Anglo-Argentine conflict. The Iron Lady goes to war

The Falklands War between Great Britain and Argentina became one of the most notable events in British foreign policy of the 20th century. This is the reign of Margaret Thatcher (1979 to 1990).

Below is information about the islands and the history of the conflict.

The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands are an archipelago in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. with total area 12.2 thousand square kilometers. It consists of two large islands - East Falkland (Soledad) and West Falkland (Gran Malvina) - and about 200 small islands and rocks.

The Falkland Islands are located 13,000 kilometers from Great Britain and 400 kilometers from Argentina.

The islands were discovered in 1591-1592 by the English navigator John Davis. Since 1765 belonged to Spain.

In 1820, after declaring independence from Spain, the United Provinces of La Plata (future Argentina) claimed their rights to the Falklands, which the Spaniards called the Malvinas Islands. In 1829, an Argentine military governor was landed on their territory with a small detachment of soldiers. In 1833, English ships arrived on the islands and declared the archipelago a British possession, and the Argentines who were on it were taken to their homeland.

Since the 1960s, Argentina has increased its diplomatic activity for the elimination of the colonial regime in the Falklands and the extension of its sovereignty to the islands. This problem was even considered at a UN meeting, and the majority spoke in favor of decolonization.

In 1972, Argentina built an airfield and established a telephone connection. Scientific cooperation began in 1976. But the government of England did not give the Falklanders equal rights with the inhabitants of Great Britain and even denied them the right to own property on the islands. Relations escalated when, in 1975, the British government sent a commission headed by Lord Shelkton to the Falklands to study

After the Conservatives led by Margaret Thatcher came to power in May 1979, Anglo-Argentine relations deteriorated, negotiations in New York in April-May 1980 came to a standstill.

The diplomatic solution of the territorial dispute seemed impossible to the military government of Argentina, headed by President General Leopoldo Galtieri, and it moved to decisive action.

March 19, 1982 on South Georgia Island desert island, commanded from the Falkland capital Port Stanley and located 800 miles from the archipelago, several dozen Argentine workers landed on the pretext that they needed to dismantle the old whaling station. They raised the Argentine flag on the island.

English soldiers tried to expel the Argentines, but troops came to the aid of the workers.

On April 2, 1982, Argentine troops also landed on the Falkland Islands. A company of 80 British Marines stationed at Port Stanley, on the orders of Governor Rex Hunt, capitulated without resistance. Galtieri appointed the commander of the Argentine Expeditionary Force, General Mario Menendoz, as the new governor. England on the same day broke off diplomatic relations with Argentina.

On April 3, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling on the parties to resolve the conflict over the Falklands through negotiations. England demanded the withdrawal of Argentine troops as a condition for the start of negotiations. Buenos Aires, agreeing to negotiations, refused to withdraw troops.

April 5 from Portsmouth (USA) to South Atlantic sailed a British squadron of 40 ships, led by aircraft carriers "Hermes" and "Invisible" with 10,000th expeditionary force on board.

On April 7, the British Secretary of Defense announced that starting from April 12, the British fleet would sink all Argentine ships that were within a radius of 200 miles (over 320 kilometers) and closer to the Falkland Islands. Argentina responded by calling in reservists and deploying additional troops to the islands. The airfield at Port Stanley began to be converted to receive military aircraft.

On April 25, the British squadron landed troops on the island of South Georgia, which captured the Argentine garrison without a fight.

On April 30, England imposed a complete military and naval blockade of the Falklands. British aviation from aircraft carriers attacked the positions of the Argentines on the islands, disabled both airfields and damaged several enemy combat aircraft and helicopters.

On May 2, a submarine sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, which was outside the 200-mile exclusion zone declared by the British. 386 crew members were killed. Argentine aircraft sank the British destroyer Sheffield on the same day, killing 30 people. The British government gave Argentina an ultimatum to withdraw Argentine troops from the Falklands within 48 hours. The ultimatum was not accepted, and on May 2 an English frigate sank an Argentine tanker.

In mid-May, British commandos raided Pebble Island and destroyed the enemy planes and weapons depots located there. On May 17 and 21, the British side demanded the withdrawal of Argentine troops from the Falklands within 14 days. Argentina again refused. On May 21, British troops landed in the Falklands. The operation involved 22,000 soldiers, two aircraft carriers, seven destroyers, seven landing ships, three nuclear submarines, 40 Harrier VTOL fighters and 35 helicopters. Two days later, the British captured the villages of Port Darwin and Goose Green on East Falkland Island.

On May 26, the Argentine government proposed to withdraw the troops of both sides to their bases within 30 days and transfer the islands to the United Nations for the period of negotiations. The British did not respond to the Argentine proposals.

On June 14, a ceasefire was reached, and on June 15, the 10,000-strong Argentine garrison, led by General Menendos, capitulated.

Shortly after the surrender, President Galtieri resigned. Power in Argentina passed to a civilian government. General Galtieri was sentenced to 12 years in prison for starting a war with England, of which he served seven.

As a result of the war over the Falklands, British sovereignty was restored.

In this article we will talk about the next conflict of the 20th century, namely the war for the Falkland Islands. This war was fought between Argentina and Great Britain in 1982. It lasted less than three months. Why did this happen and what made these countries fight among themselves? Read more below.

background

At the end of the 17th century, the Falkland Islands, which are an archipelago, were discovered by European sailors, but due to their proximity to Argentina, this country has always considered them part of its territory. The archipelago, which consists of two large and more than seven hundred small islands and rocks, did not have an indigenous population, and over the years it has changed hands more than once. In the XVIII century, an English settlement was founded here, but during the time Britain was forced to leave these lands. In 1820, Argentine settlers arrived in the Falkland Islands. Great Britain established control over the islands in 1833, reasserting its rights to these territories.

In the second half of the 20th century, Argentina took a number of diplomatic steps to eliminate the colonial status of the Falkland Islands. This country had claims to these territories and wished to extend its sovereignty to them. The issue of decolonization was considered at UN meetings, but was never resolved. The Falklands War of 1982 happened because of this unresolved dispute.

Who should own the islands?

The situation worsened in early 1982, when the head of the military junta that came to power in Argentina in 1979 decided to invade the Falkland Islands. The war began at a time when Argentina was going through far from the best of times. In this regard, the military regime of General Leopoldo Galtieri made an attempt to take possession of the islands in order to divert the attention of the population from the internal problems of the country, as well as to strengthen national pride and rally the people against a common enemy, in this case Great Britain.

Capture of the islands by Argentina

So, on April 2, Argentine military units landed on the Falkland Islands, thereby unleashing the ensuing conflict. The capture of the islands, which were defended by some eighty British marines stationed at Port Stanley, took place without bloodshed. The British surrendered, and a new government was established in the Falklands, headed by the Argentine general Menendos. In this regard, the Falklands War took place, the reasons for which are that both conflicting parties claimed this territory.

