Brilliantlight
Banned
DMA said:
So give it some big government contracts. Overpay somewhat for Chaboram armor and the ilk.
Falklands: Argentina mauls the UK task force...
- Thread starter Thundertaker
- Start date
So give it some big government contracts. Overpay somewhat for Chaboram armor and the ilk.
Brilliantlight said:
It'll need to be a hell of a lot of contracts. And well over paid. Somehow I think the Congressional Committee on such & such may not like the idea of overpaying Britain for whatever.
But, anyway, sure the USA can help Britain out economically speaking, but they could have during the OTL yet didn't.
Cockroach said:
Even so why resort to such extreme measures over such an unimportant group of islands. Besides what would the U.S. response be? I don't think it would be positive.
I can see the americans being really pleased at that, fighting and dying to return British imperial possesions to the rule of her Britannic majesty...... 
From what a Harrier pilot said in one documentry, the Argentine pilots were badly briefed. They were told to avoid engaging the harriers and concentrate on the ships. Consequently, the Harriers managed to shoot a lot of Argentine planes down, whilst the British lost none in combat. Perhaps if they had been told to take out the Harriers first, and then concentrate on the ships, things would have been very different.....
From what a Harrier pilot said in one documentry, the Argentine pilots were badly briefed. They were told to avoid engaging the harriers and concentrate on the ships. Consequently, the Harriers managed to shoot a lot of Argentine planes down, whilst the British lost none in combat. Perhaps if they had been told to take out the Harriers first, and then concentrate on the ships, things would have been very different.....
Cockroach said:
How about this:
The warhead of a Polaris missile is replaced by a smaller (say 10kT) warhead.
The missile is programmed to hit some mountain top in the middle of Argentina. Is there any mountain top clearly visible from Buenos Aires, one could nuke so that everybody in Buenos Aires would see it, while merely a dozen or so people would die?
I presume that would be a strong message.
Perhaps strong enough to lead to a counter coup?
What the heck is going on here? Nuclear war over the Falkland Islands?
SPACE BATS! SPACE BATS!
Response to Argentine defeat of UK in war.
1) EU and US sanctions ultimately break the Argentine economy, causing the junta to collapse. The newly elected democratic government is forced, tears in eyes, to return the Falklands as the price of avoiding economic collapse in the nation. They blame the generals for this unprecedented humiliation.
2) No longer able to be entirely certain of the US, UK embarks on a substantial military buildup. By 1988 two actual carriers have entered service, each with about two-third the capacity of a Nimitz-class ship. The RAF is slightly expanded. The BAOR expands from one corps to two, with several 'light' brigades of paras and marines added for rapid response.
As the 1990s begins, UK is much more of a player in international affairs, and its importance to the otherwise militarily moribund EU is enhanced.
Possibly Australia also enjoys a modest expansion, perhaps acquiring one or two 'harrier' carriers when the new fleet carriers are done?
3) Several top members of the Labour Party are arrested, charged with serious crimes, and convicted for placing party above country when they blatantly announced during Question Time that the proper procedure for Thatcher was to rush submarines to the area.
She was, but this in effect destroyed any chance of getting them there in time because the Argentine generals panicked and went for broke the moment they realized what even a single sub might do.
SPACE BATS! SPACE BATS!
Response to Argentine defeat of UK in war.
1) EU and US sanctions ultimately break the Argentine economy, causing the junta to collapse. The newly elected democratic government is forced, tears in eyes, to return the Falklands as the price of avoiding economic collapse in the nation. They blame the generals for this unprecedented humiliation.
2) No longer able to be entirely certain of the US, UK embarks on a substantial military buildup. By 1988 two actual carriers have entered service, each with about two-third the capacity of a Nimitz-class ship. The RAF is slightly expanded. The BAOR expands from one corps to two, with several 'light' brigades of paras and marines added for rapid response.
As the 1990s begins, UK is much more of a player in international affairs, and its importance to the otherwise militarily moribund EU is enhanced.
Possibly Australia also enjoys a modest expansion, perhaps acquiring one or two 'harrier' carriers when the new fleet carriers are done?
3) Several top members of the Labour Party are arrested, charged with serious crimes, and convicted for placing party above country when they blatantly announced during Question Time that the proper procedure for Thatcher was to rush submarines to the area.
She was, but this in effect destroyed any chance of getting them there in time because the Argentine generals panicked and went for broke the moment they realized what even a single sub might do.
I think I'd broadly agree with Grimm Reaper if Britain gets it's ass handed to it there is going to be a very strong move to go back a try again we are after all a very militaristic country. So it will be time for a rummage to see what is in mothballs.
Sanctions probably are going to break Argentina; giving back the Falklands will likely bring down the government that does it.
Sanctions probably are going to break Argentina; giving back the Falklands will likely bring down the government that does it.
I agree that GB would never have Nuked Argentina, just wasn't in the cards and the only real winner of such an event would have been the Soviet Union.
The only real way I believe that Argentian might have plausibly won the war would have been to have purchased ships from the USSR. Let's say the Bresznyev, (was he still in power?) seeing that the USSR was running into economic problems, secretly sells several near state of the art naval vessels to Argentina (maybe subs, maybe something else) and neither GB nor the USA get wind of it.
When the flotilla arrives, the Argentines actually have a larger more sophisticated navy, that is able to hold of the British flotilla. They would have the islands, and now GB is left with the question of escalating out of a war they were certain to win to one in which it is more problematic.
The only real way I believe that Argentian might have plausibly won the war would have been to have purchased ships from the USSR. Let's say the Bresznyev, (was he still in power?) seeing that the USSR was running into economic problems, secretly sells several near state of the art naval vessels to Argentina (maybe subs, maybe something else) and neither GB nor the USA get wind of it.
When the flotilla arrives, the Argentines actually have a larger more sophisticated navy, that is able to hold of the British flotilla. They would have the islands, and now GB is left with the question of escalating out of a war they were certain to win to one in which it is more problematic.
Alrighty, just to prove I can be serious with this topic, here's an old AH of mine. Note: there isn't any nukes involved!
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Falklands War 1982
The Fall of Britannia
By David Atwell
Introduction
The War for the Falkland Islands will inevitably go down in history as one of the events of infamy. Regardless of what Argentina said at the time, or what has been said since 1982, Argentina nevertheless attacked, without warning or provocation, the British territory of the Falkland Islands. Furthermore, in another historical circumstance, the War would also see then end of the phrase ‘Britannia Rules The Waves’. The audacious Argentine air attack, on 10th May 1982, would ensure the end of the Royal Navy as a force in global affairs. And coinciding with the British defeat, the Conservative Government of Margaret Thatcher would, likewise, be defeated in the British general elections two months later in July.
The dispute, over the Falkland Islands, goes back a long way in history. It is a complicated affair which once saw France, Spain & Britain disputing who actually owned the Islands. At one point, the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, saw Spain awarded ownership of the Islands, but then in 1764, in defiance of the Treaty, the French established a settlement at Port Louis, thus making a claim to the Islands. Then the Spanish established their own colony at Port Egmont, closed the small French colony under agreement with the French, & then, in turn, handed over the colony to the British along with the ownership of the Islands in 1774. A few years later Spain claimed British ownership was in void because the British closed the Port Egmont settlement a year before.
Now the Argentines entered the fray. Following Argentine independence from Spain, in 1816, Argentina claimed that the Falkland Islands belonged to them. Furthermore, in 1820, the Argentines send a frigate to the Islands to stake their claim. Eight years later, as a result of this action, a small but prosperous colony had been established based on the seal trade. In 1829, however, the British protested the situation but did little about it other than handing over strongly worded letter to the Argentine government.
The next step, however, witnessed the United States enter centre stage over the Falklands. In 1831, a number of Americans were caught poaching seals on the Falklands. In reprisal, the US sent the warship Lexington to the Falklands which opened fire on the settlement. A couple of Argentine officials, on the Islands, were also arrested whilst the US government declared the Islands free of any government. In doing so, the British returned in 1833, forced the remaining Argentine population off the island, & finally claimed the Falklands for themselves. At this point, the British stay on the Falklands &, in 1842, the Islands officially become part of the British Empire. And so this would remain the situation for the next 140 years…
The Taking of South Georgia
On the 19th March 1982 41 Argentine “workmen” arrived on South Georgia Island transported by the Argentine Navy transport Bahia Buen Suceso. As it so happened, these workmen were actually members of the Argentine Navy’s Special Forces. The next morning, at the Argentine camp, their national flag was raised which gained the attention of four British scientists who were also on the island. As a result, the British government expressed its objection to the Argentine flag flying on British territory & promptly demanded its lowering. This, the Argentines did, albeit reluctantly.
