I will never forgive the media for reporting on the failure of the bombs dropped by the Argentian airforce. I lost some good friends thanks to their need to get a story. I was on HMS Fearless and my brother was on HMS Coventry. Coventry was sunk thanks to the Daily Mail. Thankfully he was able to get off, but a lot of the Coventry crew were not so lucky
I read that at the start of the US involvement in WWII that the USA submarines were able to dive to a certain depth beyond the reach of the Japanese depth charges (or at least the depth they went off). This was published in a newspaper and resulted in the Japanese increasing the depth that the charges went off. It seems that journalists need to think about what they publish in times of war.
The failure lay mainly with the MOD. They didn't understand the needs of Media, which after all is driven by the demands of the public(worldwide). The infamous BBC/Goose Green incident which is still brought up as stick to beat the BBC with, was not that the BBC guessed or preempted a story but that the information was leaked/fed by the MOD without safeguards. Subsequent to the Inquiry all troops get a level of Media Training (Media Ops) and each Service has media operations units with Reservists who work professionally in the Media they also train the media to work on military operations. My Son did his pre-deployment training with attached journalist who would be embedded in the same theatre on several deployments. Its another reason we see so many "Documentaries" about life in the Forces. It brings home the message that the Forces are under public scrutiny both friendly and hostile. Reinforced now that everyone has a mobile phone and can be their own broadcaster.
I remember seeing a TV program were a British soldier travel to Argentina and met a Argentinian soldier who both fought in the conflict in the same battle. British soldier had lost a very close friend and the Argentinian soldier lost he's brother in that battle. At the end of the meeting they both left giving each other a hug saying they didn't have hate towards each other and are now today are close friends. That British soldier said that meeting lifted a lot Post traumatic Stress.
Thank you for this series. I visited the Falklands in 2006 when I was 11, and one thing I remember quite clearly was the presence of mines. I had gone hiking a fair amount in the US, but I never had dedicated paths with signs warning that I may die if I stray from the trail. It's reassuring that they've been cleared.
There still may be mines left, if it took until 2020 to clear them all, and the war was in the 1980s, there's no reason to believe there aren't any more that were not found. People are still finding unexploded ordinance from WW2. Mines are a terrible and brutal form of savagery that hurts civilians more than enemy soldiers and usually long after the conflict is over.
I had a similar experience in Cambodia when i walked off the path to have a pee, it's very easy to do. Big mistake but I gladly still have both my legs.
@@stevenwilson5556 A bemused Argentine army officer suggested the British simply drive herds of sheep through the unmapped fields. He couldn't grasp that the British thought it cruel.
@@stevenwilson5556 I was at Yorke Bay celebrating the final clearing of the landmines. Many people have worked for many years to clear the landmines and it is the only operation to do so with no loss of civilian life. Do not do down the work the de-miners have done. There is always the possibility that munitions could wash in from the sea. All Falkland islanders born since 1982 have been brought up to understand the risks, and as I said, it is the only de-mining operation successfully completed with no loss of civilian life.
They took a long time to clear because the Argentines never marked their minefields, which is good practice, as it channels the enemy into killing zones. Our lads got lucky with mines due to the frozen ground.
I was on the planning team that built the Mount Pleasant Airport after the war. I had to fly to Port Stanley for some dental treatment and every Falkland Islander I encountered in Port Stanley wanted to make it as clear as clear could be, that they would be grateful for the rest of their days for their rescue from the Argentines. Ordinary people were coming up to me and shaking my hand. Freedom perhaps, is only truly appreciated, when it is lost.
@@ArtyFactual_Intelligence What are you talking about?! Falklands produce a huge export surplus. Their net export is double their import. They are not at all dependent on any subsidies, besides there are none. If you are talking about defence expenditure, that is hardly comparable to subsidies. That is paid for by every British citizen and Falklanders are part of it. It is for the benefit i.e. freedom and security of every British citizen. What a petty comment especially under this video.
I was living in the Canadian Arctic at the time of the war. Everyone cheered for the British and the community flew the Union Jack during the whole time of the conflict.
I was in the New Zealand army (Brit immigrant) and most of us hoped like hell they would send us - god knows why though. However, I was able to give a few of the boys geography lessons after one of them had run around gleefully yelling that the Argies had invaded England which I knew was wrong because it would have taken them weeks to swim there.
@@delmanpronto9374 What do you mean by "returned"? According to history, the islands were mapped and recorded in 1690 by the French, who did not colonize the islands until 1764. The islands were uninhabited until that year. The British built a settlement in 1766, but the islands were still French at that time. France transferred ownership to Spain in that same year. In 1816, Argentina laid a general claim to all former Spanish territories in the South Atlantic, but did not put people onto the islands, thus making Argentina's claim unrecognized. A small German detatchment of colonists arrived in 1826, being the only inhabitants since 1811, as by 1811 all prior settlers and military had abandoned the islands. Argentina did not put people onto the islands until 1831, but Britain reasserted rule the following year. Minor skirmishes between Argentina and Britain took place until the 20th century. However, Britain has nearly continuous control of the islands since 1832, and Argentina's claim was, at best, a year. Claims are worthless. I could claim the United States, and be summarily laughed at by every other country in the world, probably even the countries that don't like the United States. The point being that Argentina has never held control or ownership of the Falkland Islands. They have always been European. You cannot "return" what was never theirs in the first place, and now that the Islands are represented in the British Parliament with their own localized government, the Islands switching ownership is not going to happen.
Rarely do I watch historical documentaries about war, but this was exceptional well produced. I learned more about wartime planning, execution and international diplomacy in 1hr watching this full series, they I could of imagined. Thanks for sharing this content with the world.
To all the guys who served in the British forces, I and the whole country thank you for your service. You are what makes Britain great. From Great Britain
I was a US Paratrooper stationed in Panama during the Falklands war. A few months after the war we did some training with British Paras, one of them had been stationed in the Falklands when the Argies invaded and told us about being captured. I’ll never forget what he said, it was even cooler because of his accent. So I went home and got me big brother and then we went back. It was such a cool way to put it and so f***ing hardcore. I’m still very proud of all those British troops.
@@michaelo2176 Fantastic job all of you. Find my comment, it’s got a funny story about some jerks and a Malvinas bumper when I was a US Paratrooper stationed in Panama in 1982.
@@michaelo2176 I would buy you a pint anytime , I wear poppies every single day and now since face nappies I wear one of many poppy bandanas, I have worn a poppy almost every day thorough the entire years of my life. Now I get to wear them on my face, You guys helped to Great Britain be GREAT, we are proud of you and my offer of buying you a pint if you are local to show my love , appreciation and reverence for you guys will be clear to see. Brighton is a good place to start the Poppy parliamentary party after all Lots and lots of honour and respect and happiness to you for being YOU ! And being BRITISH. I applaud your determination and Britishness. Dave
The Falklands happened just before I entered the US military. It was the first 'cable news war' with reporters from CNN intermixed with the other world news organizations. I still vividly remember the Exocet strikes against HMS Sheffield and Atlantic Conveyor and the epic 'yomp' from across the island to Stanley. I remember my dad saying 'That's what you've signed up for, you know...'
@Untold Eh, I got to go places and see stuff. I arrived at my unit in 82 and was part of the Able Archer Incident, where we damned near went to war with the Warsaw Pact... it was a pretty tense 6 months. Then the Army sent me to Central America. I like to think I did my duty and was privileged to serve with people I **know** did theirs. I did get to do a 30 day exchange with the 14/20th Hussars of the BAOR. That was a lot of fun. The Challenger is a hell of a tank.
@Untold The problem with the Challenger 3 is that the UK isn't done buying F-35's yet. The entire inventory of the British Army's tank forces is, what?, 3 battalions of tanks? I mean, like most Americans who pay any attention to military affairs, I'm VERY glad that the Royal Navy is back in the projecting power business with the commissioning of QE and PoW, but the British Army has been last in line for funding from MoD for decades now. Someday very soon, the UK is going to need soldiers, not sailors or airmen, and she's not gonna have them. I have all the respect in the world for the British Army's professionalism, mind you. But as Zhukov said in 1944, 'Quantity has a quality all it's own.'
@@carlhicksjr8401 You are Correct The Royal Navy, even with all the investment, is struggling to recruit. HMS Prince of Wales sailed without its F-35s because it has none. The Army lacks the next generation IFV because of a faulty replacement that Health and Safety will not allow to be used. The RAF is supplying half of HMS QE aircraft. RAF is short of 100+ Typhoons. The Army is short on Tanks, IFVs and Very Short on Artillery and manpower. This is just like 1939 when the politicians hoped for peace but FAILED to prepare for War. Challenger 3, they are ordering less than half the vehicles the Army needs. UK "shambles" government. USA "shambles" government. Russia = Stalin v2. China is waiting to pounce.
@@trevorhart545 Well, Trevor, the US is still the largest military in NATO, and we're not a nation to be trifled with. The USN and USAF are still the biggest dogs on their respective blocks, which is a comfort for NATO nations like Norway and Belgium that don't spend half of what they should on their military. My next comment is going to piss some people off. I mean no disrespect to anyone, but I'm just looking at it from a realistic, or 'realpolitik', view. There are a lot of nations in NATO, nations that look down their noses at the US, who have free healthcare and free college educations because they don't field a military large enough to protect their interests or even their borders. They let others in the NATO alliance do the heavy lifting. And the member of NATO that does the most of it is the US. When something goes wrong, they call the Americans to come and fix it. To put point on it, better than half of the NATO alliance's trade, diplomacy and even national sovereignty is guaranteed by the US Department of Defense at a **far** more acceptable political and social cost than if they had to buy it themselves. Is that unfair? Yes, it probably is, but it's also true as Hell. On the US political spectrum, I'm a Centrist /Moderate. I voted for Biden for the simple reason that Trump is an embarrassment as a human being and patently unfit for the office he held. That doesn't mean I support everything that Biden does. I had two nasty choices and picked the least odious one. As I understand the UK's situation [and I very well may be wrong], the Tories are in control of HM's Government without a whole lot of resistance. If that's the case, then I don't understand where the freaking problem is with funding HM's military. And I can't imagine a Labour government doing any better.
@@carlhicksjr8401 Excellent summary, but funding the miltiary- is so much more than just signing an executive order to give all branches more armaments/ships/planes/personnel/training etc. The operations of the military branch of government is a gigantic financial burden as the bureaucracies, the inefficiencies and demands for custom made EVERYTHING skyrockets costs for procurement of items that would cost a fraction in civilian equivalents. Funding is needed for SO many other areas of government that the most inefficient branch, with zero return on investment (if no war) is a hard sell. We are not N. Korea (thank-God). There, the people are impoverished by wanton military spending. War is HELL not just for the fallen !!!
The other 4 episodes of this series have been excellent, but it seems to me this one is mis-labelled since it barely covers the political 'global impact'. It ignores the fact that the Junta was seeking to distract from its economic failure and chose to invade the Falklands, whereas the Chileans feared they'd be the target (a much worse scenario that was therefore avoided). Although one result was Argentina's return to democracy, did this not also have a domino effect across South America (such that the previous US policy of supporting non-communist dictators was rendered obsolete)? There is no mention of the fact that innumerable countries felt so much better that an aggressor had not been allowed to get away with invading somewhere else (discouraging others from attempting it). It is mentioned almost in passing that the Russians and Chinese 'paid attention' without underlining that Britain's un-forecast success actually made them realise 'the West' was not as decadent as they thought (bearing in mind the recent failures such as in Vietnam and the US rescue attempt in Iran). Indeed, it was a vivid demonstration that even the Soviet Empire could not have achieved what a small British force (not actually intended for such an operation, let alone 8,000 miles from UK) could achieve thanks to trained professionalism. Did this help end the Cold War peacefully? Was it the unexpected extension of Mrs T's tenure (with its very contentious implications within UK) that allowed her relationship with President Reagan to enable her to convince him that President Gorbachov was someone 'he could do business with'....
@Phil I don't think that China is a paper target in fact they are very worrying, they just keep coming and no matter how many you kill there is thousands more, that's Chinas strength... Let's hope it never happens and we can change their views on the west and be friends, with respect for each other and empathy for our fellow human beings who only want our families to grow up in peace.
In retrospect, Argentina was able to return to democracy "thanks" to Margaret Thatcher's response to the crisis. The occupation of the islands by Argentina was a shameless exploitation of the popular sentiment of the Argentine people by their murderous dictators. By 1982, unfortunately, the Argentine military had already inflicted irreparable damage to Argentina, turning her into the miserably impoverished and corrupt nation it is today.
@Phil This is bcz they repute themselves the oldest civilization on the earth, but should think that older don't always is synonimous of succesful....
I was a US Paratrooper stationed in Panama during the Falklands war. Quite a few Panamanians supported Argentina. After the Brits had won, I was walking down a street in Panama City with another trooper and we spotted a car with a few Panamanian guys hanging around it, it had a Malvinas bumper sticker. We found that hilarious and pointed at it laughing and said “Falklands” a couple times, they just sat there looking sullen and didn’t say anything. All us Moatengators were hoping that we’d get dropped in to fight alongside the British Paras. The British military did an outstanding job, especially the Spec Ops, Paras, Marines and Commandos.
Yes but you're forgetting the US supported Argentina. They told the British not to go to war after all. They saw it as a defeat for Imperialism and a victory for Democracy.
@@torinjones3221 I feel if you research more you’ll see the support given to the U.K. by our ally US was quiet a bit. Intel and military kit was supplied. They did ask for a negotiated settlement but soon realised that the Iron Lady want having that.
So basically you were an imperial force occupying another country and laughed at the citizen supporting our cause. You cannot find another clearer example of violence than the one exercised by the north on the south as it always has been and it always will be. I'm so happy the inmigrants the socialism and the racial problems will eventually destroy your country :) in the end we will all be the same
As Latinamericans we do deeply resent our material inferiority, poverty, incompetence and inability to influence external events to our interests, much of the anti-USA sentiment hides shame and collective self loath that runs deep. Hopefully we wil learn to cut our losses, overcome past humilliations and build potent economies that at least earns us a place and a say in the table of global affairs and not just remain a passive observer.