The day after the landing of Argentine troops on the Falkland Islands, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling on the parties to the conflict to a peaceful settlement. Great Britain severed all diplomatic relations with Argentina and sent a military contingent to the region, whose task was to regain control over the Falkland Islands. Argentina, in turn, transferred additional troops there and announced the start of the call for reservists. Countries have imposed sanctions on each other. The Falklands War was brewing.

Escalation of the conflict

Great Britain immediately organized a special forces group, which received the task of returning the islands. On April 25, the island of South Georgia, located less than 1300 km east of the Falklands, was occupied by those who landed from the warships who came to the rescue. The next day, he called on the UK to stop fighting, but the country rejected this recommendation. The Falklands War continued to flare up, the parties to the conflict pulled additional forces into the region.

On April 30, Great Britain began a complete blockade of the islands by means of submarines and aircraft. England defined a combat zone with a diameter of 200 miles, which even civilian ships and aircraft were not recommended to enter. Argentine positions were hit, resulting in significant damage to aviation, airfields and other infrastructure.

Further course of the war. Defeat of Argentina

The Argentine cruiser General Belgrano was sunk by Great Britain, which caused the death of 323 crew members. The international community was extremely outraged by this act, especially since at the time when the British submarine torpedoed the cruiser, it was outside the 200-mile zone established by Great Britain itself. the fleet was withdrawn to its bases and no longer participated in the conflict.

In the future, the main course of the Falklands War moved into the airspace. On June 12, Great Britain launched a massive attack on Port Stanley, in which Argentina concentrated its main forces. The Falklands War was at an end. British marines and paratroopers participated in this operation, and a powerful bombardment of the city was also carried out, which led to civilian casualties.

After Port Stanley was finally surrounded by British troops, a ceasefire agreement was concluded between the parties to the conflict. Thus, on June 14, the Argentine troops capitulated and the British occupied the city. This ended the conflict, the Falkland Islands returned to British control.

Consequences and results

As a result of the Falklands War, Great Britain lost 258 people killed, more than 700 were wounded. 649 Argentines died, over 1,000 were wounded, and more than 11,000 were taken prisoner.

The 1982 Falklands War, in which Argentina suffered a humiliating defeat, later caused the overthrow of the Galtieri military junta. But for Britain, this small victorious war benefited by raising the national trust of citizens in the government and allowing the country to assert its position in the international community.

Current situation

Relations between Argentina and the UK escalated in 2010 after the latter started oil production offshore the Falkland Islands. In addition, England deployed an additional military contingent on the islands, in connection with which Argentina criticized it, accusing it of militarizing the region. The Falklands War and the unresolved dispute are still the cause of tense relations between the countries.

In 2013, a referendum was held in the Falkland Islands, which raised the question of their status. It is known that 98% of the respondents voted for the islands to remain. However, about 3 thousand people live on the islands, most of them are of British origin. Argentina, in turn, said it did not recognize the results of the referendum, as it was held without the approval of the UN. Therefore, the country continues to claim these territories to this day, considering them to be its own.

Unfortunately, even in modern world there are conflicts such as the Falklands War. We just don't know much about many of them. By the way, in Argentina, the Falkland Islands are called the Malvinas.

A real war, in terms of order and organization, is remarkably similar to a brothel on fire. The Falklands conflict was no exception - the chain of naval and land battles in the South Atlantic that thundered in May-June 1982 was a good example of how modern military operations look in practice.

A delusional conflict on the edge of the Earth, in which not very well-to-do Argentina "butted" with an impoverished Great Britain. The first urgently needed a "small victorious war" and she did not find anything better than unleashing a territorial dispute 150 years ago. The British accepted the challenge and went to defend the honor of the British Empire 12,000 miles from their native shores. The whole world was surprised to watch the "argument between two bald men over a comb."

As often happens, the "small victorious war" turned into a brutal defeat. Argentina was completely unprepared to conduct any serious hostilities. A total of six AM38 Exocet anti-ship missiles, two tanker aircraft and two more or less serviceable SP-2H Neptune early warning aircraft. Fleet - stupid "stubs" of the fleets of the leading powers:

The formidable cruiser "General Belgrano" is an old American cruiser "Phoenix", which miraculously escaped death in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack. You can’t escape fate - after 40 years, the Phoenix - Belgrano was nevertheless sunk in the Atlantic.

Supercarrier "Bentisco de Mayo" - the former Dutch "Karel Dorman", originally the British aircraft carrier HMS Venerable, launched in 1943;

The destroyers Ippolito Bouchard and Luis Piedrabuena are former American destroyers of the Allen M. Sumner type, also from the Second World War.

Isn't it true, dubious forces for attacking a country that from 1588 to the beginning of the 40s of the twentieth century had no equal in the sea?

The queen's fleet goes south

The "Great Victory" of the British Navy can only be called an accident: a third of the ships of Her Majesty's squadron were hit by Argentine bombs! Fortunately for the British, the Argentine pilots used rusty American ammunition - after lying in a warehouse for thirty years, for some reason they refused to explode.

The explosion of the ammunition cellars of the frigate "Antilope"

The destroyer "Glasgow" - a direct hit by a 1000-pound bomb. Having broken through several decks, a dangerous object rolled into the engine room, but ... there was no explosion.

Frigate "Antrim" - direct hit 1000-lb. bombs. The Argentine pilots were again let down by a fuse.

Frigate "Broadsword" - unsuccessfully dropped 500-lb. the bomb ricocheted off the crest of the wave and tore the side of the frigate. She passed like a black shadow interior spaces of the ship, destroying flimsy bulkheads and mechanisms on its way, flew out onto the flight deck, crushed the helicopter, and ... waving goodbye with the stumps of stabilizers, fell into the water.

Frigate "Argonaut" - heavy damage from two unexploded bombs. The ship has lost combat capability.

The sinking of the frigate "Antilope"

The landing ship "Sir Lancelot" - on the approach to the Falkland Islands received a direct hit of 1000-lb. air bomb. Fortunately for the British, the detonation did not occur - otherwise, the ship, loaded to the brim with marines and equipment, would have turned into a hellish brazier.

The landing craft, the Sir Galahad, could also have been lost on the way - in open ocean"Sir Galahad" received a terrible blow of 1000-lb. bomb that, once again, spared the British
However, the ship could not escape fate: the Argentine Air Force attack aircraft burned the Sir Galahad during the landing at Bluff Cove. By that time, most of the Marines landed on the shore, however, 40 people burned down with the ship.

The third landing craft, the Sir Tristram, during the Marine landings at Bluff Cove, was heavily attacked by Argentine aircraft, resulting in a 500-lb. bomb. British sailors and marines in horror rushed into the icy water - away from the dangerous "attraction". The "humane" bomb, after waiting for the last sailor to leave the ship, was immediately activated. "Sir Tristram" burned for several hours - it's scary to imagine if hundreds of marines were on board at that moment.

"Sir Tristram" returns from the war

In total, according to statistics, 80% of the Argentine bombs and missiles that hit Her Majesty's ships did not work properly! It is easy to imagine what would happen if they all exploded - Glasgow, Plymouth, Argonaut, landing ships - they would all inevitably die. Having lost a third of the squadron, Great Britain lost the opportunity to fight on the other side of the Earth and lost the Falklands War. Truly, the British were one step away from disaster!