The British, however, began to grow some concern as to the actual activities of these Argentine workmen. As a result, the British Governor of the Falkland Islands, Rex Hunt, sent 22 Royal Marines to South Georgia Island on the HMS Endurance. In a similar move, although unknown to the British, the Argentines had sent another naval transport ship, the Bahia Paraiso to South Georgia along with a detachment of Argentine Marines. This ship also carried two helicopters.
On the 29th May 1982, the Royal Marines were ordered that, if the Argentines tried to occupy South Georgia Island, due to concerns over what the Bahia Paraiso was up to, they were to use “Yellow Card” rules of engagement, which would prove to be useless in the events which would follow. Thus, on the 2nd April 1982, the Royal Marines were place in a difficult position when they discovered that the Argentines had indeed a military presence on South Georgia & not a civilian one (which the “Yellow Card” rules were suppose to deal with).
At the same time as the Falkland Islands were being invaded, the Argentine forces on South Georgia thus made their move. But it was not as easy as the Argentines thought, or wanted it to be. The Royal Marines, commanded by Lieutenant Keith Mills, had prepared defensive positions not far from their billets having feared the worst a few days before.
Yet, on the 3rd April, regardless of the Royal Marines preparations, the Argentines made their move against them nonetheless. The fighting which followed was intense. The British gave a good account of themselves against great odds. In the end, the Argentines had to even throw a frigate & two helicopters into the battle, which saw, however, damage caused to the frigate, by British rocket fire, & one helicopter shot down. In the end, though, numbers, lack of supplies, & without hope of reinforcements, the Royal Marines eventually surrendered without loss. With them thirteen British civilians also went into captivity. The Argentines had won the hard battle for South Georgia, but at great cost. Ironically, in a gesture of good will, the British prisoners, both military & civilian, were sent home to Britain two weeks later.
The Invasion of the Falkland Islands
Whilst the Argentines were playing their subterfuge on South Georgia Island, there was no indication whatsoever that the Falkland Islands as a whole came under Argentine threat. Yet this was to change dramatically on the 31st March. By now, British intelligence became alarmed, not overly about developments on South Georgia, but by the fact that Argentine naval deployments indicated that an invasion of the Falklands could take place within days.
As a result of this warning, Governor Hunt ordered the Royal Marine detachment to prepare defences. Luckily for the British, instead of the usual detachment of 40 Marines, there are actually 70 present, plus a local contingent of Falkland Islanders. As a result, by the time the Argentines eventually landed, the British had reasonable defences come the battle.
On the morning of 2nd April 1982, the Argentine invasion took place. Landing around Port Stanley, the main settlement on the Falklands, the Argentine 2nd Marine Battalion, landed unopposed & moved towards the town. The main objectives, for the invaders, were the airfield & Government House. Fighting, however, took place once the Argentines left the beach areas. The Royal Marines gave a good account of themselves, even in the face of armour. Using LAWS anti-tank rockets, damage wss done to several Amtrak vehicles.
The battle, however, soon turned against the British as the Argentines had overwhelming numbers. The airfield was soon taken by the Argentine Marines & immediately the 25 Infantry Brigade began to arrive by aircraft. Elsewhere, the Argentines moved slowly & surely towards Government House. Governor Hunt, knowing all too well that there was no hope in stopping the Argentine invasion, issued the surrender order at 9.30am. That evening, Governor Hunt & the Royal Marines were evacuated from the Falklands to the mainland. They, like their comrades from South Georgia, were returned to Britain by way of Paraguay.
The British Response
The British response to the invasion of Sovereign territory was immense. No one displayed more outrage than the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Known as the ‘Iron Lady’, not only did she show her anger in public, an emotion which the people of Britain shared it must be noted, but she spent little time with diplomacy. Orders were immediately sent out from Number 10 Downing Street to the armed forces. Thus the largest Britain Armada, since the Suez Crisis, would be assembled. And along with the Royal Navy, the Army & the Royal Air Force was also organising their part to play.
The units of Britain’s military, assembled to give battle, was impressive. Two aircraft carriers, HMS Hermes & HMS Invincible would lead the Royal Navy, which would also include the one off class ship DDGs HMS Bristol; the County class ships HMS Antrim, & HMS Glamorgan; the Type-42 class ships HMS Cardiff, HMS, Coventry, HMS Exeter, HMS Glasgow, & HMS Sheffield; as well as the frigates HMS Brilliant, HMS Broadsword, HMS Active, HMS Alacrity, HMS Ambuscade, HMS Antelope, HMS Ardent, HMS Arrow, HMS Avenger, HMS Andromeda, HMS Argonant, HMS Minerva, HMS Penelope, HMS Plymouth, HMS Yarmouth; & finally six submarines including HMS Conqueror & HMS Spartan.
Along with the combat ships would come several troop, cargo & landing ships including HMS Fearless, HMS Intrepid, HMS Sir Bedivere, HMS Sir Galahad, HMS Sir Geraint, HMS Sir Lancelot, HMS Sir Percivale, HMS Sir Tristram, & importantly the helicopter tender HMS Engadine.
On board all these ships came an impressive array of personnel & equipment. 20 of the Sea Harriers would be deployed upon the two aircraft carriers. These would become essential for protecting the fleet from any air threat. Backing the Sea Harriers up, would be the various SAM systems which many of the ships had. The SAM systems varied, though, from the Sea Cat & Sea Slug systems, which were somewhat old, to the more effective & modern Sea Dart & Sea Wolf systems.
Although the naval element was probably the most impressive, considering the assets involved, it would, however, once the fleet arrived at the Falklands, be the task of the ground forces who would inevitably have the difficult job of, not only landing, but giving battle to the Argentine military which occupied the Islands. This unthankful task would fall to the Army’s 5th Infantry Brigade & 3 Commando Brigade of the Royal Marines.
The Empire Strikes Back
On the same day that the Falklands was surrendered to Argentina, Britain had already set her plans in motion to retake the Islands. Out of the ships listed above, an “Advanced Group” was organised & sent to the South Atlantic in preparation for the main fleet. Centred around the destroyers HMS Antrim & Glamorgan, HMS Coventry, Glasgow, Sheffield, & the frigates HMS Arrow, Brilliant, & Plymouth came along. Added to this Advanced Group was a detachment of Royal Marines, SAS & SBS units.
At the same time as the Advanced Group was getting its orders to sail south, the nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror also got its orders. Like the Advanced Group, it was to head south as part of a coordinated mission to strike at the Argentines. On the 21st April, HMS Conqueror hence arrived at its patrol station & began to collect information of Argentine activity on South Georgia Island. A day after Conqueror arrived it put ashore a small party of SAS & SBS troops to observe the Argentine positions on the island itself.
Having studied the Argentine positions, the SAS & SBS units inform the Advanced Group, commanded by Admiral Woodward, of their observations. Woodward then orders HMS Antrim & Plymouth, along with the troop support ship RFA Tidespring to head to the South Georgia Islands in an effort to retake them. Thus, on the 25th April 1982, the first action to take the Falklands Island back occurs.
Under the cover of cannon fire from the two Royal Navy combat ships, British troops land on South Georgia on the beaches, via landing craft, & on higher ground via helicopters. The Argentines, to their credit, manage to hold on until the next morning when the cannon fire from the two Royal Navy ships became very accurate &, likewise, obvious that there was no chance of survival. Wishing to thus avoid pointless deaths, the 150 strong Argentine garrison surrendered.
Yet if news of the fall of South Georgia was bad news for the Argentines, worse news was soon to come. HMS Conqueror, now free from her duties at South Georgia, was ordered to begin patrols to the west of the Falklands. Coinciding with this, the British announced an exclusion zone around the disputed islands. Ignoring the British exclusion zone, the Argentine Navy decided to put to sea. There were many reasons for this, but the leading one was the approach of the RN Advanced Group.
