Britains Small Wars - Falklands (1982)

**spidge** · 11-04-2007, 02:08 AM

Read more here: http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/index.html

Britains Small Wars - Falklands (1982)

Over View of the War

The Argentine Invasion of the Falkland Islands on 2nd April 1982 necessitated Britain's first major naval operation since Suez. Eventually over a hundred ships were employed, of which only 44 were warships, 25 Royal Fleet Auxiliaries and 45 merchant ships. The recapture of the islands also entailed the RAF's single longest bombing mission (Black Buck), and an amphibious landing from hastily assembled and refitted merchant ships and assault landing ships destined for the scrap heap in the Governments' recent white paper.
The Falklands led to the Royal Navy gaining valuable lessons of naval warfare in the missile age, Special Forces and Royal Marines with British Army units were outnumbered by the Argentine forces, and outside of any RAF support apart from the Harriers and helicopters brought with the task force, and the very long-range Vulcan bombing mission on Port Stanley. It also reaffirmed that the carrier was still needed in the navy and put paid to the Government's ideas to sell off the current carrier forces in the Navy's inventory.
The Falklands were recaptured and the Argentine forces surrendered on the 13th June 1982. The only fixed wing aircraft available, the Harrier, was singularly responsible for allowing the Task Force to function and in restricting the damage caused by the Argentine's air launched Exocet missile.

**sniper** · 10-20-2010, 08:40 PM

Not only were the Harriers responsible for allowing the Task Force to function but they saved our a***s at Goose Green. God bless those pilots is all i can say.

Sniper

**John** · 10-22-2010, 01:44 AM

Does the Royal Navy still have Aircraft Carriers now ???

**sniper** · 10-22-2010, 02:48 AM

At the moment they do but in a short time when Ark Royal is taken out of service there will only be one which can only carry helicopters until the two new ones are built. Would be a good time for the Argies to make another claim on the islands.

Sniper

**spidge** · 10-22-2010, 07:25 AM

So what is there now?

A regiment? 4 Tornadoes? Unknown sub capability. What else?

No NZ jokes please.

**sniper** · 10-22-2010, 10:40 AM

Well looks like we are ging to lose a regiment, all the harriers, all the tornados, a fleet of ships and a whole load of camps are going to be closed.

Sniper

**Keith** · 10-22-2010, 02:56 PM

Hi Forumers.
The last time something as devastating as this happened to our defense forces we had a war.
However then we were proudly a United Kingdom, with a Commonwealth to help us.
We are probably one of the worst off of all the powers in WWII, now completely on our knees. financialy, it seems contradictory that we won the war.

Keith DCLXI

**sniper** · 10-22-2010, 03:42 PM

Yes thanks to Labour Goverment spending money like water, seems they are the same as Cheshire County Council who are all but bankrupt. Its the same thing everytime Labour get into goverment, they spend the money and the Conservatives have to sort the financial mess they leave the country in, happened in the 70's and 80's and now again. I think the Monster Raving Luney Party could do a better job than those idiots in Labour.

Sniper

**John** · 10-22-2010, 04:52 PM

What in hell is going on in the World - Seems like nearly every nation is going broke. It is time for people to really look hard at how the government is spending their money. A country defense forces should never suffer large cuts in such a volitile world