But even 20% of the detonated ammunition turned out to be more than enough to destroy six ships of the British squadron!
- destroyer "Sheffield" - burned out from unexploded anti-ship missiles "Exocet";
- the destroyer "Coventry" - died under the bombs of Argentine attack aircraft;
- frigate "Ardent" - numerous hits of air bombs, explosion of ammunition cellars;
- the frigate "Antiloop" - two unexploded bombs, detonation during an attempt to clear mines;
- Atlantic Conveyor air transport - simultaneous hit of two Exocet anti-ship missiles;
- the previously mentioned landing ship "Sir Galahad" - the damage was so severe that the British had to scuttle the ship in the Atlantic.

Argentine Air Force, road to victory

It is simply amazing how the Argentine Air Force could inflict such damage with their limited forces. At that time, the Argentines had only six (!) air-launched anti-ship missiles and the same number of their carriers - the latest French-made Super Etandar fighter-bombers. Moreover, the last sixth Super Etandar, which managed to arrive in Argentina before the start of the war, could not take off for a completely banal reason - the absence of part of the avionics.

10 obsolete Canberra bombers, acquired in the UK in the early 70s, episodically participated in the hostilities - the Argentines only achieved that they lost 2 cars, without any success.

A-4 Skyhawks are attacking!

Note. "Dagger", aka "Nesher" - an unlicensed Israeli copy of the French fighter-bomber "Mirage 5". Having served their Israeli cars, having undergone modernization, they were sold to Argentina. Here on such "junk" it was necessary to fly the Argentine muchachos!

The subsonic A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft became the key striking force of the Argentine aviation: already initially adapted for long-range combat missions, the old machines turned into formidable ones - the vast majority of the losses of the British fleet are attributable to them! Argentine pilots had to operate at a distance of hundreds of miles from the coast, breaking through at extremely low altitude through rain and snow charges, avoiding encounters with enemy combat air patrols. On the external suspension - a ton of bombs. Ahead is an endless ocean, in the vastness of which the British squadron is hiding. Find and destroy! And on the way back, be sure to meet an air tanker, otherwise the plane will fall into the cold waters of the Atlantic with empty tanks.

Subsonic strike aircraft Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Hero of the Falklands War

In terms of order and organization, the Falklands War was indeed a hell of a mess. An explosive mixture of mistakes, cowardice, negligence, original solutions and unsatisfactory characteristics of military equipment. With a close acquaintance with the episodes of the Falklands conflict, one gets the feeling that the fighting was filmed in Hollywood pavilions. The actions of the British and Argentines sometimes look so naive and paradoxical that it is impossible to believe that this could happen in real life.

A vivid example is the triumphant sinking of the newest destroyer Sheffield.

“The latest destroyer Sheffield was in fact a small “pelvis” with a displacement of about 4000 tons - now such ships are commonly called frigates. The combat capabilities of the “newest destroyer” were identical to its size: the Sea Dart naval air defense system with 22 missiles, a 114 mm universal gun, an anti-submarine helicopter ... that, perhaps, was all that the Sheffield team could count on.

No less wonderful is the sinking of the destroyer Coventry.
Argentine Skyhawks overtook him 15 miles from Pebble Island - suddenly appearing from behind the rocky cliffs of the island, four attack aircraft unleashed a flurry of free-fall bombs on the destroyer and the Broadsword frigate accompanying it.
The British formation was covered by carrier-based SeaHarriers, but at the time of the attack, the fighters were withdrawn due to the threat of anti-aircraft fire from ships. However, they failed to cope on their own - the destroyer's air defense system did not work. "Coventry" tried to drive away enemy planes with the fire of a universal gun, but to no avail - the planes had already laid down on a combat course. As luck would have it, the Oerlikon anti-aircraft gun jammed - as a result, the destroyer team fired back at low-flying aircraft with rifles and pistols.

The Argentines at that time also had a lot of problems - out of the six aircraft of the strike group, only four flew to the target. Another dilapidated Skyhawk was unable to carry out the bombing due to the failure of the bomb release mechanism.

The events of the Falklands War were distinguished by a whole range of amazing decisions and army ingenuity.
Having used up the supply of aircraft-based anti-ship Exocets, the Argentines switched to improvisations. From the old destroyer Segui, local craftsmen removed and reprogrammed two ship-based Exocets - both missiles were delivered by transport aircraft to the Falkland Islands, where they were secretly deployed to the coast in anticipation of British ships. The target designation was issued by the RASIT army mobile radar.

On June 12, 1982, the destroyer Glamorgan came under fire from the shore - the first missile missed, the second struck the upper deck in the area of ​​​​the helipad and exploded, forming a 5-meter hole. Fragments and products of the explosion entered the helicopter hangar, where at that time there was a fully fueled helicopter. The fire raged for four hours, 14 sailors died in the fight against fire. The next day, with the help of the floating workshops, the destroyer managed to regain limited combat capability.

As in any war, there was not without a drop of black humor.
Trying to stop the offensive of Her Majesty's fleet, the Argentines began to use as bombers everything that could fly and bomb, including the C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft (an analogue of the domestic An-12). May 29, 1982 "Hercules" found a lone naval tanker "British Way" - immediately flew down 500-lb. bombs rolled by hand from the folded-down cargo ramp. Despite the absence of any sighting devices, more than half of the ammunition hit the target, and, of course, did not explode.

The bold raids of the C-130 bomber ended sadly - two days later the Argentine Hercules was discovered and attacked by the carrier-based SeaHarrier. However, shooting down a military transport aircraft was not an easy task - the huge Hercules ignored the hit of the AIM-9 Saudwinder missile, continuing to pull towards the coast on the remaining three motors. The pilot of the SeaHarrier, Lieutenant Ward, had to release the entire ammunition load of the guns - and this is 260 shells, in order to destroy the Argentine "sea corsair".

Tragicomedy in the South Atlantic lasted 74 days and cost, according to official figures, 907 human lives. It is worth recognizing that both warring parties sought to minimize human losses as much as possible - at the slightest threat, the units preferred not to tempt fate and surrendered. Fortunately, the fighting was carried out over the ocean and over deserted, practically uninhabited islands, which made it possible to exclude civilian casualties - the military solved their problems in a fair duel.
In the undoubted military successes of Argentina, the traditions of the Wehrmacht played a certain role - after the end of World War II South America became a haven for many German military specialists. And we have to admit, they didn’t eat their bread in vain in a new place - the training of Argentine officers turned out to be much better than anyone expected.

Alas, despite all efforts, Argentina lost the Falklands War to smithereens - when 80% of the bombs that hit the target do not explode, one cannot dream of victory. The British fleet turned out to be not an easy adversary - with the help of nuclear submarines, the British drove the Argentine fleet into its bases in a matter of days. The Falkland Islands garrison was isolated and victory was only a matter of time. The British paid dearly for the death of their warships - 74 aircraft of the Argentine Air Force did not return to the airfields. It is noteworthy that the SeaHarrier carrier-based fighters accounted for only 28% of the destroyed Argentine aircraft, the rest of the aircraft were chalked up to the air defense systems and anti-aircraft artillery of Her Majesty's ships.