The Argentine Naval planners had come up with a two-prong attack in dealing with the Advanced Group. One task force would be centred around the elderly aircraft carrier the 25 de Mayo, whilst a second group centred around the elderly cruiser General Belgrano. A third group centred around two DDGs, the Santisima Trinidad & the Hercules (which were ironically British Type-42 destroyers), which patrolled the Argentine coast. So, in accord with the plan, the Argentine Fleet sortied on 26th April 1982.
The Argentines, however, were not aware of the exact location of the RN Advanced Group. Even though Tracker aircraft, from the 25 de Mayo, scanned the surrounding seas with their radar, looking for the British ships, nothing was found. Unbeknownst to the Argentine navy at the time, the Advanced Group had sailed to the west of the Falklands in order to recapture South Georgia. By the time the Argentines had become aware of the fall of South Georgia, the two Argentine Navy task force groups were to the north-west (25 de Mayo task force) & south-west (General Belgrano task force) of the Falklands. And it was in these locations that the Argentine Navy decided to stay until the location of the Advanced Group was finally discovered.
HMS Conqueror, in the meantime, had taken up its patrol station to the west of the Falkland Islands on 1st April. Enjoying advanced sonar technology, it did not take the Conqueror long before a contact had been identified to the south. As a result, the RN submarine headed off to the location of its contact in order to investigate. The Conqueror’s captain, fully aware of the exclusion zone & what it meant should any Argentine vessel was found in it, was prepared to sink the contact if it proved to be of Argentine origin.
Thus on the 2nd April 1982, Conqueror came upon the General Belgrano task force patrolling the south-western approaches to the Falkland Islands. The hunters now became the hunted. Without any warning whatsoever, two torpedos hit the General Belgrano midships that caused great destruction. The Argentine cruiser had no chance as it began to sink. The British had gained another victory, one even greater than the retaking of South Georgia.
The Argentine Naval response was not surprising. Realising the great danger its ships were in, the entire Argentine Navy, apart from one diesel-electric submarine, returned to port. It seemed that Argentina had surrendered the South Atlantic Ocean to the Royal Navy. But, in reality, Argentina would now resort to its only real strength it had in fighting the British: her aircraft.
The Loss of HMS Sheffield
On the morning of the 3rd April 1982, the British were celebrating two victories. Things looked to be going well for the British in their endeavour to retake the Falklands. Already, South Georgia had been liberated, whilst the Argentine Navy, in response to the sinking of their cruiser, had returned to port as fast as was possible. Furthermore, the great armada that Britain had put together for this undertaking, had arrived in the area. Now the British had the full weight of their military to bring to bare against the Argentines. There seemed little for the British to overly worry about. But this was to soon change.
Now that the Argentines had more or less surrendered the Southern Atlantic to the British, they began to take stock. Clearly the Royal Navy was far too superior for the Argentine Navy to defeat in an open encounter. It would require something very different possibly not seen since the days of the Second World War. It would take the combined efforts of the aircraft of the Navy with that of the Air Force. And this would take much effort & planning. But first of all the Argentine planners had to know if the centre piece of their plan would work. As a result, a hastily battle plan was put together to try out the Navy’s only one true asset - their Super Etendards.
On the morning of 4th May there seemed no threat coming from the Argentines. HMS Sheffield, now that the entire fleet had arrived, took up its patrol position some 40nm in front of the main fleet. Its role was that of radar picket, insofar as it was to keep an eye on the skies should any aircraft try to attack the fleet. Unbeknown to the Sheffield, an Argentine Navy Tracker aircraft, operating to the north of the Falkland Islands, was able to scan the British destroyer, at some distance, without itself being noticed. If it was itself scanned, it would have been challenged by two Sea Harriers who performed CAP duties.
Once the Sheffield was noticed, the Tracker reported its findings to its controllers back on the mainland, & not long afterwards, two Naval Super Etendards took off to try their first strike mission against the Royal Navy. Events now moved fast as the Super Etendards flew towards the location of the British ship. The great advantage, in the forth coming battle, would soon shock the world as the nature of Naval battles was about to change. At some distance from the Sheffield, in fact at 60nm away, the Super Etendards, which had been flying low to avoid British radar, now gained height whilst turning on their own radar in an attempt to get a final fix on the Sheffield. Once this was achieved, two Exocet missiles were fired at the target.
The Sheffield never knew what hit it. There was no warning. Nothing. The Exocet missiles had been fired beyond the effective radar range of the Royal Navy ship. As a result, the two Argentine aircraft were never really spotted by the Sheffield’s radar, although there was some intermitted contact. But this was not enough to get the full attention of the ship’s radar personnel.
The British soon conducted rescue missions, for the surviving crew of the Sheffield, & these were largely successful, but the loss of the Sheffield soon took the gloss of the British successes to date. For the Argentines, though, the success of the Super Etendards mission was met with much joy. The Argentines now knew that air attack was the way they could defeat the Royal Navy. As a result, their plan for a full air offensive would go ahead in five days.
Plans
Yet, even with the loss of the Sheffield, the British continued to press ahead with their efforts. And if the Argentines thought that the British may take a few days to recover from the sinking of the Sheffield, they were mistaken. On the same day that the Sheffield was sunk, the first actions against the Argentine garrison on the Falklands took place. The Royal Air Force now got involved. The aging British bomber, the Vulcan, was given the mission to attack Stanley Airfield, which was now used by the Argentines. Although it only involved the use of one aircraft, this still came as a shock to the defenders. What was worse, too, was the fact that Sea Harriers began attacks around the Falklands, although this was mostly around Port Stanley.
The reaction by the Argentines was not surprising. As a result, they implemented four days earlier, part of their air offensive plan. So on the dawn of 6th May, a CAP was established over the town of Poart Stanley consisting of two Mirage III fighter jets. Argentina had 17 such aircraft &, although these had to be based on the mainland as the runway at Stanley Airfield was too short, the patrol could be maintained 24 hours a day as they had plenty of numbers in such aircraft.
The next step was sending all eight Navy Skyhawk jet fighters to Stanley airfield. These were the A-4Q model which had been updated ten years ago from the original A-4B model. As such, they could be used in the fighter role like the Mirage III, even though the Sidewinder they employed was the ‘D’ model & somewhat obsolete. Nonetheless, like the Mirage III CAP, these Skyhawks would also provide a CAP & acted as support for the Mirage fighters.
Added to this air defence was an assortment of AA guns & SAM systems which were concentrated around Stanley Airfield. Thus when the RAF attempted another bombing run in the evening of 6th May, it was intercepted by the Mirage CAP. And, instead of attempting to continue with its bombing mission, the Vulcan bomber reversed course & headed back to Ascension from where it came.
The airspace, however, over the Falkland Islands was now to be contested between the Sea Harriers of the Royal Navy & the jet fighters of Argentina. In many respects it was an uneven contest & the Argentines would lose two Navy Skyhawk A-4Qs whilst their Air Force comrades would have six of their Mirage IIIs shot down. At the same time, the RN would lose two Sea Harriers to a mid air collision & have one shot down due to ground fire. Annoyingly for the Argentine pilots, all of their efforts came to naught against their opposition.
Nonetheless, the efforts of the Argentines ensured that the groundwork had been established for the upcoming air offensive. Instead of waiting for the 10th May, it was decided to bring some elements forward a day. This was risky, considering that a possible attack on Stanley Airfield could destroy the forth-coming attack, but it was decided to go ahead with the plan anyway. So all through the 9th May, 45 Argentine Air Force Skyhawk A-4B/Cs (the older model) arrived at Stanley Airfield to be readied for the air offensive. And protecting this resent addition to the Falklands, the Navy Skyhawks & Air Force Mirage IIIs doubled their efforts in patrolling the Falklands airspace. The British helped in this regard by not launching any attack on 9th May. That was unfortunate.
Battle of the Falklands
There seemed to be no indication, on the morning of 10th May, that the greatest naval battle to take place since 1945 was about to begin. The British, after loosing three of their Sea Harriers on 8th May, had begun to analyse the situation. The RAF, after encountering strong air defences, including enemy fighters, had told the Royal Navy that it could not send further Vulcan bombing missions to the Falklands, because they believed that the bomber would be shot down well before reaching its target.
