The Falkland War

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The Falkland War
By Ryan "Fitz" Green Jon Zurinskas Andrew
Montgomery Tara Taggart
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What Are The Falklands?

• Also known as the Malvinas Islands
• Almost 300 miles from Argentine mainland
• Capital Stanley
• Two main islands
• West and East Falkland
• Hundreds of small islands
• Population 3,140

3
Background to the Falklands

• Colonial period
• Claims by Britain, Spain and France
• Post-Colonial period
• Napoleonic Wars liberated Argentina
• Argentina made claims, settlers expelled by
  British 1833

4
The Cold War

• British power on the decline
• Decolonization is gaining momentum
• However, British still believe in
  self-determination
• Population clearly in favor of staying British
  possession
• Argentine government tries coercive diplomacy
  1976
• Fails, government becomes impatient

5
The Juntas Decision

• New leaders come to forefront of the Junta
• General Leopoldo Galtieri
• Admiral Jorge Anaya
• Brigadier Basilio Lami Dozo
• Possible causes of the war
• Popular domestic unrest
• Misperceptions of motivations
• Growth of Argentine military
• Decline of British power

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The War Begins

• Argentine troops set up flag on South Georgia
• Seen as first event of Falklands war
• Argentina invades the Islands
• April 2, 1982
• Formal Declaration of War about a
• month later

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Argentina Invasion of the Falklands

• April 2nd 1982 Argentina launches an amphibious
  landing on the
• Falkland Island
• Argentine Marines quickly seized the capital of
  the Falklands, Port
• Stanley.
• The small garrison of marines were
• largely outnumbered, and forced to
• surrender to Argentine forces.
• The following day the island of South
• Georgia was invaded.
• After a brief firefight, the small
• presence of Royal marines were
• forced to surrender to Argentine forces

8
British Response

• Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered the
  assembly of naval task force to retake the
  island. In mid April Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse
  began moving south
• On April 25th British forces recaptured South
  Georgia Island after sinking a Argentine
  Submarine.
• Shortly after RAF bombers began bombing
  Argentine controlled
• airfields and radar towers.
• May 2nd, HMS Conqueror sank ARA
• Belgrano, killing 323 and capturing
• over 700 seamen
• May 4th A successful missile strike
• claimed HMS Sheffield killing 20
• crew members

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Securing a Beachhead

• May 21st British Amphibious Task group mounted
  operation Sutton, this led to the British
  securing a beachhead at Port San Carlos to
  conduct offensive operations.
• On the same day HMS Ardent
• was sunk followed by HMS
• Antelope on the 24th and HMS
• Coventry on the 25th.

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Battle of Goose Green and Mount Kent

• Early on May 27th British forces attacked Darwin
  and Goose Green which was occupied by Argentine
  Infantry forces.
• After a grueling two day battle British forces
  pushed the Argentine forces back.The result was
  961 Argentine forces were captured.
• Meanwhile British Commandos and SAS were moved
  onto Mount Kent. They met resistance from
  Argentine Commandos.
• On May 31st after waging an intense
• hit and run battle British forces
• defeated the Argentine Commandos
• at the Battle of Top Malo House.

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Bluff Cove

• June 1st 5000 British troops arrived to attack
  Port Stanley
• British ships were attacked and badly damaged by
  Argentine bombers.
• BBC television recorded
• this happening,
• which were seen around
• the world.

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The Fall of Stanley

• June 11 1982 British launch as brigade sized
  attack against high grounds surrounding Stanley.
• The battles of Mount Harriet, Two Sisters and
  Mount Longdon resulted, followed by the Battle of
  Wireless Ridge and Mount Tumbledown

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Surrender of the Falklands

• British Victory at Mount Tumbledown, last line of
  natural defense.
• Argentine forces in Stanley became worried.
• June 14th General Menendez surrendered to MG
  Jeremy Moore
• June 20th British
• retook S. Sandwich
• Islands and declared
• an end to hostilities

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Casualties of Falkland War
ArgentinesNavy - 392 (323 in ARA Belgrano, rest
most marines)Army - 179 (11 officers, 30 sc, 138
conscripts)Air Force - 55 (36 pilots)Gendarmeria
(border guard) - 7Prefectura (coast guard)
- 2Total 635 Total wounded - 1068