I just got done re-reading "74 Days" by John Smith, an islander since the 1960's, who was present in Port Stanley throughout the invasion. Aside from a daily journal for each of the seventy-four days of occupation, Smith painted a wonderful portrait of islander life, of those who chose a more rugged existence where many of the modern conveniences that would have been available to them in the UK (many were "settlers" in the islands from Great Britain) were forsaken for a simpler way of life, peace and quiet, and sometimes a job opportunity. The politics of the whole war aside (and there were plenty to go around on both sides), if one could take for a moment the vantage point of one of the families on the Falklands, who wanted nothing but to live out their lives as they had wished under the Union Jack, then one can realize what an immense relief it must have been to those transplanted citizens when the British armada first showed on the shores of East Falkland that May. From the standpoint of the average British civilian living in the southern islands, their country's counter to the unprovoked Argentinian invasion was absolutely righteous.
@@callumashley-butler1553 Thank you so very much for your reply. The Falklands invasion has been of interest to me since I first heard of it's place in the annals of military history over thirty years ago. In fact I do recall the names "Ian" and "Phyllis" from the pages of "74 Days", and just now went back to scan through the book for a quick memory jog; it seems that your grandparents lived on West Falkland, and were fortunate enough to be able to return there before the main thrust of the British counter-invasion made its way across East Falkland toward Port Stanley. Hopefully they were able to remain there safely until the "all clear" was given in Stanley in the days after 14 June of that year. Further, I am glad to know that you and your family are still friends with the Smiths, as it is pleasing learn that the "next (next!)" generation is carrying on with relationships such as they were before the war. In fact, "74 Days" was a gift from my parents, who were on a cruise holiday in South America circa 2010. When I learned that their voyage would include Stanley as one of the ports of call, I insisted that the only souvenir in which I would be interested during their entire vacation should come from the Falkland Islands! Thank you once more for reaching out and lending even more gravitas and persona to what is a very gripping journal of a time and place that probably not enough people in the world are now aware.
They lived at Roy Cove, it took some effort from Ian to get back out there while the Argentinians were occupying Stanley. It is a very important part of history that seems to be in danger of being forgotten or twisted beyond recognition. My parents and I moved to the Falkland Islands after the war was over, we stayed with my grandparents for a while before we moved to San Carlos. The detritus of the war was unavoidable and very shocking
If you wanted a simpler life, just move to Falkirk, the British were just flexing on the Argentinians. Who do you think taught Chile to have the motto, "Might makes Right"
The Roses are special, I wish we could both accept them and become friends again...I served there in 1982, attached to 3 Cdo Brigade, I don't hate the Argies, it was a wrong war, for the wrong reasons, "Feliz Navidad Agentina"
The British offered to assist in the return of the Argentinian lost souls, Argentina refused to claim and bring home their war dead. Their families were devastated. Its not easy to grieve when your lost child is 200+ miles away in a foreign grave.
Thank you all, very much. I remember this time very well, and your excellent production has refreshed my memories and sentiments. The Thatcher and Reagan years were indeed memorable times.
I was in hospital at the start of this war and had a pen pal called paul, we wrote to each other and he sent me a cool Ariel photo shot of hms hermes, one day he stopped writing and i always wondered if he was ok, his letters and pictures helped get me through a difficult time in my life, god bless you paul and everyone of our armed forces past and present.
A beautiful well made documentary about a truly dreadful war for those that were personally caught up in this situation. My heart goes out to those that lost loved ones on both sides
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. It seems an untold part of modern british history and you have done an excellent job in making it engaging and informative. Thank you very much :)
"untold" because it was & is widely seen as a propaganda campaign to keep Mrs Thatcher in power at a time when she was doing enormous harm to the British people, harm from which we have never recovered. It was widely understood that if Thatcher's position wasn't so fragile the islands would have been left to their fate.
A fantastic serie! It's admirable the respect it handled with my country. Thank you. I was able to visit the Museum in 2019, it's wonderful. Thanks for making this available for everyone.
@@JjackVideo As I see it, it's more probable that Argentina finally accepts it's failure as a national state and finally stops to exist as it is today. I have an opinion about the islands subject, but I wouldn't make it so public. Not for fear, just to avoid stupid people.
@@JjackVideo We will implote first. We can´t agree about basics. Don´t wory of us. In addition, I believe that the majority of Argentines are going to see themselves as inhabitants of the world in the coming years.
To make this short and concise, I can say is that the entire war is really something else which I never heard of before. And since Argentina is still willing to have the Falkland Islands even though the Falkland islanders considered themselves as British, that dispute is going to continue for many years. Just like how Gibraltar is the dispute between Spain and Britain and it happens for like centuries, even their relations are improved. Maybe you’ll get into Britain’s hold on Gibraltar and how it came to be, who knows. So, thank you for this series and can’t wait to see your next video, whatever it may be.
@@Jo-Heike I'm not aware of any British involvement in Taiwan and certainly none that would involve the Imperial War Museum. Would you be kind enough to expand on your answer?
@@vaughandavey4553 I am not saying there is, but that it's a similar story of self-determination. Just like how Argentina has it written into their constitution that the Flaklands should belong to them, China has it written into their constitution that Taiwan should belong to them. I thought it sounded similar when it was mentioned in the video.
The difference is the islands were never part Argentina and nobody lived there before the British. It would be like the United States claiming Bermuda because it’s close by.
@P. B. Foote No the Falklands have ONLY ever been argentinian, when they stole them from the UK. Even the USA have a stronger claim than th argies, who's main and only real claim is they are close to the dump called argentina
The UK was kicked of their "settlement" so they weren't settled lol, and even worst, France settled before the UK, and even worst, Spain discovered the islands, need more? The UK was kicked by Spain, France sold out their settlement, and then the UK recognized Spanish sovereignty over the islands, plus the ICJ recognized the use of the principle of Uttis Possidetis Iuris by Argentina, and in 1864 Spain recognized Argentina as the inheritors of the islands. Get destroyed.
@@mohammed_2939 Spain never recognized Argentina as the inheritors of the Falklands, and I do not see anywhere that Spain recognized them as inheritors in 1864.
I feel sorry for the Argentinian conscripts they didn't ask for this, remember it was your military junta leaders who did this to you for a distraction from a corrupt government it was not the British who caused your suffering.... the British treated you with respect and kindness and we are sorry for your government who maltreated you. Peace and love, we wish all Argentine veterans well.
Great comment and respect ray, my dad was supposed to be one. He got saved because the war ended 1 day before he was supposed to go. He never wanted to. The other two guys, appreciate your comments but thats just your opinion. Not everyone did those things and definitely nobody put booby traps in kids toys. Only the brits killed three civilians and that was an accident so no blame there.
@@alfonsomartinezinfante6685 do you want to bet about the booby trapped kids toys? They did, there's testimony from an islander child and Ricky Phillips Falklands historian and author, mentions it as definitely happened.
@@alfonsomartinezinfante6685 the 3 civilian deaths were no accidents, we had to take out your gun positions which you had conveniently located in residential areas. You were essentially using civilian human shields.
@@chrishitchings8712 not "we" and not "you" dont blame people that have nothing to do on a conflict that happened way before they were born, its as if I blame you for all the massacres British made throughout history. Second, do not spread missinformation just because you dont want to search for it. It was an accident, they died because a navy ship was bombarding military positions at port stanley (not civilian) and one got lost hitting the house where they were hiding. So either the accuracy of the guns was not up to the task and the people who ordered the bombardment should be accounted for or it was an accident.
This has been a superb series. It was broadcast quality and really should be shown on UK terrestrial TV. Another fascinating and little known UK centric subject you could cover is the story of Britains post Second World War Cold War civilian defence infrastructure. The story of the Observer Corp and the network of regional government secret installations is a truly fascinating part of our history and I am sure IWM would tell the story in a compelling way. Thank you to all the contributors for your superb Falklands Series.
"Long term impact on mental health of the conflict" this is true, to this day there are people at all levels of society incapable of sweating due to the experiences they endured.
@@TheNtcc if someone else is willing to clear your mines for you then why not it's not like they forced or anything and it's a false analagy as it assumes that British people are all white.
When it comes to media coverage of the war it is important to remember two things: 1) There were little to none 24/7 media coverage of anything in the 80s. No internet and no social media either. 2) There remoteness of the Falklands ment that no reporter could get there by themselfs.
I'll add, no mobile phones either not to mention old skool film cameras that had to have the film developed at the chemist before you saw the outcome of your artistry. I'm a veteran of that conflict and my best friend down South was my Sony Walkman cassette player (even though we'd been instructed not to take them along with us.) Different times eh. Tempus fugit.
I was in grade school in California when this happened. I remember reading newspaper clips to the class as our teacher wanted us to read an article everyday from the newspaper. Events in the paper were always describing something that had happened days ago. In today's world just by chance I watched the firefight between RUS and UKR at the Chernobyl power plant on a live webcam.
I agree with your point but I'd also say that this war was poorly covered in media. I was eight at the time and watched much of it on the 6:30 news. Looking back I see a controlled media campaign. The argument that the navy didn't have space for media is facetious, in any democracy the fifth estate should be accommodated and encouraged. They did that in Vietnam and the result was exactly as it should have been -- a population being informed of what is actually going on by an independent press. I am saddened that things have not improved since then.
This was perfectly logical, first of all the British gvt knew how bad the excessive coverage of the'Nam had influenced it, remember that the Tet offensive was seen as a North's victory, when in reality they'd been crushed, plus we can add the fact that a lot of newspaper were critical about the war. The war is too terrible to became a TV show.
Don't forget New Zealand! They didn't provide any direct materiel, but some of their warships took over Royal Navy patrols in the South Pacific allowing ships to be released to engage in the Falklands.
They will be a mayor issue when oil reaches 500$ per barrel, and when a friendly south american nation brings upon logistic aid. Very far in the future, I guess.
Forget about Argentina attacking again, we can only bitch about the islands. Our military won't be an offensive force again (which is a good thing, since the vast majority of the population won't support any military action unless attacked first) for a very long time. I hope one day Argentina and Britain will have the close relation they had in the past.
@@DanielsPolitics1 UK. will be easily sunk by irish unification and scotish independence, besides inflation, reccesion, food insecurity, muslim tsunami, energy costs, urban poverty, economic decay, and McRefuges.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series! The final battles as described in the penultimate episode was my favorite! A similar review of the Korean war would be a fantastic follow-up. Thanks!
As a Norwegian, i can in no possible way see Argentina having a legitimate claim on that Island. It was british long before they even existed.. And if that is your national identity. Then wow, shallow identity.. We Norway dont claim Kola peninsula from Russia.. Even tho its actually was ours once, but that is like 800 years ago.. 800 years, that is a god damn long time.
@@fleurduh no it’s only the islands. Their whole culture revolves around the islands. Schools don’t teach anything apart from the islands. People don’t talk about anything else except the islands.
The thing is; all the inhabitants of the islands want things to continue as they are, which seems entirely logical and natural to me. But also; given the large resources and area of Argentina, I should have thought they'd have different priorities.
An excellent retrospective on the Falklands war. Though much younger then, we remember it well. As proud owner of Jane's Fighting Ships-1976, I well remember- the frontispiece featured a great aerial shot of HMS Sheffield. Shortly, after (the alphabet dictates) was a large photo of Admiral Belgrano. How sobering- both featured ships, only 6 years later, were at the bottom of the sea! War is hell !!!
I have been reliably told in confidence that the Falklands today is the most focused point of hi-tech defence, anywhere in the southern hemisphere. Monitoring the deep South Atlantic, South America, Southern Africa and Antarctica. For the US, UK and NATO it is now critical to monitoring submarines and surface naval craft for a third of the Earth’s ocean area south of the Equator.
I well remember the aftermath of the Holding Camp at PSA. It was one massive 'dirty protest' with human faeces spread literally everywhere, including up the walls of the Control Tower and other buildings. Anyone picking up a discarded Argie helmet would find that it wasn't mud it was full of. The main consequence was extensive incidence of gastric bacterial disease that went on for many months. On the other side though, flying in the post-war Falklands Theatre was awesome! Edit to add that of course Port Stanley was granted city status in 2022, not 2002 as stated.
Gotta love the governments hierarchy of treating people. 1) The upper class 2). Refugees 3) The middle class 4) The lower class 5) The homeless 6) Decorated war veterans
ONLY lasted for 72 day's !!!!! It was a hell of a time and felt like a year, death was everywhere we trod, I lost several good friend's and came close myself, NEVER use a derogatory word like ONLY when it comes to killing and dying, it was a long 72 day's for those of us who were there....
I admire the professionalism, courage and fortitude of the armed forces involved, but let me add perspective; my father joined the army in 1933, fought the Germans in 1940 (evacuated 02/06/40), and again from 06/06/44 (Gold Beach) to 1945, seeing very many casualties; the Germans were no pushover. He was promptly posted to Palestine, although saw no action, returning to see his 2 year old son for the first time in 1947. He never complained, indeed scarcely mentioned his experiences. Fortunately, he wrote down quite a lot. What bothers me most is the constant searching by the media, especially the BBC, for ways in which to show our armed forces, past and present, in a bad light, and the way in which politicians keep cutting them, as if we haven't enough lessons in what happens when one does.
Nice trip down memory lane. 70s, 80s, 90s were the greatest eras for me. I joined the army a year after the Falklands conflict. The only conflict I experienced was the cold war with USSR. Never saw combat though. Good because I was a tank driver and in those days a tank crew had the shortest life expectancy on a battlefield.
I was there bro, your little brothers in the Blues and Royals distinguished themselves, I didn't see it as I was a R Sigs REMF back at Ajax Bay (I did have to live in bomb alley for a month, which had its moments) I also served in BAOR but I never wanted to be armour, you did your duty...respect.
Although questionable the motives behind wars, i must say you men are brave and have experience something most alive today wont so respect and salute 🫡
@@RealEyesRealiseRealLies Most of those alive today are alive because of war. The motives of war are usually territorial and that includes all of the people living in those territories If you don't fight back against an attacker, you may lose everything including your life and your families lives.
@@MaroonedInDub who are the enemy in this context? The brits who are far away from home or the argentines who are closer to the island, again nothing but respect🇬🇧
A wonderful five part series, however, i think thar you needed a sixth parti would've liked to have seen more interviews with the islands inhabitants themselves. How did they live during the brief occupation? There were acts of resistance by civilians, I'd like to know more about that.
Awfully, is how they lived. They were routinely beaten, forced out of their houses, subjected to mock executions, and shoved into inadequate buildings to hold them
@@darrenmarsh8830 You can just search up interviews from the Island Inhabitants online then? I think there was a video in this series that had pages, drawings, and letters from the actual Falkland Islanders themselves that briefly talked about their occupation.