As a result of the RAF’s concerns, on the 9th May, the British decided that the Argentine air coverage of the Falklands would need to be seriously contested, but this meant that the Royal Navy needed more Harriers. As a result, it was arranged that ten more Sea Harriers would be flown down to Ascension Island & then from there they would fly to the Fleet. Coming with the Sea Harriers would be also eight RAF Harriers. Although somewhat different to their sea based cousins, they could, nevertheless, still do the job. The Harrier reinforcements would leave Britain the next day & arrive on the 11th May. The next day the British planned to conduct their own offensive against the Argentine air cover.
Yet as these Harriers left Britain, trouble was brewing for the British. By the end of the day, it would be they who were in serious trouble. For as per the Argentine battle plans, the great Argentine Air/Naval Offensive began. The Argentine attack came in several phases. Each had to be well timed, although there had been much left free so that commanders had the opportunity to adjust their part of the plan according to circumstance. Nonetheless, the attack began as planned.
The first signal that something was afoot was when the radar equipment on board HMS Hermes & Invincible alerted their operators that powerful airborne radars were operating to the west of the Falklands. Fearing that an attack might be under way, the alert was given. As such, four Sea Harriers where launched to join up with the two already patrolling the skies as part of their CAP duties. But before the Harriers could be vectored towards the location of the enemy radar, the first major part of the Argentine plan came into action.
Having been alerted to the Royal Navy’s reaction to the Surveillance Group, comprising two Argentine Air Force Elint 707s & two Naval Tracker aircraft, the Deception Group of aircraft, that being ten Aermacchi MB.339 jets & ten Canberra light bombers, went into action. Having taken off from their bases some half hour before the Surveillance Group had turned on their radars, the Deception Group deliberately climbed in height to gain the attention of the British.
To the British radar operators, it just appeared that a large strike force had just conducted a “pop-up” manoeuvre which is commonly done, by attacking aircraft, in order to get a radar fix on their respective targets. As a result, it appeared to the British that they were under attack by a mixed force of Aermacchi MB.339 light strike aircraft, but far more alarmingly, Canberra bombers. Needless to say, this gained the full attention of the British & soon all six Sea Harriers were sent to intercept this incoming threat.
The Argentines, however, had deliberately planned for this event. Once the Surveillance Group ascertained that the Deception Group had been seen, & that Sea Harriers were heading towards them, the Deception Group got the go ahead to complete their mission. In doing so, they dropped their altitude to some 250 feet above sea level & turned around. The Sea Harriers, thinking that the Argentines were trying to get under their radar, continued with their interception mission not realising that they were being deliberately led away from the fleet. Soon, however, the Harriers, in their futile attempt at intercepting the Argentine aircraft, were low on fuel & had to return to their carriers. They would take no further part in this day’s business.
The British, though, obviously had more than six Harriers. As a result of the situation, two more Harriers were launched to take up the CAP duties now relinquished by their comrades. At the same time, the Argentines began the second phase of their plan. At this point, the Argentine Fighter Sweep Force of 20 Dagger Fighters, an Israeli fighter aircraft that is similar to the Mirage III, now came into play. These aircraft were formed into two groups, & although both groups would fight together as a whole, their purposes were different prior to air combat.
The first group of ten Dagger fighters rose in altitude whilst the remaining ten remained low. This was a deliberate ploy, in a manner similar to the Deception Group, except in this case there would be no withdrawal. Instead the Dagger fighters meant business. And as with the Deception Group, the British soon saw the Daggers on radar. Immediately the British reacted with alarm & sent the two Sea Harriers of the CAP towards the location of the incoming Daggers. Furthermore, knowing that these aircraft were Dagger fighters meant the British launched a further six Harriers to support the two already airborne.
Upon seeing the British air activity, the Surveillance Group, once again issued orders for Argentine reaction. This meant three things took place all at once. The first immediate step saw the ten Dagger fighters return to their previous low altitude & rejoin the other ten fighters of the Fighter Sweep Force. Soon the British would be caught in an ambush where 20, & not ten fighters, were waiting for them.
The second step witnessed the introduction of the Entendard Exocet Force. This small group, numbering only four Super Entendards, would have the most important mission of all. Being guided by the information gathered by the Surveillance Group, the four aircraft flew at low altitude towards their objective - the two Royal Navy carriers. At the appropriate time, the four aircraft did the “pop-up” manoeuvre & fired their Exocet missiles before anyone could do anything about it.
Coinciding with the Entendard Exocet Force, came the great bulk of the air attack. The 45 older Skyhawks, who the day before had arrived at Stanley Airfield, were now added to the battle known as the Skyhawk Strike Force. But they were not alone. Providing a fighter escort came ten more of the Dagger fighters grouped as the Fighter Escort Force. It would be just as well these Daggers came along, considering the air defence which the British could still offer after being as stretched as they were.
Yet before the Entendards had even gotten into position to fire their deadly cargo, the British Harriers & the Daggers of the Fighter Sweep Force soon clashed. Amazingly for the British pilots, even though surprised & greatly outnumbered, they fought extremely well under the circumstances. Armed with the latest model Sidewinder missile, the ‘L’ version, five Argentine Daggers had been destroyed before the Argentines even had an opportunity to return fire. Furthermore, the British ships had been alerted to the real situation & the remaining three Sea Harriers had been launched.
The battle, though, was now reaching its climax. With only three Harriers in reserve, Woodward, the Royal Navy admiral commanding the fleet, was justifiably concerned. Ordering a full alert, every radar & SAM system throughout the entire fleet came online. It was just as well as, at this point in time, the Skyhawk Strike Force was beginning to split up into nine groups of five. In doing so, each group had its own particular target, which included the two British carriers & every destroyer. But before the Skyhawk Strike Force were even within of the Royal Navy’s SAM umbrella, the remaining three Sea Harriers tried to intervene.
Now came the turn of the Argentine Fighter Escort Force. Their sole mission was to keep the Skyhawk Strike Force alive. Noticing the movements of the remaining Sea Harriers, the ten Daggers intervened. Again, though, the Daggers were severely hit in the air mallee which followed. Within a minute, three Daggers were destroyed whilst all three Sea Harriers survived the initial attack. But, as had happened to the other Sea Harrier interception force, the British were caught up in their own deadly action which ensured that the Skyhawk Strike Force went unmolested.
It was at this point in the battle when everything went wrong for the British. Just as the Skyhawk Strike Force began their bombing runs, the four Exocet missiles announced their arrival. Within seconds, all four missiles hit their targets. Within seconds. Both HMS Hermes & Invincible were surrounded in smoke. Emergency alerts were sent to the fleet for help, although most ships were too busy with the battle at hand, as the planes Skyhawk Strike Force had survived so far without any loss & was clearly threatening several ships. This, however, was about to change. Now in range of the Sea Dart SAM systems on HMS Bristol & the Type 42 destroyers, several such missiles were launched at the incoming Skyhawks.
Unfortunately for the British, the Sea Dart system was more like the American Standard SM-1 SAM system than the far more capable Aegis air defence system. As such, each RN destroyer could only target one Skyhawk each. Overall, this meant only five aircraft could be engaged at the same time. Having said that, the two County Class destroyers also tried to engage the Argentine aircraft as well, but their Sea Slug SAM system was more or less obsolete &, in the action which followed, only managed to hit one plane.
Unlike the lack of success, which the Sea Slug armed destroyers had, the other destroyers had much more success. Alas, for the Argentine pilots, the British shot down a further 20 Skyhawks using the Sea Dart SAMs, whist a further two Skyhawks were hit with the Sea Wolf system. But if the Argentines thought that their cost for victory was steep, the British losses from the combined Exocet/Skyhawk attack was worse. Not only was HMS Hermes & HMS Invincible hit by two Exocets each, but each received the attention of two Skyhawks. The Argentine jets were able to score four 500lb bombs on both carriers which lead to their sinking later that day. Furthermore, both County Class destroyers were hit by several 500lb bombs, as was the Type-42 destroyer HMS Coventry. Finally, two frigates of the Amazon Class, HMS Antelope & HMS Ardent, were also hit. And all these ships would be lost. Five other frigates were also damaged, but were still seaworthy.
