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HMS Alacrity: "Ok, I made it through the strait. Can you now tell me why I had to do that"? Admiral: "We wanted to know wether you were gonna blow up or not." HMS Alacritiy: "Wait what?"
@@historigraph The only difference being that Alacrity's Captain knew in advance why he was being sent alone into the sound. IIRC he said something to Woodward about weaving his way down and when asked why replied something like "I suppose you want me to see if there are any mines..."
@@Solidboat123 Yeah that's right - Alacrity's captain instinctively understood what his ship would be doing, though Woodward hadn't stated it explicitly
Given the potential complexity of mines, our plan is no plan. Luckily Argentina had its own problems, one torpedo for the Alacrity failed the other sank.
According to folklore, the SAS's first involved them commandeering the entire HQ set up (from tents to a random grand piano) from a regiment that was off doing training. Something to do with higher command not issuing them with any equipment or accommodation of their own. Apparently, later on they returned the piano.
I love when history infographics channel makes a collab, it's like 2 legendary sports commentators try to give us an eye from the sky of what happened back then. It's fucking cool.
@@AverageWagie2024 it should be noted that there has, and is, an ongoing campaign for total independence from the UK. At the moment Scotland is ruled by a devolved government. I for one admire and agree with the gentleman's assertion as I consider myself as English first and British second, also hoping that the UK will remain complete so that our proud history may continue and all the current and future challenges may be overcome and enjoyed together. Stay safe and take care all. 🇺🇲🏴🏴🇬🇧
its insane to me that just a handful of man are able to raid an active military base while suffering no deaths. SAS really are one of the most elite forces in the world.
Militarily speaking, you're always at a disadvantage attacking a defended position. Your enemy already has the opportunity to prepare defensive groundwork and put in place counter attacking measures to displace offensive forces. You can boobytrap likely enemy vantage points and/or pre-sight those positions for your own MG and mortar fire. Some incredible defensive battles have been fought over the years and generally the number of men matters less than the preparation of the defenses, the ability to have hard cover for your troops and good sightlines across the enemy approaches. For an attacking force, nearly all those elements are reversed against you and you have the challenge of really no prepared hard cover points and troops who are probably largely concealed. An MG box with a team of 5 can and has held up fast numbers of enemy attacking infantry for some time until the ability to outflank the position or use asymmetric weaponry on the position has arrived.
I used to know the man who commanded this raid. He was a small, softly spoken West Country man, the most humble, unassuming man you would ever hope to meet. At no point would you have ever suspected him of being capable of doing the things he did. He never even told me he did it, I found out from others and when I asked him about it he simply looked at me uncomfortably and said, 'Yeah, that was me' and left it at that.
I suspect you'll find the same sort of chap in most top tier special forces units in the world, the quiet professionals who gets the job done and doesn't feel the need to brag about it. When so much of the stuff special forces operators do is classified by their respective governments the loud "look at me" types will get filtered out as unsuitable.
Delta force operators were also some of the most ordinary looking guys. One of them that appeared on the news protecting general Schwarzkopf looked like Rick Moranis
The 'real' bad guys don't ever show it, they have no need to posture and they sure as hell don't need your admiration. They just go and do shit, often unpleasant. What is that quote? George Orwell I think, 'People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. That is exactly how I feel about protecting those I love and even my property with the noted exception that there isn't a unit of the SAS or indeed Irish Rangers on hand, so the rough man needs to be little ol me. I have done some hard martial arts, a natural middle-weight, I have flaws, one of them being a 'head hunter' but you can't put muscle on a chin? In another life, I would be sexy and fit and just a fanny magnet, unfortunately, I am not the sexiest man on the planet, reasonably fit though? Capable of love
As an Ulsterman I'm glad you mentioned the Second World War SAS under the command of Lt Colonel Blair "Paddy" Mayne, a fellow Ulsterman. He led several attacks on enemy airfields in North Africa. At one point he ran out of bombs and clambered onto the wings of planes to pull out their instrument panels by hand. He was the most decorated British soldier of the war. His statue stands inside SAS HQ in Hereford and also in the square of Newtownards where he was born.
That's amazing and freaking hilarious. Just picturing an angry man haphazardly tossing shit out of the cockpit to attempt to disable the craft. All the while in the middle of a raid
@@evil993 The soldiers/troopers under his command believed he should have been awarded the Victoria Cross but he upset the more traditional senior officers with his unconventional methods.
I used to be a tradesman, doing work at a house owned by a senior Army officer. They owned a former-SAS dog, a retired bomb-sniffer. I was always worried whilst working at their house. The dog might've abseiled through a window and snapped my neck or shot me in the head.
"...the frigate HMS Alacrity was ordered to pass through Falklands Sounds in a bid to see if the Argentines had mined the channel between the two main Islands. As Alacrity did not sink in this process, it was figured that there were no mines present." Imagine being sent on that mission 😮
Overall a very good production summarising the key details of the raid. A couple of comments if I may. Capt GJ Hamilton was OC of 19 Mountain Troop and while his first name was Gavin, he was universally known as John (his second name). The raid actually took place on his 29th birthday and the Troop took a great deal of pleasure from the success of the raid. Cedric Delves commented that John had a huge grin on his face when they rejoined the rest of D Sqn. For more detail on the raid and the rest of their exploits, I strongly recommend Cedric’s book “Across an Angry Sea”. John was subsequently killed on West Falkland just over 3 weeks later on 10 June and is buried in Port Howard cemetery.
I like how In the book he describes how due to excitement he continually told his artillery guy to step the naval support fire closer and closer never realizing that the next step or so would have brought down the fire on themselves. But his artillery guy had already noticed that and thankfully acted on his own initiative.
@FalklandsRforeverBritish Hey that was intended as a compliment to the hard work of British service showing themselves among the finest in the world. Don't project your inferiority complex on people. I was simply stating that I'm not British.