Best thing to happen to Britain at that time. Afterwards Britain soared, especially in finance. Was seen as a safe place to keep your wealth if they were prepared to travel thousands of miles to secure some remote islands. By the end of the decade things not going quite so well as many industries lacked finance, bricks and mortar is where the money was and still is. Germany and China took up the mantle of industrial might. I was in the forging industry in the 80's. I couldn't tell you where you might find a forge now.
I was in University at the time of this war. Our university library had newspapers from all over the world, including from Buenos Aires. So it was interesting to see/read about the war from the Argentinian point of view. I remember one Headline in the Argentinian newspaper which read: "Mira que invincible fue el Invicible!" "Look how invincible was the Invincible!" The accompanying picture was of the HMS Invincible, on fire and smoking. The story insinuated that the Invincible had sunk. A few days later I saw a TV news story showing the HMS Invincible sailing back into its home port, for repairs.
I had some Argentinian friends at that time. They were so proud that their country had retaken 'Las Islas Malvinas.' I tried to warn them what was about to happen; but they didn't believe me. Of Margaret Thatcher, they said. "Ella es mujer! Que puede hacer ella?" "She's a woman! What can she do?"
The falklands conflict remains the only instance of a nuclear submarine sinking an enemy vessel. I also read that since this is the most recent conflict showing air/land/sea fighting, that armies still study the tactics used.
Yeah, It's the first time where it was a true combined arms conflict. Both sides used all three types of warfare and more importantly, a lot of NATO countries got to see how their equipment fared against contemporary NATO equipment. The Exocets were devastating, the AIM-9L Sidewinder would go on to create the AIM-9X series and the Harrier would be supported even until now. The Falklands conflict was so unique simply because at the time, Argentina and the UK were pretty equally matched equipment-wise and it wouldn't really be seen again. Vietnam, Korea and even the modern Russia/Ukraine conflict can't really compare.
@@harriergr7728 we have. Although if you are a Yeovilton man then it might not be completely to your liking. Especially when you drive into Portsmouth Dockyard and high over the gate it says “Twinned with RAF Marham”.. what bright spark thought that logo up?
Apparently the Royal Navy had a small amount of nukes with them down the Falklands (nuclear depth charges) which they hadn’t had time to unload before the conflict began.
The irony of war is not lost on me: their defeat resulted in the the fall of the military junta and a government FOR the people was installed. Sometimes, history is stranger than fiction...
We did in the form of HMS Hermes. The main issue was a lack of super sonic jets as we were using helicopters, chinooks and harriers (which themselves did an amazinbg job for their capaibilities). If we'd had super sonic jets then we'd have had quicker air cover for our ships and there probably would have been fewer knocked out. All down to massive defense spending cuts in spending in the 1970's.
Indeed, perhaps the Argentinians wouldn't have even invaded if they thought they had to deal with fast jets. Also if the previous Labour administration hadn't stalled the Type 42 RADAR upgrades and the Sea Dart modernisation which was supposed to have been completed by 1982 I doubt if an Argentinian plane would have got near the fleet. That said, there's been just as much penny pinching with our Type 45s - it seems lessons have not been learned.
Couple of issues with the larger flat tops, we wouldn't have been able to get quick attrition replacements for the planes that would be lost to accidents and ground fire as we did with the Atlantic conveyor carrying extra harriers. As well as this the sortie generation rate would have been lower due to the larger jets requiring more maintenance. This means that air cover may have been reduced over all.
Next month I will be able to take a tour of the battlefield on the island as part of my cruise through the Antaric. I am looking forward to visiting and learning more about this war. With video series, I now have a better understanding of this war and understand more of what I will be seeing there.
I was surprised to hear that the landmines were only fully removed until 2020. If I had been the British commander I would have required as a condition of surrender that the Argentinians remove all mines under strict supervision before they would be repatriated. In certain cases the Allies required that the Germans perform such work during World War 2. This is not being mean or an attempt to terrorize the defeated army. This is a measure of justice.
@@LondonSteveLee in georgias the british force POW to operate the submarine ARA Santa fe, and execute him for doing so, violating the geneva convention, the marine doing the executing never face charges
@@Foxtrop13 Santa Fe was damaged beyond use and was dangerous to be aboard, so I doubt that heavily, also if you wanna play the bad guy card there was an instance of a argie batalian surrendering, and then when the British troops got closer to round them up, the argies opened fire killing quite a few british, which absolutely breaks Geneva convention.
The occupation is the ONLY time people from Argentina have lived on, let alone controlled, these islands. Their claim to 'Las Malvinas' is baseless and always was.
@@wessexdruid7598 The people who lived during his administration were Argentines. He ruled Argentine people in the name of Argentina. Even after the British return, several Argentines continued to live there until the gaucho Rivero's revolt. United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata to Argentina was just a name change because Argentina means Silver ("Plata")
@@TuxDroid He ruled with the permission of the British, with British partners who also lived there - until they were murdered by the Gauchos. He was a merchant - and he was never an Argentine. Argentina has always been good at rewriting history.
@@wessexdruid7598 So did the British give permission to a governor designated by the Argentine authorities who governed for Argentina? On the other hand, Vernet arrived in Buenos Aires in 1819, his first son was born there in 1824, and Vernet died in San Isidro.
The British only fought with bows and today only fight at sea because they're terrified of having to fight anyone directly (like men); no wonder the modern-day British default war strategy (applied in both world wars) consists of hiding their tiny island while keeping an oversized navy to prevent anyone from landing there (thus avoid having to face the enemy) and the most important part which is to BEG the United States (Britain's historic boyfriend, current owner and sugar daddy) to please come fight for them and save them. That's why they've made so much of the battle of Trafalgar when, in real-life, it had a little practical immediate effect and Napoleon barely sighed when receiving the news; but the British keep celebrating that victory because fighting on sea is all they can do, whenever they fight at land they get their sorry asses kicked even against "inferior" enemies such as Elphinstone's army in Afghanistan, Isandlwana, the American revolutionary war, Dunkirk, by the Jews at Palestine, the Dutch at Medway (after which the British lost their fleet which meant their island was open to invasion after which they panicked and surrendered ending the war in whatever terms (they could get no matter how unfavorable rather than fighting like men), Buenos Aires (twice) and Singapore, among many many others; and the only victories at sea they've scored have been by surprise attacks (such as the battle of the River Plate), ambushes (just like they did at the battle of Jutland or Cape Matapan) or by using overwhelming numbers (like they did with the Bismark: in the first encounter 2 German ships, including the Bismarck, fought against 3 British ships which included the most powerful British ship, the HMS Prince of Wales, known as "the pride of the Royal Navy" and the Bismarck alone defeated the 3 British ships and easily destroyed the HMS Prince of Wales, after which the British fled and only came back in overwhelming numbers, sending 12 ships against the Bismarck). That's why in Corunna they used their favorite tactic: be defeated and escape by sea (the same one used in Dunkirk); by the way, Wellington's only tactic consisted of hiding behind a hill and attacking only when the enemy lowered his guard while having an ally do most of the fighting; also explaining why during all of the wars between Britain and France the British only strategy consisted of conquering small irrelevant colonies with overwhelming forces which were their only direct victories. Also, they have no problem whatsoever betraying their allies to further its interests such as when they bombarded Copenhagen even though Denmark wasn't at war with Britain (they did this to destroy the Danish fleet so Napoleon couldn't use it to invade Britain if he conquered Denmark), or when the French surrendered in World War II after the British sent only a symbolic force (which achieved nothing and was defeated) and the British demanded the French hand over all of their ships to them (they were terrified that Hitler could use them to invade Britain) and when the French refused the British immediately forgot about their so-called "allies" and attacked the French fleet by surprise at Mers-el Kebir; and there's also the fact that the French surrendered because Churchill (supposed "tough guy") wrote them off and refused to send reinforcements, instead choosing to keep his forces in Britain in a sad attempt to deter an invasion and to improve his bargaining position during peace talks after the Germans won which he thought would happen. Or when they betrayed the Portuguese (supposedly their oldest allies with whom they'd maintained an alliance treaty since 1386 although the Portuguese have never really seen any benefits while the British have) by sending them an ultimatum in 1890 demanding them to evacuate some of their African colonies and once they did they quickly moved to occupy these areas just so they could have a continuous land connection between South Africa and Egypt or during the Seven Years War: the British always seek a powerful ally with a powerful land army (as the British are too cowardly to fight like men) to protect them and fight for them and the United States didn't exist yet so they tricked Prussia into joining them and paid the Prussians to fight on the continent in their place but as soon as the British attained their goals in the other theaters of the war they immediately forgot about their Prussian "allies" and suddenly stopped the cash flow to Prussia and abandoned them just at the height of the war, leaving the Prussians to their own devices to fight alone against France, Austria and Russia, almost resulting in the destruction of Prussia, something every country in Europe took note of and is also why during the Circassian genocide when Russian captured the British ship Vixen (then delivering aid) the British loudly threatened war but backed down when they couldn't find any ally to do the actually fighting for them. During the Napoleonic Wars, the British were at their worst, paying others to fight for them, causing the Emperor of Austria to say "The English are flesh traffickers, they pay others to fight in their place", while Napoleon said the British were "a people of cowardly marine merchants". Here's a tiny selection of the countless British defeats: Afghans 6-13 January 1842 - retreat from Kabul - entire British army captured or killed (17,000 KIA) 3 September 1879 - Kabul ...again 27 July 1880 - Maiwand - 900-1,000 British/Indian troops killed By Mahdist March 13, 1884 - January 26, 1885 Siege of Khartoum - 7,000 force lost to Mahdis February 4, 1884 First Battle of El Teb Chinese 4 September 1839 Battle of Kowloon - defensive victory June 24-26, 1859 Second Battle of Taku Forts Russians Petropavlovsk - British landing repelled Battle of the Great Redan - British failure while the French do succeed in taking the Malakoff Balaclava - British lancers and hussars of the light brigade annihilated. Taganrog - failure of the Anglo-French contingent to take Taganrog Siege of Kars - Anglo Turkish force fails to take Kars Zulus Isandlwanna - an entire column wiped out. 1,400 killed Intombe - supply convoy wiped out. 104 dead Hlobane - No. 4 column wiped out. 225 killed Bulgarians Battle of Kosturino 1915 Battle of Doiran 1916 Battle of Doiran 1917 Battle of Doiran 1918 Argentinians 2 April 1982 - Invasion of the Falklands - 100+ Marines and sailors captured 3 April 1982 - Argentinians seize Leith Harbor. 22 Royal Marine POWs 10 May 1982 - sinking of the HMS Sheffield 22 May 1982 - sinking of the HMS Ardent 23 May 1982 - Battle of Seal Cove 24 May 1982 - sinking of the HMS Antelope 25 May 1982 - SS Atlantic Conveyor sunk by Argentinians 25 May 1982 - HMS Coventry is sunk by Arg. aircraft. 29 May 1982 - Mount Kent Battle - 5 SAS dead in friendly fire incident. 6-7 June 1982 - British paratroops vacate position under pressure, leaving radio codes 8 June 1982 - Bluff Cove Air Attacks 10 June 1982 - Skirmish at Many Branch Point - capture of the SAS contingent. Ghurka victories January 1814 - Battle of Makwanpur Gadhi - British army kept at bay January 1814 - Battle of Jitgadh - British attack repulsed with 300 KIA Spring 1814 - Battle of Hariharpur Gadhi - British Indian army stymied. November 1814 - Battle of Nalapani - British force decimated with 700+ casualties December, 1814 - Battle of Jaithak - 53rd Div. defeated and repelled. Dutch 16 August 1652 - Battle of Plymouth - De Ruyter's triumph 30 November 1652 - Battle of Dungeness - Dutch gain control of the English Channel 4 March 1653 - Battle of Leghorn - 5 ships captured or sunk 2 August 1665 - Battle of Vågen 1-4 June 1666 - Four Days' Battle - 10 ships lost with upwards of 4,500 killed and wounded 2-5 September 1666 - Burning of London 9-14 June 1667 - Raid on Medway - Dutch raid, ends with loss of 13 English ships 28 May 1672 - Battle of Solebay 7 -14 June 1673 - Battle of Schooneveld August 21, 1673 - Battle of Texel Others - by the Albanians (the 78th Regiment of Foot at Rosetta), - by the Americans (at Cowpens, in 1813 at Thames, and in 1815 at New Orleans), - by the Poles (in 1810 at Fuengirola), - by the native Indians (at Monongahela), - by the Egyptians (1807 at El-Hamad or Hamaad) - by Native Americans at the first Roanoake Island Colony where they defeated the English colonists who had then had to be rescued by Francis Drake, fleeing by sea (the usual British tactic of fleeing by sea) Among many, many, others.
One thing that I feel should have been mentioned was the fact that the Argentine government and military did not have the will or resources to repatriate their own defeated troops from the Falklands, the British used the SS Canberra to take the Argentine troops back to Argentina before the same ship took the British troops back to the UK, that tells me something about the honour of the British.
it was mainly the Junta didnt want to admit they lost the war, and therefore, refused to take the people themselves, but also threatened to bomb the prisoner ships. Eventually they let them in at a port that was out of the way, re armed them, fed them, and tried to claim they were complying with the ceasefire the UN had ordered. during this a couple of hundred vanished
Ascension island is a British territory, the US didn't have a say in Britain using the island, it is British territory only loaned to the US, get your facts right
@@tatumergo3931 actually no. the initial claim was by the French and the British. The French ceded their claim to the Spanish, who in turn ceded their claim to Britain. Britain recognised neither claim in the first place as it was already there. As far as i know, neither France nor Spain want them back.
@@tatumergo3931 Spain did not ceded the islands, they left the the islands because of independence war, but they left some mens there, but that's doesn't change anything, plus, the ICJ recognized Argentina Uttis Possidetis Iuris usage in 1820 (after 1820 ofc) and Spain recognized Argentina as the inheritors of the Spanish claims of the islands
@@exiledred77 Spain kicked and destroyed british "settlement" after they finished with france, the uk almost declared war and then they signed peace treaty that recognizes spanish sovereignty
@@mohammed_2939 You didn't read the history correctly, obviously. France ceded to Spain, the British never did. Spain took the British Port Egmont but then gave it back to avoid a war with Britain. Britain left to fight a war but did not abandon its claim. Buenos Aires snuck in the back door and started a whaling colony which denied fishing rights to the USA. The USA then destroyed the whaling settlement and dissolved the self installed illegal government on the islands. Britain then returned to reinforce its claim. They've been there ever since but of course, "the Malvinas are historically and intrinsically part of Argentinian identity."....... so the truth is unimportant.
