Page 32 - History of War - Issue 10-14

FALKLANDS: THATCHER’S WAR

ministers that a military operation would fail,
and cajoled on the other by the US to seek a 4APRIL,1982
diplomatic solution. HMS CONQUEROR DESPATCHED THE TASK FORCE’S ROUTE
TheUSwasBritain’sbiggestally,butthis Aheadofthetaskthenuclearsubthat
was the height of the Cold War and America would eventually sink the Belgrano sets
was far more concerned with containing sail from France. Its mission is to head to HOW THE BRITISH MILITARY STRETCHED ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
Communism than preserving British overseas theSouthAtlanticaheadofthetaskforce
interests.Galtierimayhavebeenabrutal and secretly monitor the movement of
dictator,butinWashington’seyes,hewas Argentine shipping in the area.
an anti-Communist one and therefore an
importantpawninSouthAmerica.Betterhim, 5APRIL,1982
they reasoned, than another Castro. President FIRSTSHIPSLEAVEPORTSMOUTH
Ronald Reagan swiftly dispatched his secretary Withnocontingencyplaninplace,the
of state Alexander Haig to London to explain task force is rapidly put together from
this to the PM. whatever vessels are available. The Royal
Navy’s two carriers HMS Hermes and HMS
Thatcher’s great gamble Invincible leave first with escort vessels
When Haig arrived on 8 April, he was already from Portsmouth. They form the nucleus of
toolate.Inastaggeringdisplayofmilitary the fighting ships flotilla.
organisation and political will, Britain’s task
force had already set sail. In fact, it had been
steaming south for three days and as Haig
would discover, Thatcher was in no mood to
turn it around.
Theprimeministerhadtakenahugepolitical The HMS Bristol with vital
gamble. While most of her political advisers war supplies on board at
Ascension Island in 1982
hadurgedcaution,hermilitaryoneshadbeen
more forthright. Shortly after the invasion she’d
metwithAdmiralHenryLeach,thenheadof
the navy, who’d insisted the Islands could be 9APRIL,1982
retaken and must. “If we don’t, in another MERCHANT SHIPS PRESS GANGED
fewmonthsweshallbelivinginadifferent With the Royal Navy stretched, merchant
country,”hetoldher. shipping is requisitioned. Upon its return
These words, more than any other, convinced toSouthamptonfromaworldcruise,the
Thatcher to commit to a war. A war which, if SS Canberra is refitted as a troop carrier
won, could transform Britain’s ailing prestige, and sets sail with 3 Commando Brigade
while simultaneously salvaging her political aboard.TheQE2issimilarlypressganged,
legacy.Ifshelost,however,itwouldnotonly as are scores of smaller ships.
meananoceanofbodybagsandfurther
confirm Britain’s decline, but condemn Thatcher
personally to the dustbin of history.
Thetaskforcetookjustthreedaysto
assemble.Morethan100ships,includingtwo
aircraft carriers carrying scores of warplanes
and28,000men,wouldbesenttoliberate
theFalklands.Astheflotilla’sflagshipthe
aircraft carrier HMS Hermes steamed out of
Portsmouthon5April,TVnewsfootageshowed
thepublicenthusiasticallywavingtroopsoff
withUnionflagswhilemilitarybandsplayed
Victorianmarchingtunesonthedockside.
Thespiritofjingoismwasbeingdeliberately 17APRIL,1982
reawakenedandastheBritishnationlinedup ASCENSION ISLAND REACHED
behind its leader, the TV cameras also sent out By the time the first ships reach Ascension
anothermessage.OnHMSHermes’deck,not Island,theRAFhassetupanairbasethere
with the plan to launch a long-distance
BythetimeAlexanderHaig(left)metMargaretThatcher bombing raid on their targets in the
inApril1982,Britain’staskforcehadalreadysetsail Falklands. The 7,000-mile round trip known
as the Black Buck raids prove costly from ARGENTINA
aresourcepointofviewandtheirimpact
is minimal.
25APRIL,1982
RECAPTURING SOUTH GEORGIA
Argentinian forces captured the outlying
island of South Georgia the day after the
FalklandIslands.Amixedforceoftroops
from the Royal Marines, SAS, SBS and
RoyalNavymakesadirectassaultupon
Argentinian positions there after a brief FALKLAND ISLANDS
naval bombardment. The Argentinians
surrender without a fight.

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