbers are complicated because neither side committed its entire armed forces.

Britain

Britain's armed forces in 1982 were vastly larger than the force actually sent to the Falklands.

The British Army had approximately 160,000 regular personnel, but much of the army was committed to NATO's confrontation with the Soviet Union in Europe. Around 55,000 soldiers were stationed in West Germany, while another 11,000 were serving in Northern Ireland.

For the Falklands campaign, Britain assembled a joint expeditionary force including:

• Royal Navy
• Royal Marines
• British Army
• Royal Air Force
• Fleet Air Arm
• Special Air Service
• Special Boat Service
• Support ships and merchant vessels

The initial land force was centered on 3 Commando Brigade, including Royal Marines and the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the Parachute Regiment.

A second brigade, 5 Infantry Brigade, was subsequently sent south. It included the 2nd Scots Guards, 1st Welsh Guards and 1st Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles.

In total, Britain eventually deployed roughly 28,000 personnel in the wider task force and support organization.

The Royal Navy provided the essential means of getting them there.

Argentina

Argentina had a much larger military establishment.

The Argentine armed forces numbered well over 100,000 personnel, although only a portion were deployed to the islands.

Approximately 12,000 Argentine troops were ultimately present in the Falklands at the time of the final British offensive, although exact numbers vary depending on whether support personnel and reinforcements are included.

The Argentine force consisted primarily of:

• Army infantry
• Marine infantry
• Artillery
• Engineers
• Air force units
• Naval aviation
• Coast defence units
• Special forces

Many of the Argentine soldiers were young conscripts.

This became an important distinction between the two armies.

Britain's combat units contained large numbers of professional soldiers and highly trained Royal Marines and Paras. Argentina's forces included experienced officers and some elite units, but many ordinary soldiers were conscripts with limited training and combat experience.

The First British Operation: South Georgia

Before attempting to retake the Falklands, Britain launched an operation against South Georgia.

On 25 April, British forces attacked the Argentine garrison.

The Argentine troops surrendered.

The operation was militarily small, but politically important.

Britain had demonstrated that it was willing and able to retake territory.

It also provided the British public with its first significant victory of the war.

The main challenge, however, remained the Falklands.

The Naval War

The Falklands War was fundamentally a naval war as well as a land campaign.

Britain had to move thousands of soldiers, vehicles, ammunition, aircraft and supplies thousands of miles across the Atlantic.

The Royal Navy's aircraft carriers were particularly important.

Britain's two principal carriers were:

• HMS Hermes
• HMS Invincible

They operated Sea Harriers, which provided Britain's primary fighter defence.

The Royal Navy also deployed destroyers, frigates, submarines, amphibious vessels and support ships.

The British fleet created a maritime exclusion zone around the islands.

The Argentine navy was therefore placed in a difficult position.

The Sinking of the General Belgrano

One of the most controversial events of the war occurred on 2 May 1982.

The British nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror torpedoed the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano.

The cruiser sank, killing 323 Argentine personnel.

The attack remains controversial because the Belgrano was outside the British exclusion zone when it was sunk.

Britain argued that the ship posed a threat to the task force and that the rules of engagement allowed the attack.

The sinking had a major effect on the naval war.

After the Belgrano was sunk, the Argentine surface fleet largely withdrew to port.

That left the British with much greater freedom of action at sea.

The Royal Navy had established one of the most important conditions for victory:

control of the sea around the islands.

The Argentine Air Force

Argentina's greatest military advantage was its air power.

Argentina had modern aircraft including:

• Dassault-Breguet Super Étendards
• A-4 Skyhawks
• Mirage III fighters
• IAI Daggers
• Canberra bombers
• Pucará ground-attack aircraft

The most dangerous combination was the Super Étendard and Exocet missile.

On 4 May, an Argentine Super Étendard launched an Exocet missile that struck the British destroyer HMS Sheffield.

The ship was lost, with 20 British personnel killed.

The attack demonstrated how dangerous modern anti-ship missiles could be.

Argentina subsequently achieved several other successes against British ships.

The Atlantic Conveyor

One of the most damaging Argentine attacks occurred on 25 May.

Two Exocets struck the British merchant ship Atlantic Conveyor.

The ship was carrying helicopters and equipment essential to the British land campaign.

Twelve people were killed, and numerous helicopters were destroyed or lost with the ship.

This was a serious logistical disaster.

The British had lost much of their heavy helicopter lift.

The army would now have to move across East Falkland largely on foot.

This greatly increased the physical burden on British troops.

Why Didn't Argentina Win the Air War?

Argentina had more combat aircraft than Britain.

But Britain had several important advantages.

Sea Harriers

The British Sea Harrier was an extremely capable fighter.

Its ability to operate from aircraft carriers and use vertical or short takeoff and landing made it particularly valuable.

The Sea Harriers provided air defence for the fleet and established a significant degree of air superiority.

Airborne Early Warning

Britain had relatively limited airborne early-warning capability, but its naval radar network, Sea Harriers and ship-based systems helped defend the fleet.

Argentine Distance

The Argentine aircraft had to fly from bases on the mainland.