Excellent series detailing the conflict. I wonder what part the Hong Kong situation played in the British decision to go to war? Surely Britain's upcoming handover negotiations with the People's Republic needed a strong British negotiating position which would have been weakened had we backed down to the Argentinians? No one seems to have mentioned this.
Britain had zero leverage against the Chinese wih regard to Hong Kong. It was just a polite fiction that both sides agreed to a 'handover'. China could have simply turned off the water supply if they'd encountered resistance.
In times of war, and not before, God and the soldier, we do adore, In times of peace, and all things righted, God is forgotten, and the soldier slighted.
Dr Rick Jolly ; who was in charge of the medical response for HM armed forces, received a military award from both sides. The only modern case. His team didn't lose a single patient who reached them alive. The first time it has been known. No accolade given could overstate his team's achievement. Talking about the medical impact and not mentioning Rick Jolly is a bit strange. disingenuous.
By the way it's said it sounds like the narrator was implying that Ascension Island was American and they allowed us to use it! It's in fact a British overseas territory, perhaps they ment to say the Americans gave us some equipment that was used/ stored on Ascension but it didn't come across that way to me.
served twice '87 and '88. being only five years after the conflict. thinking back. i realise the islanders were still a little nervous and glad of our military presence. i was only a boy of 19yrs old on my first tour. scared and nervous myself. having seen shot down aircraft put the whole experience into perspective.
As an American I admire the UK and its history. I'm hispanic but 25% northern Irish and proud of it. I do have a South Atlantic medal to a Royal Marine plus his uniforms.🇺🇲🏴🇬🇧
It matters because the real division in the world between is autocracy and democracy. This was an instance When democracy won. The "evil fascists" can be right wing, left wing, atheist, nationalists, religious, atheists etc etc. In all cases they should be thwarted and defeated.
That's a rather naive way of seeing this. You might remember that the coup that put the military junta in power in Argentina was backed by one of those democracies you speak so highly of, the US, that declassified documents show the perpetrators had been assured the US would recognize their govt (which they later did) weeks or even months before the actual coup took place, and even provided assistance and insight in how to limit the notoriety of human rights violations and violent repression against the guerrillas, which they knew was coming and considered a plus. And this wasn't even a coup against a leftist govt, but a right-leaning one. So, far from being a clash of autocracy vs democracy, this was a "democracy" backing a rabid dog's violent takeover, then somehow being surprised when it lashes out at nearby territories. If this sounds familiar it's because it wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last time it happened. Now don't get me wrong, the juntas were absolutely terrible, nobody's arguing that, but considering them some sort of evil directly opposed to democracies is, at best, extremely naive, when many autocracies in third world countries, including this one, would never have existed if not for the encouragement and backing of those very same democracies
@@patp3725 what your saying is of course entirely correct. In particular. Perhaps my mistake is not nativity but generalization (a bad crime in modern times when any looking for 'the golden' invites this terrible accusation ). But...as someone once said/wrote "democracy is the worse form of government - apart from all the others". Another "generalization". But a true one.
@@archiesinclair6252 oh no, of course, no arguments there. The (real) democracies of the western world are, even with all their faults, undoubtedly the best system right now and I wouldn't want to live under any other. I was just saying that in this particular instance, some of the democracies aren't exactly blameless. Not for the invasion, of course, that's entirely the brainchild of that drunkard Gen. Galtieri, but for supporting the rise of such regimes, though I guess we can atribute that to the complexity of the time and the struggle of the Cold War. I doubt Argentina would ever have attacked the UK under a democratic govt
Just saying, The Canberra was a children's school ship, beds short as were the chairs and tables, NOT, a luxury cruise liner. I know as I sailed to Ascension on her!
With what’s happened in Ukraine lets hope the diplomatic dispute between Argentina and Britain never spirals into war again. It’s never worth it the human cost.
@Phil Absolutely, and it’s quite frankly pathetic. Their only clame to them is proximity, and Chile is just as close. The Brits are actuallly in the right this time and those islands will be theirs for the foreseeable future
@@snow24121 At the end of the day things can change quickly. The Falklands probably mean more to Argentines than Messi lol. All it could take is a more nationalistic government and maybe they’d give it another crack. You’re right though they would get destroyed by Britain. It’d be a sad waste of human life
@@snow24121 its amazing how propaganda own your minds. Constructing an straw man fallacy.. its not only the geographical arguement. Also we inherited as a part of our territories. And you guys expelled the natives and even a governor living there. You are know to be a well known colonialist country having issues around the world and even your neighbors. Alsacia an lorraine dispute is jurisprudency backing our position. And you are on the same position and using the same arguments as russia in crimea dispute.
Ha ha ha Argentina ARE totally in charge of the Malvinas which is a paper place somewhere in the ether whereas BRITAIN is in charge of the FALKLAND ISLANDS which funnily enough is quite close to Argentina. Who would have guessed that? Wonder where the Malvinas are?
To any Argies out there who imagine they can take over the Falklands, just forget it, You forfeited any chance of that when you conducted that outrageous armed invasion of the islands in 1982. I hold Argentina wholly responsible for all the deaths and injuries caused, They should pay pay us compensation. in full for all the harm they caused by their reckless actions and also to come back to remove minefields they laid which are endangering the lives of the islanders.
How about an Official Apology from Argentina for all the deaths and destruction. 40 years and Argentina has made NO ATTEMPT to be honest, that is NOT just a government fault that is the FAULT of the Argentinian public who cannot accept the truth.
Haha. It was an illegsl government not chosen by our people. They killed our people to maintein power and even were backed by countries like usa an the uk cause you know. We were in a cold war context, and it was more important to repress the leftist than protect democracies.
Argentina's military is a shadow of what it was in '82. Unless they can walk on water, they can't transport enough troops to mount another invasion. British early warning and fighter aircraft (though small in number) is much more of a deterrent than the token Royal Marine garrison armed only with light weapons infantry was.(That's not a jab at the RMs; the running defense they put up with inadequate weapons and communications, not to mention muddled information and instructions from "higher up" was admirable; and they suffered no casualties.)
Another positive consequence of the war was a new, improved relation btw USA & UK. Don't think, f.e, that Nixon and Kissinger would've supported the British. Another positive thing was a renowed interest in aircrafts carriers, in the late'70s there were some"experts" that had prophetized the end of them, as they were"obsolete"!
@@robertortiz-wilson1588 Exactly, Kissinger was so obsessed by his anti-communism that had imagined a sort of alternative NATO in S. America, with support to the various dictatorships, I saw some yrs ago in a documentary about him and his disastrous (& immoral) politics. He was the real culprit behind some of the worst act of that yrs, tried also to made a far right golpe in Italy, luckyly without success.
Ex General Alexander Haigh was the "power" behind the US support. It was Haig who had told the Argentinians that IF they waited then the UK would be agreeable to a handover. Argentina didn't wait and so Haig ignored Casper Weinberg and authorised the latest, brand new version of the, Sidewinder (AIM-7L) air to air missiles taking stock from the USAF.
@@trevorhart545 With all the money lost by the argies, they probabilly could've buyied the WHOLE archipelagus, but, being a bunch of arrogant machos/jerks/brutes, they choose the worst way. Now, and it's a good thing for that nation, their dreams of being a regional power are went down the tube.😄👎
@@alessiodecarolis yeah Reagan and others were tired of the idea of installing yet more "controled" dictators at that stage of the Cold War. So they just continued to maintain the ones that existed if stable enough and useful. With that said though during the latter half of the 80s Reagan indirectly helped cause the downfall of several dictators that were both simple yet hilarious. Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, who put himself in power, for example had the Philippines under martial law for years. Reagan had built up a good communication relationship with him in the first half of the decade. Near the end of the decade though Reagan and him had a conversation and by the end of it Marcos said he would prove to Reagan that his population still loved him by holding an election. To his surprise though his population overwhelming voted against him, which eventually spiraled into what became his eventual downfall. Something similar may or may not have happened with the dictator of the Congo.
I would honestly expect British people to be better than this, but alas here we are. Liking comments like this one, fueling nationalistic feelings; the same feeling fueled by Argentinian indoctrination where their kids are taught to believe the Malvinas/Falklands are rightfully theirs. Good world we live in, thanks internet.
The video series is good which it makes it all the more baffling that IWM London's coverage at the museum itself is practically non existent and is very disappointing.
So sad for Argentina. A country once on the verge of becoming great, but through corruption and mismanagement fell back and lost it's chance. And then to suffer unending humiliation by this war and their stubborn refusal to accept reality... because of national pride. So sad.
@@Andrew-xh8vb True but GB's decline is due to economical change rather than corruption, mismanagement and a failed war. Lets also not forget that Britain didn't crumble after losing America. Yes we still had most of the Commonwealth, but even having given countries back their independence, we are still a playing on the international stage.
If Argentina had invaded one year later HMS Hermes, the UK's only remaining large aircraft carrier would have been sold and other defence cuts would have made retaking the Falklands well nigh impossible. How ironic that Thatcher's political career was rescued by this war and the decline of the economy continued.
I will never forgive the media for reporting on the failure of the bombs dropped by the Argentian airforce. I lost some good friends thanks to their need to get a story. I was on HMS Fearless and my brother was on HMS Coventry. Coventry was sunk thanks to the Daily Mail. Thankfully he was able to get off, but a lot of the Coventry crew were not so lucky
The Daily Mail….. that says it all really. Stirring up emotions in any way they can since 1896 (thank the Lord for Google!)
I read that at the start of the US involvement in WWII that the USA submarines were able to dive to a certain depth beyond the reach of the Japanese depth charges (or at least the depth they went off). This was published in a newspaper and resulted in the Japanese increasing the depth that the charges went off. It seems that journalists need to think about what they publish in times of war.
The failure lay mainly with the MOD. They didn't understand the needs of Media, which after all is driven by the demands of the public(worldwide). The infamous BBC/Goose Green incident which is still brought up as stick to beat the BBC with, was not that the BBC guessed or preempted a story but that the information was leaked/fed by the MOD without safeguards. Subsequent to the Inquiry all troops get a level of Media Training (Media Ops) and each Service has media operations units with Reservists who work professionally in the Media they also train the media to work on military operations. My Son did his pre-deployment training with attached journalist who would be embedded in the same theatre on several deployments. Its another reason we see so many "Documentaries" about life in the Forces. It brings home the message that the Forces are under public scrutiny both friendly and hostile. Reinforced now that everyone has a mobile phone and can be their own broadcaster.
The liberal scum in the media pulls a lot of crap. I’m a former US Paratrooper, the British military in the Falklands war was awe inspiring.
The press are soulless vultures.
I remember seeing a TV program were a British soldier travel to Argentina and met a Argentinian soldier who both fought in the conflict in the same battle. British soldier had lost a very close friend and the Argentinian soldier lost he's brother in that battle. At the end of the meeting they both left giving each other a hug saying they didn't have hate towards each other and are now today are close friends. That British soldier said that meeting lifted a lot Post traumatic Stress.
That guy can no longer be called Argentinean. War will never be over.
@@MrBruh-yb9qi Edgelord.
@@MapleShrimp britard
@@MrBruh-yb9qi implying I'm Br*tish lmao
@@MapleShrimp ok briturd
Thank you for this series. I visited the Falklands in 2006 when I was 11, and one thing I remember quite clearly was the presence of mines. I had gone hiking a fair amount in the US, but I never had dedicated paths with signs warning that I may die if I stray from the trail. It's reassuring that they've been cleared.
There still may be mines left, if it took until 2020 to clear them all, and the war was in the 1980s, there's no reason to believe there aren't any more that were not found. People are still finding unexploded ordinance from WW2. Mines are a terrible and brutal form of savagery that hurts civilians more than enemy soldiers and usually long after the conflict is over.
I had a similar experience in Cambodia when i walked off the path to have a pee, it's very easy to do. Big mistake but I gladly still have both my legs.
@@stevenwilson5556 A bemused Argentine army officer suggested the British simply drive herds of sheep through the unmapped fields. He couldn't grasp that the British thought it cruel.
@@stevenwilson5556 I was at Yorke Bay celebrating the final clearing of the landmines. Many people have worked for many years to clear the landmines and it is the only operation to do so with no loss of civilian life. Do not do down the work the de-miners have done. There is always the possibility that munitions could wash in from the sea. All Falkland islanders born since 1982 have been brought up to understand the risks, and as I said, it is the only de-mining operation successfully completed with no loss of civilian life.
They took a long time to clear because the Argentines never marked their minefields, which is good practice, as it channels the enemy into killing zones. Our lads got lucky with mines due to the frozen ground.
I was on the planning team that built the Mount Pleasant Airport after the war. I had to fly to Port Stanley for some dental treatment and every Falkland Islander I encountered in Port Stanley wanted to make it as clear as clear could be, that they would be grateful for the rest of their days for their rescue from the Argentines. Ordinary people were coming up to me and shaking my hand. Freedom perhaps, is only truly appreciated, when it is lost.
Nice. You must be as old as me, if not older. Cheers.
Of course....they are subsidised more than any benefit scrounger or dinghy arrival could ever dream of.
@@ArtyFactual_Intelligence Apart from the military cost, what is the annual subsidy per person?
So, I am assuming that you still have the famous 'British teeth' then. I heard that Orthodontist is outlawed in UK.
@@ArtyFactual_Intelligence What are you talking about?! Falklands produce a huge export surplus. Their net export is double their import. They are not at all dependent on any subsidies, besides there are none. If you are talking about defence expenditure, that is hardly comparable to subsidies. That is paid for by every British citizen and Falklanders are part of it. It is for the benefit i.e. freedom and security of every British citizen. What a petty comment especially under this video.
I was living in the Canadian Arctic at the time of the war. Everyone cheered for the British and the community flew the Union Jack during the whole time of the conflict.
I was in the New Zealand army (Brit immigrant) and most of us hoped like hell they would send us - god knows why though. However, I was able to give a few of the boys geography lessons after one of them had run around gleefully yelling that the Argies had invaded England which I knew was wrong because it would have taken them weeks to swim there.
Why?
Supporting imperialism, and later Anglo-Saxons complain about Russia....
about time the falklands were returned to argentina.