• BritishBritish Army - 122Royal Navy - 87Royal
  Marines - 26Merchant Navy - 9Royal Fleet
  Auxiliary - 7Falkland Islanders - 3Royal Air
  Force - 1Total 255
• Total wounded - 777

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U.S. Involvement

• U.S. Treaty Obligations
• NATO
• Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance
• Debate
• Mediation
• Secretary of State, Alexander Haig

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NATO Contributions

• Intelligence Information
• Military equipment
• U.S. Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger

18
Ascension Island

• Built by U.S. task force during World War II
• Re-opened in 1957
• Used as staging base for RAF during Falklands War

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Results

• Reagan and Weinberger both awarded Knight
  Commander of British Empire
• September 2001-Vicente Fox

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End of the War

• June 14, 1982- Commander agrees to cease fire and
  9,800 argentine troops dropped their weapons
• British Major Jeremy Moore flew into Port Stanley
  to meet with General Menendez
• Menendez is allowed to strike unconditional
  from surrender document
• His surrender would be with dignity and honor
  according to British podcasts
• General Moore does not allow him to insert the
  Argentina propaganda Las Malvinas after
  Falklands
• Document was formally signed and the war is
  over.

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War Results

• War lasted 72 days and claimed the lives of 236
  British and 655 Argentine Troops
• War cost of at least 2 billion
• 9,800 Argentine troops were made POWS and were
  repatriated to Argentina on liner Canberra
• June 25- Governor Rex Hunt returns as
  Commissioner of the Falklands at Stanley
• British Government decreed all classified
  information would be available to public in 2002.

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War Results

• War helped revive and reelect Margaret Thatcher
• 1990, she supplied the backbone to George Bush
  and urged him to take military action when Iraq
  invaded Kuwait
• Defeat severely discredited the military
  government and forced the resignation of Leopoldo
  Galtieri
• This paved the way for restoration of democracy
  in Argentina
• Elections were held in October 1983
• Falkland war is made a public holiday in Argetina
  called Dia del Veterano de Guerra y los Caidos
  en Malvinas

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Military Analysis

• Naval battle after WWII proved vulnerability of
  surface-ships to anti-ship missiles
• Reaffirmed effectiveness of aircraft in naval
  warfare and re-emphasized the importance of total
  air supremacy.
• Missiles proved lethality so ships used close-in
  weapons system (CIWS)
• UK decided to build Harrier Aircraft- can operate
  from forward bases with no runways

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Britains Tactical Errors

• All UK losses at sea were achieved by aircraft or
  missile strikes.
• Britain did not carefully prepare and units were
  stationed on different aircraft and supplies ran
  out
• Learned that even though aluminum ships do not
  burn, they melt
• Floating Flares

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Britains Tactical Errors

• British Ministry of Defense had been accused of
  failing to prepare service personnel for war and
  for care afterwards
• Ignored issue of PTSD
• More veterans have committed suicide since the
  Falkland War ended than the number of troops
  killed in action

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Argentinas Tactical errors

• Britain had spread disinformation that their
  hunter-killer subs were deployed in number and
  this failed to be true, but the Argentinians
  believed the reports
• The army did not use their troops effectively,
  majority stayed near Port Stanley

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Political Analysis

• War illustrates role of political miscalculation
  and miscommunication
• Both sides underestimated the importance of the
  Falklands to the other
• Since the UK is an integral U.S. ally and
  important part of NATO, to permit a loss would
  have been a signal to the USSR that the NATO
  alliance was militarily and politically weak.
• Victory was not over-looked by USSR and they
  increased troop levels facing the British Army
  of the Rhine

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Falkland Islands Today

• Economic prosperity and modernization through
  establishment of fisheries regime
• Offshore oil exploration, onshore mineral
  prospects are ongoing processes
• Tourism is expanding quickly, especially from
  expedition ships
• an international airport, an all-purpose jetty,
  the creation of a development corporation and
  more have all been accomplished
• Now an overseas territory of the UK and a member
  of the Commonwealth family

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Questions

• What were the causes of the Falkland Wars?
• Why did the Argentine general surrender so
  quickly?
• Did the U.S. make the correct choice in
  supporting the U.K.?