Within an hour of the opening phase of the Argentine attack, it was thankfully over. The Royal Navy had been gutted. Frantic efforts at rescue operations soon began as had improvised planning. The most important aspect at this point was the recovery of the surviving Sea Harriers. Even though their carriers had been sunk, it still meant a landing place had to be made quickly for the 12 surviving Harriers. Thankfully HMS Engadine, the helicopter support ship, was able to take eight of the homeless Harriers, whilst four of the fleet support ships, those having large helicopter support facilities, took one of the remaining four Harriers each.
Woodward, who survived the sinking of his flagship HMS Antrim, gave the saddest order of his life. Knowing all too well that his position was completely untenable, Woodward ordered a withdrawal to Ascension Island. Britain, or so it seemed, had lost the war. The only exception to this order was given to the submarines patrolling the waters around the Falklands & off the Argentine coast. These would remain in order to enforce the exclusion zone which was still in force.
Aftermath
On the 11th May 1982, Argentina awoke with the news of a great victory. And indeed it was for a short time. Three days later, after it had been confirmed that the British fleet had withdrawn, the 25 de Mayo, with two frigate escorts & two cargo ships, left port for the Falkland Islands with supplies for the army garrison & the civilians. On the 12th May, HMS Spartan, a nuclear submarine, fired four torpedos into the Argentine’s only aircraft carrier. Within an hour, the aircraft carrier had sunk. The other Argentine ships waited around only long enough to rescue the surviving crew & returned to port as quickly as they could. In many respects, a stalemate eventuated as Argentina could only supply the Falklands by air & had only 15 cargo planes which could fly into & out of Stanley airfield.
Furthermore, on 14th May, the United Nations finally got involved in a meaningful manner. Backed up by the Security Council, the UN began to broker a peace deal between the British & Argentines. These negotiations were further forced along by threats from the United States that it would intervene in the matter on the side of Britain. As a result of these threats, the leadership of Argentina, which was a military Junta at the time, caved into American pressure & agreed to a peace treaty with Britain. As a result, the Falklands were handed back to Britain on 1st June after the evacuation of all Argentine personnel. In return, Britain, under UN supervision, would have to hold a referendum within 6 months on the Falklands asking its population what its future would behold.
The aftermath of the Falklands War in 1982, however, did not simply end there. By the end of June 1982, the Argentine Military Junta, governing the country, collapsed in the face of a People’s Revolution. Discussed by the eventual loss of the war, & by the handing back to Britain of the Falklands, the people of Argentina had had enough. Within 24 hours, Argentina was liberated from the military dictatorship & joined the ranks of free people in the democratic world. In a similar manner, the Thatcher government, even though successful in regarding the Falklands, nevertheless suffered badly in the British General Election in 1982. The defeat of the Royal Navy was, by far, too much for the British People to tolerate, & took it out on the Thatcher Government by voting the government out of office in preference for the Labour Party, as Britannia no longer ruled the waves.
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Falklands War 1982
The Fall of Britannia
By David Atwell
Introduction
The War for the Falkland Islands will inevitably go down in history as one of the events of infamy. Regardless of what Argentina said at the time, or what has been said since 1982, Argentina nevertheless attacked, without warning or provocation, the British territory of the Falkland Islands. Furthermore, in another historical circumstance, the War would also see then end of the phrase ‘Britannia Rules The Waves’. The audacious Argentine air attack, on 10th May 1982, would ensure the end of the Royal Navy as a force in global affairs. And coinciding with the British defeat, the Conservative Government of Margaret Thatcher would, likewise, be defeated in the British general elections two months later in July.
The dispute, over the Falkland Islands, goes back a long way in history. It is a complicated affair which once saw France, Spain & Britain disputing who actually owned the Islands. At one point, the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht, saw Spain awarded ownership of the Islands, but then in 1764, in defiance of the Treaty, the French established a settlement at Port Louis, thus making a claim to the Islands. Then the Spanish established their own colony at Port Egmont, closed the small French colony under agreement with the French, & then, in turn, handed over the colony to the British along with the ownership of the Islands in 1774. A few years later Spain claimed British ownership was in void because the British closed the Port Egmont settlement a year before.
Now the Argentines entered the fray. Following Argentine independence from Spain, in 1816, Argentina claimed that the Falkland Islands belonged to them. Furthermore, in 1820, the Argentines send a frigate to the Islands to stake their claim. Eight years later, as a result of this action, a small but prosperous colony had been established based on the seal trade. In 1829, however, the British protested the situation but did little about it other than handing over strongly worded letter to the Argentine government.
The next step, however, witnessed the United States enter centre stage over the Falklands. In 1831, a number of Americans were caught poaching seals on the Falklands. In reprisal, the US sent the warship Lexington to the Falklands which opened fire on the settlement. A couple of Argentine officials, on the Islands, were also arrested whilst the US government declared the Islands free of any government. In doing so, the British returned in 1833, forced the remaining Argentine population off the island, & finally claimed the Falklands for themselves. At this point, the British stay on the Falklands &, in 1842, the Islands officially become part of the British Empire. And so this would remain the situation for the next 140 years…
The Taking of South Georgia
On the 19th March 1982 41 Argentine “workmen” arrived on South Georgia Island transported by the Argentine Navy transport Bahia Buen Suceso. As it so happened, these workmen were actually members of the Argentine Navy’s Special Forces. The next morning, at the Argentine camp, their national flag was raised which gained the attention of four British scientists who were also on the island. As a result, the British government expressed its objection to the Argentine flag flying on British territory & promptly demanded its lowering. This, the Argentines did, albeit reluctantly.
The British, however, began to grow some concern as to the actual activities of these Argentine workmen. As a result, the British Governor of the Falkland Islands, Rex Hunt, sent 22 Royal Marines to South Georgia Island on the HMS Endurance. In a similar move, although unknown to the British, the Argentines had sent another naval transport ship, the Bahia Paraiso to South Georgia along with a detachment of Argentine Marines. This ship also carried two helicopters.
On the 29th May 1982, the Royal Marines were ordered that, if the Argentines tried to occupy South Georgia Island, due to concerns over what the Bahia Paraiso was up to, they were to use “Yellow Card” rules of engagement, which would prove to be useless in the events which would follow. Thus, on the 2nd April 1982, the Royal Marines were place in a difficult position when they discovered that the Argentines had indeed a military presence on South Georgia & not a civilian one (which the “Yellow Card” rules were suppose to deal with).
At the same time as the Falkland Islands were being invaded, the Argentine forces on South Georgia thus made their move. But it was not as easy as the Argentines thought, or wanted it to be. The Royal Marines, commanded by Lieutenant Keith Mills, had prepared defensive positions not far from their billets having feared the worst a few days before.
Yet, on the 3rd April, regardless of the Royal Marines preparations, the Argentines made their move against them nonetheless. The fighting which followed was intense. The British gave a good account of themselves against great odds. In the end, the Argentines had to even throw a frigate & two helicopters into the battle, which saw, however, damage caused to the frigate, by British rocket fire, & one helicopter shot down. In the end, though, numbers, lack of supplies, & without hope of reinforcements, the Royal Marines eventually surrendered without loss. With them thirteen British civilians also went into captivity. The Argentines had won the hard battle for South Georgia, but at great cost. Ironically, in a gesture of good will, the British prisoners, both military & civilian, were sent home to Britain two weeks later.
The Invasion of the Falkland Islands
Whilst the Argentines were playing their subterfuge on South Georgia Island, there was no indication whatsoever that the Falkland Islands as a whole came under Argentine threat. Yet this was to change dramatically on the 31st March. By now, British intelligence became alarmed, not overly about developments on South Georgia, but by the fact that Argentine naval deployments indicated that an invasion of the Falklands could take place within days.
As a result of this warning, Governor Hunt ordered the Royal Marine detachment to prepare defences. Luckily for the British, instead of the usual detachment of 40 Marines, there are actually 70 present, plus a local contingent of Falkland Islanders. As a result, by the time the Argentines eventually landed, the British had reasonable defences come the battle.
