The Falklands war: how a British taskforce achieved the impossible

To mark the anniversary of the end of the Falklands War, Michael White re-examines how a small British task force was able to liberate a remote group of islands from an invading Argentine army, despite being heavily outnumbered and 8,000 miles from home.
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#falklands #thefalklands #falklandswar #uk #argentina

[@TopHatHat]

US- “But it’s so small and insignificant!” UK- “Like Hawaii?”

[@JC-rd9sl]

Everyone knows Hawaii. I had to Google Falklands and even Google had to ask Wikipedia wth that was.

[@ayebarberfuckmeup4689]

@@JC-rd9sl why are you mad

[@tommycundy]

J C Lol your missing the point. The US said it was “small and economically insignificant” to which Thatcher replied “Like Hawaii” referring to the fuss the US made about Pearl Harbour.

[@tommycundy]

James Henderson The Falklands was part of the UK...

[@tommycundy]

​@James Henderson Despite not being full citizens hithertoo, they were clearly happy with being British subjects, appealing to the UK Gvt for support after being invaded and later in 2013, only 3 people on the island voting against their status as British (99.8% for). Unlike Hawaii, a territory the US made a fuss about when attacked by Japan, which comprised of natives robbed of their sovereign land in 1893 and not even a state until 1959.

[@RyanKellyWx]

That's guys eyebrows are gonna cause another war!

[@Brytons_Thoughts]

Holy shit, no kidding. Lmao.

[@fitton27]

I was going to comment! Haha

[@TherealSBlair]

Those eyebrows look like they could fight one.

[@Lcfcluigi]

This made me spit my brew out!

[@wendysloan2485]

Quite. There are several rather outstanding sets of eyebrows in this documentary. This is because this is put on by the Eyebrow Club for Chaps

[@giorgosmichael9142]

USA:"It's impossible! " UK:"Hold my tea".

[@fossy4321]

Spot on!

[@squid7648]

Lol

[@kupus6622]

Giorgos Michael I know this is a bit old but shouldn’t of been “hold my beer, keep it warm” ? Just a thought.

[@gilbymdgrekords8579]

lol thats why the UK had the biggest empire in the world and USA the never will

[@GaudetteProductions1]

"had"

[@scottmclennan6114]

Probably shouldn’t call it “a British Invasion force” as the Falklands were British territory.

[@px1_]

I mean, yes and no. The islands were originally spanish in the 18th century. When the british took over the spanish empire saw it as a very insignificant loss. The argies, who saw themselves as the continuation of the spanish empire thought they were liberating the islands and the british were invading.

[@Dom-fx4kt]

@@px1_ That's until the Argie's arrived saw all the street signs were all in English, and it looked just like buildings and people looked just like England

[@manuelgonzalez5185]

Dentro de poco Escocia e Irlanda del Norte dejarán de ser británicas. A ver cuánto os duran las Malvinas.

[@quarol732]

@@px1_ nope

[@randomuser7708]

@@px1_ Not themselves, Spain did it too and does now days.

[@EzraB123]

I'm a Hospital Corpsman in the USN and I have to say the more I study the British Armed Forces the more I realize that they are the best trained, most motivated war fighters in the world. Royal Marines in particular. Their victory in the falklands is perhaps the best modern example. Love and respect to our allies.

[@danielwhyatt3278]

Thank you so so much for saying so. It totally holds up.

[@raimesey]

I appreciate when people think and say America’s military is the best in the world. I think though that people mistake being the best with being the best funded.

[@kimok4716]

raimesey You're not suggesting here that the British Army could stand up against the US and win are you ? Because that's what "the best " means.

[@laurence345]

Alexis Chaperon America couldn't beat Vietnam where is if it was the UK fighting that war we would of won.....

[@Kaiserbill99]

@@kimok4716 The comparison here is how the US struggled to "free" Grenada against minimal opposition and how Britain took back the Falklands. Pound for pound the US army is not in the same zip code as the British army.

[@Maurice_Moss]

The bombing run with the Vulcans on the airfields, was for me the craziest thing of the war, even if it didn't do much. Was a logistical nightmare.

[@U2QuoZepplin]

The Vulcan Bomber’s finest hour! in addition to all the finest hours it had prior to the Falklands War.

[@petermorris3665]

It actually did a lot. The whole purpose was the message it sent - If we can put a bomb on Stanley Airfield, we can put a bomb/nuke anywhere we choose in Argentina.