Like Great Britain and Argentina, the Falkland Islands were not divided.

"Latent" conflict

The small archipelago of the Falkland Islands was discovered in the South Atlantic in the 16th century. Scientists are still wondering who was the first of the navigators to reach them: the Spaniard Esteban Gomez in 1520 or the Briton John Deyvich in 1592. For more than two centuries, the Malvinas Islands (the Argentinean name for the Falklands) was the Spanish garrison and, therefore, the entire archipelago was part of composition of the Spanish state. When Argentina declared its independence in 1810, the Spanish military left the islands. Argentina itself remembered the island only ten years later, an Argentine landing force landed there, led by Captain Juet, who proclaimed the sovereignty of the Argentine Republic over the archipelago. The triumph did not last long. Twelve years later, the archipelago was captured by an English naval expedition, establishing its de facto subordination to the British crown. The young republic turned out to be unable to resist the aggressive policy of Great Britain, but was also not going to give up its legal rights to own the Malvinas Islands. The so-called "latent conflict" was born, for some time the opposing sides calmed down.

Oil, krill and parliamentary elections

In the 1960s, during the collapse of the colonial system, Argentina tried to return the Falkland Islands through diplomacy. The country in every possible way strengthened its influence on the islands, built an airfield there, and established a telephone connection. She even managed to enlist the support of the majority of UN members, but England remained adamant. The Albion government refused to give the Argentines of the island equal rights with British citizens; London had its own interests in the deserted islands. They were especially interested in large deposits of oil and gas found in coastal waters and the coastal shelf of the islands. Another stumbling block was the krill crustacean, the monopoly right to catch which actually belonged to the British alone.

Some researchers see the Falklands War as one of the intrigues of Margaret Thatcher, for whom she became a small "victorious war." On the eve of hostilities, and at the same time on the eve of new parliamentary elections, things were not going well for the Iron Lady. Thatcher's economic policy was not supported by everyone even within her party: 9 out of 22 ministers of her cabinet were against her economic endeavors. By December 1980, the level of political confidence in Thatcher had fallen to 23% (the lowest result among British prime ministers). But she refused to deviate from the planned course of economic reforms. “Turn around if you want. Lady doesn't turn!" she said at a party conference that same year. To restore the authority of the British Conservative Party, Thatcher needed a small victorious war. In addition, the victory was consistent with Thatcher's foreign policy doctrine, which provided for the return of Great Power status by Great Britain.

The victorious war of Leopoldo

Not only Thatcher needed a victorious conflict. In 1881, as a result of a military coup in Argentina, Leopoldo Galtieri came to power. To achieve popularity among the Argentine population, he needed a small, quick, victorious war. What could be better than taking back power over the Falkland Islands? Initially, the operation, which received the name "Rosario" in memory of the ship of Captain Juet, was planned for May 25, 1982 - the day of the national holiday of Argentina. But British intelligence soon found out about the impending invasion and sent its Spartan submarine to the South Atlantic. Galtieri decided to act quickly, and already on April 2, 1982, an Argentine landing force landed on the islands, quickly forcing the small English garrison to surrender. For England, this was a war not only for their own, as they believed, national interests. The war served as another test of the Western bloc in " cold war". Cuba and many other Latin American countries supported the actions of Argentina in its "just" military operation to return the territories once "occupied by British imperialism". An ambiguous position was taken by the leadership of France, which shortly before the conflict supplied its combat aircraft Mirage and selling French Exocet anti-ship missiles to Argentina's ally Peru.

Protection of British citizens

“If the islands are captured, then I knew exactly what to do - they need to be returned. After all, there, on the islands, our people. Their loyalty and devotion to the queen and country has never been questioned. And as often happens in politics, the question was not what to do, but how to do it, ”Margaret Thatcher later recalled.
The UN Security Council called on the warring parties to resolve the conflict through negotiations. But neither side was going to back down. The UK government has announced that it will sink all Argentine ships that come within 200 miles or closer of the Falkland Islands (the islands are only 287 miles from the Argentinean mainland). On April 5, an English squadron of 40 ships headed by the aircraft carriers Hermes and Invisible set off from the American Portsmouth towards the Falkland Islands. Following on the Argentine island of South Georgia (south of the Falklands), a British landing force landed, quickly subduing its territory. And already at the end of April, British aviation from aircraft carriers began to strike at Argentine positions on the islands.

"Maggie's Coming"

On the day that Peruvian President Fernando Belaunde Terry received from Argentina the preliminary consent to the terms of the peace agreement with Great Britain, the first powerful blow was dealt by the British navy. On the same day, the British nuclear submarine Conquerror attacked the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano at a distance of 236 miles (which contradicted the earlier official warning). Almost 400 crew members died in the waters of the South Atlantic. Naturally, Argentina rejected any possibility of a peaceful solution to the conflict and an open war began. Thatcher, like a real "iron lady", was persistent in her political decisions. On her orders, British troops bombed the airstrips on the island and captured the Falkland Islands.
“And when, at last, on the night of May 21st, the Royal Navy landed troops ashore in Carlos Bay, the island farmer expressed in one phrase the characteristic feature of our nation. Asked by the parachutist officer if he was surprised to see the task force at the anchorage in the bay, the farmer replied: “Not at all. We knew that Maggie would come, ”Margaret Thatcher later proudly and patriotically recalled. She had something to be proud of, the conservative party again won a majority in the 1983 parliamentary elections.

Positions of the USSR and the USA

According to British intelligence, the USSR "was ready to provide Argentina with warships, aircraft and missiles (SS type) in exchange for grain and beef supplies at preferential prices." But the USSR had its own unresolved problem - the war in Afghanistan. For this reason, all the pressure that the Soviet leadership exerted on the Anglo-Saxon powers took place only within the framework of UN meetings. There were no active actions to prevent a military conflict or within the framework of assistance to Argentina from the Soviet Union.
On the contrary, the USSR renounced any participation in the Anglo-Argentine conflict, stating to British Ambassador to the USSR Curtis Keeble, summoned to the Soviet Foreign Ministry on May 14, 1982, that “the British side, apparently, in terms of diplomatic cover for its military actions in the South Atlantic, contacted several times Soviet side with so-called "warnings", which are completely inappropriate and are intended to create a fiction about some kind of "involvement" of the Soviet Union in the Anglo-Argentine conflict.
The states are not left out. The main ally of Great Britain was the US Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger, who persuaded Reagan and the Pentagon to provide "big support to America's most loyal ally." The minister ordered his own subordinates "to provide Britain with all possible assistance in matters of technical support and intelligence."
April 30 Reagan announces support for the UK and the imposition of sanctions against Argentina. The US administration used various levers of influence on Argentina of their Latin American neighbors. They forced Argentina to reduce the supply of beef and grain to the USSR. The rest of the South American countries declared their neutrality. The United States and Great Britain vetoed an attempt to adopt a resolution on the Falklands issue by the UN Security Council.
A special Anglo-American plan was developed against the possible inclusion of the USSR in the conflict. According to him, the United States and Great Britain were supposed to put pressure on the USSR in several directions at once. With the support of the United States and France, Israel launched a military operation in Lebanon, supported by the USSR. Provocative actions were launched by pro-American South Koreans against the DPRK. The United States, through Israel, began to provide material assistance to Romania, which actively opposed the Soviet policy in Afghanistan, thereby undermining the organization of the Warsaw Pact countries “from within”. In addition, Great Britain and the United States managed to disrupt the conclusions in April-May 1982 of a number of contracts on the Gas Pipe project, which planned to connect Western Europe and the USSR with mutually beneficial terms of gas cooperation.
Under pressure from the United States on June 14, an agreement was reached on a cessation of hostilities, and the next day the Argentine General Mendoza announced his surrender.