On the morning of 2nd April 1982, the Argentine invasion took place. Landing around Port Stanley, the main settlement on the Falklands, the Argentine 2nd Marine Battalion, landed unopposed & moved towards the town. The main objectives, for the invaders, were the airfield & Government House. Fighting, however, took place once the Argentines left the beach areas. The Royal Marines gave a good account of themselves, even in the face of armour. Using LAWS anti-tank rockets, damage wss done to several Amtrak vehicles.
The battle, however, soon turned against the British as the Argentines had overwhelming numbers. The airfield was soon taken by the Argentine Marines & immediately the 25 Infantry Brigade began to arrive by aircraft. Elsewhere, the Argentines moved slowly & surely towards Government House. Governor Hunt, knowing all too well that there was no hope in stopping the Argentine invasion, issued the surrender order at 9.30am. That evening, Governor Hunt & the Royal Marines were evacuated from the Falklands to the mainland. They, like their comrades from South Georgia, were returned to Britain by way of Paraguay.
The British Response
The British response to the invasion of Sovereign territory was immense. No one displayed more outrage than the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Known as the ‘Iron Lady’, not only did she show her anger in public, an emotion which the people of Britain shared it must be noted, but she spent little time with diplomacy. Orders were immediately sent out from Number 10 Downing Street to the armed forces. Thus the largest Britain Armada, since the Suez Crisis, would be assembled. And along with the Royal Navy, the Army & the Royal Air Force was also organising their part to play.
The units of Britain’s military, assembled to give battle, was impressive. Two aircraft carriers, HMS Hermes & HMS Invincible would lead the Royal Navy, which would also include the one off class ship DDGs HMS Bristol; the County class ships HMS Antrim, & HMS Glamorgan; the Type-42 class ships HMS Cardiff, HMS, Coventry, HMS Exeter, HMS Glasgow, & HMS Sheffield; as well as the frigates HMS Brilliant, HMS Broadsword, HMS Active, HMS Alacrity, HMS Ambuscade, HMS Antelope, HMS Ardent, HMS Arrow, HMS Avenger, HMS Andromeda, HMS Argonant, HMS Minerva, HMS Penelope, HMS Plymouth, HMS Yarmouth; & finally six submarines including HMS Conqueror & HMS Spartan.
Along with the combat ships would come several troop, cargo & landing ships including HMS Fearless, HMS Intrepid, HMS Sir Bedivere, HMS Sir Galahad, HMS Sir Geraint, HMS Sir Lancelot, HMS Sir Percivale, HMS Sir Tristram, & importantly the helicopter tender HMS Engadine.
On board all these ships came an impressive array of personnel & equipment. 20 of the Sea Harriers would be deployed upon the two aircraft carriers. These would become essential for protecting the fleet from any air threat. Backing the Sea Harriers up, would be the various SAM systems which many of the ships had. The SAM systems varied, though, from the Sea Cat & Sea Slug systems, which were somewhat old, to the more effective & modern Sea Dart & Sea Wolf systems.
Although the naval element was probably the most impressive, considering the assets involved, it would, however, once the fleet arrived at the Falklands, be the task of the ground forces who would inevitably have the difficult job of, not only landing, but giving battle to the Argentine military which occupied the Islands. This unthankful task would fall to the Army’s 5th Infantry Brigade & 3 Commando Brigade of the Royal Marines.
The Empire Strikes Back
On the same day that the Falklands was surrendered to Argentina, Britain had already set her plans in motion to retake the Islands. Out of the ships listed above, an “Advanced Group” was organised & sent to the South Atlantic in preparation for the main fleet. Centred around the destroyers HMS Antrim & Glamorgan, HMS Coventry, Glasgow, Sheffield, & the frigates HMS Arrow, Brilliant, & Plymouth came along. Added to this Advanced Group was a detachment of Royal Marines, SAS & SBS units.
At the same time as the Advanced Group was getting its orders to sail south, the nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror also got its orders. Like the Advanced Group, it was to head south as part of a coordinated mission to strike at the Argentines. On the 21st April, HMS Conqueror hence arrived at its patrol station & began to collect information of Argentine activity on South Georgia Island. A day after Conqueror arrived it put ashore a small party of SAS & SBS troops to observe the Argentine positions on the island itself.
Having studied the Argentine positions, the SAS & SBS units inform the Advanced Group, commanded by Admiral Woodward, of their observations. Woodward then orders HMS Antrim & Plymouth, along with the troop support ship RFA Tidespring to head to the South Georgia Islands in an effort to retake them. Thus, on the 25th April 1982, the first action to take the Falklands Island back occurs.
Under the cover of cannon fire from the two Royal Navy combat ships, British troops land on South Georgia on the beaches, via landing craft, & on higher ground via helicopters. The Argentines, to their credit, manage to hold on until the next morning when the cannon fire from the two Royal Navy ships became very accurate &, likewise, obvious that there was no chance of survival. Wishing to thus avoid pointless deaths, the 150 strong Argentine garrison surrendered.
Yet if news of the fall of South Georgia was bad news for the Argentines, worse news was soon to come. HMS Conqueror, now free from her duties at South Georgia, was ordered to begin patrols to the west of the Falklands. Coinciding with this, the British announced an exclusion zone around the disputed islands. Ignoring the British exclusion zone, the Argentine Navy decided to put to sea. There were many reasons for this, but the leading one was the approach of the RN Advanced Group.
The Argentine Naval planners had come up with a two-prong attack in dealing with the Advanced Group. One task force would be centred around the elderly aircraft carrier the 25 de Mayo, whilst a second group centred around the elderly cruiser General Belgrano. A third group centred around two DDGs, the Santisima Trinidad & the Hercules (which were ironically British Type-42 destroyers), which patrolled the Argentine coast. So, in accord with the plan, the Argentine Fleet sortied on 26th April 1982.
The Argentines, however, were not aware of the exact location of the RN Advanced Group. Even though Tracker aircraft, from the 25 de Mayo, scanned the surrounding seas with their radar, looking for the British ships, nothing was found. Unbeknownst to the Argentine navy at the time, the Advanced Group had sailed to the west of the Falklands in order to recapture South Georgia. By the time the Argentines had become aware of the fall of South Georgia, the two Argentine Navy task force groups were to the north-west (25 de Mayo task force) & south-west (General Belgrano task force) of the Falklands. And it was in these locations that the Argentine Navy decided to stay until the location of the Advanced Group was finally discovered.
HMS Conqueror, in the meantime, had taken up its patrol station to the west of the Falkland Islands on 1st April. Enjoying advanced sonar technology, it did not take the Conqueror long before a contact had been identified to the south. As a result, the RN submarine headed off to the location of its contact in order to investigate. The Conqueror’s captain, fully aware of the exclusion zone & what it meant should any Argentine vessel was found in it, was prepared to sink the contact if it proved to be of Argentine origin.
Thus on the 2nd April 1982, Conqueror came upon the General Belgrano task force patrolling the south-western approaches to the Falkland Islands. The hunters now became the hunted. Without any warning whatsoever, two torpedos hit the General Belgrano midships that caused great destruction. The Argentine cruiser had no chance as it began to sink. The British had gained another victory, one even greater than the retaking of South Georgia.
The Argentine Naval response was not surprising. Realising the great danger its ships were in, the entire Argentine Navy, apart from one diesel-electric submarine, returned to port. It seemed that Argentina had surrendered the South Atlantic Ocean to the Royal Navy. But, in reality, Argentina would now resort to its only real strength it had in fighting the British: her aircraft.
The Loss of HMS Sheffield
On the morning of the 3rd April 1982, the British were celebrating two victories. Things looked to be going well for the British in their endeavour to retake the Falklands. Already, South Georgia had been liberated, whilst the Argentine Navy, in response to the sinking of their cruiser, had returned to port as fast as was possible. Furthermore, the great armada that Britain had put together for this undertaking, had arrived in the area. Now the British had the full weight of their military to bring to bare against the Argentines. There seemed little for the British to overly worry about. But this was to soon change.