@@delmanpronto9374 What do you mean by "returned"? According to history, the islands were mapped and recorded in 1690 by the French, who did not colonize the islands until 1764. The islands were uninhabited until that year. The British built a settlement in 1766, but the islands were still French at that time. France transferred ownership to Spain in that same year. In 1816, Argentina laid a general claim to all former Spanish territories in the South Atlantic, but did not put people onto the islands, thus making Argentina's claim unrecognized. A small German detatchment of colonists arrived in 1826, being the only inhabitants since 1811, as by 1811 all prior settlers and military had abandoned the islands. Argentina did not put people onto the islands until 1831, but Britain reasserted rule the following year. Minor skirmishes between Argentina and Britain took place until the 20th century. However, Britain has nearly continuous control of the islands since 1832, and Argentina's claim was, at best, a year. Claims are worthless. I could claim the United States, and be summarily laughed at by every other country in the world, probably even the countries that don't like the United States.
The point being that Argentina has never held control or ownership of the Falkland Islands. They have always been European. You cannot "return" what was never theirs in the first place, and now that the Islands are represented in the British Parliament with their own localized government, the Islands switching ownership is not going to happen.
Rarely do I watch historical documentaries about war, but this was exceptional well produced. I learned more about wartime planning, execution and international diplomacy in 1hr watching this full series, they I could of imagined. Thanks for sharing this content with the world.
To all the guys who served in the British forces,
I and the whole country thank you for your service.
You are what makes Britain great.
From
Great Britain
Thank you for making Islamic theocracies rich. Thank you for making war with another Christian country and destroy its economy with IMF
Thank you. It is great to know we are not forgotten. A Falkland's Veteran.
I was a US Paratrooper stationed in Panama during the Falklands war. A few months after the war we did some training with British Paras, one of them had been stationed in the Falklands when the Argies invaded and told us about being captured. I’ll never forget what he said, it was even cooler because of his accent. So I went home and got me big brother and then we went back. It was such a cool way to put it and so f***ing hardcore. I’m still very proud of all those British troops.
@@michaelo2176 Fantastic job all of you. Find my comment, it’s got a funny story about some jerks and a Malvinas bumper when I was a US Paratrooper stationed in Panama in 1982.
@@michaelo2176 I would buy you a pint anytime , I wear poppies every single day and now since face nappies I wear one of many poppy bandanas,
I have worn a poppy almost every day thorough the entire years of my life.
Now I get to wear them on my face,
You guys helped to Great Britain be GREAT, we are proud of you and my offer of buying you a pint if you are local to show my love , appreciation and reverence for you guys will be clear to see.
Brighton is a good place to start the Poppy parliamentary party after all
Lots and lots of honour and respect and happiness to you for being YOU ! And being BRITISH.
I applaud your determination and Britishness.
Dave
The Falklands happened just before I entered the US military. It was the first 'cable news war' with reporters from CNN intermixed with the other world news organizations. I still vividly remember the Exocet strikes against HMS Sheffield and Atlantic Conveyor and the epic 'yomp' from across the island to Stanley.
I remember my dad saying 'That's what you've signed up for, you know...'
@Untold Eh, I got to go places and see stuff.
I arrived at my unit in 82 and was part of the Able Archer Incident, where we damned near went to war with the Warsaw Pact... it was a pretty tense 6 months. Then the Army sent me to Central America.
I like to think I did my duty and was privileged to serve with people I **know** did theirs.
I did get to do a 30 day exchange with the 14/20th Hussars of the BAOR. That was a lot of fun. The Challenger is a hell of a tank.
@Untold The problem with the Challenger 3 is that the UK isn't done buying F-35's yet. The entire inventory of the British Army's tank forces is, what?, 3 battalions of tanks?
I mean, like most Americans who pay any attention to military affairs, I'm VERY glad that the Royal Navy is back in the projecting power business with the commissioning of QE and PoW, but the British Army has been last in line for funding from MoD for decades now. Someday very soon, the UK is going to need soldiers, not sailors or airmen, and she's not gonna have them.
I have all the respect in the world for the British Army's professionalism, mind you. But as Zhukov said in 1944, 'Quantity has a quality all it's own.'
@@carlhicksjr8401 You are Correct
The Royal Navy, even with all the investment, is struggling to recruit. HMS Prince of Wales sailed without its F-35s because it has none. The Army lacks the next generation IFV because of a faulty replacement that Health and Safety will not allow to be used. The RAF is supplying half of HMS QE aircraft. RAF is short of 100+ Typhoons. The Army is short on Tanks, IFVs and Very Short on Artillery and manpower. This is just like 1939 when the politicians hoped for peace but FAILED to prepare for War. Challenger 3, they are ordering less than half the vehicles the Army needs. UK "shambles" government. USA "shambles" government. Russia = Stalin v2. China is waiting to pounce.
@@trevorhart545 Well, Trevor, the US is still the largest military in NATO, and we're not a nation to be trifled with. The USN and USAF are still the biggest dogs on their respective blocks, which is a comfort for NATO nations like Norway and Belgium that don't spend half of what they should on their military.
My next comment is going to piss some people off. I mean no disrespect to anyone, but I'm just looking at it from a realistic, or 'realpolitik', view.
There are a lot of nations in NATO, nations that look down their noses at the US, who have free healthcare and free college educations because they don't field a military large enough to protect their interests or even their borders. They let others in the NATO alliance do the heavy lifting. And the member of NATO that does the most of it is the US. When something goes wrong, they call the Americans to come and fix it.
To put point on it, better than half of the NATO alliance's trade, diplomacy and even national sovereignty is guaranteed by the US Department of Defense at a **far** more acceptable political and social cost than if they had to buy it themselves. Is that unfair? Yes, it probably is, but it's also true as Hell.
On the US political spectrum, I'm a Centrist /Moderate. I voted for Biden for the simple reason that Trump is an embarrassment as a human being and patently unfit for the office he held. That doesn't mean I support everything that Biden does. I had two nasty choices and picked the least odious one. As I understand the UK's situation [and I very well may be wrong], the Tories are in control of HM's Government without a whole lot of resistance. If that's the case, then I don't understand where the freaking problem is with funding HM's military. And I can't imagine a Labour government doing any better.
@@carlhicksjr8401 Excellent summary, but funding the miltiary- is so much more than just signing an executive order to give all branches more armaments/ships/planes/personnel/training etc. The operations of the military branch of government is a gigantic financial burden as the bureaucracies, the inefficiencies and demands for custom made EVERYTHING skyrockets costs for procurement of items that would cost a fraction in civilian equivalents.
Funding is needed for SO many other areas of government that the most inefficient branch, with zero return on investment (if no war) is a hard sell. We are not N. Korea (thank-God). There, the people are impoverished by wanton military spending. War is HELL not just for the fallen !!!
The other 4 episodes of this series have been excellent, but it seems to me this one is mis-labelled since it barely covers the political 'global impact'. It ignores the fact that the Junta was seeking to distract from its economic failure and chose to invade the Falklands, whereas the Chileans feared they'd be the target (a much worse scenario that was therefore avoided). Although one result was Argentina's return to democracy, did this not also have a domino effect across South America (such that the previous US policy of supporting non-communist dictators was rendered obsolete)? There is no mention of the fact that innumerable countries felt so much better that an aggressor had not been allowed to get away with invading somewhere else (discouraging others from attempting it). It is mentioned almost in passing that the Russians and Chinese 'paid attention' without underlining that Britain's un-forecast success actually made them realise 'the West' was not as decadent as they thought (bearing in mind the recent failures such as in Vietnam and the US rescue attempt in Iran). Indeed, it was a vivid demonstration that even the Soviet Empire could not have achieved what a small British force (not actually intended for such an operation, let alone 8,000 miles from UK) could achieve thanks to trained professionalism. Did this help end the Cold War peacefully? Was it the unexpected extension of Mrs T's tenure (with its very contentious implications within UK) that allowed her relationship with President Reagan to enable her to convince him that President Gorbachov was someone 'he could do business with'....
@Phil I don't think that China is a paper target in fact they are very worrying, they just keep coming and no matter how many you kill there is thousands more, that's Chinas strength... Let's hope it never happens and we can change their views on the west and be friends, with respect for each other and empathy for our fellow human beings who only want our families to grow up in peace.
In retrospect, Argentina was able to return to democracy "thanks" to Margaret Thatcher's response to the crisis. The occupation of the islands by Argentina was a shameless exploitation of the popular sentiment of the Argentine people by their murderous dictators. By 1982, unfortunately, the Argentine military had already inflicted irreparable damage to Argentina, turning her into the miserably impoverished and corrupt nation it is today.
@Phil Have you ever read a book on word history, Phil? Knowledge doesn't cause your hair to fall, you know. =)
@Phil This is bcz they repute themselves the oldest civilization on the earth, but should think that older don't always is synonimous of succesful....
Agreed it is lacking in many aspects
Excellent series, the lady curating the museum was clear and succinct in her comments, totally in command of her knowledge.
I was a US Paratrooper stationed in Panama during the Falklands war. Quite a few Panamanians supported Argentina. After the Brits had won, I was walking down a street in Panama City with another trooper and we spotted a car with a few Panamanian guys hanging around it, it had a Malvinas bumper sticker. We found that hilarious and pointed at it laughing and said “Falklands” a couple times, they just sat there looking sullen and didn’t say anything. All us Moatengators were hoping that we’d get dropped in to fight alongside the British Paras. The British military did an outstanding job, especially the Spec Ops, Paras, Marines and Commandos.
Yes but you're forgetting the US supported Argentina. They told the British not to go to war after all. They saw it as a defeat for Imperialism and a victory for Democracy.
USA unprofessional troops:
(More like average american troop, cringy btw)
@@torinjones3221 I feel if you research more you’ll see the support given to the U.K. by our ally US was quiet a bit. Intel and military kit was supplied. They did ask for a negotiated settlement but soon realised that the Iron Lady want having that.
So basically you were an imperial force occupying another country and laughed at the citizen supporting our cause.
You cannot find another clearer example of violence than the one exercised by the north on the south as it always has been and it always will be. I'm so happy the inmigrants the socialism and the racial problems will eventually destroy your country :) in the end we will all be the same
As Latinamericans we do deeply resent our material inferiority, poverty, incompetence and inability to influence external events to our interests, much of the anti-USA sentiment hides shame and collective self loath that runs deep.
Hopefully we wil learn to cut our losses, overcome past humilliations and build potent economies that at least earns us a place and a say in the table of global affairs and not just remain a passive observer.
I just got done re-reading "74 Days" by John Smith, an islander since the 1960's, who was present in Port Stanley throughout the invasion. Aside from a daily journal for each of the seventy-four days of occupation, Smith painted a wonderful portrait of islander life, of those who chose a more rugged existence where many of the modern conveniences that would have been available to them in the UK (many were "settlers" in the islands from Great Britain) were forsaken for a simpler way of life, peace and quiet, and sometimes a job opportunity. The politics of the whole war aside (and there were plenty to go around on both sides), if one could take for a moment the vantage point of one of the families on the Falklands, who wanted nothing but to live out their lives as they had wished under the Union Jack, then one can realize what an immense relief it must have been to those transplanted citizens when the British armada first showed on the shores of East Falkland that May. From the standpoint of the average British civilian living in the southern islands, their country's counter to the unprovoked Argentinian invasion was absolutely righteous.
The Smith family are still our friends, Ian and Phyllis who feature in the book were my grandparents
@@callumashley-butler1553 Thank you so very much for your reply. The Falklands invasion has been of interest to me since I first heard of it's place in the annals of military history over thirty years ago. In fact I do recall the names "Ian" and "Phyllis" from the pages of "74 Days", and just now went back to scan through the book for a quick memory jog; it seems that your grandparents lived on West Falkland, and were fortunate enough to be able to return there before the main thrust of the British counter-invasion made its way across East Falkland toward Port Stanley. Hopefully they were able to remain there safely until the "all clear" was given in Stanley in the days after 14 June of that year. Further, I am glad to know that you and your family are still friends with the Smiths, as it is pleasing learn that the "next (next!)" generation is carrying on with relationships such as they were before the war. In fact, "74 Days" was a gift from my parents, who were on a cruise holiday in South America circa 2010. When I learned that their voyage would include Stanley as one of the ports of call, I insisted that the only souvenir in which I would be interested during their entire vacation should come from the Falkland Islands! Thank you once more for reaching out and lending even more gravitas and persona to what is a very gripping journal of a time and place that probably not enough people in the world are now aware.
They lived at Roy Cove, it took some effort from Ian to get back out there while the Argentinians were occupying Stanley. It is a very important part of history that seems to be in danger of being forgotten or twisted beyond recognition. My parents and I moved to the Falkland Islands after the war was over, we stayed with my grandparents for a while before we moved to San Carlos. The detritus of the war was unavoidable and very shocking
If you wanted a simpler life, just move to Falkirk, the British were just flexing on the Argentinians. Who do you think taught Chile to have the motto, "Might makes Right"
@@cramirez3855 Flexing? Bruh, are you good?
Defending an invasion of your country isn't "Flexing". That's called self-defence.
That rose made from spent bullets was a beautiful gesture from an Argentinian artist. The symbolism is just remarkable.
The Roses are special, I wish we could both accept them and become friends again...I served there in 1982, attached to 3 Cdo Brigade, I don't hate the Argies, it was a wrong war, for the wrong reasons, "Feliz Navidad Agentina"
@@chrishiggins8459 Nobody wants to step down thats why sometimes in history, some people cant be friends, at least publicly.
Great series! Greetings and full support to all brits from Chile.
🇬🇧🇨🇱👍🏻
Preparate a futuro, puede que pierdas toda la patagonia.
@@luciano2003.No pudieron ni tomar una isla al lado suyo por sopresa y nos van a venir a quitar algo jajaja
@@JaMeXDDD Si ni pueden con los caribeños por qué no podríamos con el atractor de terremotos?
@@luciano2003. Se salvan de los caribeños porque nadie quiere vivir en Hambrientina. Son el chiste del cono sur.
Amazing series. I’m sorry to all those that lost their lives on both sides. I hope their families and friends have found some sort of peace.
Nice words Jonny!!
Great documentary indeed..
Sadly people lives were lost by the dicision of crazy governments..
@@Welldone827 even funnier is how nobody talk how the argentinian dictatorship was imposed by USA
The British offered to assist in the return of the Argentinian lost souls, Argentina refused to claim and bring home their war dead. Their families were devastated. Its not easy to grieve when your lost child is 200+ miles away in a foreign grave.
