Page 37 - History of War - Issue 10-14

FALKLANDS: THATCHER’S WAR

INTHEPRESS

THROUGHOUTTHECONFLICTTHEBRITISHPRESS
REVELLEDINTHEPOPULISTNEO-JINGOISMTHAT
THEFALKLANDSWARINSPIRED
THEEMPIRESTRIKESBACK
Cargo compartment
NEWSWEEK
Interestingly, even American publications such as
Newsweekcaughtthenationalistspiritbeingnurturedin
the UK. Only three years before, Britain’s economic woes
ransodeepthatsomequartersoftheAmericanpress
describeditasthe“sickmanofEurope”.
GOTCHA!
THESUN
Probably the most infamous headline in British tabloid
HERCULESC-130 historywasbasedonthespontaneousresponseofThe
Sun’s feature editor to the sinking of the Belgrano. A
scratchteamproducedtheeditionduringthemiddleofa
CREW 5 strike and approved the headline.
LENGTH 29.8m
DID 1,200 ARGIES DROWN?
WINGSPAN 40.4m
PAYLOAD 20,000kg THESUN
The original Gotcha! headline was sent to the presses
POWERPLANT 4x Allison T56-A-15 turboprop
before the full extent of the casualty rate was realised.
MAX SPEED 592km/h
This was the slightly more-sober headline later editions
MAX RANGE 3,800km
of The Sun carried after the scale of the event became
MAX ALTITUDE 10,060m clearer. Despite its insensitivity, Sun owner Rupert
Murdoch still preferred the original.
andfood.Indoingso,alogisticalmasterpiece high ground around Stanley where the main THE BRITISH ARE BACK!
unlike anything ever witnessed before was Argentine force was.
formed,butitwasalsotheforce’sgreatest THEDAILYMAIL
weakness.Thisbecameevenmoreapparent Invasion! Againthetriumphanttoneseemsoutofkilterwithmodern
when the second flotilla reached the Falklands. In the early hours of 21 May, Thompson’s sensibilities. There can be no mistaking the intention of
By mid-May the south Atlantic winter was troops hit the beaches. Encountering little the headline though. On a literal level, this reports on
kickinginandfoulweatherhamperedthe resistance, they made for the high ground and theestablishmentofabeachheadatSanCarlos,butits
Britishaircampaign.Withtimerunningout dug in. Below them, in the bay, the ships that’d statement about national resurgence is palpable.
rapidly, and the prime minister ruling out the brought them were unloadingsupplieswhenat
option of turning back to the UK, the decision 10.30am they were attacked from the air. The
wasmadetolaunchtheinvasionwithout attackscontinuedforfourdaysandbytheend over1,000,with255dead.TheArgentinians
thenecessaryaircover.Ofcourse,thiswas ofiteightshipshadbeenhitandatwosunk. suffered650deadand1,600wounded.Of
ahigh-riskstrategy.On18May,thesecond Buttheworsewasyettocome. the 1,820 Falklanders, just three had lost their
wave of ships arrived just off the Falklands. On 25 May, Thompson’s helicopters finally lives.Withindays,Galtieriwassweptfrom
It included the landing force of 3,000 men, a arrivedinacargoshipcalledtheAtlantic power and Argentina – rather than opting for
mix of marines and paratroopers who would Conveyor. As she approached San Carlos, two Communism, as Reagan had feared – was on
spearhead the invasion under the command of Argentinian jets appeared. She was smashed its way to reestablishing itself as a democracy.
Brigadier Julian Thompson. to pieces and with her every helicopter on The real winner, though, was Margaret
SanCarlosBayonthenorth-westofEast board.Inastroke,thegroundcampaignwas Thatcher. Almost a year to the day after the end
Falklandhadbeenidentifiedasthebestplace transformed and destined to be vastly different of hostilities, she was re-elected prime minister
to land. Lightly defended, and importantly out from the one envisaged. This most modern of by a landslide off the back of the victory. What
of range of Argentinian artillery, Thompson wars,thathadseenanentireoceancrossedto many military analysts had declared impossible
reasoned that if he could establish a bring a self-sufficient war machine across the –tolaunchasuccessfulseaborneinvasionof
beachheadthereandholdit,whentheChinook world, would now be fought on foot. a target 8,000 miles away in hostile waters
helicopters eventually turned up he could use By the time the Argentinians surrendered with no real prospect of resupply – had been
them to ferry his troops 50 miles east to the on 14 June, British casualties numbered achieved in just 74 days.

2May Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-299-1805-16 / Scheck / CC-BY-SA

PERMISSIONTOENGAGE PERMISSIONGRANTED BELGRANOSUNK
01:50 (SAT) 02:00 (SAT) 03.57 (SAT)
Fearingthatshemaylose HMS Conqueror receives Conqueror sends message:
theBelgranoandher orders directly from the BELGRANO SUNK. Of the
escortsinshallowwaters Thatcher to sink the 1,045 crew members, 323
HMS Conqueror requests Belgrano. lose their lives.
permission from War Cabinet
to engage.

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