| ARA General Belgrano sinking |
The Falkland war
Part 3:Brutality
Welcome to the 3rd Falkland war episode! Sadly there will have to be a 4th or even 5th episode to come. Enjoy it while it lasts!
Fighting a war over 8000 miles away from home was no easy challenge. Thatcher set up a task force of over 100 ships to sail to the Falklands, including civilian cruise and container ships like the SS Canberra. The fleet arrived at the islands in May, which meant that Argentina had time to entrench themselves and set up defences.
The first task for the British was to take control of the seas, which they did easily. On the 2nd May, the ARA General Belgrano was sunk by a British submarine but it was controversial as it occurred outside of the exclusion zone. It was also the largest loss of life in a single incident during the war, with 323 of the ship's crew being killed. From then on, the Argentinian navy withdrew from the war.
San Carlos was chosen by Britain to be the best place to dock ships and deploy soldiers. The landings began on 21st May while Argentinian aircraft bombed the many ships. However, a beachhead was formed, which means that the landings were successful and with no lives lost in the process. The well experienced land troops made their way out of San Carlos and towards Port Stanley - the capital - and towards Goose Green. In many battles, a clear trend emerged: the Argentine conscripts put up a good fight and with the rough, muddy, rocky land, it was by no means easy for the Brits. Still however, Britain had specially trained and highly skilled Royal Marines and S.A.S troops, who conquered the land at rapid speeds. Argentina often found that they outnumbered the British troops but would still fail to defeat them with Britain coming clean with minimal casualties. Tensions are rising! Do you know what happens next? Come back a 4th time tomorrow to find out!
#onesockdays
This bit I remember happening. I listened to the reports on the radio. Very interesting. Thank you.
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