The 40th anniversary of the Falklands War brings back traumatic memories for many in Argentina, with the brief conflict settling the fact of who controls the islands but many still feel that their ownership should lie elsewhere. Around 80% of Argentines feel they should be in control of the island territories, with the lasting effects of the conflict being much greater in the South American nation than they have been for many in the UK.
For Margaret Thatcher it proved to be a major boost for her premiership, with the swift resolution to the conflict helping the then-PM to increase her Conservative majority at the next election and go on to be one of the longest serving prime ministers in British modern history.
Read more: The forgotten stories of the Falklands War 40 years on
How long did the Falklands War last?
The Falklands War lasted around 10 weeks (74 days), from 2 April to 14 June, and saw British forces retake the islands after Argentine forces under military dictator Leopoldo Galtieri had taken the islands (referred to locally as the Malvinas) as well as South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands – which they’d actually had an unopposed military base on since 1976.
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher responded decisively, sending a British task force of 127 warships, submarines, and requisitioned merchant ships to transport troops and equipment heading for the South Atlantic.
Operation Paraquet returned South Georgia to British control on April 25, and a 200-mile Total Exclusion Zone was established around the Falklands Islands which threatened to fire on any ships or aircraft from any other country to enter.
A task force of 4,000 British troops successfully landed unopposed at San Carlos and Ajax Bay in East Falkland from May 21 onwards, and steadily made their way across the island to retake the capital of Stanley. Goose Green was returned to British control on May 28-29, with Mount Longdon being retaken on June 11-12, before the capital eventually fell on June 14 – ending the war and inflicting a humiliating defeat on Galtieri’s poorly prepared forces.
How many people died in the Falklands War?
The conflict saw 649 Argentine and 255 British servicemen lose their lives, as did three Falkland Islanders.
The single greatest loss of life during the short war was the sinking of the light WWII-vintage cruiser ARA General Belgrano, which resulted in more than 300 Argentines being killed. The sinking caused some controversy internationally, as some believed the ship to be returning to port at the time of the attack, and was outside the Total Exclusion Zone that British forces had established off the coast.
However, in 2003 the ship’s captain at the time, Hector Bonzo, confirmed the General Belgrano had simply been manoeuvering, rather than sailing away from the exclusion zone, and that they had orders to sink any British ship they could find.
Argentina responded quickly to the sinking of the Belgrano, striking the HMS Sheffield two days later from the air with Exocet cruise missiles, resulting in the deaths of 20 British servicemen – and the eventual sinking of the ship.
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