That is the thing about SAS raids. Just because they don’t necessarily kill a lot of the enemy or even wound them, they get in, cause absolute havoc, spread fear and achieve both tactical and strategic success without too many, if any casualties of their own.
Not only from a moral perspective but also from a tactical perspective they probably prefer that. In the Iraq and Afghan war at certain encounters massive numbers of casualties fell leading to the suspicion that British Special Forces were involved. That's the sort of attention they could be doing without...
As an American, I am proud to have been able to cross-train with the SAS in late 1979-83 time frame on 4 occasions. I am an Anglophile, but I most admired the attitude, "get on with the job at hand", and took it home to Ft.Bragg, and tried to live and teach it to the next generation of SF soldiers I taught. I am SOOO glad the UK & USA are the best of friends!!!
Yet another phenomenal video. The explanations and graphics are just as extraordinary as the operations. I cannot thank you enough for opening up the past in such a clear and impartial manor and can't wait for the next!
Jeez the most daring part of this raid happened before the raid started - 0:50 HMS Alacrity sent on a mission to be sunk by mines to prove or disprove that there were mines. Im sure the captain was thrilled with those orders.
@Historigraph Your vids are the gold standard of informative/educational content. Well researched, well written, well narrated. The graphics are the perfect balance; detailed enough to give a good understanding yet simple enough to be easily grasped. Well done.
You have to admire the risks taken here the SAS had no support Hermes detached from the naval group to quote del boy he who dares wins! Respect to all involved you are a different breed.
There’s a Pucara on display in the Air Museum near Sunderland (a small grubby village near Newcastle). A chap next to me pointed out to me where he had shot at it during the Falklands Conflict. I think he was on the level.
Great vídeo again, thank you! When I was at school in South America we learn about the Falklands War in a totally different way (we even call it Malvinas War). Then I moved to the UK in my 30s and saw it differently. It's good to have it in more detail here. Just one thing: after the advert I think the background music was slightly too loud, making a bit difficult to understand well the narration. But again, amazing video! Thanks and keep the great job!
I think what annoys most British people about the situation which is the Falklands, is that we occupied it before Argentina was even a nation. There was no one there, so it's not like the other nations we 'invaded' under the Empire. And its proximity to Argentina of course means nothing at all - there are islands all over the globe controlled (owned) by nations far away. It never belonged to Argentina, and I think that's why the British are rather bemused by Argentina's claim to it.
@@feistyphysicist Argentina has had several social and economic problems for decades, since the fall of the Argentine Military Dictatorship. The invasion of the islands and their claims to this day are a way of diverting their people's attention to real problems in the country. Greetings from Brazil.
@@willberrodrigues1937 Hello Willber. Yes, this was said at the time, that it was a way of diverting the people's attention away from their dire economic predicaments. However, there are lots of Argentinian people who really do believe that the Falklands should be theirs, maybe even most Argentinians. A lot of us here in Britain find that very odd, as it was never theirs, and proximity means nothing. I got into a face-to-face conversation with an Argentinian some years ago, and I had to break off the chat, as he was adamant that it should be theirs! I pointed out the dates applicable to the Falklands, but he just said that their claim is based on their proximity to the islands, and that it trumped everything. He didn't even know about the Spanish Ceuta! Thank you for your message.
@@feistyphysicist I'm Brazilian, but I know several Argentines, my girlfriend lived in that country for years, and I follow many Argentine military channels. After decades of propaganda, the overwhelming majority of Argentines faithfully believe that the Falklands are Argentine, and their government continues to fuel this myth, for the reasons I mentioned above. As a Brazilian, to be honest, I have nothing to do with it. The only thing that bothers us is the repeated Argentine attempts to involve us diplomatically with this "problem" between you. It is practically impossible to make any agreement between Brazil and Argentina without them bringing this issue to the table. Greetings.
This series is awesome, I was a young lad when the Falklands war happened, so it's fascinating to see this level of military detail, remembering how it unfolded, was a worrying time when I first learned of it, for all I knew at that age the Falkland islands were as close to Britain as the Isle of Wight! Fortunately John Craven was there to educate me! Very well presented too, keep up the good work.
Wasn't that kind of them to help destroy their own runway and aircraft. I wasn't aware of how accommodating and helpful the Argentine military was during the invasion.
Hearts and minds my friend,the argentines believed they had lost amongst all the chaos ,this is why an independant minded and intelligent soldier is more valuable than a squad reliant on a command structure.
Understandably so. It was the right call if the target was securing the airport as a strategic staging area. It astonishing that no casualties and only 5 injuries we're suffered in total.
Not the first time, either. When they believe they are vastly outnumbered, the SAS often use tactics to confuse the targets. Which often leads to the enemy buggering up and working in the SAS's favour!
I was once part of a PC simulation game and as we were recreating the Falkland islands via OS maps I managed to find a contact who lived on Pebble Island and he actually drove out to the airfield to send me some photos. The wrecks of the Pucaras are still there to this day..
Some Pucaras were taken to Britain in order to be tested. Their reviews were positive by British Experts. Also Bell Hueys were taken as war trophees and are sitting at this military air museum, Yeovilton I think is called.
This is why we have the Raf regiment, to protect air assets. People mug them off but in this situation you can see the advantage of having an element trained in defence and protection. 👌🏻
A good point. The RAF Regiment never get a mention but they are by all accounts very good specialists. The RN has no equivalent for the Fleet Air Arm bases and have to rely on untrained sailors forming the station guard and key point guard. We used to regularly capture Territorial Army infiltrators but Royal Marines always got in, left dummy explosives and got out undetected.
@@TomFynn I'm not sure of the time frame but they had difficulty in doing runway cratering operations. They struggled to get a Vulcan bomber over the islands.
@@stevenpremmel4116 Mmh, Operation Black Buck. The refueling scheme was insane. But the airstrike I referred to was more generic. I just needed something to complete the Monty Python reference.