This created severe limitations.

The aircraft had to fly long distances to reach the Falklands and then had limited time over the target.

British fighters, by contrast, operated from carriers much closer to the combat zone.

Bombing Problems

Argentine aircraft frequently succeeded in reaching British ships.

But many Argentine bombs failed to explode because of problems with fuzing at low release altitudes.

This was particularly frustrating for Argentina because several British ships were hit but survived.

The Argentine air force nevertheless performed remarkably well.

The British task force suffered serious losses because Argentine pilots repeatedly attacked ships at extremely low altitude.

The British Landing at San Carlos

The decisive phase of the war began on 21 May.

British forces landed at San Carlos Water on East Falkland.

The location was carefully chosen because its geography provided some protection from Argentine naval forces.

The British established a beachhead.

But the landing immediately attracted Argentine air attacks.

The Royal Navy suffered significant losses and damage during the attacks.

Nevertheless, the British managed to establish the beachhead.

The National Army Museum describes San Carlos as the point where the main British ground force was successfully landed and consolidated.

The war had now moved from the sea to the land.

The Battle of Goose Green

The first major land battle was Goose Green.

The Argentine garrison there included roughly 1,000 troops.

The British sent 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment, commonly known as 2 Para, to attack.

The battle began during the early hours of 28 May.

The Paras encountered unexpectedly strong Argentine resistance.

The terrain was open, offering little cover.

Argentine troops possessed machine guns, mortars and artillery.

The British attack initially stalled.

Lieutenant Colonel Herbert "H" Jones, commanding 2 Para, personally led an assault against an Argentine position and was killed.

He was later awarded the Victoria Cross.

The fighting continued for more than a day.

The Argentine garrison eventually surrendered.

The British lost 18 killed and more than 60 wounded.

Goose Green was important because it demonstrated that the Argentine army could fight effectively.

The British could not simply assume that their professional troops would overwhelm the Argentines.

They would need careful planning, artillery support and concentrated attacks.

The March Across East Falkland

After Goose Green, the British advanced toward Stanley.

This presented an extraordinary logistical problem.

There were few roads.

Much of the terrain consisted of rough, wet ground.

The weather was cold and increasingly hostile as the southern winter approached.

Because the British had lost much of their helicopter lift aboard Atlantic Conveyor, thousands of troops had to march.

British soldiers carried heavy loads across difficult terrain.

Some units marched for days.

The Falklands therefore became an infantryman's war.

The Battle for the Mountains

The Argentine forces had established defensive positions around Stanley.

The key positions were a series of hills and mountains overlooking the capital.

British forces attacked these positions during the nights of 11–12 June and 13–14 June.

The major battles included:

• Mount Longdon
• Mount Harriet
• Two Sisters
• Mount Tumbledown
• Wireless Ridge
• Mount William

These battles were often fought at close range.

Argentine troops occupied well-prepared defensive positions.

British infantry advanced at night under machine-gun, mortar and artillery fire.

Naval gunfire and artillery were crucial.

The British had learned from Goose Green that infantry attacks needed extensive fire support.

Mount Longdon

The battle for Mount Longdon was one of the fiercest engagements of the war.

3 Para attacked during the night of 11–12 June.

The Argentines were strongly entrenched.

The British encountered machine guns, mines and intense resistance.

Sergeant Ian McKay led a critical assault against an Argentine machine-gun position and was killed. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.

3 Para suffered 23 killed, the largest British battalion-level loss in a single battle of the campaign.

Approximately 50 Argentine soldiers were killed and another 50 captured.

Mount Tumbledown

The 2nd Scots Guards attacked Mount Tumbledown on the night of 13–14 June.

This was the key Argentine defensive position protecting Stanley.

The battle was fought in darkness, cold and strong winds.

The Argentine defenders fought hard.

The Scots Guards eventually captured the mountain, losing nine killed and 43 wounded.

The fall of Tumbledown meant that the Argentine defensive position around Stanley was collapsing.

Wireless Ridge

At the same time, 2 Para attacked Wireless Ridge.

This battle benefited from substantially greater fire support than Goose Green.

British artillery, naval gunfire, mortars and light armoured vehicles were employed.

The British captured the ridge at relatively low cost, losing three killed and 11 wounded.

The National Army Museum estimates that around 100 Argentine soldiers were killed and 17 captured during the battle.

The Argentine defensive line was now broken.

The Fall of Stanley

By 14 June, British forces had captured the key heights surrounding Stanley.

Argentine commander General Mario Menéndez recognized that his position was untenable.

He surrendered the Argentine forces on the islands.

British troops entered Stanley on 15 June.

The war was effectively over.

Argentina had failed to achieve its objective.

Britain had restored its control of the Falkland Islands.

Casualties

The war was relatively short but surprisingly bloody.

The generally accepted figures are:

Category	Britain	Argentina
Military dead	255	649
Civilian dead	3 Falkland Islanders	—
Major naval losses	Several ships and support vessels	Cruiser General Belgrano and other vessels
Aircraft lost	Approximately 34	Approximately 75–80

The Imperial War Museums records 255 British service personnel, 649 Argentine personnel and three Falkland Islanders killed during the conflict.