@@Welldone827 1 government was lazy, the other got crazy, the lazy one stopped being lazy, and forced the crazy thoughts out of the crazy one.
Thank you all, very much. I remember this time very well, and your excellent production has refreshed my memories and sentiments. The Thatcher and Reagan years were indeed memorable times.
I was in hospital at the start of this war and had a pen pal called paul, we wrote to each other and he sent me a cool Ariel photo shot of hms hermes, one day he stopped writing and i always wondered if he was ok, his letters and pictures helped get me through a difficult time in my life, god bless you paul and everyone of our armed forces past and present.
A beautiful well made documentary about a truly dreadful war for those that were personally caught up in this situation.
My heart goes out to those that lost loved ones on both sides
I have thoroughly enjoyed this series. It seems an untold part of modern british history and you have done an excellent job in making it engaging and informative. Thank you very much :)
"untold" because it was & is widely seen as a propaganda campaign to keep Mrs Thatcher in power at a time when she was doing enormous harm to the British people, harm from which we have never recovered.
It was widely understood that if Thatcher's position wasn't so fragile the islands would have been left to their fate.
This Falklands series from the IWG is an absolute treasure. I learned so much that I didn't know about this conflict. Brilliant work.
A fantastic serie!
It's admirable the respect it handled with my country. Thank you.
I was able to visit the Museum in 2019, it's wonderful. Thanks for making this available for everyone.
I don't know anything about this area, but will you guys try to attack again?
@@JjackVideo Argentina no longer has the capability, their navy is a shell, so is their airforce
@@JjackVideo As I see it, it's more probable that Argentina finally accepts it's failure as a national state and finally stops to exist as it is today. I have an opinion about the islands subject, but I wouldn't make it so public. Not for fear, just to avoid stupid people.
@@littleshep5502 Correct. Our armed forces are in terrible conditions.
@@JjackVideo We will implote first. We can´t agree about basics. Don´t wory of us.
In addition, I believe that the majority of Argentines are going to see themselves as inhabitants of the world in the coming years.
To make this short and concise, I can say is that the entire war is really something else which I never heard of before. And since Argentina is still willing to have the Falkland Islands even though the Falkland islanders considered themselves as British, that dispute is going to continue for many years. Just like how Gibraltar is the dispute between Spain and Britain and it happens for like centuries, even their relations are improved. Maybe you’ll get into Britain’s hold on Gibraltar and how it came to be, who knows. So, thank you for this series and can’t wait to see your next video, whatever it may be.
There's also Taiwan.
@@Jo-Heike I'm not aware of any British involvement in Taiwan and certainly none that would involve the Imperial War Museum. Would you be kind enough to expand on your answer?
@@vaughandavey4553 I am not saying there is, but that it's a similar story of self-determination. Just like how Argentina has it written into their constitution that the Flaklands should belong to them, China has it written into their constitution that Taiwan should belong to them. I thought it sounded similar when it was mentioned in the video.
The difference is the islands were never part Argentina and nobody lived there before the British. It would be like the United States claiming Bermuda because it’s close by.
@P. B. Foote No the Falklands have ONLY ever been argentinian, when they stole them from the UK. Even the USA have a stronger claim than th argies, who's main and only real claim is they are close to the dump called argentina
Everybody overlooks the significance of the obvious being that The Falklands was British even before Argentina became a country.
UK stole the islands in 1833
The UK was kicked of their "settlement" so they weren't settled lol, and even worst, France settled before the UK, and even worst, Spain discovered the islands, need more? The UK was kicked by Spain, France sold out their settlement, and then the UK recognized Spanish sovereignty over the islands, plus the ICJ recognized the use of the principle of Uttis Possidetis Iuris by Argentina, and in 1864 Spain recognized Argentina as the inheritors of the islands.
Get destroyed.
@@mohammed_2939 Spain never recognized Argentina as the inheritors of the Falklands, and I do not see anywhere that Spain recognized them as inheritors in 1864.
@@mezhnoove5545 Nope, Spain recognized Argentine sovereignty over the islands at the same time that they recognized us as a country.
Mohammed
Britain was first to land and claim in 1690 ....it's British.
I feel sorry for the Argentinian conscripts they didn't ask for this, remember it was your military junta leaders who did this to you for a distraction from a corrupt government it was not the British who caused your suffering.... the British treated you with respect and kindness and we are sorry for your government who maltreated you. Peace and love, we wish all Argentine veterans well.
Would you feel sorry for them if they'd won the war? I'm sure these conscripts would be very happy to be there if they'd won.
Great comment and respect ray, my dad was supposed to be one. He got saved because the war ended 1 day before he was supposed to go. He never wanted to.
The other two guys, appreciate your comments but thats just your opinion. Not everyone did those things and definitely nobody put booby traps in kids toys. Only the brits killed three civilians and that was an accident so no blame there.
@@alfonsomartinezinfante6685 do you want to bet about the booby trapped kids toys? They did, there's testimony from an islander child and Ricky Phillips Falklands historian and author, mentions it as definitely happened.
@@alfonsomartinezinfante6685 the 3 civilian deaths were no accidents, we had to take out your gun positions which you had conveniently located in residential areas. You were essentially using civilian human shields.
@@chrishitchings8712 not "we" and not "you" dont blame people that have nothing to do on a conflict that happened way before they were born, its as if I blame you for all the massacres British made throughout history.
Second, do not spread missinformation just because you dont want to search for it. It was an accident, they died because a navy ship was bombarding military positions at port stanley (not civilian) and one got lost hitting the house where they were hiding. So either the accuracy of the guns was not up to the task and the people who ordered the bombardment should be accounted for or it was an accident.
A really well made series of videos! Learnt a lot, thank you!
The series came as I was studying this as a module, so good timing IWM
This has been a superb series. It was broadcast quality and really should be shown on UK terrestrial TV. Another fascinating and little known UK centric subject you could cover is the story of Britains post Second World War Cold War civilian defence infrastructure. The story of the Observer Corp and the network of regional government secret installations is a truly fascinating part of our history and I am sure IWM would tell the story in a compelling way. Thank you to all the contributors for your superb Falklands Series.
"Long term impact on mental health of the conflict" this is true, to this day there are people at all levels of society incapable of sweating due to the experiences they endured.
Brilliant :)
LOL !
Great series, loved every single episode!!
I salute the mention and contribution of Zimbabwe in clearing landmines on the island
And I'm so glad that there were no casualties.
Of couse! No white britons will ever take that job!!
Yeah, send in the black guy to clear the mines. How noble of the white man!
@@TheNtcc if someone else is willing to clear your mines for you then why not it's not like they forced or anything and it's a false analagy as it assumes that British people are all white.
@@TheNtcc Nobody forced them to go
When it comes to media coverage of the war it is important to remember two things:
1) There were little to none 24/7 media coverage of anything in the 80s. No internet and no social media either.
2) There remoteness of the Falklands ment that no reporter could get there by themselfs.
Is that right? Everyday's a school day!
I'll add, no mobile phones either not to mention old skool film cameras that had to have the film developed at the chemist before you saw the outcome of your artistry. I'm a veteran of that conflict and my best friend down South was my Sony Walkman cassette player (even though we'd been instructed not to take them along with us.) Different times eh. Tempus fugit.
I was in grade school in California when this happened. I remember reading newspaper clips to the class as our teacher wanted us to read an article everyday from the newspaper. Events in the paper were always describing something that had happened days ago. In today's world just by chance I watched the firefight between RUS and UKR at the Chernobyl power plant on a live webcam.
I agree with your point but I'd also say that this war was poorly covered in media. I was eight at the time and watched much of it on the 6:30 news. Looking back I see a controlled media campaign. The argument that the navy didn't have space for media is facetious, in any democracy the fifth estate should be accommodated and encouraged. They did that in Vietnam and the result was exactly as it should have been -- a population being informed of what is actually going on by an independent press. I am saddened that things have not improved since then.
This was perfectly logical, first of all the British gvt knew how bad the excessive coverage of the'Nam had influenced it, remember that the Tet offensive was seen as a North's victory, when in reality they'd been crushed, plus we can add the fact that a lot of newspaper were critical about the war. The war is too terrible to became a TV show.
Don't forget New Zealand! They didn't provide any direct materiel, but some of their warships took over Royal Navy patrols in the South Pacific allowing ships to be released to engage in the Falklands.
Having oil deposits discovered near the Falkland Islands is going to be a major issue in the foreseeable future.......
They will be a mayor issue when oil reaches 500$ per barrel, and when a friendly south american nation brings upon logistic aid. Very far in the future, I guess.
No, any Argentine theft will be easily sunk. No issues at all.
Forget about Argentina attacking again, we can only bitch about the islands. Our military won't be an offensive force again (which is a good thing, since the vast majority of the population won't support any military action unless attacked first) for a very long time. I hope one day Argentina and Britain will have the close relation they had in the past.
@@DanielsPolitics1 UK. will be easily sunk by irish unification and scotish independence, besides inflation, reccesion, food insecurity, muslim tsunami, energy costs, urban poverty, economic decay, and McRefuges.
The falklands have always been rightful American territory. We’ve owned it since tomorrow!
I thoroughly enjoyed this series! The final battles as described in the penultimate episode was my favorite! A similar review of the Korean war would be a fantastic follow-up. Thanks!
That was no final battle, just "latest battle"
As a Norwegian, i can in no possible way see Argentina having a legitimate claim on that Island. It was british long before they even existed..
And if that is your national identity. Then wow, shallow identity..
We Norway dont claim Kola peninsula from Russia.. Even tho its actually was ours once, but that is like 800 years ago.. 800 years, that is a god damn long time.
Their complete national identity is the claim on the islands.
@@fl3669 I thought it was Messi the futbol player lol
@@fleurduh no it’s only the islands. Their whole culture revolves around the islands. Schools don’t teach anything apart from the islands. People don’t talk about anything else except the islands.
@@fl3669 casi bro
The thing is; all the inhabitants of the islands want things to continue as they are, which seems entirely logical and natural to me.
But also; given the large resources and area of Argentina, I should have thought they'd have different priorities.
This show was one that i kept putting off and as always when i get around to watching the ones i keep putting off, i found it very excellent. Thankyou
An excellent retrospective on the Falklands war. Though much younger then, we remember it well. As proud owner of Jane's Fighting Ships-1976, I well remember- the frontispiece featured a great aerial shot of HMS Sheffield. Shortly, after (the alphabet dictates) was a large photo of Admiral Belgrano. How sobering- both featured ships, only 6 years later, were at the bottom of the sea! War is hell !!!
Very well done, the details of various aspects of this conflict was most informative.
I have been reliably told in confidence that the Falklands today is the most focused point of hi-tech defence, anywhere in the southern hemisphere. Monitoring the deep South Atlantic, South America, Southern Africa and Antarctica. For the US, UK and NATO it is now critical to monitoring submarines and surface naval craft for a third of the Earth’s ocean area south of the Equator.
You forget the chinese military base at Neuquen, northern Patagonia.📡
Woop I guess that means the UK's never gonna let go
@@youtubeaddict1234 untill they could not afford any more their long dead colonial dreams.
@Phil 😅😅😅😅😅look who is talking!!!
@Phil en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man
I well remember the aftermath of the Holding Camp at PSA. It was one massive 'dirty protest' with human faeces spread literally everywhere, including up the walls of the Control Tower and other buildings. Anyone picking up a discarded Argie helmet would find that it wasn't mud it was full of. The main consequence was extensive incidence of gastric bacterial disease that went on for many months. On the other side though, flying in the post-war Falklands Theatre was awesome!
Edit to add that of course Port Stanley was granted city status in 2022, not 2002 as stated.
It's a proud country, Argentina. That's it's problem vis a vis the Falklands.
@@miketackabery7521 , I'd be more inclined to say it's a stupid country!.
That Rose brought a tear to my eye..
Thanks for a truly great series!
Gotta love the governments hierarchy of treating people.
1) The upper class
2). Refugees
3) The middle class
4) The lower class
5) The homeless
6) Decorated war veterans
Numbers three to five are all the same people!
@Caleb P yes of course what was I thinking.
Fantastic video. Thank you
ONLY lasted for 72 day's !!!!! It was a hell of a time and felt like a year, death was everywhere we trod, I lost several good friend's and came close myself, NEVER use a derogatory word like ONLY when it comes to killing and dying, it was a long 72 day's for those of us who were there....
Thank you for your service
Indeed - "only" sjhould never be used to describe something which at the time seemed like an eternity! PMPT
In the USA a 100 years is a long time.
In the uk 100 miles is a long way.
For a soldier a 100 days is a sacrifice.
I admire the professionalism, courage and fortitude of the armed forces involved, but let me add perspective; my father joined the army in 1933, fought the Germans in 1940 (evacuated 02/06/40), and again from 06/06/44 (Gold Beach) to 1945, seeing very many casualties; the Germans were no pushover. He was promptly posted to Palestine, although saw no action, returning to see his 2 year old son for the first time in 1947.
He never complained, indeed scarcely mentioned his experiences. Fortunately, he wrote down quite a lot.
What bothers me most is the constant searching by the media, especially the BBC, for ways in which to show our armed forces, past and present, in a bad light, and the way in which politicians keep cutting them, as if we haven't enough lessons in what happens when one does.
The battles lasted 72 days, but the war is almost 200 years old
4:49 "Exorcist Missile" on the time bar LMAO 👻🤣🤣
Nice trip down memory lane. 70s, 80s, 90s were the greatest eras for me. I joined the army a year after the Falklands conflict. The only conflict I experienced was the cold war with USSR. Never saw combat though. Good because I was a tank driver and in those days a tank crew had the shortest life expectancy on a battlefield.
I was there bro, your little brothers in the Blues and Royals distinguished themselves, I didn't see it as I was a R Sigs REMF back at Ajax Bay (I did have to live in bomb alley for a month, which had its moments) I also served in BAOR but I never wanted to be armour, you did your duty...respect.
Although questionable the motives behind wars, i must say you men are brave and have experience something most alive today wont so respect and salute 🫡
@@RealEyesRealiseRealLies Most of those alive today are alive because of war.
The motives of war are usually territorial and that includes all of the people living in those territories
If you don't fight back against an attacker, you may lose everything including your life and your families lives.
@@MaroonedInDub who are the enemy in this context? The brits who are far away from home or the argentines who are closer to the island, again nothing but respect🇬🇧
A wonderful five part series, however, i think thar you needed a sixth parti would've liked to have seen more interviews with the islands inhabitants themselves.