[@captrodgers4273]

@@petermorris3665 it caused the argentines to pull all their planes back to the homeland too......after the belgrano went down the arentine navy was like were going back home it up to you airforce

[@HRHooChicken]

I think the one bomb that landed meant that the airfield was unusable for fast jets for a while (don’t know how long for). But yes like the other guy said, the message it sent was enormous. Nobody was expecting us to fight back, least of all the Argentines

[@MrXray2011]

1) There's no "we", you're Argentine (stop being a troll). 2) They were never Argentine so how are we going to "give them back". THE FALKLANDS ARE BRITISH!

[@logan8638]

@Alfonso di Adermassi that logic makes literally no sense

[@randomuser7708]

@@logan8638 It does.

[@logan8638]

@@randomuser7708 the Romans conquered the british isles which was populated at the time and then left during the last days of the western roman empire, which is nothing like the history of the Falklands which the british colonised with no inhabitants. You dont need to be an expert in history to understand that his point makes no sense

[@walx274]

@@randomuser7708 @alfonso di adermassi No it does not , the Romans pulled out of Britiain as is succumbed to Celtic , Germanic snd Scandinavian invasion , the British have been free from Rome for 1500 years The falklands were both never pulled out of and have continuously been part of Britain for 150 years

[@shrek_has_swag2344]

@Alfonso di Adermassi unfortunately there are few Romans living in Britain where as there are 3000 brits living in th falklands

[@Matelot123]

The British Forces were not an "Invasion Force", they were a "Liberation Force". The Argentine Forces were an "Invasion Force".

[@lucasmenegazmercante962]

For me. That's right!

[@Werrf1]

The terms aren't mutually exclusive. "Invasion" involves moving military forces into enemy-held territory. That could be done for reasons of conquest OR liberation. The Normandy landings in WWII were an invasion, there to liberate France.

[@allengaff6825]

@@Werrf1 Beginning to wonder why we bothered.

[@johnwilletts3984]

Although British I spent 1982 working a three year contract in a South African Steelworks. At the start of the conflict my Afrikaner colleagues were rubbing their hands with glee at seeing the U.K. humiliated. A model warship marked ‘Sheffield’ appeared at the bottom of a fish tank in the bosses office. All this turned me into a very angry young man. But strangely as the U.K. side began to gain the upper hand there was a shift in loyalties with many claiming British ancestors and we even had a Union flag painted on a mess room table! I think the whole world learned a lesson from that conflict.

[@seang3019]

I was 10, living in Australia. We painted union flags on our windows in the classroom in support. We followed it avidly and with pride. Maybe it was daft but in retrospect i think it was entirely justified.

[@jeanbethencourt1506]

What's the lesson? Have the Pentagon treat you with kid gloves? Only fight on easy mode?

[@seang3019]

@@jeanbethencourt1506 ah! I see you know nothing about it. Go and read up on the conflict and then perhaps we can have an informed discussion.

[@jeanbethencourt1506]

@@seang3019 look up the report about how extensive the pentagon's aid to the UK was during the war. Interesting read.

[@seang3019]

@@jeanbethencourt1506 I have.

[@SILVERCLOUD141]

Argentina starts a war gets beat then cries about it tragic lol

[@monicamalvicino7817]

i know it's 7 years late, but we didn't decide to start a war. as far as I know, UK was planning on negociating falklands before the war. anyways, we didn't decide it, we had an autoritharian government who decided to start the war.

[@user-bx3rg7yb1d]

@@monicamalvicino7817 we still slapped up clean about

[@diegorodriguez-do1qu]

💩💩🇬🇧🇬🇧🇨🇱🇨🇱💩💩

[@hhproductions8254]

@@Ben-ek1fz Argentina

[@maccapaccabrump9731]

@@monicamalvicino7817 ye I know, one of my friends is Argentinian and he said that the country was in decline so your ruler started a war to try and bring mortal back

[@RocketFireTurtle]

Never understood the controversy over sinking the Belgrano! From what I understand, it made Britain appear as aggressors, and yet who invaded and initiated the war in the first place? Yes many lives were lost as a result, but to be utterly frank, it was a war and people do tend to die in wars! A sad yet pretty obvious fact.

[@Jeff_Vader]

Callum Dean I have very often wondered the same thing and you put it very nicely.

[@threestepssideways1202]

Frankly it's nonsense. The exclusion zone was essentially a warning to neutral shipping that it would be seen to be a enemy combatant if it entered within it. Clearly that doesn't apply to Argentinian ships who are already active combatants. Most particularly in this case when they are clearly on a wide flanking sweep to be a threat to the British task force from the east in tandem with air attacks from the Argentinian mainland to the west. If the British hadn't declared any exclusion zone at all, then the Argentinians wouldn't have been quibbling over the finer points of the sinking; it would have simply been an act of war. *It was* simply an act of war.