Considering the excellent quality of your videos, I completely understand they take quite a bit of time. So please don't think I'm being rude when I say that I've been waiting for this one ever since the last video in the series came out! And I'll be eagerly awaiting the next one as well!
I knew nothing about this raid and I consider myself reasonably well informed regarding the Falklands War. Somebody needs to write a script and make this into a TV drama or film. It's got the lot. Top work "Historigraph"! Another outstanding video.
There has been a realistic re enactment of it in a video documentary on Falklands with a few clips of some of the actual task force in the raid known as pebble island raid .. Also there is one on the re capture of South Georgia !!!
Trooper Armstrong was not the concussed SAS soldier, this was Cpl Paul Bunker ( formerly 16 heavy drop RAOC). Below is an extract from Trooper Armstrong’s citation for the award of a mention in despatches: Cpl Raymond Earnest Armstrong (Pucara Paddy) (Formerly of the Royal Green Jackets, attached to 19 Mountain Troop, D Sqn 22 SAS) On the night 14th/15th May 1982, Demolition Assault Teams of the Special Forces attacked an enemy auxiliary airfield on Pebble Island, off the north coast of West Falkland. In a dramatically successful action, Trooper ARMSTRONG personally placed charges which destroyed seven out of eleven enemy aircraft. However, there were misfires; but disregarding both the inherent danger and enemy small arms fire, he immediately returned to replace the charges. As the raiding party was withdrawing, Trooper ARMSTRONG discovered and also destroyed a sizeable enemy munitions dump.
Didn't know that the Argentines did part of the job for the SAS, by setting off their own runaway charges. Shows how good the Brits were at getting their enemy to panic and shoot themselves in the foot.
HMS Alacrity: ok, what if there's mines? Sandy Woodward: *exactly* HMS Alacrity wait what do you mean Sandy Woodward: -we wanted to see if you were gonna die- a scouting mission _for mines_
Exceptionally large kamikaze minesweeper. They knew what they were doing and kept minimum crew below the waterline while they did it. Mine impacts cause spinal injuries. Falkland Sound is one long old drag when trying to keep your knees flexed in case of a detonation. Am surprised the Args didn't mine some choke points and have flak type guns covering others. But then again their "urban-centric" thinking assumed the Brits would head straight for Stanley.
Good video! I had never considered the possibility of the British taking the Airfield at Pebble Island before but it certainly could have made for a very useful FOB for Harrier patrols, and helicopter basing. I wonder why it was never taken over by the British forces? It certainly would have relieved some of the risks of having nearly all air assets based on the two carriers. Mark from Melbourne Australia
Probably logistics. There were already plans to put up a temporary airfield in the San Carlos area; to put another up at Pebble Island would have meant dividing already strained resources ( especially after the sinking of the Atlantic Conveyor and its supply of psp to construct the airstrip). It would also require another small landing to take place; would have been impossible to undertake the operation solely by helicopter with the extremely limited helicopter lift available - again, exacerbated by the sinking of the Atlantic Conveyor and 3 of its 4 embarked Chinook helicopters - as well as several Wessex HU-5s.
This feels like it should be a BBC documentary. In fact, the BBC should take this so they can give you access to footage, interviews and more fancy graphics that you probably wouldn't be allowed to use in this setting. This series really is that good.
This series is all about facts. The BBC don't do 'facts', just propaganda. At the time of the war the BBC's coverage was very anti-British and angered the Nation with people calling them out for the traitors they are. It's absolutely true to say that the BBC hated Maggie Thatcher so much they wanted Argentina to win the war.
Hi, Been doing a binge on your Falklands content. First of the YT algo brought me here because i watched an Argi travel video. Second, these videos are amazing, have some likes and a sub. Thirdly, you started doing these 6 months ago and the last one uploaded was 14 hours ago. I love sharing quality documentaries. I love watching them too. I will share this with family and friends, you should try to get involved with the nebula gang. They are on point. Let me shoot them something to try an reach out. Thankyou for this channel.
Great video. Was fortunate to visit Pebble Island when serving in the Falklands. Was there in 92 and the airstrip was still littered with aircraft wreckage. Also saw the small cairn placed by the islanders to commemorate the raid.
There were only 2 Sea King Helicopters used in the raid, not 4. Also, it was the Argentinian 2nd Naval Infantry Battalion defending the Airstrip and not the 3rd. 4-second bombs were detonated inside the cockpits of 7 aircraft before the gunfire started for damaging the rest.
Your videos are surprisingly great. Compelling story telling with easy to follow graphics make your videos noteworthy. I think I just devoured 4 of them.
This raid would be done today with small drones and laser guided artillery. The dare and bravery of these men will remain unchallenged for many years into the future.
Not really. There isn't a small drone in operation today that could cope with the weather conditions that were in place. Too high winds, snow storms etc. To get laser guided artillery you'd need to helicopter it on to land, and that wouldn't be possible in the weather conditions or range at whch the operation was done either..
You would have thought someone in the Argentine military would have studied SAS tactics in WW2 and noticed their tendency to attack airfields and blow planes up. Know your enemy and all that.
5:58"...with suprise and chaos as thier chief allies." I was fully expecting a Spanish Inquisition pun. edit: My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined
The SAS also concentrated on damaging the same areas on the Pucaras, especially the cockpits, to keep the Argentines from salvaging parts from one aircraft to get others airworthy. With all the cockpits destroyed, no chance of getting any in flyable condition. Later during the conflict, on 31 May, two Argentine Sea Kings flew a rescue mission from Rio Grande to Pebble Island to pick up wounded Argentinians as well as one of their pilots that had been shot down and rescued. That was some feat itself; also showed that the base wasn't completely destroyed but rendered ineffective without any serviceable aircraft. It wasn't feasible for Argentina to reinforce it since it was obviously vulnerable.
