What happened in the 1982 Falklands war? | AskHistorians Archive Observer

To answer your second question first, 3 Commando Brigade (and the Parachute Regiment) was sent in first not because they were special forces, but because they were the British QRF and amphibious warfare force. They had specific training for amphibious warfare, as their role within NATO was to provide an offshore reserve for forces in Norway. They were also the force that was most ready to travel south - they were Britain's quick reaction force, able to deploy where they were needed at a moment's notice. Actual British special forces, from the SAS and SBS were also deployed to the Falklands. They were instrumental in the recapture of South Georgia, as well as carrying out reconnaissance patrols and a raid on an Argentine airbase at Pebble Island.

The Falklands War started as a way for the military junta ruling Argentina to distract the Argentinian population from domestic issues. Argentina was suffering from long-standing economic problems and human rights violations by the junta, which was carrying out a 'dirty war' against perceived left-wing elements. The Falklands were selected as a target for several reasons. Firstly, they were a focus for Argentinian nationalism, with the perception being that they were de jure Argentinian, and had been unfairly taken by the British. Secondly, they were unconvinced that Britain would fight. The British government had just carried out a major review of its defence policy. The 1981 Defence White Paper, authored mainly by John Nott, called for a major reduction in the size and capability of Britain's military. In particular, the RN was to be reduced to a force focused solely on ASW operations within NATO, with limited amphibious capability. The new carrier HMS Invincible was to be sold to Australia and, most importantly for the Falklands, the ice patrol ship HMS Endurance (the RN's sole permanent presence in the South Atlantic) was to be decommissioned. This gave the Argentinian government a picture of a British government that was more concerned with cutting costs than defending far-flung territories.

On the 19th March 1982, a group of Argentinian civilians, mostly scrap metal workers, landed illegally at Leith Harbour on South Georgia, and raised the Argentinian flag (though this group was partly composed of Argentinian naval special forces). They refused to follow British requests for them to leave. In response, HMS Endurance was despatched from Port Stanley, carrying a small force of Royal Marines from the Falkland Garrison. Upon arriving at South Georgia, she landed the marines at the island's capital, Grytviken. She would also encounter her Argentine equivalent, ARA Bahia Paraiso, at anchor at Leith. Following this, Endurance and Bahia Paraiso would carry out a series of cat and mouse games around the island, with Endurance trying to stay away from the Argentinian ship.

On the 2nd April, the Argentinian military made its first move. Commandos were landed at Port William, and a larger group at Mullet Creek. The latter group attacked the Royal Marines barracks at Moody Brook. Fortunately for the British, this was empty - the garrison had received warnings of a possible Argentine attack, and had moved to protect Port Stanley. Argentinian amphibious vehicles (amtracs) came ashore at Yorke Bay, near Port Stanley Airport, and moved to take the island's capital. The Royal Marines ambushed this force, before retreating to Government House, which had come under attack from part of the force landed at Mullet Creek. While they were able to defend the house from this force, they were forced to surrender by the arrival of the amtracs, which greatly outnumbered the British force. On South Georgia, the invasion was delayed until the 3rd by poor weather. With the Royal Marines on the island aware that the Falklands had fallen, they dug into an easily defensible position. Early on the 3rd, Argentinian troops were landed by helicopter. While the first airlift was successful, the second attempt was shot down by the Royal Marines. As the forces on the ground attempted to attack the British position, they were pinned down by British fire. They called for fire support from the corvette Guerrico. However, the marines would also open fire on the corvette, with their small arms fire forcing the corvette to retreat out of range. Once Guerrico had retreated, she was able to use her 100mm gun on the marine's position. This, combined with the advance of the Argentine troops, forced the marines to surrender.

The British response to the Argentinian threat had actually begun before the invasion. On the 29th March, the submarines Spartan and Splendid were despatched to the South Atlantic along with the stores ship Fort Austin. On the 1st April, British ships taking part in an exercise named Operation Springtrain near Gibraltar were told to prepare for a move southwards. They began to depart on the 2nd, with five destroyers and three frigates making the journey to Ascension Island where the Task Force would form up. The submarine Conqueror and landing ship Sir Tristram would head south on the 4th, with Conqueror departing from Faslane and Sir Tristram from the Caribbean. Meanwhile, the British were hurriedly cobbling together a carrier group in the UK, and loading 3rd Commando Brigade (3 Cdo Bde) for transport to the south. To do this, they had commandeered several civilian ships - much of 40 and 42 Commando were embarked aboard the liner Canberra, while the RO-RO ship Elk carried 3 Cdo Bde's vehicles and ammunition. The carriers sailed on the 5th. The troop transports and landing ships sailed at various times, but all of the first wave had sailed by the 9th.

While these ships were sailing, or being made ready for sail, attempts were made to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis. On the 3rd of April, the British introduced a resolution to the United Nations Security Council. It required the Argentinians to remove their troops from the Falklands, and called upon both the British and Argentinian governments to refrain from further fighting in favour of diplomatic efforts. It would pass, as Resolution 502. However, the Argentinians took little notice of this - all it did was justify the continuation of the war by the British. More significant were attempts by the US to calm the situation. Reagan's cabinet was afraid that Argentina might seek Soviet support if the war dragged on, and sought to bring it to a quick conclusion. The Secretary of State, Alexander Haig, shuttled back and forth between London and Buenos Aires, acting as an intermediary between the two sides. Despite his efforts, these negotiations would break down by the 19th, as British ships approached South Georgia.

The main British base was at Ascension Island, nearly 4000 miles from the Falklands - even so, it was the closest base available. A base was established here by the RAF, using an airfield built by the USAF - the first aircraft to be based there arrived on the 6th of April. British cargo aircraft began arriving at the base from the start of April, bringing the crew and some of the equipment needed to support operations there. Most of the task force remained there to refuel and prepare themselves for the trip further south. However, on the 12th, the destroyer Antrim, frigate Plymouth and tanker Tidespring headed south to liberate South Georgia. They were carrying SAS and SBS troops, as well as a company from 42 Commando aboard Tidespring. Arriving off the island on the 21st, helicopters were used to land SAS troops on the Fortuna Glacier. However, bad weather caused two of the helicopters to crash on the glacier. The crews and SAS men were rescued by the third helicopter (and last heavy helicopter available to the force). HMS Brilliant, with two Lynx helicopters was despatched to join the force as a result of this loss. On the evening of the 22nd, SAS troops were landed by motorboat near Leith, while SBS men landed that morning tried to cross the island to reach Grytviken. On the 24th, the Argentinian submarine Santa Fe arrived at the island carrying supplies. Her arrival forced the withdrawal of Tidespring, as the RN was unwilling to risk her in possibly submarine infested waters. However, when Santa Fe departed the island the next morning, she was found and damaged by British helicopters, forcing her to return to Grytviken, where her crew joined the defenders. Believing that this required decisive action, the British cobbled together a force of 75 men from the SAS, SBS and marines available. This force was landed by helicopter near Grytviken, while the RN put down heavy gunfire support. The force at Grytviken surrendered after 15 minutes, while the force at Leith held out until the next day, when RN ships arrived in the bay.