The Argentine death toll was more than twice the British military death toll.

However, casualties tell only part of the story.

Britain suffered particularly painful losses at sea, while Argentina suffered most of its losses during the campaign to defend the islands.

Why Did Britain Win?

The British victory was not inevitable.

Argentina possessed significant numerical advantages.

Britain had to operate thousands of miles from home.

The weather was terrible.

The British lost ships and helicopters.

Argentine aircraft repeatedly penetrated British defences.

Nevertheless, several factors favoured Britain.

1. Professional Troops

Many British combat troops were highly trained professionals.

Royal Marines, Paras, Gurkhas and other units possessed extensive field training.

The Argentine army contained excellent units, but a large proportion of the troops were inexperienced conscripts.

2. Naval Power

The Royal Navy allowed Britain to move and sustain a major force across the Atlantic.

Without the navy, Britain could not have fought the war.

3. Sea Control

After the General Belgrano was sunk, the Argentine navy largely withdrew.

Britain could therefore concentrate on supporting the land campaign.

4. Sea Harriers

The Sea Harriers provided critical air defence.

They prevented Argentina from establishing control of the air over the islands.

5. Logistics

British logistics were extraordinary.

The task force had to maintain a military operation approximately 8,000 miles from Britain.

The National Army Museum emphasizes the enormous geographical and logistical difficulties confronting the British force.

6. Leadership

British commanders adapted during the campaign.

After Goose Green, greater attention was given to artillery, naval gunfire and coordinated attacks.

The final battles around Stanley demonstrated much more sophisticated fire support than the early land battles.

7. Argentine Strategic Errors

Argentina's greatest mistake was arguably assuming that Britain would not fight.

The invasion was based on the expectation that Britain would eventually accept the occupation or negotiate.

Instead, the invasion created a political crisis in Britain that made military action more likely.

What Did the Falklands War Teach Militaries?

The Falklands War became an important military case study.

Naval Aviation Matters

Aircraft carriers proved enormously valuable.

Britain's ability to operate fighters from carriers thousands of miles from home was essential.

Anti-Ship Missiles Were Extremely Dangerous

The Exocet demonstrated that relatively small aircraft carrying modern anti-ship missiles could inflict serious damage on major warships.

Logistics Can Determine Victory

The war demonstrated the enormous difficulty of sustaining an expeditionary operation over extreme distances.

Britain's ability to organize shipping, supply, fuel, ammunition and transportation was one of the campaign's great achievements.

Infantry Still Mattered

Despite the importance of aircraft, ships and missiles, the war ultimately had to be decided by infantry taking hills and ground.

The final battles were classic infantry engagements involving machine guns, mortars, artillery and close combat.

Training Matters

The experience reinforced the value of highly trained professional troops.

The British forces were not invulnerable, but their training and experience allowed them to adapt quickly.

Air Superiority Is Essential

Argentina's air force inflicted heavy damage on British ships, but it could not achieve air superiority.

That limitation ultimately prevented Argentina from stopping the British ground campaign.

The Political Consequences

The war transformed politics in both countries.

For Margaret Thatcher, victory produced a major political boost.

Her government had been facing serious economic and political difficulties. The successful liberation of the Falklands transformed her political position and contributed to the Conservative victory in the 1983 general election.

For Argentina, the result was catastrophic for the military junta.

The defeat destroyed much of the government's legitimacy.

Galtieri resigned.

Argentina subsequently returned to civilian democratic government in 1983.

The war therefore contributed to a major political transformation in Argentina.

The Falklands Today

The sovereignty dispute did not end with the war.

Argentina continues to claim the Falkland Islands, which it calls the Malvinas.

Britain continues to administer the islands, and the islanders overwhelmingly support remaining under British sovereignty.

The 1982 war therefore settled the immediate military question but not the underlying diplomatic dispute.

The Falklands remain a sensitive issue in British and Argentine politics.

Conclusion

The Falklands War lasted only ten weeks, but it was one of the most remarkable military campaigns of the late twentieth century.

It began with an Argentine attempt to seize disputed territory and ended with Britain sending a major expeditionary force halfway around the world to recover it.

The war was fought in several dimensions.

At sea, submarines and anti-ship missiles proved decisive.

In the air, Argentine pilots demonstrated extraordinary courage and inflicted serious losses on the British fleet.

On land, professional British infantry fought hard battles against entrenched Argentine defenders.

The British victory was not simply the result of superior numbers or technology. Britain was actually disadvantaged in several important respects.

Its victory depended on a combination of professional soldiers, naval power, air defence, logistics, leadership and the ability to adapt.

The campaign also demonstrated a fundamental principle of warfare:

winning the first battle is not the same as winning the war.

Argentina successfully captured the Falklands on 2 April.

But Britain possessed the political will and military capability to reverse that achievement.

Ten weeks later, Argentine forces were surrendering in Stanley.

The Falklands War remains a remarkable example of modern expeditionary warfare—and a reminder that even in an age of aircraft, missiles and nuclear weapons, wars can ultimately come down to soldiers fighting for a hill in the darkness.