60 billion barrels

The latent conflict continues today. An official agreement between England and Argentina has not yet been concluded. Diplomatic relations between the states were restored only in 1990.
IN last years the disputed islands were again in the focus of the world community. According to British experts, there are oil reserves of 60 billion barrels on the shelf of the islands. If these figures are true, then they are comparable to the reserves of the most oil-rich countries. For comparison, according to estimates for 2012, proven oil reserves in Russia are still the same 60 billion barrels.
In March 2013, with the full support of the British government, a referendum was held on the islands. The local population had to decide: "Do you want the Falkland Islands to retain their political status as overseas territory United Kingdom? Yes or no". Of the 1517 citizens who voted, 99.8% answered in the affirmative, speaking in favor of maintaining the current political status of the city. Argentina did not recognize the results of the referendum, retaining its territorial claims to this archipelago. The problem of belonging to the Falkland Islands is still open. And it is unlikely that one of the warring parties will agree to release such a tasty "oil piece".

Performance on REN TV on January 13, 2007 in the program "Military secret"

The war between England and Argentina for control of the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, located in the South Atlantic, 400 km from the Argentine coast. These islands are in the possession of England, but its rights are disputed by Argentina, which claims that for the first time the archipelago was discovered Spanish sailors as early as the middle of the 16th century, before the British visited it.

Timeline of the conflict

In 1820, after declaring independence from Spain, the United Provinces of La Plata (future Argentina) claimed their rights to the Falklands, which the Spaniards called the Malvinas Islands.

In 1829 the Argentine military governor was landed there with a small detachment of soldiers. In 1833, English ships arrived here, declared the archipelago a British possession, and the Argentines who were on it were taken to their homeland. Argentina never recognized the Falklands as British territory.

In 1982 the military government of Argentina, headed by President General L. Galtieri, was in a state of crisis, experiencing increasing discontent among the population due to the deteriorating economic situation in the country. In order to distract the people from the hardships of life and to stay in power on a patriotic upsurge, Galtieri decided to seize the Falkland Islands by force. He hoped that England would not go to war over several rocky islets located 13,000 km from the British Isles. Moreover, their population did not exceed 2 thousand people (in the vast majority - the descendants of British settlers).

March 19, 1982 on about. South Georgia, an uninhabited island administered from the Falkland capital Port Stanley and located 800 miles from the archipelago, several dozen Argentine workers landed on the pretext that they needed to dismantle an old whaling station. Instead, they raised the Argentine flag on the island. English soldiers tried to drive them out of South Georgia, but Argentine troops came to the aid of the workers.

April 2 they also landed in the Falkland Islands. A company of 80 British marines stationed in Port Stanley, on the orders of Governor R. Hunt, capitulated without resistance. Galtieri appointed the commander of the Argentine expeditionary force, General M.B., as the new governor. Menendoza. England on the same day broke off diplomatic relations with Argentina.

On April 3, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution No. 502, calling on the parties to resolve the conflict over the Falklands through negotiations. England demanded the withdrawal of Argentine troops as a condition for the start of negotiations. Buenos Aires agreed to negotiations, but refused to withdraw troops.

On April 5, a British squadron of 40 ships sailed from Portsmouth to the South Atlantic, led by the Hermes and Invisible aircraft carriers with a 10,000-strong expeditionary force on board. (Almost two weeks after the start of the active phase of the conflict)

April 7 The British Minister of Defense announced that, starting April 12, the British fleet will sink all Argentine ships that come within a radius of 200 miles or closer to the Falkland Islands. Argentina responded by calling in reservists and deploying additional troops to the islands. The airfield at Port Stanley began to be converted to receive military aircraft.

On April 25, a British squadron landed troops on South Georgia, which captured the Argentine garrison without a fight.

On April 30, England imposed a complete military and naval blockade of the Falklands. British aviation from aircraft carriers attacked the position of the Argentines on the islands, disabled both airfields and damaged several enemy combat aircraft and helicopters.

On May 2, the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano was sunk by a submarine., which was outside the 200-mile exclusion zone declared by the British. 386 crew members were killed.

Argentine aircraft sank the British destroyer Sheffield on the same day, killing 30 people.

The British government gave Argentina an ultimatum to withdraw Argentine troops from the Falklands within 48 hours. The ultimatum was not accepted, and on May 2 an English frigate sank an Argentine tanker.

In mid-May, British commandos raided Pebble Island and destroyed the enemy planes and weapons depots located there.

May 17 and 21 the British side demanded the withdrawal of Argentine troops from the Falklands within 14 days. Argentina again refused.

May 21st British troops landed in the Falklands. The operation involved 22 thousand soldiers, 2 aircraft carriers, 7 destroyers, 7 landing ships, 3 nuclear submarines, 40 Harrier VTOL fighter-bombers and 35 helicopters. Two days later, the British captured the villages of Port Darwin and Goose Green on East Falkland Island.

26 of May the Argentine government proposed to withdraw the troops of both sides to their bases within 30 days and transfer the islands to the UN for the period of negotiations. However, the British did not doubt their victory and did not respond to the Argentine proposals.

On May 30, Argentine aircraft managed to damage the aircraft carrier Invincible., but this had no effect on the course of the English operation to liberate the Falkland Islands.

June 14 a ceasefire agreement was reached, and on June 15, the 10,000-strong Argentine garrison, led by General Menendos, capitulated. The losses of the Argentines killed were about 700 people, the losses of the British - about 250 dead.

Shortly after the surrender, President Galtieri resigned. Power in Argentina passed to a civilian government. General Galtieri was sentenced to 12 years in prison for starting a war with England, of which he served 7.

As a result of this military conflict, Great Britain retained the Falkland Islands, and the defeat of Argentina led to the fall of the military regime of General Galtieri and the coming to power of a civilian government in 1983. The new government of Argentina has begun a series of consultations.

In October 1989, consular relations were restored between England and Argentina, and since February 1990, diplomatic relations have been fully restored.

As a result of the war over the Falklands, British sovereignty was restored.