How did they live during the brief occupation?
There were acts of resistance by civilians, I'd like to know more about that.
Awfully, is how they lived. They were routinely beaten, forced out of their houses, subjected to mock executions, and shoved into inadequate buildings to hold them
@@littleshep5502 I'd like to hear this from the islanders themselves.
@@darrenmarsh8830 You can just search up interviews from the Island Inhabitants online then? I think there was a video in this series that had pages, drawings, and letters from the actual Falkland Islanders themselves that briefly talked about their occupation.
Best thing to happen to Britain at that time. Afterwards Britain soared, especially in finance. Was seen as a safe place to keep your wealth if they were prepared to travel thousands of miles to secure some remote islands. By the end of the decade things not going quite so well as many industries lacked finance, bricks and mortar is where the money was and still is. Germany and China took up the mantle of industrial might. I was in the forging industry in the 80's. I couldn't tell you where you might find a forge now.
Try Sweden !
Well done! Keep up this great work!
I was in University at the time of this war. Our university library had newspapers from all over the world, including from Buenos Aires. So it was interesting to see/read about the war from the Argentinian point of view. I remember one Headline in the Argentinian newspaper which read: "Mira que invincible fue el Invicible!" "Look how invincible was the Invincible!" The accompanying picture was of the HMS Invincible, on fire and smoking. The story insinuated that the Invincible had sunk. A few days later I saw a TV news story showing the HMS Invincible sailing back into its home port, for repairs.
I had some Argentinian friends at that time. They were so proud that their country had retaken 'Las Islas Malvinas.' I tried to warn them what was about to happen; but they didn't believe me. Of Margaret Thatcher, they said. "Ella es mujer! Que puede hacer ella?" "She's a woman! What can she do?"
The main difference was it was for maintenance, rather than repairs
@@littleshep5502 It was damaged, not sunk.
@@mohammed_2939 nope, wasn't damaged either, the attack has been rather thoroughly ripped apart by various historians
@@littleshep5502 Argue.
Just a remark, this is an excellent video. And very professionaly presented.
The falklands conflict remains the only instance of a nuclear submarine sinking an enemy vessel. I also read that since this is the most recent conflict showing air/land/sea fighting, that armies still study the tactics used.
And only the second time after the second World War that a submarine sunk a enemy ship
Yeah, It's the first time where it was a true combined arms conflict. Both sides used all three types of warfare and more importantly, a lot of NATO countries got to see how their equipment fared against contemporary NATO equipment. The Exocets were devastating, the AIM-9L Sidewinder would go on to create the AIM-9X series and the Harrier would be supported even until now.
The Falklands conflict was so unique simply because at the time, Argentina and the UK were pretty equally matched equipment-wise and it wouldn't really be seen again. Vietnam, Korea and even the modern Russia/Ukraine conflict can't really compare.
Hilary is very knowledgeable and articulate. Well done.
There’s a reason we just built those two big boats
We now just need the aircraft and support vessels to go with them.
@@harriergr7728 we have. Although if you are a Yeovilton man then it might not be completely to your liking. Especially when you drive into Portsmouth Dockyard and high over the gate it says “Twinned with RAF Marham”.. what bright spark thought that logo up?
@@PhilbyFavourites we don’t. Half of the ones on Elizabeth are American marines and I’m not sure about the POW
Love your work 👍
Apparently the Royal Navy had a small amount of nukes with them down the Falklands (nuclear depth charges) which they hadn’t had time to unload before the conflict began.
They took some with them, but unloaded them at Ascension.
The were removed.
The irony of war is not lost on me: their defeat resulted in the the fall of the military junta and a government FOR the people was installed. Sometimes, history is stranger than fiction...
The people didn,t instaled military junta , they removed the democratic goverment ay gunpoint, and it was 30000 killed
If Britain still had a flat-top carrier at the time, flying Phantoms and Buccaneers, the war would have been over in half the time.
We did in the form of HMS Hermes. The main issue was a lack of super sonic jets as we were using helicopters, chinooks and harriers (which themselves did an amazinbg job for their capaibilities). If we'd had super sonic jets then we'd have had quicker air cover for our ships and there probably would have been fewer knocked out. All down to massive defense spending cuts in spending in the 1970's.
@@banedon8087 As today, no change there, then?
Indeed, perhaps the Argentinians wouldn't have even invaded if they thought they had to deal with fast jets. Also if the previous Labour administration hadn't stalled the Type 42 RADAR upgrades and the Sea Dart modernisation which was supposed to have been completed by 1982 I doubt if an Argentinian plane would have got near the fleet. That said, there's been just as much penny pinching with our Type 45s - it seems lessons have not been learned.
Couple of issues with the larger flat tops, we wouldn't have been able to get quick attrition replacements for the planes that would be lost to accidents and ground fire as we did with the Atlantic conveyor carrying extra harriers.
As well as this the sortie generation rate would have been lower due to the larger jets requiring more maintenance.
This means that air cover may have been reduced over all.
Thank politicians penny pinching.
Next month I will be able to take a tour of the battlefield on the island as part of my cruise through the Antaric. I am looking forward to visiting and learning more about this war. With video series, I now have a better understanding of this war and understand more of what I will be seeing there.
I was surprised to hear that the landmines were only fully removed until 2020. If I had been the British commander I would have required as a condition of surrender that the Argentinians remove all mines under strict supervision before they would be repatriated. In certain cases the Allies required that the Germans perform such work during World War 2. This is not being mean or an attempt to terrorize the defeated army. This is a measure of justice.
british talking about justice, what joke
@@Foxtrop13 I'm not British and I'm not joking.
As we weren't officially at war with Argentina it would have been difficult to force this condition on them.
@@LondonSteveLee in georgias the british force POW to operate the submarine ARA Santa fe, and execute him for doing so, violating the geneva convention, the marine doing the executing never face charges
@@Foxtrop13 Santa Fe was damaged beyond use and was dangerous to be aboard, so I doubt that heavily, also if you wanna play the bad guy card there was an instance of a argie batalian surrendering, and then when the British troops got closer to round them up, the argies opened fire killing quite a few british, which absolutely breaks Geneva convention.
Brilliant, a well presented factual account.
The occupation is the ONLY time people from Argentina have lived on, let alone controlled, these islands. Their claim to 'Las Malvinas' is baseless and always was.
Luis Vernet?
@@TuxDroid And at what point was he Argentinian?
@@wessexdruid7598 The people who lived during his administration were Argentines. He ruled Argentine people in the name of Argentina. Even after the British return, several Argentines continued to live there until the gaucho Rivero's revolt. United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata to Argentina was just a name change because Argentina means Silver ("Plata")
@@TuxDroid He ruled with the permission of the British, with British partners who also lived there - until they were murdered by the Gauchos. He was a merchant - and he was never an Argentine. Argentina has always been good at rewriting history.
@@wessexdruid7598 So did the British give permission to a governor designated by the Argentine authorities who governed for Argentina? On the other hand, Vernet arrived in Buenos Aires in 1819, his first son was born there in 1824, and Vernet died in San Isidro.
The British only fought with bows and today only fight at sea because they're terrified of having to fight anyone directly (like men); no wonder the modern-day British default war strategy (applied in both world wars) consists of hiding their tiny island while keeping an oversized navy to prevent anyone from landing there (thus avoid having to face the enemy) and the most important part which is to BEG the United States (Britain's historic boyfriend, current owner and sugar daddy) to please come fight for them and save them. That's why they've made so much of the battle of Trafalgar when, in real-life, it had a little practical immediate effect and Napoleon barely sighed when receiving the news; but the British keep celebrating that victory because fighting on sea is all they can do, whenever they fight at land they get their sorry asses kicked even against "inferior" enemies such as Elphinstone's army in Afghanistan, Isandlwana, the American revolutionary war, Dunkirk, by the Jews at Palestine, the Dutch at Medway (after which the British lost their fleet which meant their island was open to invasion after which they panicked and surrendered ending the war in whatever terms (they could get no matter how unfavorable rather than fighting like men), Buenos Aires (twice) and Singapore, among many many others; and the only victories at sea they've scored have been by surprise attacks (such as the battle of the River Plate), ambushes (just like they did at the battle of Jutland or Cape Matapan) or by using overwhelming numbers (like they did with the Bismark: in the first encounter 2 German ships, including the Bismarck, fought against 3 British ships which included the most powerful British ship, the HMS Prince of Wales, known as "the pride of the Royal Navy" and the Bismarck alone defeated the 3 British ships and easily destroyed the HMS Prince of Wales, after which the British fled and only came back in overwhelming numbers, sending 12 ships against the Bismarck). That's why in Corunna they used their favorite tactic: be defeated and escape by sea (the same one used in Dunkirk); by the way, Wellington's only tactic consisted of hiding behind a hill and attacking only when the enemy lowered his guard while having an ally do most of the fighting; also explaining why during all of the wars between Britain and France the British only strategy consisted of conquering small irrelevant colonies with overwhelming forces which were their only direct victories. Also, they have no problem whatsoever betraying their allies to further its interests such as when they bombarded Copenhagen even though Denmark wasn't at war with Britain (they did this to destroy the Danish fleet so Napoleon couldn't use it to invade Britain if he conquered Denmark), or when the French surrendered in World War II after the British sent only a symbolic force (which achieved nothing and was defeated) and the British demanded the French hand over all of their ships to them (they were terrified that Hitler could use them to invade Britain) and when the French refused the British immediately forgot about their so-called "allies" and attacked the French fleet by surprise at Mers-el Kebir; and there's also the fact that the French surrendered because Churchill (supposed "tough guy") wrote them off and refused to send reinforcements, instead choosing to keep his forces in Britain in a sad attempt to deter an invasion and to improve his bargaining position during peace talks after the Germans won which he thought would happen. Or when they betrayed the Portuguese (supposedly their oldest allies with whom they'd maintained an alliance treaty since 1386 although the Portuguese have never really seen any benefits while the British have) by sending them an ultimatum in 1890 demanding them to evacuate some of their African colonies and once they did they quickly moved to occupy these areas just so they could have a continuous land connection between South Africa and Egypt or during the Seven Years War: the British always seek a powerful ally with a powerful land army (as the British are too cowardly to fight like men) to protect them and fight for them and the United States didn't exist yet so they tricked Prussia into joining them and paid the Prussians to fight on the continent in their place but as soon as the British attained their goals in the other theaters of the war they immediately forgot about their Prussian "allies" and suddenly stopped the cash flow to Prussia and abandoned them just at the height of the war, leaving the Prussians to their own devices to fight alone against France, Austria and Russia, almost resulting in the destruction of Prussia, something every country in Europe took note of and is also why during the Circassian genocide when Russian captured the British ship Vixen (then delivering aid) the British loudly threatened war but backed down when they couldn't find any ally to do the actually fighting for them. During the Napoleonic Wars, the British were at their worst, paying others to fight for them, causing the Emperor of Austria to say "The English are flesh traffickers, they pay others to fight in their place", while Napoleon said the British were "a people of cowardly marine merchants".
Here's a tiny selection of the countless British defeats:
Afghans
6-13 January 1842 - retreat from Kabul - entire British army captured or killed (17,000 KIA)
3 September 1879 - Kabul ...again
27 July 1880 - Maiwand - 900-1,000 British/Indian troops killed
By Mahdist
March 13, 1884 - January 26, 1885 Siege of Khartoum - 7,000 force lost to Mahdis
February 4, 1884 First Battle of El Teb
Chinese
4 September 1839 Battle of Kowloon - defensive victory
June 24-26, 1859 Second Battle of Taku Forts
Russians
Petropavlovsk - British landing repelled
Battle of the Great Redan - British failure while the French do succeed in taking the Malakoff
Balaclava - British lancers and hussars of the light brigade annihilated.
Taganrog - failure of the Anglo-French contingent to take Taganrog
Siege of Kars - Anglo Turkish force fails to take Kars
Zulus
Isandlwanna - an entire column wiped out. 1,400 killed
Intombe - supply convoy wiped out. 104 dead
Hlobane - No. 4 column wiped out. 225 killed
Bulgarians
Battle of Kosturino 1915
Battle of Doiran 1916
Battle of Doiran 1917
Battle of Doiran 1918
Argentinians
2 April 1982 - Invasion of the Falklands - 100+ Marines and sailors captured
3 April 1982 - Argentinians seize Leith Harbor. 22 Royal Marine POWs
10 May 1982 - sinking of the HMS Sheffield
22 May 1982 - sinking of the HMS Ardent
23 May 1982 - Battle of Seal Cove
24 May 1982 - sinking of the HMS Antelope
25 May 1982 - SS Atlantic Conveyor sunk by Argentinians
25 May 1982 - HMS Coventry is sunk by Arg. aircraft.
29 May 1982 - Mount Kent Battle - 5 SAS dead in friendly fire incident.
6-7 June 1982 - British paratroops vacate position under pressure, leaving radio codes
8 June 1982 - Bluff Cove Air Attacks
10 June 1982 - Skirmish at Many Branch Point - capture of the SAS contingent.
Ghurka victories
January 1814 - Battle of Makwanpur Gadhi - British army kept at bay
January 1814 - Battle of Jitgadh - British attack repulsed with 300 KIA
Spring 1814 - Battle of Hariharpur Gadhi - British Indian army stymied.
November 1814 - Battle of Nalapani - British force decimated with 700+ casualties
December, 1814 - Battle of Jaithak - 53rd Div. defeated and repelled.
Dutch
16 August 1652 - Battle of Plymouth - De Ruyter's triumph
30 November 1652 - Battle of Dungeness - Dutch gain control of the English Channel
4 March 1653 - Battle of Leghorn - 5 ships captured or sunk
2 August 1665 - Battle of Vågen
1-4 June 1666 - Four Days' Battle - 10 ships lost with upwards of 4,500 killed and wounded
2-5 September 1666 - Burning of London
9-14 June 1667 - Raid on Medway - Dutch raid, ends with loss of 13 English ships
28 May 1672 - Battle of Solebay
7 -14 June 1673 - Battle of Schooneveld
August 21, 1673 - Battle of Texel
Others
- by the Albanians (the 78th Regiment of Foot at Rosetta),
- by the Americans (at Cowpens, in 1813 at Thames, and in 1815 at New Orleans),
- by the Poles (in 1810 at Fuengirola),
- by the native Indians (at Monongahela),
- by the Egyptians (1807 at El-Hamad or Hamaad)
- by Native Americans at the first Roanoake Island Colony where they defeated the English colonists who had then had to be rescued by Francis Drake, fleeing by sea (the usual British tactic of fleeing by
sea)
Among many, many, others.
