Falklands War

Sides

What happened

Argentina and Britain have both claimed the Falkland Islands, which Argentina calls the Islas Malvinas, since the 1830s. On 2 April 1982 Argentine forces landed near Stanley and took the town after the British governor surrendered its small Royal Marines garrison; the next day they took South Georgia. Britain sent a naval task force south while US Secretary of State Alexander Haig shuttled between the two governments. His mediation failed, and on 30 April the United States publicly backed Britain and later supplied it with missiles. Chile gave Britain intelligence on Argentine air movements; Peru sent Argentina Mirage aircraft, and Libya sent it missiles. British troops landed on South Georgia on 25 April and its Argentine garrison surrendered. On 2 May a British submarine sank the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano; two days later an Argentine Exocet missile hit the destroyer HMS Sheffield. British forces came ashore at San Carlos on 21 May, took Goose Green a week later and closed on Stanley, where the Argentine commander surrendered on 14 June. 649 Argentine and 255 British servicemen and three islanders died.

Outcome: The Argentine garrison surrendered on 14 June 1982 and British administration of the islands resumed; the defeat brought down Argentina's military government, and Argentina still claims the islands.

Key events

Leaders

• Margaret Thatcher · Prime Minister · United Kingdom
• Sandy Woodward · Rear admiral commanding the naval task force · United Kingdom
• Jeremy Moore · Commander of British land forces; took the Argentine surrender · United Kingdom
• Leopoldo Galtieri · President and head of the military junta · Argentina
• Jorge Anaya · Commander of the navy and junta member · Argentina
• Mario Benjamín Menéndez · Military governor and commander of the Argentine garrison · Argentina

Deaths