The "Falklands" war was not an accidental phenomenon, it was the result of the addition of many factors

Great Britain and Argentina needed war

1. In the economy of the state, phenomena of stagnation became noticeable and the ruling regime (Margaret Thatcher) was looking for a way and a reason to strengthen its image and improve things.
2. The British government has become so confused in its domestic politics and economy that it almost decided to radically reduce defense spending by reducing the fleet, by selling aircraft carriers and ships for their combat support.
3. Oil North Sea was coming to an end and there were no alternative sources of mineral resources, there was no such plan in the nearest range of Great Britain.
4. Great Britain has exhausted the oil reserves of the North Sea. While around the Falklands about 25 years ago, oil reserves were discovered more than an order of magnitude greater than the oil reserves of the North Sea. In addition, the country that owns the Falklands automatically receives the right to own the corresponding sectoral part of the oil-bearing shelf of Antarctica.
5. Oil was not very expensive and an increase in its price for (resource-producing) Great Britain was objectively beneficial.
6. The British Armed Forces did not have serious combat experience for a long time. They "stagnated", their authority in society fell, they simply "decomposed" in Ireland, and modern requirements for them demanded their verification by a real "small and victorious" war.
7. In Argentina, the economy practically collapsed and the country was on the verge of a political crisis. The IMF loan imposed by Great Britain and the United States on the country simply finished it off, a junta hostile to the interests of Great Britain ruled (which also needed at least something, for example, a war with a "historical enemy", to distract the people from an economic disaster), and it was profitable for Great Britain to bring to power in Argentina friendly "Peronist democrats" capable of somehow repaying her debts.
8. Great Britain was a powerful modern military power, and Argentina was a clear military outsider. England won the war.
9. Since all these factors were well calculated, the matter of building a pretext for war, and hence the national and economic mobilization of the nation, was a matter of technique.
10. We believe that this whole war was planned in advance and provoked at the right time by the British intelligence services.

As a result of this war, Great Britain successfully solved all the tasks set.

1. The Falklands remained with Great Britain, a military victory was won and the enemy was "publicly humiliated", and the international authority of the state grew.
2. The nation rallied against a clear enemy, around the queen, the army and the government, and the economic boom continued.
3. The government became popular and authoritative in English society.
4. The army trained and drew the necessary conclusions and began to urgently modernize.
5. The Royal Navy was not reduced and only began to develop.
6. In Argentina, the junta fell, the Peronists came to power and simply "gave the Falklands" to England and began to pay off their debts.
7. In addition, Great Britain has never come closer to Antarctica, as the future source of the world's most important resources ( fresh water, hydrocarbons, metals, bioresources, etc.), because of which, historically, the fiercest struggle of all the leading powers of the world will soon unfold.

The "Falklands" war was one of the first examples of a war having geo-economic foundations and pursuing long-range geo-strategic goals of one of the great powers of the world.

Britain's victory in the Falklands War was due to:

1. Clear definition of strategic goals;
2. Purposefulness and will of the state, setting the nation to win the war;
3. Advance and thorough preparation, high level and quality of war planning and national mobilization;
4. An effective solution to the problems of transition to war in a market economy;
5. The superiority of the information support of the war;
6. High professionalism of special services;
7. The coordinated actions of diplomacy in the external sphere and the actions of the government in the domestic policy of the country;
8. The ability of the British Armed Forces to make serious strategic maneuver;
9. The complete superiority of the British Armed Forces in the air, at sea and the high level of training of British paratroopers;
10. The ability of the military leadership of the state to quickly make decisions and quickly and decisively execute them, while maintaining a high degree of secrecy of actions;
11. Perfectly designed and well-executed plans to mislead the enemy;
12. A high degree of interaction between the armed forces of the United States and Great Britain. (Giving the UK a new US air-to-air missile, the Sidewinder, providing a forward base on Ascension Island, providing space intelligence, refueling UK Navy ships with US tankers), and so on.

Actually military unit wars
Great Britain and Argentina for the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands (1982).

Falklands War takes unique place in military and political history. During a relatively short period of crisis (74 days), the opposing sides waged a fierce struggle in a remote area of ​​the Atlantic Ocean using the most modern weapons and a large number troops and equipment. In total, up to 60 thousand personnel, over 180 ships and vessels, 350 combat aircraft and helicopters took part in the hostilities on both sides.

Aviation. The "Falklands War" is characterized by the brief but intense use of military aircraft by both belligerents.

By the start of hostilities military aviation Argentina had up to 555 aircraft, including Canberra B bombers, Mirage-IIIEA, Super Etandar fighter-bombers, A-4P Skyhawk attack aircraft.However, only the Super Etandar was the most modern combat aircraft French-made, which in the course of hostilities with five AM-39 Exocet air-to-ship missiles sank the Sheffield URO destroyer and the Atlantic Conveyor container ship.

On initial stage operations to hit targets disputed islands The UK deployed long-range Vulkan B.2 bombers that operated from about. Ascension. Their flights were provided by tanker aircraft "Victor" K.2. Air defense about. Ascension was carried out by Phantom FGR.2 fighters.

Directly in the aviation group of the British Expeditionary Forces in the conflict zone were up to 42 modern vertical takeoff and landing bombers "Sea Harrier" FRS.1 (lost 6) and "Harrier" GR.3 (lost 4), as well as up to 130 helicopters ("Sea King", CH-47, "Wessex", "Lynx", "Scout", "Puma") for various purposes. These machines were based on the British aircraft carriers Hermes and Invincible, other aircraft carriers, as well as on field airfields.

British aviation losses amounted to 34 aircraft and helicopters, of which 9 were killed by fire from ground-based air defense systems, and the rest as a result of Argentine air strikes, accidents and disasters.

Generally. The skillful use of aviation by Great Britain ensured its troops superiority over the Argentines and, ultimately, victory. In total, during the war, according to various estimates, the Argentines lost from 80 to 86 combat aircraft.

Fleet

The 317th operational formation included 2 aircraft carriers, 11 destroyers (of which 8 destroyers of the Sheffield type URO: Antrim, Glamorgan, Bristol, Sheffield, Coventry, Glasgow, Exeter ", "Cardiff",), 27 (of which 17 were involved in the Falklands) frigates, 3 nuclear and 1 diesel submarines, 2 landing helicopter dock ships ("Firless" and "Intrepid"), 6 tank landing ships, 2 minesweeper and other ships and vessels.

To provide and strengthen the ships of the task force, the government chartered up to 70 civil courts for various purposes.

As reported in the White Paper: Lessons from the Falklands Campaign, the total 45 civilian ships that have been retrofitted. They used to transport personnel, military equipment, means of logistics, as well as tugboats, floating workshops and hospitals. Besides, 44 ships and 22 auxiliary ships were brought into the fleet from the reserve.

In his book "One Hundred Days" the chief British commander, Admiral Sir John Woodward, who was directly responsible for the operation to retake the Falkland Islands. He wrote: “It remains a mystery why the Argentine command missed the opportunity to strike at the Hermes. If they were successful, the British would collapse. Knowing this, we fought a war on a knife edge. I understood that there was only one accident - a mine, an explosion or a fire on either of our two carriers, would almost certainly be fatal to the whole operation.We lost the Sheffield, the Coventry, the Ardent, the Antilope, the Atlantic Conveyor, and the Sir Galahad.If the Argentine bombs were properly prepared for bombing from ultra-low altitudes, then we would also lose Antrim, Plymouth, Argonaut, Broadsworth and Glasgow. And we are very lucky that Glamorgan and Diamond by mid-June all were still in service."