Now that the Argentines had more or less surrendered the Southern Atlantic to the British, they began to take stock. Clearly the Royal Navy was far too superior for the Argentine Navy to defeat in an open encounter. It would require something very different possibly not seen since the days of the Second World War. It would take the combined efforts of the aircraft of the Navy with that of the Air Force. And this would take much effort & planning. But first of all the Argentine planners had to know if the centre piece of their plan would work. As a result, a hastily battle plan was put together to try out the Navy’s only one true asset - their Super Etendards.
On the morning of 4th May there seemed no threat coming from the Argentines. HMS Sheffield, now that the entire fleet had arrived, took up its patrol position some 40nm in front of the main fleet. Its role was that of radar picket, insofar as it was to keep an eye on the skies should any aircraft try to attack the fleet. Unbeknown to the Sheffield, an Argentine Navy Tracker aircraft, operating to the north of the Falkland Islands, was able to scan the British destroyer, at some distance, without itself being noticed. If it was itself scanned, it would have been challenged by two Sea Harriers who performed CAP duties.
Once the Sheffield was noticed, the Tracker reported its findings to its controllers back on the mainland, & not long afterwards, two Naval Super Etendards took off to try their first strike mission against the Royal Navy. Events now moved fast as the Super Etendards flew towards the location of the British ship. The great advantage, in the forth coming battle, would soon shock the world as the nature of Naval battles was about to change. At some distance from the Sheffield, in fact at 60nm away, the Super Etendards, which had been flying low to avoid British radar, now gained height whilst turning on their own radar in an attempt to get a final fix on the Sheffield. Once this was achieved, two Exocet missiles were fired at the target.
The Sheffield never knew what hit it. There was no warning. Nothing. The Exocet missiles had been fired beyond the effective radar range of the Royal Navy ship. As a result, the two Argentine aircraft were never really spotted by the Sheffield’s radar, although there was some intermitted contact. But this was not enough to get the full attention of the ship’s radar personnel.
The British soon conducted rescue missions, for the surviving crew of the Sheffield, & these were largely successful, but the loss of the Sheffield soon took the gloss of the British successes to date. For the Argentines, though, the success of the Super Etendards mission was met with much joy. The Argentines now knew that air attack was the way they could defeat the Royal Navy. As a result, their plan for a full air offensive would go ahead in five days.
Plans
Yet, even with the loss of the Sheffield, the British continued to press ahead with their efforts. And if the Argentines thought that the British may take a few days to recover from the sinking of the Sheffield, they were mistaken. On the same day that the Sheffield was sunk, the first actions against the Argentine garrison on the Falklands took place. The Royal Air Force now got involved. The aging British bomber, the Vulcan, was given the mission to attack Stanley Airfield, which was now used by the Argentines. Although it only involved the use of one aircraft, this still came as a shock to the defenders. What was worse, too, was the fact that Sea Harriers began attacks around the Falklands, although this was mostly around Port Stanley.
The reaction by the Argentines was not surprising. As a result, they implemented four days earlier, part of their air offensive plan. So on the dawn of 6th May, a CAP was established over the town of Poart Stanley consisting of two Mirage III fighter jets. Argentina had 17 such aircraft &, although these had to be based on the mainland as the runway at Stanley Airfield was too short, the patrol could be maintained 24 hours a day as they had plenty of numbers in such aircraft.
The next step was sending all eight Navy Skyhawk jet fighters to Stanley airfield. These were the A-4Q model which had been updated ten years ago from the original A-4B model. As such, they could be used in the fighter role like the Mirage III, even though the Sidewinder they employed was the ‘D’ model & somewhat obsolete. Nonetheless, like the Mirage III CAP, these Skyhawks would also provide a CAP & acted as support for the Mirage fighters.
Added to this air defence was an assortment of AA guns & SAM systems which were concentrated around Stanley Airfield. Thus when the RAF attempted another bombing run in the evening of 6th May, it was intercepted by the Mirage CAP. And, instead of attempting to continue with its bombing mission, the Vulcan bomber reversed course & headed back to Ascension from where it came.
The airspace, however, over the Falkland Islands was now to be contested between the Sea Harriers of the Royal Navy & the jet fighters of Argentina. In many respects it was an uneven contest & the Argentines would lose two Navy Skyhawk A-4Qs whilst their Air Force comrades would have six of their Mirage IIIs shot down. At the same time, the RN would lose two Sea Harriers to a mid air collision & have one shot down due to ground fire. Annoyingly for the Argentine pilots, all of their efforts came to naught against their opposition.
Nonetheless, the efforts of the Argentines ensured that the groundwork had been established for the upcoming air offensive. Instead of waiting for the 10th May, it was decided to bring some elements forward a day. This was risky, considering that a possible attack on Stanley Airfield could destroy the forth-coming attack, but it was decided to go ahead with the plan anyway. So all through the 9th May, 45 Argentine Air Force Skyhawk A-4B/Cs (the older model) arrived at Stanley Airfield to be readied for the air offensive. And protecting this resent addition to the Falklands, the Navy Skyhawks & Air Force Mirage IIIs doubled their efforts in patrolling the Falklands airspace. The British helped in this regard by not launching any attack on 9th May. That was unfortunate.
Battle of the Falklands
There seemed to be no indication, on the morning of 10th May, that the greatest naval battle to take place since 1945 was about to begin. The British, after loosing three of their Sea Harriers on 8th May, had begun to analyse the situation. The RAF, after encountering strong air defences, including enemy fighters, had told the Royal Navy that it could not send further Vulcan bombing missions to the Falklands, because they believed that the bomber would be shot down well before reaching its target.
As a result of the RAF’s concerns, on the 9th May, the British decided that the Argentine air coverage of the Falklands would need to be seriously contested, but this meant that the Royal Navy needed more Harriers. As a result, it was arranged that ten more Sea Harriers would be flown down to Ascension Island & then from there they would fly to the Fleet. Coming with the Sea Harriers would be also eight RAF Harriers. Although somewhat different to their sea based cousins, they could, nevertheless, still do the job. The Harrier reinforcements would leave Britain the next day & arrive on the 11th May. The next day the British planned to conduct their own offensive against the Argentine air cover.
Yet as these Harriers left Britain, trouble was brewing for the British. By the end of the day, it would be they who were in serious trouble. For as per the Argentine battle plans, the great Argentine Air/Naval Offensive began. The Argentine attack came in several phases. Each had to be well timed, although there had been much left free so that commanders had the opportunity to adjust their part of the plan according to circumstance. Nonetheless, the attack began as planned.
The first signal that something was afoot was when the radar equipment on board HMS Hermes & Invincible alerted their operators that powerful airborne radars were operating to the west of the Falklands. Fearing that an attack might be under way, the alert was given. As such, four Sea Harriers where launched to join up with the two already patrolling the skies as part of their CAP duties. But before the Harriers could be vectored towards the location of the enemy radar, the first major part of the Argentine plan came into action.
Having been alerted to the Royal Navy’s reaction to the Surveillance Group, comprising two Argentine Air Force Elint 707s & two Naval Tracker aircraft, the Deception Group of aircraft, that being ten Aermacchi MB.339 jets & ten Canberra light bombers, went into action. Having taken off from their bases some half hour before the Surveillance Group had turned on their radars, the Deception Group deliberately climbed in height to gain the attention of the British.
To the British radar operators, it just appeared that a large strike force had just conducted a “pop-up” manoeuvre which is commonly done, by attacking aircraft, in order to get a radar fix on their respective targets. As a result, it appeared to the British that they were under attack by a mixed force of Aermacchi MB.339 light strike aircraft, but far more alarmingly, Canberra bombers. Needless to say, this gained the full attention of the British & soon all six Sea Harriers were sent to intercept this incoming threat.
The Argentines, however, had deliberately planned for this event. Once the Surveillance Group ascertained that the Deception Group had been seen, & that Sea Harriers were heading towards them, the Deception Group got the go ahead to complete their mission. In doing so, they dropped their altitude to some 250 feet above sea level & turned around. The Sea Harriers, thinking that the Argentines were trying to get under their radar, continued with their interception mission not realising that they were being deliberately led away from the fleet. Soon, however, the Harriers, in their futile attempt at intercepting the Argentine aircraft, were low on fuel & had to return to their carriers. They would take no further part in this day’s business.