I had only just turned 14 (27/03) at the time of this and can't remember much about it. I do remember HMS Sheffield being hit, the SAS heli going down, the Vulcan Raid on the runway and sporadic moments of the land battle, especially Col H. It's amazing how our guys fought to take back the Falklands.
Flat out blocking WW2 documentaries of this caliber is a great disservice to all veterans of that generation. Shame on all those involved. On a positive note. This is great coverage of a subject not covered much in US schools. Thank you.
My mistake, i binge watched all the vIds in a row and mixed up topics. Im aware "the iron lady" wasnt PM during WW2.. But In his Ad read(that many probably skipped) He showed countries that you cannot watch this because of the topic without a VPN.
Loved the video @Historigraph! Can't wait for the next video man! I'm going to watch some more of your videos on the Falklands War before watching your Latest Video on the Last stand by the Imperial Japanese Navy Myōkō-class Heavy Cruiser IJN Hagurō in the May 16th, 1945 Battle of Malacca Strait which would ultimately become the Last Gunfight.
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Crimea, better known as "Secretly Argentina"
Great piece of work as always keep up the good stuff
I miss the intro music. Fantastic video as always.
Nord/VPN is a rip off, never trust it. You also don't need it, it's another American spy app.
good call on the Hermes! I was wrong..
HMS Alacrity: "Ok, I made it through the strait. Can you now tell me why I had to do that"?
Admiral: "We wanted to know wether you were gonna blow up or not."
HMS Alacritiy: "Wait what?"
The funny thing is that’s pretty much how RADm Woodward describes it
@@historigraph I thought you were just taking the mickey😂 Did they not have any anti mine gear beyond active sonars?
@@historigraph The only difference being that Alacrity's Captain knew in advance why he was being sent alone into the sound. IIRC he said something to Woodward about weaving his way down and when asked why replied something like "I suppose you want me to see if there are any mines..."
@@Solidboat123 Yeah that's right - Alacrity's captain instinctively understood what his ship would be doing, though Woodward hadn't stated it explicitly
Given the potential complexity of mines, our plan is no plan. Luckily Argentina had its own problems, one torpedo for the Alacrity failed the other sank.
I love how "Daring SAS Raid" could describe any SAS raid, this one is no exception, though remarkable nonetheless
According to folklore, the SAS's first involved them commandeering the entire HQ set up (from tents to a random grand piano) from a regiment that was off doing training. Something to do with higher command not issuing them with any equipment or accommodation of their own.
Apparently, later on they returned the piano.
Well, you wouldn't hear of the non daring SAS Raids
@@klemensk8776 you would britain doesn't hide it's failures it learns.
@@Leftistsareevil a non daring raid is not a failure, it's just not really worth talking about
Who dares wins
SAS going back to their LRDG roots by blowing up some planes and running away giggling
Sir Lancelot followed by Sir Robin. Ni!
@Max kennedy Libyan Desert Taxi Service
Paddy Mayne would have approved.
SAS yes, LRDG no. They were different units with different purposes and priorities. The SAS hitched lifts from the LRDG sometimes.
@@darrenbrashaw8409 Paddy Mayne would not have needed explosives, he would have hacked the aircraft to bits with a knife.
Admiral: "How are we going to neutralize pebble Island without massive bombardment?"
Major Cedric: "We're here. We're bored."
3:01 I love the nod to The Operations Room. You both do great work and I'd love to see a video from both of you at some point.
I love when history infographics channel makes a collab, it's like 2 legendary sports commentators try to give us an eye from the sky of what happened back then. It's fucking cool.
The unit motto "Who Dares Wins" are more than just words.
Except that within the unit is "Who Cares Who Wins?"
@@iatsd That's funny...so you were in the SAS ?
@@brianfoley4328 well the new chaps say that but them old ones believed "Who cares about fares?"
I'm a patriotic 71yr old Scotsman who is also a UK citizen. I knew nothing about this raid, or these heros. Thank you for the education.
Really, I am an American of the same age who lived in Scotland during the Falkland's War...and I heard about it...hmmm.
Us younger lads often have no idea about things that went on during our parents time.
@@brianfoley4328 good for you, would you like a medal?
That’s like saying I’m a Texan who is also an American citizen
@@AverageWagie2024 it should be noted that there has, and is, an ongoing campaign for total independence from the UK. At the moment Scotland is ruled by a devolved government. I for one admire and agree with the gentleman's assertion as I consider myself as English first and British second, also hoping that the UK will remain complete so that our proud history may continue and all the current and future challenges may be overcome and enjoyed together. Stay safe and take care all. 🇺🇲🏴🏴🇬🇧
its insane to me that just a handful of man are able to raid an active military base while suffering no deaths. SAS really are one of the most elite forces in the world.
Militarily speaking, you're always at a disadvantage attacking a defended position. Your enemy already has the opportunity to prepare defensive groundwork and put in place counter attacking measures to displace offensive forces. You can boobytrap likely enemy vantage points and/or pre-sight those positions for your own MG and mortar fire. Some incredible defensive battles have been fought over the years and generally the number of men matters less than the preparation of the defenses, the ability to have hard cover for your troops and good sightlines across the enemy approaches.
For an attacking force, nearly all those elements are reversed against you and you have the challenge of really no prepared hard cover points and troops who are probably largely concealed. An MG box with a team of 5 can and has held up fast numbers of enemy attacking infantry for some time until the ability to outflank the position or use asymmetric weaponry on the position has arrived.
@@dynamo1796 good thing they werent prepared for a raid and only a couple soldiers were standing guard
One team getting lost on a 5 km hike in open terrain, is more life as it is than excellence.
Luck my friend, never underestimate luck.
I like that nobody died on both sides!
I used to know the man who commanded this raid. He was a small, softly spoken West Country man, the most humble, unassuming man you would ever hope to meet. At no point would you have ever suspected him of being capable of doing the things he did. He never even told me he did it, I found out from others and when I asked him about it he simply looked at me uncomfortably and said, 'Yeah, that was me' and left it at that.