To deliver planes and helicopters to the combat area, the British used ro-ro container ships. Their re-equipment was carried out according to the ARAPAHO project, developed in the USA. To take off aircraft in the bow of the vessel, the deck was reinforced with steel sheets and ended with a ramp (springboard), providing a jump takeoff. Takeoff and landing lights were equipped and the flight deck markings were made. Container modules were equipped with quarters for personnel, storage and maintenance rooms. aviation technology, tanks for aviation fuel and oils were installed, a helipad was built at the stern. Two 40-mm artillery mounts were installed on the Atlantic Conveyor container ship. In addition to the Atlantic Conveyor container ship, the Atlantic Causeway of the same type, as well as the Besant Container, were converted for air transport. All work on the conversion of container carriers to aircraft carriers took 7-9 days. This was the first time that the ARAPAHO plan was actually carried out in a combat situation.

The conversion of ships was carried out around the clock at the shipyards of Sightampton, Portsmouth, Devonport and Posyth. One ship was converted in Gibraltar and Charleston (USA). More than 200 supplier firms were involved in the production of works.

The role in the war of the scale of the mobilization of ships increased. So, if in the First World War England mobilized 5 thousand ships, then in the Second World War this figure exceeded 12 thousand units. IN Falklands conflict in a very short time, more than 70 ships were mobilized. At the same time, if in the past it took months and years to re-equip ships, now these terms are limited to days and hours.

With the announcement by the Argentine side of the mining of the waters surrounding the Falkland Islands, the British converted 5 fishing trawlers into minesweepers and, having equipped them with military teams, sent them to the conflict area.

Noteworthy is the experience of using passenger ships-liners for the accelerated delivery of a large contingent of troops to the combat area. A total of 3 vessels of this class were involved: the largest English liner Queen Elizabeth 2, Canberra and Norland. The capacity of the first liner was increased to 3150 seats, the second to 2000 and the third to 1200. The conversion of the liners into military transports took only 48 hours. The ships were equipped with helipads and devices for transferring goods to the sea, and additional means of communication were installed. It took the British only 16 days to deliver 3,000 marines to the combat area on the Queen Elizabeth 2 liner.

Liner "Uganda" was converted into a hospital ship in 65 hours, on it the British deployed over 1 thousand beds, loaded 90 tons of medical equipment and received 100 medical staff. The equipped intensive care unit had almost 100 beds. From May 16 to July 13 alone, 730 military personnel were provided with qualified medical assistance on Uganda, 92% of whom were injured during the hostilities. 500 of them were evacuated on ambulance ships to Montevideo (Uruguay), and then by air to the UK.

General conclusions

Losses of the British fleet- 6 ships, and more than 10 ships were seriously damaged (including both aircraft carriers, according to Argentine data).

Losses of Argentina. The cruiser "General Belgrano", the submarine "Saita Fe", the patrol vessel "Comodoro Somellera". In addition to these capital ships several small Argentine ships were sunk. During the blockade, the British, in addition to the cruiser, destroyed a patrol boat, a tanker, a transport, a reconnaissance vessel, damaged or destroyed 2 transports and a patrol boat.

Costs of the parties

After the end of the conflict, its cost to the UK was estimated at 1.5 billion pounds. However, this is far from complete data.

Argentina's spending on the war also cannot be accurately estimated. The junta's expenses are thought to have reached $2 billion.

General conclusions

1. The fighting showed the high vulnerability of the surface fleet from the impact of modern types of anti-ship missiles and the need to create an air defense system that is insurmountable for them.
2. The war once again proved the need for modern aircraft carriers in the Navy.
3. The war showed the urgent need for the availability and development in peacetime of options for mobilization schemes in the national economy and state practices of war management.
4. The war showed that civil state power it is necessary to listen to your military and not evaluate the national armed forces on the basis of purely market relations in peacetime.
5. Unfortunately, even today the Russian Navy is not capable of conducting combat operations of such intensity and at such a distance from its bases.

The Falkland (Malvinas) Islands include 2 large and about 200 small islands located in the southwestern part of the Atlantic Ocean; they are located at a distance of 13 thousand km from England and 400 km from Argentina.

The history of the conflict around these islands goes back at least 150 years. In 1820, after declaring independence from the Spanish crown, Argentina (the old name is the United Provinces of La Plata) claimed its rights to the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, and in 1829 established its military administration on them. In 1833, Great Britain sent its landing force to the islands and expelled the Argentines along with their military governor; The archipelago was declared a British colony.

Since the 60s of the twentieth century, Argentina has stepped up diplomatic activity for the elimination of the colonial regime in the Falklands and the extension of its sovereignty to the islands. This problem was even considered at a UN meeting, and the majority spoke in favor of decolonization.

On July 1, 1971, England and Argentina signed a series of agreements facilitating trade and transport communications, scientific cooperation began.

In 1972, Argentina built an airfield and established a telephone connection.

Scientific cooperation began in 1976. But the government of England did not give the Falklanders equal rights with the inhabitants of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and even denied them the right to own property on the islands. Relations deteriorated markedly when, in 1975, the British government sent a commission headed by Lord Shelkton to the Falklands to study economic opportunities archipelago, sharp notes were exchanged and the ambassadors of both countries were recalled until 1979.

After the Conservatives led by Margaret Thatcher came to power in May 1979, Anglo-Argentine relations deteriorated further, and negotiations in New York in April-May 1980 stalled. A diplomatic solution to the territorial dispute seemed impossible to the military government of Argentina, and it moved to decisive action.

March 19, 1982 on about. South Georgia landed a few dozen Argentines - workers of the company for the processing of scrap iron; they intended to dismantle the old whaling station. In accordance with the 1971 agreement, they received permission to enter from the British Embassy in Buenos Aires, but the island authorities said that the 1971 agreement does not apply to the island of South Georgia. However, the Argentines who landed raised their national flag on the island. British troops stationed in the archipelago tried to expel the Argentine workers, but Argentine Foreign Minister N. Costa Mendez stated that "Argentines are working on Argentine territory and will continue to work under the protection of the Argentine government.

On April 2, 1982, Argentine troops under the command of General M. Menendoz, carrying out Operation Sovereignty, landed on the Falklands, which were defended by one company of the Royal Marines of Great Britain (about 80 people), stationed in Port Stanley and ceased resistance on the orders of the British Governor R . Hunt. There were no casualties (including even the wounded). The new governor, now in the Malvinas (Falklands), was General M.B. Menendos; On April 7, a very solemn ceremony of his inauguration took place.

The Argentine invasion of the Falklands was dictated by internal reasons. The military junta, led by General Leopoldo Galtieri, was on the eve of an economic collapse: industrial production ceased, foreign debt exceeded the budget many times over, foreign loans ceased, inflation was 300% per year. The dictator hoped to raise the prestige of his military regime with the help of a small victorious war, but miscalculated.