The British, though, obviously had more than six Harriers. As a result of the situation, two more Harriers were launched to take up the CAP duties now relinquished by their comrades. At the same time, the Argentines began the second phase of their plan. At this point, the Argentine Fighter Sweep Force of 20 Dagger Fighters, an Israeli fighter aircraft that is similar to the Mirage III, now came into play. These aircraft were formed into two groups, & although both groups would fight together as a whole, their purposes were different prior to air combat.
The first group of ten Dagger fighters rose in altitude whilst the remaining ten remained low. This was a deliberate ploy, in a manner similar to the Deception Group, except in this case there would be no withdrawal. Instead the Dagger fighters meant business. And as with the Deception Group, the British soon saw the Daggers on radar. Immediately the British reacted with alarm & sent the two Sea Harriers of the CAP towards the location of the incoming Daggers. Furthermore, knowing that these aircraft were Dagger fighters meant the British launched a further six Harriers to support the two already airborne.
Upon seeing the British air activity, the Surveillance Group, once again issued orders for Argentine reaction. This meant three things took place all at once. The first immediate step saw the ten Dagger fighters return to their previous low altitude & rejoin the other ten fighters of the Fighter Sweep Force. Soon the British would be caught in an ambush where 20, & not ten fighters, were waiting for them.
The second step witnessed the introduction of the Entendard Exocet Force. This small group, numbering only four Super Entendards, would have the most important mission of all. Being guided by the information gathered by the Surveillance Group, the four aircraft flew at low altitude towards their objective - the two Royal Navy carriers. At the appropriate time, the four aircraft did the “pop-up” manoeuvre & fired their Exocet missiles before anyone could do anything about it.
Coinciding with the Entendard Exocet Force, came the great bulk of the air attack. The 45 older Skyhawks, who the day before had arrived at Stanley Airfield, were now added to the battle known as the Skyhawk Strike Force. But they were not alone. Providing a fighter escort came ten more of the Dagger fighters grouped as the Fighter Escort Force. It would be just as well these Daggers came along, considering the air defence which the British could still offer after being as stretched as they were.
Yet before the Entendards had even gotten into position to fire their deadly cargo, the British Harriers & the Daggers of the Fighter Sweep Force soon clashed. Amazingly for the British pilots, even though surprised & greatly outnumbered, they fought extremely well under the circumstances. Armed with the latest model Sidewinder missile, the ‘L’ version, five Argentine Daggers had been destroyed before the Argentines even had an opportunity to return fire. Furthermore, the British ships had been alerted to the real situation & the remaining three Sea Harriers had been launched.
The battle, though, was now reaching its climax. With only three Harriers in reserve, Woodward, the Royal Navy admiral commanding the fleet, was justifiably concerned. Ordering a full alert, every radar & SAM system throughout the entire fleet came online. It was just as well as, at this point in time, the Skyhawk Strike Force was beginning to split up into nine groups of five. In doing so, each group had its own particular target, which included the two British carriers & every destroyer. But before the Skyhawk Strike Force were even within of the Royal Navy’s SAM umbrella, the remaining three Sea Harriers tried to intervene.
Now came the turn of the Argentine Fighter Escort Force. Their sole mission was to keep the Skyhawk Strike Force alive. Noticing the movements of the remaining Sea Harriers, the ten Daggers intervened. Again, though, the Daggers were severely hit in the air mallee which followed. Within a minute, three Daggers were destroyed whilst all three Sea Harriers survived the initial attack. But, as had happened to the other Sea Harrier interception force, the British were caught up in their own deadly action which ensured that the Skyhawk Strike Force went unmolested.
It was at this point in the battle when everything went wrong for the British. Just as the Skyhawk Strike Force began their bombing runs, the four Exocet missiles announced their arrival. Within seconds, all four missiles hit their targets. Within seconds. Both HMS Hermes & Invincible were surrounded in smoke. Emergency alerts were sent to the fleet for help, although most ships were too busy with the battle at hand, as the planes Skyhawk Strike Force had survived so far without any loss & was clearly threatening several ships. This, however, was about to change. Now in range of the Sea Dart SAM systems on HMS Bristol & the Type 42 destroyers, several such missiles were launched at the incoming Skyhawks.
Unfortunately for the British, the Sea Dart system was more like the American Standard SM-1 SAM system than the far more capable Aegis air defence system. As such, each RN destroyer could only target one Skyhawk each. Overall, this meant only five aircraft could be engaged at the same time. Having said that, the two County Class destroyers also tried to engage the Argentine aircraft as well, but their Sea Slug SAM system was more or less obsolete &, in the action which followed, only managed to hit one plane.
Unlike the lack of success, which the Sea Slug armed destroyers had, the other destroyers had much more success. Alas, for the Argentine pilots, the British shot down a further 20 Skyhawks using the Sea Dart SAMs, whist a further two Skyhawks were hit with the Sea Wolf system. But if the Argentines thought that their cost for victory was steep, the British losses from the combined Exocet/Skyhawk attack was worse. Not only was HMS Hermes & HMS Invincible hit by two Exocets each, but each received the attention of two Skyhawks. The Argentine jets were able to score four 500lb bombs on both carriers which lead to their sinking later that day. Furthermore, both County Class destroyers were hit by several 500lb bombs, as was the Type-42 destroyer HMS Coventry. Finally, two frigates of the Amazon Class, HMS Antelope & HMS Ardent, were also hit. And all these ships would be lost. Five other frigates were also damaged, but were still seaworthy.
Within an hour of the opening phase of the Argentine attack, it was thankfully over. The Royal Navy had been gutted. Frantic efforts at rescue operations soon began as had improvised planning. The most important aspect at this point was the recovery of the surviving Sea Harriers. Even though their carriers had been sunk, it still meant a landing place had to be made quickly for the 12 surviving Harriers. Thankfully HMS Engadine, the helicopter support ship, was able to take eight of the homeless Harriers, whilst four of the fleet support ships, those having large helicopter support facilities, took one of the remaining four Harriers each.
Woodward, who survived the sinking of his flagship HMS Antrim, gave the saddest order of his life. Knowing all too well that his position was completely untenable, Woodward ordered a withdrawal to Ascension Island. Britain, or so it seemed, had lost the war. The only exception to this order was given to the submarines patrolling the waters around the Falklands & off the Argentine coast. These would remain in order to enforce the exclusion zone which was still in force.
Aftermath
On the 11th May 1982, Argentina awoke with the news of a great victory. And indeed it was for a short time. Three days later, after it had been confirmed that the British fleet had withdrawn, the 25 de Mayo, with two frigate escorts & two cargo ships, left port for the Falkland Islands with supplies for the army garrison & the civilians. On the 12th May, HMS Spartan, a nuclear submarine, fired four torpedos into the Argentine’s only aircraft carrier. Within an hour, the aircraft carrier had sunk. The other Argentine ships waited around only long enough to rescue the surviving crew & returned to port as quickly as they could. In many respects, a stalemate eventuated as Argentina could only supply the Falklands by air & had only 15 cargo planes which could fly into & out of Stanley airfield.
Furthermore, on 14th May, the United Nations finally got involved in a meaningful manner. Backed up by the Security Council, the UN began to broker a peace deal between the British & Argentines. These negotiations were further forced along by threats from the United States that it would intervene in the matter on the side of Britain. As a result of these threats, the leadership of Argentina, which was a military Junta at the time, caved into American pressure & agreed to a peace treaty with Britain. As a result, the Falklands were handed back to Britain on 1st June after the evacuation of all Argentine personnel. In return, Britain, under UN supervision, would have to hold a referendum within 6 months on the Falklands asking its population what its future would behold.
The aftermath of the Falklands War in 1982, however, did not simply end there. By the end of June 1982, the Argentine Military Junta, governing the country, collapsed in the face of a People’s Revolution. Discussed by the eventual loss of the war, & by the handing back to Britain of the Falklands, the people of Argentina had had enough. Within 24 hours, Argentina was liberated from the military dictatorship & joined the ranks of free people in the democratic world. In a similar manner, the Thatcher government, even though successful in regarding the Falklands, nevertheless suffered badly in the British General Election in 1982. The defeat of the Royal Navy was, by far, too much for the British People to tolerate, & took it out on the Thatcher Government by voting the government out of office in preference for the Labour Party, as Britannia no longer ruled the waves.