April 5, 1982 – A fleet of 93 ships sets out from Britain to recapture the Falklands Islands from Argentina
On April 5, 1982, a fleet of 93 ships, led by two aircraftcarriers, set out from Britainfor the South Atlantic Ocean. On April 9 and May 12, two requisitionedcommercial vessels also set sail, carrying the 15,000 British troops that wouldcomprise the ground forces for the land invasion. The British plan was to gain air and navalsuperiority before carrying out a land attack on the islands.
(Taken from Falklands War – Wars of the 20th Century – Volume 3)
Background Inearly 1982, Argentina’sruling military junta, led by General Leopoldo Galtieri, was facing a crisis ofconfidence. Government corruption, humanrights violations, and an economic recession had turned initial public supportfor the country’s military regime into widespread opposition. The pro-U.S. junta had come to power througha coup in 1976, and had crushed a leftist insurgency in the “Dirty War” byusing conventional warfare, as well as “dirty” methods, including summaryexecutions and forced disappearances. Asreports of military atrocities became known, the international communityexerted pressure on General Galtieri to implement reforms.
In its desire to regain the Argentinean people’s moralsupport and to continue in power, the military government conceived of a planto invade the Falkland Islands, a Britishterritory located about 700 kilometers east of the Argentine mainland. Argentinahad a long-standing historical claim to the Falklands,which generated nationalistic sentiment among Argentineans. The Argentine government was determined toexploit that sentiment. Furthermore,after weighing its chances for success, the junta concluded that the Britishgovernment would not likely take action to protect the Falklands, as theislands were small, barren, and too distant, being located three-quarters downthe globe from Britain.
The Argentineans’ reasoning was not without merit. Britainunder current Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was experiencing an economicrecession, and in 1981, had made military cutbacks that would have seen thewithdrawal from the Falklands of the HMS Endurance, an ice patrol vessel andthe British Navy’s only permanent ship in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, Britain had not resisted when in 1976,Argentinean forces occupied the uninhabited Southern Thule, a group of smallislands that forms a part of the British-owned South Sandwich Archipelago,located 1,500 kilometers east of the Falkland Islands.
In the sixteenth century, the Falkland Islands first came to European attention when they were signed byPortuguese ships. For three and a halfcenturies thereafter, the islands became settled and controlled at varioustimes by France, Spain, Britain,the United States, and Argentina. In 1833, Britaingained uninterrupted control of the islands, establishing a permanent presencethere with settlers coming mainly from Walesand Scotland.
In 1816, Argentinagained its independence and, advancing its claim to being the successor stateof the former Spanish Argentinean colony that had included “Islas Malvinas” (Argentina’s name for the Falkland Islands), theArgentinean government declared that the islands were part of Argentina’s territory. Argentinaalso challenged Britain’saccount of the events of 1833, stating that the British Navy gained control ofthe islands by expelling the Argentinean civilian authority and residentsalready present in the Falklands. Over time, Argentineans perceived the Britishcontrol of the Falklands as a misplacedvestige of the colonial past, producing successive generations of Argentineansinstilled with anti-imperialist sentiments. For much of the twentieth century, however, Britainand Argentina maintained anormal, even a healthy, relationship, although the Falklandsissue remained a thorn on both sides.
After World War II, Britain pursued a policy of decolonization thatsaw it end colonial rule in its vast territories in Asia and Africa,and the emergence of many new countries in their places. With regards to the Falklands, under UnitedNations (UN) encouragement, Britainand Argentinamet a number of times to decide the future of the islands. Nothing substantial emerged on the issue ofsovereignty, but the two sides agreed on a number of commercial ventures,including establishing air and sea links between the islands and theArgentinean mainland, and for Argentinean power firms to supply energy to theislands. Subsequently, Falklanders(Falkland residents) made it known to Britain that they wished to remainunder British rule. As a result, Britain reversed its policy of decolonization inthe Falklands and promised to respect thewishes of the Falklanders.