On the day when Argentine troops landed in the Falklands (April 2, 1982), London severed diplomatic relations with Buenos Aires, froze Argentine holdings in British banks, banned the sale to Argentina military equipment and weapons.

17,000 British subjects were asked to leave Argentina.

On April 5, on an emergency basis, a military squadron departed from Portsmouth, initially numbering 40 large ships led by the Hermes and Invisble aircraft carriers, carrying about 10,000 people.

Then, throughout the conflict, Great Britain repeatedly sent additional military and transport vessels to the South Atlantic. Thus it became clear that the Conservative government of Great Britain was relying on military force.

The British fleet was heading for Ascension Island, located halfway to the Falklands. There was a US naval base on it, which was made available by Washington to the British troops and became a springboard for operations against the Argentine forces. At the same time, the British government stated that sending a fleet would only be a means of pressure in the course of a diplomatic solution to the dispute.

But on April 7, British Defense Secretary J. oNott announced in the House of Commons that, starting April 12, the British fleet would sink any Argentine ship that was closer than 200 miles from the Falkland Islands. This could be regarded as a de facto declaration of war on Argentina.

In response, the Argentine government imposed a ban on payments to British banks. After the news of the dispatch of the British fleet in Argentina, calls for reservists began. Additional troops were transferred to the Falklands, the airport in Stanley (Puerto Argentino) adapted to serve military aircraft. At the same time, the unwillingness of Argentina to unleash active hostilities was obvious, its large warships did not enter the 200-mile zone, avoiding a collision with British submarines.

On April 3, 1982, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution No. 502, calling on the conflicting parties to resolve the dispute through negotiations; while the majority of the members of the Security Council spoke in favor of the withdrawal of Argentine troops from the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands. The USSR and three other countries abstained in the vote, since the demand for the withdrawal of Argentine troops was tantamount to the return of the islands to England. Panama voted against the resolution. Buenos Aires expressed its readiness to start negotiations, but refused to withdraw troops.

In the second half of April, there was already talk in England about the inevitability of the use of force. On April 25, troops landed from the warships, and the British troops occupied about. South Georgia, located 800 miles east of the Falklands and outside the coverage area of ​​​​Argentine aviation. After artillery shelling, the English landing occupied the settlements of Grytviken and Leith.

On April 26, UN Secretary General Perez de Cuellar called on Britain to stop hostilities, but his appeal was sharply rejected by the British Prime Minister. Britain continued to escalate the conflict.

On April 30, at 1100 GMT, a complete naval and air blockade of the islands was announced. Since that time, the British troops considered any ships and aircraft, including civilians, that were in the 200-mile zone as enemy. The airport at Port Stanley has been declared closed.

British aircraft attacked the defensive positions of Argentine troops in the Falklands (Malvinas), as a result of which both airfields there were damaged, and considerable damage was caused to Argentine fighters and helicopters. On May 2, a British submarine torpedoed the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, 36 miles from the 200-mile zone declared by the British themselves. 368 crew members were killed.

This unjustified measure caused outrage in public opinion throughout the world. In response, the Argentine troops intensified their actions: the largest English destroyer Sheffield was flooded, on which 30 people died. But this did not stop England, which sent the Exter destroyer and 4 frigates to the Falklands, as well as passenger liner"Quinn Elizabeth II", which delivered another 3 thousand soldiers. Then ten more warships and the Canberra transport vessel with 2,500 soldiers on board were sent to the combat area. At the final stage of the operation, about 100 British ships and 20,000 troops were assembled off Falkland.

The British government issued an ultimatum to Argentina, demanding that troops be withdrawn from the islands within 48 hours, and the war zone was narrowed to 12 miles and moved on to decisive action. On May 2, an English frigate sank an Argentine tanker, and a few days later Port Stanley and Port Darwin were fired upon from ships and bombarded from the air. In addition, British Harrier fighter-bombers sank the Argentine fishing vessel Narwhal. This senseless cruelty also caused outrage throughout the world.

In mid-May, the British carried out a raid on Peble Island and destroyed the Argentine aircraft and weapons depots located there. Increasingly, attacks were made on Port Stanley and the airstrips located there. Airborne sabotage groups landed on the Falklands and even on the territory of Argentina itself.

British government documents dated May 17 and 21 formulated the demands of the British side: the withdrawal of Argentine troops within 14 days; restoration of the previous administration in "consultations" with the administrator of the UN; negotiating without determining their outcome. The documents emphasized Britain's rights to sovereignty over the Falklands; Argentina was called the aggressor; indicated that the islands of South Georgia and South Sandwich remain English possessions. Thus, conditions were put forward that deprived Argentina of any hope of restoring historical rights to the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands.

May 21 began the assault on the Falkland Islands by British troops. Landing parties landed simultaneously at various points on the islands. The operation involved 22 thousand British soldiers, the invasion group included: 2 aircraft carriers, 7 destroyers, 7 landing ships, 3 nuclear submarines, about 40 Harrier fighter-bombers and 35 helicopters for various purposes. Having created a bridgehead, the British troops began to prepare for an attack on Port Stanley. After fierce two-day fighting, British troops captured on about. East Falkland (Soledad) communities of Port Darwin and Goose Green.

On May 26, the Argentine government outlined its wishes for resolving the conflict: discussion during the negotiations of the fate of not only the Falklands, but also dependent territories; the withdrawal of troops from both sides within 30 days to their bases; UN transitional administration and the lifting of restrictions that prevented the settlement of Argentines on the islands.

On May 30, Argentine aviation seriously damaged one of the most powerful ships of the British Navy - the Invincible aircraft carrier with a displacement of 20,000 tons, with a crew of 900 and the latest missile weapons. On June 4, a draft resolution was put forward in the UN Security Council calling on both sides to immediately cease fire, but the United Kingdom and the United States vetoed it.

On June 12, a massive offensive by the British Marines and paratroopers began on Port Stanley. Powerful bombardment led to casualties among the local population.

After the encirclement of Port Stanley by British troops on June 14, 1982, an agreement was reached on a cessation of hostilities, and on June 15, English General Moore accepted a statement of surrender from the Argentine General Menendoz, but no official agreement was concluded between England and Argentina.

The British captured 10,000 Argentine soldiers and officers, and the loss of those killed by Argentina amounted to 700 people; The British lost about 250 men killed.

As a result of this military conflict, Great Britain retained the Falkland Islands, and the defeat of Argentina led to the fall of the military regime of General Galtieri and the coming to power of a civilian government in 1983. The new government of Argentina has begun a series of consultations.

In October 1989, consular relations were restored between England and Argentina, and since February 1990, diplomatic relations have been fully restored.

At present, the Peronists are again in power in Argentina and, naturally, they do not want to raise the question of the legitimacy of their rule. They have already backed down and announced their ardent desire to simply gift the Falklands to the UK (although these islands are currently disputed Argentine-British), most likely on account of the IMF debt.