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What was the Falklands War? Countries involved, participating soldiers and key facts about the conflict

2022-06-14T06:15:15.627Z


In 1982 Argentina and the United Kingdom fought for control of an archipelago. Here are some key facts about the Falklands War.


40 years have passed since the Falklands War 1:44

(CNN Spanish) --

In 1982 Argentina and the United Kingdom fought a war for control of an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean.

These are some key facts about the Malvinas (Falklands, for the British) War.

  • 40 years after the Malvinas War, Argentina and the United Kingdom still dispute sovereignty over the archipelago

Causes of the war

Almost 200 years of conflict -

The Malvinas Islands (as they are known in Argentina) or Falklands (as the United Kingdom calls them), located about 600 kilometers from Argentina, are at the center of a sovereignty dispute that has lasted 189 years .

The Argentine claim -

Buenos Aires maintains that the islands were discovered by Spain in 1520. After its independence from the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, Argentina claimed Spain's rights over the Malvinas and exercised sovereignty from 1820.

The British-

London claim says instead that the islands were discovered by an English sailor in 1592 and then competed with Spain for sovereignty.

Finally in 1833 the United Kingdom expelled the Argentine governor and the garrison, forcibly taking control of the islands until today.

Start of negotiations -

Argentina never abandoned its claim for sovereignty over the Malvinas, and after taking the matter to the UN Special Committee on Decolonization, managed to start negotiations with the United Kingdom through resolution 1514 of 1960.

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The war -

But the negotiations stalled, and during the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976, tensions escalated, until on April 2, 1982, Argentine troops took control of the Malvinas Islands by force, beginning the war, which ended on June 14 with a British victory.

Helmets and equipment of Argentine soldiers after the surrender of June 14, 1982.

Participants

Argentina - 

More than 23,000 soldiers were deployed during the Malvinas war, 11,000 of whom were in the territory of the islands and the rest in air bases on the mainland and on Navy ships.

The country had been governed by a military dictatorship since 1976, and the de facto president at the time of the conflict was Lieutenant General Leopoldo Fortunato Galtieri.

United Kingdom -

A total of 25,948 British soldiers and sailors were part of the fleet sent to war, of which 9,000 participated in the fighting on land.

The United Kingdom was governed at that time by the Conservative Party – winner in the 1979 elections – and Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister.

The human cost

649 Argentine soldiers died during the conflict, and 1,063 were wounded.

Meanwhile, the cruiser ARA General Belgrano was sunk by a British submarine, leaving 323 dead.

In total, in addition, 255 British soldiers and 3 inhabitants of the Malvinas Islands died.

Two frigates, two destroyers, a landing ship and a cargo ship were sunk by Argentine aviation.

The Falklands War pitted them against each other, but the theater unites them 0:43

Other information about the Falklands

Some 3,000 organized people currently live on the Falkland Islands with their own government, and the archipelago is administered as one of 14 British Overseas Territories.

The official language of the islanders has been English since the United Kingdom took control in 1833.

Its economy was historically dominated by sheep farming, but in recent decades this has been overshadowed by fishing rights, while interest in oil exploration is growing.

The islands also have enormous strategic importance due to their proximity to Antarctica, where Argentina and the United Kingdom also claim the same territory.

Before the war, the British military presence in the Falklands was almost nil.

But after the conflict, the Mount Pleasant air base (Mount Pleasant, for the British) was built, equipped with an air wing of four Eurofighter Typhoon fighters.

Argentine and English fought in Malvinas and now they are friends 1:11

The Argentine claim on the Falkland Islands, meanwhile, continues to this day.

Timeline of the 1982 conflict

April 2 -

Argentine forces land on the islands, take the capital, Puerto Argentino (Port Stanley for the British) and defeat a small British garrison, as part of Operation Rosario.

May 2 –

The Argentine cruiser ARA Belgrano is torpedoed by the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror.

323 Argentine sailors die.

May 4 –

Two Argentine Navy Super Etendard aircraft attack the British destroyer HMS Sheffield with Exocet missiles.

Badly damaged, she sinks on May 10, killing 20 sailors.

May 21 -

British forces land in the San Carlos Strait, beginning the land phase of the war.

May 27-29

- The first major land battle of the war takes place at Pradera del Ganso (Goose Green, for the British), which results in a British victory.

June 11-14 -

British troops assault Argentine defensive positions around Puerto Argentino.

It is fought on Mounts Harriet, Dos Hermanas, Longdon, Tumbledown and Wireless Ridge, among others.

June 14 -

The commander of the Argentine forces in the Malvinas, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, surrenders to General Jeremy Moore, head of the British troops, ending the war.

the falklands

Source: cnnespanol

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