I suspect you'll find the same sort of chap in most top tier special forces units in the world, the quiet professionals who gets the job done and doesn't feel the need to brag about it. When so much of the stuff special forces operators do is classified by their respective governments the loud "look at me" types will get filtered out as unsuitable.
Delta force operators were also some of the most ordinary looking guys. One of them that appeared on the news protecting general Schwarzkopf looked like Rick Moranis
The 'real' bad guys don't ever show it, they have no need to posture and they sure as hell don't need your admiration. They just go and do shit, often unpleasant. What is that quote? George Orwell I think, 'People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.
That is exactly how I feel about protecting those I love and even my property with the noted exception that there isn't a unit of the SAS or indeed Irish Rangers on hand, so the rough man needs to be little ol me. I have done some hard martial arts, a natural middle-weight, I have flaws, one of them being a 'head hunter' but you can't put muscle on a chin? In another life, I would be sexy and fit and just a fanny magnet, unfortunately, I am not the sexiest man on the planet, reasonably fit though? Capable of love
@@tommyle7376 The Australian SAS guys I knew were the same. Mostly slender WIRY chaps... quiet too.
I was in high school in the US and we were glued to TV & radio for updates from BBC & cheering for the British to kick some ass. Great video!
As an Ulsterman I'm glad you mentioned the Second World War SAS under the command of Lt Colonel Blair "Paddy" Mayne, a fellow Ulsterman. He led several attacks on enemy airfields in North Africa. At one point he ran out of bombs and clambered onto the wings of planes to pull out their instrument panels by hand. He was the most decorated British soldier of the war. His statue stands inside SAS HQ in Hereford and also in the square of Newtownards where he was born.
That's amazing and freaking hilarious. Just picturing an angry man haphazardly tossing shit out of the cockpit to attempt to disable the craft. All the while in the middle of a raid
@@evil993 The soldiers/troopers under his command believed he should have been awarded the Victoria Cross but he upset the more traditional senior officers with his unconventional methods.
I used to be a tradesman, doing work at a house owned by a senior Army officer.
They owned a former-SAS dog, a retired bomb-sniffer.
I was always worried whilst working at their house.
The dog might've abseiled through a window and snapped my neck or shot me in the head.
Paddy Mayne was the man.
be quiet your not even in the 🇬🇧 or the Welsh just 🏴🏴🇮🇪
I’m glad the falklands series is still going
"...the frigate HMS Alacrity was ordered to pass through Falklands Sounds in a bid to see if the Argentines had mined the channel between the two main Islands. As Alacrity did not sink in this process, it was figured that there were no mines present."
Imagine being sent on that mission 😮
Overall a very good production summarising the key details of the raid. A couple of comments if I may. Capt GJ Hamilton was OC of 19 Mountain Troop and while his first name was Gavin, he was universally known as John (his second name). The raid actually took place on his 29th birthday and the Troop took a great deal of pleasure from the success of the raid. Cedric Delves commented that John had a huge grin on his face when they rejoined the rest of D Sqn. For more detail on the raid and the rest of their exploits, I strongly recommend Cedric’s book “Across an Angry Sea”. John was subsequently killed on West Falkland just over 3 weeks later on 10 June and is buried in Port Howard cemetery.
Yeah Delves' book was a key source for this video. Happy to take your point on the name
Que quizo decir "asesinado"
I like how In the book he describes how due to excitement he continually told his artillery guy to step the naval support fire closer and closer never realizing that the next step or so would have brought down the fire on themselves. But his artillery guy had already noticed that and thankfully acted on his own initiative.
As an American, I'm super impressed with this SAS raid. In and out with class, well done.
As a Homosapien Sapien I’m impressed aswell.
As a magical oak tree, I concur.
@FalklandsRforeverBritish Hey that was intended as a compliment to the hard work of British service showing themselves among the finest in the world. Don't project your inferiority complex on people. I was simply stating that I'm not British.
@@christusomnipotens3751Ignore him, he's probably one of those 'no borders' freaks.
That is the thing about SAS raids. Just because they don’t necessarily kill a lot of the enemy or even wound them, they get in, cause absolute havoc, spread fear and achieve both tactical and strategic success without too many, if any casualties of their own.
Not only from a moral perspective but also from a tactical perspective they probably prefer that.
In the Iraq and Afghan war at certain encounters massive numbers of casualties fell leading to the suspicion that British Special Forces were involved.
That's the sort of attention they could be doing without...
That's part of their objective... Denial of service...
As an American, I am proud to have been able to cross-train with the SAS in late 1979-83 time frame on 4 occasions. I am an Anglophile, but I most admired the attitude, "get on with the job at hand", and took it home to Ft.Bragg, and tried to live and teach it to the next generation of SF soldiers I taught. I am SOOO glad the UK & USA are the best of friends!!!
Yet another phenomenal video. The explanations and graphics are just as extraordinary as the operations. I cannot thank you enough for opening up the past in such a clear and impartial manor and can't wait for the next!
Jeez the most daring part of this raid happened before the raid started - 0:50 HMS Alacrity sent on a mission to be sunk by mines to prove or disprove that there were mines. Im sure the captain was thrilled with those orders.
I love how the British name their ships. The names just project power and authority.
They certainly were back for breakfast, I was in the queue joined
behind me still with their cam paint on .
Nic, class of 82
@Historigraph
Your vids are the gold standard of informative/educational content. Well researched, well written, well narrated. The graphics are the perfect balance; detailed enough to give a good understanding yet simple enough to be easily grasped.
Well done.
Love the Operations Room shout out. Two of the best at this genre
You have to admire the risks taken here the SAS had no support Hermes detached from the naval group to quote del boy he who dares wins! Respect to all involved you are a different breed.
There’s a Pucara on display in the Air Museum near Sunderland (a small grubby village near Newcastle). A chap next to me pointed out to me where he had shot at it during the Falklands Conflict. I think he was on the level.