One thing that I feel should have been mentioned was the fact that the Argentine government and military did not have the will or resources to repatriate their own defeated troops from the Falklands, the British used the SS Canberra to take the Argentine troops back to Argentina before the same ship took the British troops back to the UK, that tells me something about the honour of the British.
it was mainly the Junta didnt want to admit they lost the war, and therefore, refused to take the people themselves, but also threatened to bomb the prisoner ships. Eventually they let them in at a port that was out of the way, re armed them, fed them, and tried to claim they were complying with the ceasefire the UN had ordered. during this a couple of hundred vanished
Ascension island is a British territory, the US didn't have a say in Britain using the island, it is British territory only loaned to the US, get your facts right
The military base itself is American though, any access would have to be negotiated, of course if they refused the UK would have cause to evict them.
The Falklands have been in British domain long, long before argentina became an independent nation.
@@tatumergo3931 actually no. the initial claim was by the French and the British. The French ceded their claim to the Spanish, who in turn ceded their claim to Britain. Britain recognised neither claim in the first place as it was already there. As far as i know, neither France nor Spain want them back.
@@tatumergo3931 Spain did not ceded the islands, they left the the islands because of independence war, but they left some mens there, but that's doesn't change anything, plus, the ICJ recognized Argentina Uttis Possidetis Iuris usage in 1820 (after 1820 ofc) and Spain recognized Argentina as the inheritors of the Spanish claims of the islands
@@exiledred77 Spain kicked and destroyed british "settlement" after they finished with france, the uk almost declared war and then they signed peace treaty that recognizes spanish sovereignty
@@mohammed_2939 You didn't read the history correctly, obviously. France ceded to Spain, the British never did. Spain took the British Port Egmont but then gave it back to avoid a war with Britain. Britain left to fight a war but did not abandon its claim. Buenos Aires snuck in the back door and started a whaling colony which denied fishing rights to the USA. The USA then destroyed the whaling settlement and dissolved the self installed illegal government on the islands. Britain then returned to reinforce its claim. They've been there ever since but of course, "the Malvinas are historically and intrinsically part of Argentinian identity."....... so the truth is unimportant.
@@exiledred77 Port Egmont was destroyed even before the british threatened with war, and yep britaon recognized Spanish sovereignty.
This has been a brilliant mini series. Per Mare, Per Terran
It was the post Falklands War euphoria that encouraged me to sign up for 15 years service in the RAF.
Have you still got your free slippers 🤓🤓🤓👍🏻👍🏻
Excellent series!!
Another example of BBC journalists prioritising self-interest and their career over the safety of British forces.
Excellent series detailing the conflict. I wonder what part the Hong Kong situation played in the British decision to go to war? Surely Britain's upcoming handover negotiations with the People's Republic needed a strong British negotiating position which would have been weakened had we backed down to the Argentinians? No one seems to have mentioned this.
Britain had zero leverage against the Chinese wih regard to Hong Kong. It was just a polite fiction that both sides agreed to a 'handover'. China could have simply turned off the water supply if they'd encountered resistance.
In times of war, and not before,
God and the soldier, we do adore,
In times of peace, and all things righted,
God is forgotten, and the soldier slighted.
How very true that is and how shameful it is.
The director of the IWM should never refer to the Falkland Islands as the malvinas, that is just disgraceful.
I think she meant that was how they themselves refer to them but I agree that it seems somewhat inappropriate.
I would love to know, the 1% who voted against the Falklands remaining British. We’re they just thick and didn’t understand the question?
Dr Rick Jolly ; who was in charge of the medical response for HM armed forces, received a military award from both sides. The only modern case. His team didn't lose a single patient who reached them alive. The first time it has been known. No accolade given could overstate his team's achievement. Talking about the medical impact and not mentioning Rick Jolly is a bit strange. disingenuous.
These episodes were so interesting… thank you
By the way it's said it sounds like the narrator was implying that Ascension Island was American and they allowed us to use it! It's in fact a British overseas territory, perhaps they ment to say the Americans gave us some equipment that was used/ stored on Ascension but it didn't come across that way to me.
I found that funny also considering it was a British production designed to mostly be shown in Britain meaning appeasing our allies wasn't necessary.
Yes Ascension is a British island, but the airbase was built by the Americans.
No? What the side winder missile was? A propelled banana? It was US made. Such like the 150 sea harriers and the 3rd carrier.
served twice '87 and '88. being only five years after the conflict. thinking back. i realise the islanders were still a little nervous and glad of our military presence. i was only a boy of 19yrs old on my first tour. scared and nervous myself. having seen shot down aircraft put the whole experience into perspective.
As an American I admire the UK and its history. I'm hispanic but 25% northern Irish and proud of it. I do have a South Atlantic medal to a Royal Marine plus his uniforms.🇺🇲🏴🇬🇧
Just seen my picture in this, man I'm old now, where have the years gone ?
It matters because the real division in the world between is autocracy and democracy. This was an instance
When democracy won. The "evil fascists" can be right wing, left wing, atheist, nationalists, religious, atheists etc etc.
In all cases they should be thwarted and defeated.
That's a rather naive way of seeing this. You might remember that the coup that put the military junta in power in Argentina was backed by one of those democracies you speak so highly of, the US, that declassified documents show the perpetrators had been assured the US would recognize their govt (which they later did) weeks or even months before the actual coup took place, and even provided assistance and insight in how to limit the notoriety of human rights violations and violent repression against the guerrillas, which they knew was coming and considered a plus. And this wasn't even a coup against a leftist govt, but a right-leaning one.
So, far from being a clash of autocracy vs democracy, this was a "democracy" backing a rabid dog's violent takeover, then somehow being surprised when it lashes out at nearby territories. If this sounds familiar it's because it wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last time it happened.
Now don't get me wrong, the juntas were absolutely terrible, nobody's arguing that, but considering them some sort of evil directly opposed to democracies is, at best, extremely naive, when many autocracies in third world countries, including this one, would never have existed if not for the encouragement and backing of those very same democracies
@@patp3725 what your saying is of course entirely correct. In particular. Perhaps my mistake is not nativity but generalization (a bad crime in modern times when any looking for 'the golden' invites this terrible accusation ).
But...as someone once said/wrote "democracy is the worse form of government - apart from all the others".
Another "generalization". But a true one.
@@archiesinclair6252 oh no, of course, no arguments there. The (real) democracies of the western world are, even with all their faults, undoubtedly the best system right now and I wouldn't want to live under any other.
I was just saying that in this particular instance, some of the democracies aren't exactly blameless. Not for the invasion, of course, that's entirely the brainchild of that drunkard Gen. Galtieri, but for supporting the rise of such regimes, though I guess we can atribute that to the complexity of the time and the struggle of the Cold War. I doubt Argentina would ever have attacked the UK under a democratic govt
Why did the uk allied to Pinochet then?
Just saying, The Canberra was a children's school ship, beds short as were the chairs and tables, NOT, a luxury cruise liner. I know as I sailed to Ascension on her!
With what’s happened in Ukraine lets hope the diplomatic dispute between Argentina and Britain never spirals into war again. It’s never worth it the human cost.
It's extremely unlikely, as the Argentinians know this time they would not even stand a chance.
@Phil Absolutely, and it’s quite frankly pathetic. Their only clame to them is proximity, and Chile is just as close. The Brits are actuallly in the right this time and those islands will be theirs for the foreseeable future
Argentina wasn't even a country when the British had the Falklands their claim is null and void and baseless
@@snow24121 At the end of the day things can change quickly. The Falklands probably mean more to Argentines than Messi lol. All it could take is a more nationalistic government and maybe they’d give it another crack. You’re right though they would get destroyed by Britain. It’d be a sad waste of human life
@@snow24121 its amazing how propaganda own your minds. Constructing an straw man fallacy.. its not only the geographical arguement. Also we inherited as a part of our territories. And you guys expelled the natives and even a governor living there. You are know to be a well known colonialist country having issues around the world and even your neighbors. Alsacia an lorraine dispute is jurisprudency backing our position. And you are on the same position and using the same arguments as russia in crimea dispute.
Ha ha ha Argentina ARE totally in charge of the Malvinas which is a paper place somewhere in the ether whereas BRITAIN is in charge of the FALKLAND ISLANDS which funnily enough is quite close to Argentina. Who would have guessed that? Wonder where the Malvinas are?
The malvinas are in a Chilean lake
I CAN'T WATCH THE 4TH EPISODE :( SAYS ITS BLOCKED BY UA-cam FOR BEING OFFENSIVE???
As a yank, If I lived in England, I would defiantly want to work there.
As a "Yank," you're probably closer to the Falklands than the people living in England :)
That flag in the wind shot of the Union Jack is lovely.
14:37 You said in 2002 it was given city status but is was actually 2022.
I think it was a mis-speak as it was mentioned as being part of the platinum jubilee
I was surprised Stanley needed to be given City Status. It was already a City as it had a Cathedral.
@@Themanyfacesofego I'm pretty sure thats just a myth or thats the old definition
Its amazing to see how split the people are on this topic depending on whether or not theyre form a commonwealth country or not
To any Argies out there who imagine they can take over the Falklands, just forget it, You forfeited any chance of that when you conducted that outrageous armed invasion of the islands in 1982. I hold Argentina wholly responsible for all the deaths and injuries caused, They should pay pay us compensation. in full for all the harm they caused by their reckless actions and also to come back to remove minefields they laid which are endangering the lives of the islanders.
How about an Official Apology from Argentina for all the deaths and destruction. 40 years and Argentina has made NO ATTEMPT to be honest, that is NOT just a government fault that is the FAULT of the Argentinian public who cannot accept the truth.
Argentina was in a dictatorship that only wanted people to support its government and that's why they invaded the Falklands nothing else xd
and a lot of indoctrination, with sincerity I take the Malvinas as a disputed territory until the ONU says who owns them
Haha. It was an illegsl government not chosen by our people. They killed our people to maintein power and even were backed by countries like usa an the uk cause you know. We were in a cold war context, and it was more important to repress the leftist than protect democracies.
Argentina's military is a shadow of what it was in '82. Unless they can walk on water, they can't transport enough troops to mount another invasion. British early warning and fighter aircraft (though small in number) is much more of a deterrent than the token Royal Marine garrison armed only with light weapons infantry was.(That's not a jab at the RMs; the running defense they put up with inadequate weapons and communications, not to mention muddled information and instructions from "higher up" was admirable; and they suffered no casualties.)
From Zimbabwe? Any extra info on that?
Another positive consequence of the war was a new, improved relation btw USA & UK. Don't think, f.e, that Nixon and Kissinger would've supported the British. Another positive thing was a renowed interest in aircrafts carriers, in the late'70s there were some"experts" that had prophetized the end of them, as they were"obsolete"!
Agreed, unlike Reagan, Nixon and Kissinger wouldn't have risked supporting Britain.
@@robertortiz-wilson1588 Exactly, Kissinger was so obsessed by his anti-communism that had imagined a sort of alternative NATO in S. America, with support to the various dictatorships, I saw some yrs ago in a documentary about him and his disastrous (& immoral) politics. He was the real culprit behind some of the worst act of that yrs, tried also to made a far right golpe in Italy, luckyly without success.
Ex General Alexander Haigh was the "power" behind the US support. It was Haig who had told the Argentinians that IF they waited then the UK would be agreeable to a handover. Argentina didn't wait and so Haig ignored Casper Weinberg and authorised the latest, brand new version of the, Sidewinder (AIM-7L) air to air missiles taking stock from the USAF.
@@trevorhart545 With all the money lost by the argies, they probabilly could've buyied the WHOLE archipelagus, but, being a bunch of arrogant machos/jerks/brutes, they choose the worst way. Now, and it's a good thing for that nation, their dreams of being a regional power are went down the tube.😄👎
@@alessiodecarolis yeah Reagan and others were tired of the idea of installing yet more "controled" dictators at that stage of the Cold War. So they just continued to maintain the ones that existed if stable enough and useful. With that said though during the latter half of the 80s Reagan indirectly helped cause the downfall of several dictators that were both simple yet hilarious. Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines, who put himself in power, for example had the Philippines under martial law for years. Reagan had built up a good communication relationship with him in the first half of the decade. Near the end of the decade though Reagan and him had a conversation and by the end of it Marcos said he would prove to Reagan that his population still loved him by holding an election. To his surprise though his population overwhelming voted against him, which eventually spiraled into what became his eventual downfall. Something similar may or may not have happened with the dictator of the Congo.
Fantastic job lads, you gave the argies a well deserved walloping.
We gave the Argies one hell of a beating. I’m proud to be Great British
Wallace Carney oF cOURSE nOT. I wAs 15.
@@mickyday2008 I’m with you Micky 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I would honestly expect British people to be better than this, but alas here we are. Liking comments like this one, fueling nationalistic feelings; the same feeling fueled by Argentinian indoctrination where their kids are taught to believe the Malvinas/Falklands are rightfully theirs.
Good world we live in, thanks internet.
You gave it to the junta. Argentinian people never surrendered. That's why the claim is still on going...
The video series is good which it makes it all the more baffling that IWM London's coverage at the museum itself is practically non existent and is very disappointing.
So sad for Argentina. A country once on the verge of becoming great, but through corruption and mismanagement fell back and lost it's chance. And then to suffer unending humiliation by this war and their stubborn refusal to accept reality... because of national pride. So sad.
National pride has got nothing to do with it. It’s a rightful claim full stop.
You're buccaneers, we wil never accept you
Let's not speak too fast
GB is not on its glorious days
Mismanagement and humiliation is at your doorstep
@@Andrew-xh8vb True but GB's decline is due to economical change rather than corruption, mismanagement and a failed war. Lets also not forget that Britain didn't crumble after losing America. Yes we still had most of the Commonwealth, but even having given countries back their independence, we are still a playing on the international stage.
@@DarkLordDiablos Hahahahah... no corruption in britain? Good one buddy!!
Amazing!
God bless our troops who served our country
If Argentina had invaded one year later HMS Hermes, the UK's only remaining large aircraft carrier would have been sold and other defence cuts would have made retaking the Falklands well nigh impossible. How ironic that Thatcher's political career was rescued by this war and the decline of the economy continued.
She was re-elected twice after that.