Is it the museum next to Nissan? Haven't been there for yonks.
Small grubby village 😂😂 pmsl.
Geordies.. 😂
Leeds. 💙💛
@@Dave-hu5hr Always had a soft spot for Leeds. One of my boys went there to Uni. Loved it.
The north east is a grubby piece of land
Great vídeo again, thank you!
When I was at school in South America we learn about the Falklands War in a totally different way (we even call it Malvinas War). Then I moved to the UK in my 30s and saw it differently. It's good to have it in more detail here.
Just one thing: after the advert I think the background music was slightly too loud, making a bit difficult to understand well the narration. But again, amazing video! Thanks and keep the great job!
I think what annoys most British people about the situation which is the Falklands, is that we occupied it before Argentina was even a nation. There was no one there, so it's not like the other nations we 'invaded' under the Empire. And its proximity to Argentina of course means nothing at all - there are islands all over the globe controlled (owned) by nations far away. It never belonged to Argentina, and I think that's why the British are rather bemused by Argentina's claim to it.
@@feistyphysicist Argentina has had several social and economic problems for decades, since the fall of the Argentine Military Dictatorship. The invasion of the islands and their claims to this day are a way of diverting their people's attention to real problems in the country. Greetings from Brazil.
@@willberrodrigues1937
Hello Willber. Yes, this was said at the time, that it was a way of diverting the people's attention away from their dire economic predicaments. However, there are lots of Argentinian people who really do believe that the Falklands should be theirs, maybe even most Argentinians. A lot of us here in Britain find that very odd, as it was never theirs, and proximity means nothing. I got into a face-to-face conversation with an Argentinian some years ago, and I had to break off the chat, as he was adamant that it should be theirs! I pointed out the dates applicable to the Falklands, but he just said that their claim is based on their proximity to the islands, and that it trumped everything. He didn't even know about the Spanish Ceuta!
Thank you for your message.
@@feistyphysicist I'm Brazilian, but I know several Argentines, my girlfriend lived in that country for years, and I follow many Argentine military channels. After decades of propaganda, the overwhelming majority of Argentines faithfully believe that the Falklands are Argentine, and their government continues to fuel this myth, for the reasons I mentioned above.
As a Brazilian, to be honest, I have nothing to do with it. The only thing that bothers us is the repeated Argentine attempts to involve us diplomatically with this "problem" between you. It is practically impossible to make any agreement between Brazil and Argentina without them bringing this issue to the table.
Greetings.
@@feistyphysicistTAL. CUAL. TOTAL
This series is awesome, I was a young lad when the Falklands war happened, so it's fascinating to see this level of military detail, remembering how it unfolded, was a worrying time when I first learned of it, for all I knew at that age the Falkland islands were as close to Britain as the Isle of Wight! Fortunately John Craven was there to educate me! Very well presented too, keep up the good work.
So were we that served there,the average age was n n n n n n n nineteen 🥸
@@Horriblebastad Paul Hardcastle if my memory serves me correct!
Regards
Wasn't that kind of them to help destroy their own runway and aircraft. I wasn't aware of how accommodating and helpful the Argentine military was during the invasion.
Hearts and minds my friend,the argentines believed they had lost amongst all the chaos ,this is why an independant minded and intelligent soldier is more valuable than a squad reliant on a command structure.
The Argentines inadvertently made the SAS’s jobs easier in the end.
Understandably so. It was the right call if the target was securing the airport as a strategic staging area.
It astonishing that no casualties and only 5 injuries we're suffered in total.
SAS: We are critically short on recon and time
Args: Fine, I'll do it myself
Args: Wait, what?
Not the first time, either. When they believe they are vastly outnumbered, the SAS often use tactics to confuse the targets. Which often leads to the enemy buggering up and working in the SAS's favour!
@@psyko2666 Injuries are casualties.
I was once part of a PC simulation game and as we were recreating the Falkland islands via OS maps I managed to find a contact who lived on Pebble Island and he actually drove out to the airfield to send me some photos. The wrecks of the Pucaras are still there to this day..
Whats the games name ?
@@jasoncreighton5140 1982: Flashpoint in the Falklands.. It was an OPeration Flashpoint mod many years ago, I was Project Leader
Some Pucaras were taken to Britain in order to be tested. Their reviews were positive by British Experts. Also Bell Hueys were taken as war trophees and are sitting at this military air museum, Yeovilton I think is called.
They aren’t there, look on Google maps.
Well they used to be until at least 2004.. I have photos taken from contacts who live there@@Elldeeve
SAS: Blowing enemy planes on runways behind enemy lines since 1942
💯✨ 💣💥
This was the last time too. I don't think they've raided an airfield since Pebble Island.
@@stevenpremmel4116 : Well, the only thing worth taking away from that coment is "I don't think"
@@THE-BUNKEN-DRUM What made you take issue with my comment?
@@stevenpremmel4116 : The way it was previously worded, looked like you were implying, that they hadn't raided an airfield, since 1942.
This is why we have the Raf regiment, to protect air assets. People mug them off but in this situation you can see the advantage of having an element trained in defence and protection. 👌🏻
A good point. The RAF Regiment never get a mention but they are by all accounts very good specialists. The RN has no equivalent for the Fleet Air Arm bases and have to rely on untrained sailors forming the station guard and key point guard. We used to regularly capture Territorial Army infiltrators but Royal Marines always got in, left dummy explosives and got out undetected.
"Taken back to the Hermes in time for breakfast"
Classic British humour.
Smoke me a kipper!
This war became THE subject during my HS history class. The entire curriculum became this war. It was history in the making.
No one expects the SAS Division! Our chief weapon is surprise, surprise and chaos... Our two chief weapons are surprise and chaos.
And if nothing works, they bring out the...comfy airstrike.
@@TomFynn I'm not sure of the time frame but they had difficulty in doing runway cratering operations. They struggled to get a Vulcan bomber over the islands.
@@stevenpremmel4116 Mmh, Operation Black Buck. The refueling scheme was insane. But the airstrike I referred to was more generic. I just needed something to complete the Monty Python reference.
@@TomFynn Sorry, totally missed the reference.
@@stevenpremmel4116 No prob.
Considering the excellent quality of your videos, I completely understand they take quite a bit of time. So please don't think I'm being rude when I say that I've been waiting for this one ever since the last video in the series came out! And I'll be eagerly awaiting the next one as well!
I knew nothing about this raid and I consider myself reasonably well informed regarding the Falklands War. Somebody needs to write a script and make this into a TV drama or film. It's got the lot. Top work "Historigraph"! Another outstanding video.
There has been a realistic re enactment of it in a video documentary on Falklands with a few clips of some of the actual task force in the raid known as pebble island raid .. Also there is one on the re capture of South Georgia !!!
The BBC covered this raid in the 1985 series ‘Soldiers- A History Of Men In Battle’ episode 12 “Irregular “
I'm always impressed by the quality and clarity of the Historigraph videos!
Trooper Armstrong was not the concussed SAS soldier, this was Cpl Paul Bunker ( formerly 16 heavy drop RAOC). Below is an
extract from Trooper Armstrong’s citation for the award of a mention in despatches:
Cpl Raymond Earnest Armstrong (Pucara Paddy)
(Formerly of the Royal Green Jackets, attached to 19 Mountain Troop, D Sqn 22 SAS)
On the night 14th/15th May 1982,
Demolition Assault Teams of the Special Forces attacked an enemy auxiliary airfield on Pebble Island, off the north coast of West Falkland.
In a dramatically successful action, Trooper ARMSTRONG personally placed charges which destroyed seven out of eleven enemy aircraft. However, there were misfires; but disregarding both the inherent danger and enemy small arms fire, he immediately returned to replace the charges.
As the raiding party was withdrawing, Trooper ARMSTRONG discovered and also destroyed a sizeable enemy munitions dump.
A great example of a simple plan, aggressively executed, by well-trained men who know their $hit, resulting in decisive success.
It's a mystery how a 4.5" battery fired without killing anyone friend or foe
@@2adamast no mystery. Just professionalism
In before the Argentinians know we’re inside the perimeter. Great video btw.
Its like a gi joe episode a lot of equipment blows up but nobody dies, which is a good thing
Didn't know that the Argentines did part of the job for the SAS, by setting off their own runaway charges. Shows how good the Brits were at getting their enemy to panic and shoot themselves in the foot.
HMS Alacrity: ok, what if there's mines?
Sandy Woodward: *exactly*
HMS Alacrity wait what do you mean
Sandy Woodward: -we wanted to see if you were gonna die- a scouting mission _for mines_
We waited this next episode about the Falklans war, and this one was brilliant !
You need to talk about operation Black Buck. The sheer logistics and audacity of that operation
Wow i loved the drawings and maps in this episode, great stuff!
This was excellent. First time watcher of this channel, really liked the depth of info and the format. Subsribed!
There's a bit of dark humor in having a type 21 frigate serve as an exceptionally large minesweeper.
Exceptionally large kamikaze minesweeper. They knew what they were doing and kept minimum crew below the waterline while they did it. Mine impacts cause spinal injuries. Falkland Sound is one long old drag when trying to keep your knees flexed in case of a detonation. Am surprised the Args didn't mine some choke points and have flak type guns covering others. But then again their "urban-centric" thinking assumed the Brits would head straight for Stanley.
Got this on my recommended a minute after it was uploaded. Neat!
Good video! I had never considered the possibility of the British taking the Airfield at Pebble Island before but it certainly could have made for a very useful FOB for Harrier patrols, and helicopter basing. I wonder why it was never taken over by the British forces? It certainly would have relieved some of the risks of having nearly all air assets based on the two carriers.
Mark from Melbourne Australia
Probably logistics. There were already plans to put up a temporary airfield in the San Carlos area; to put another up at Pebble Island would have meant dividing already strained resources ( especially after the sinking of the Atlantic Conveyor and its supply of psp to construct the airstrip). It would also require another small landing to take place; would have been impossible to undertake the operation solely by helicopter with the extremely limited helicopter lift available - again, exacerbated by the sinking of the Atlantic Conveyor and 3 of its 4 embarked Chinook helicopters - as well as several Wessex HU-5s.
Well done! to what can only be called professionals! text book outcome from very brave soldiers! Thankyou ! 🇳🇿🇬🇧🇨🇦😁
And at 4:00 PM, it was time for tea and medals....
This feels like it should be a BBC documentary.
In fact, the BBC should take this so they can give you access to footage, interviews and more fancy graphics that you probably wouldn't be allowed to use in this setting.
This series really is that good.
This series is all about facts. The BBC don't do 'facts', just propaganda. At the time of the war the BBC's coverage was very anti-British and angered the Nation with people calling them out for the traitors they are. It's absolutely true to say that the BBC hated Maggie Thatcher so much they wanted Argentina to win the war.
The BBC would NEVER show anything that depicts Britain in a good light.
Love the statement, "In time for breakfast".
They said they can do it, and they did it. Flawless.
As per usual, extreme feats of heroism, on our behalf, but we never knew about it..DEEP respect to those involved..THANK YOU.
Argentine Soldier: _"Didn't see anything. Didn't hear anything. Don't know anything!"_
Argentine Colonel: _"Bloody SAS!"_
YO HOLD UP.
They just said “yeah send that ship in there to see if it dies”
Most British move ever
I'm really liking this series, so keep up the good work!
“In time for breakfast” brilliant.
Hi,
Been doing a binge on your Falklands content. First of the YT algo brought me here because i watched an Argi travel video. Second, these videos are amazing, have some likes and a sub. Thirdly, you started doing these 6 months ago and the last one uploaded was 14 hours ago. I love sharing quality documentaries. I love watching them too. I will share this with family and friends, you should try to get involved with the nebula gang. They are on point. Let me shoot them something to try an reach out. Thankyou for this channel.
It's my opinion that the Falklands War was the last "Gentlemen's War", where the two opposing forces respected each other.
Great video. Was fortunate to visit Pebble Island when serving in the Falklands. Was there in 92 and the airstrip was still littered with aircraft wreckage. Also saw the small cairn placed by the islanders to commemorate the raid.
7:57 "they would have been somewhat surprised when at around 7a.m. all hell suddenly broke loose."
I know there is much more till Goose Green, but I can't wait till you do that. The tactics and the damn media. All compelling stuff.
There were only 2 Sea King Helicopters used in the raid, not 4. Also, it was the Argentinian 2nd Naval Infantry Battalion defending the Airstrip and not the 3rd. 4-second bombs were detonated inside the cockpits of 7 aircraft before the gunfire started for damaging the rest.
Your videos are surprisingly great. Compelling story telling with easy to follow graphics make your videos noteworthy. I think I just devoured 4 of them.
Brilliantly executed mission. No fatalities.
This raid would be done today with small drones and laser guided artillery. The dare and bravery of these men will remain unchallenged for many years into the future.
Not really. There isn't a small drone in operation today that could cope with the weather conditions that were in place. Too high winds, snow storms etc. To get laser guided artillery you'd need to helicopter it on to land, and that wouldn't be possible in the weather conditions or range at whch the operation was done either..
Capt Tim Burls was my CO in the early 1990s Aldershot.
This reminded me of "WW2's Greatest Raid" where the SAS went on gun-blazing on a German Airport in Africa.
It’s almost like that raid was directly mentioned in this video for being similar or something……
Brilliantly put together video mate, looking forward to seeing more :)
You would have thought someone in the Argentine military would have studied SAS tactics in WW2 and noticed their tendency to attack airfields and blow planes up. Know your enemy and all that.
I'm surprised this has not been made into a Hollywood style feature film, to make a lasting memory & tribute of the event.
On the Glamorgan we did not open fire until the SAS were pulling out with a wounded comrade. This was to stop any pursuit.
Axel Foley: "...they're not just regular soldiers, they're 'super-soldiers' and the only thing missing on those guys are capes."
5:58"...with suprise and chaos as thier chief allies." I was fully expecting a Spanish Inquisition pun. edit: My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined
You were fully expecting a Spanish Inquisition pun? Nobody expects Spanish Inquisitions puns.
Can you imagine, when all four troops sat down for breakfast, what that atmosphere would be like ?
The tragic loss of the soldiers who conducted the raid was a bitter pill to swallow
I’ve been waiting on the Argentine series again! Thank you
This is my new favorite channel.
No wonder Putin nearly had an epileptic fit at the thought just 10 SAS troopers might be in the Ukraine.
I wonder how he would feel knowing that in January 2022, they were actually in Russia
The SAS also concentrated on damaging the same areas on the Pucaras, especially the cockpits, to keep the Argentines from salvaging parts from one aircraft to get others airworthy. With all the cockpits destroyed, no chance of getting any in flyable condition.
Later during the conflict, on 31 May, two Argentine Sea Kings flew a rescue mission from Rio Grande to Pebble Island to pick up wounded Argentinians as well as one of their pilots that had been shot down and rescued. That was some feat itself; also showed that the base wasn't completely destroyed but rendered ineffective without any serviceable aircraft. It wasn't feasible for Argentina to reinforce it since it was obviously vulnerable.
Back in time for tea and medals, lovely work
go SAS, my father was Aussie SAS, total warriors :)
I had only just turned 14 (27/03) at the time of this and can't remember much about it. I do remember HMS Sheffield being hit, the SAS heli going down, the Vulcan Raid on the runway and sporadic moments of the land battle, especially Col H. It's amazing how our guys fought to take back the Falklands.
It's kind of nice all that can happen with only 5 casualties, no deaths. Seems like a good way of sorting things out. War is horror.
The music near the end sounds almost exactly like music from the show Succession (2018-)
Flat out blocking WW2 documentaries of this caliber is a great disservice to all veterans of that generation. Shame on all those involved. On a positive note. This is great coverage of a subject not covered much in US schools. Thank you.
Who is blocking WW2 documentaries?
Blocking??
what are you talking about?
What a silly point to make. As not covering this, would be disservice to these veterans.
My mistake, i binge watched all the vIds in a row and mixed up topics. Im aware "the iron lady" wasnt PM during WW2.. But In his Ad read(that many probably skipped) He showed countries that you cannot watch this because of the topic without a VPN.
I've been to Pebble Island and didn't know about this little skirmish, but then my visit wasn't much longer than that of the SAS troops!
Been there as well for about 20 min while the Helicopter refueled.
Argentina: We need to blow up the runway to prevent it from being used by the British
Britain: *has helicopters and Harrier Jets*
Unless I am mistaken, 4 minutes flying time at 48 km away equals a speed of 450 mph which is above a Pucaras top speed of around 300 mph.
Excited for the next video. I love this series
Loved the video @Historigraph! Can't wait for the next video man! I'm going to watch some more of your videos on the Falklands War before watching your Latest Video on the Last stand by the Imperial Japanese Navy Myōkō-class Heavy Cruiser IJN Hagurō in the May 16th, 1945 Battle of Malacca Strait which would ultimately become the Last Gunfight.
Great video, looking forward to the next one.
"Britain's very own D-day"
...like they weren't a major part of the original?
The majority in fact.
So proud to be a friend of Paddy Armstrong who sadly lost his life over there 🥺😡
Was he from Norn Iron, by any chance?
I guess they really do show "who dares wins " at times like that.
Hadn't heard about this SAS 'Jolly'.
Carry on..