[@GH-oi2jf]

Callum Dean - It was controversial because it was pointless. At the time it was sunk, it was not engaging in a threatening movement as the British government claimed. The alleged “pincer movement” was a figment of Mr. Pym’s imagination and that was obvious at the time. It would have made more sense to sink the destroyers accompanying the Belgrano, because they were a threat to the submarine. The sinking of the Belgrano probably motivated the Argentine air force to work hard to get even by sinking Sheffield and other ships. Sheffield had no defense against Exocet missiles and the Royal Navy had no means to keep hostile aircraft out of range of the islands. The British paid a great price for their having weak defenses, but nevertheless prevailed by their fighting spirit.

[@jamiesmith3396]

J S light cruiser, not battleship, that being said it still had bugger guns than anything in the British task force

[@otterspocket2826]

@@GH-oi2jf - "It was controversial because it was pointless". I'm going to go out on a limb here, and suggest that you weren't serving on one of our carriers at the time, or en-route in a shitty little car ferry as I was. Trust me, it didn't seem 'pointless' to me - or anybody else who had the faintest idea what a cruiser is and what it's for. Sinking a destroyer would be like an assassin shooting a bodyguard - there's your 'pointless'. Putting the tactical aspect aside (probably for the best, given your obvious ignorance of it), the strategic effect was to chase the entire Argentine navy - including THEIR carrier, which posed an even greater threat than the Belgrano - back to port. Far from pointless, the whole campaign pivoted on this single action probably more than any other action, by any unit or service. The US Navy's assessment was that getting us ashore and supporting us, with the limited resources available, was "impossible". With two such potent capital ships at sea it most likely would've been, with British casualties - even in the event of victory - almost certainly numbering in the thousands rather than hundreds.

[@neilpurnell7075]

Britain, achieving the impossible since forever

[@lorisperfetto6021]

Except winning the euros

[@isziahs5951]

@@lorisperfetto6021 😡😂

[@williammorley2401]

@@lorisperfetto6021 , id rather we won the Falklands war than some poxy football match!.

[@dylanclark5438]

I didn't realise all the military experts we have in the comments now a days

[@thatdrunkguyyousawlastweek9127]

Dylan Clark welcome to the internet!

[@kalapuikko666]

Military experts during falklands war were even more lost.

[@aspiknf]

Sometimes youtubers can be better than real life military experts

[@sabersroommate8293]

@@aspiknf How you never fought in a war?

[@aspiknf]

@V. M. No I am not, you are very butthurt

[@Alan_Mac]

Note to the butt-hurt Argies on here: You should thank us for restoring democracy to your country.

[@anuvisraa5786]

on the other hand whe shulld hate you for sponsor that same dictatorship and the one befor that

[@Alan_Mac]

You managed that all by yourself, chappy. Mind you, I've never been as cold in my life as I was on Tumbledown, and I'm from Glasgow.

[@anuvisraa5786]

no your goberments where quite a fan of the military junta before the war, of course then they where proxis for nato on central america

[@Alan_Mac]

Let's face it...your boys shat their breeks in the face of cold steel. Absolutely nothing to do with NATO.

[@derb009gaming]

+Alan Mac I want them it do it again just so we can show them how weak they are haha

[@tommyboy8588]

The Belgrano gets sunk with sadly loss of many lives and everyone complains and says it was terrible. The Brits on the other hand get ships sunk with loss of many lives don’t complain just get more determined and more mean,focused and keep on going. I being a non military person would say that’s how you win and you could translate that determination into your personal life. If you get hit keep on going just like the Brits they’ve been doing it it for centuries what were the Argentinians thinking ?

[@burants89]

America "it's militarily impossible" Brits "hold my beer"

[@rmz1661]

An example of the British Army at its best! Achieving the impossible, always daring and going beyond limits.

[@RogersRamblings]

As much as I favour the army (being an ex-squaddie) I think it's only fair to give the Royal Navy some credit. After all, someone had to carry the soldiers to the Falklands.

[@ramaascliar9919]

really, you call that pride, killing 18-year-old soldiers who ate once a day, had no war suit, no weapons, while you had night vision and super advanced projectiles You call that pride. I promise that I will go to your country and kill one by one.

[@joman563]

@@ramaascliar9919 So how would you suggest winning the war? If the Argentinians had withdrawn earlier or surrendered earlier, we would have avoided many deaths on both sides.

[@stephenwalker850]

Stepford anywhere nearby ?

[@georgesheffield1580]

And the Royal Marines .

[@bradleybanford6726]

American Military Commanders called it ''impossible'' to re-take the Falklands, Argentina thought they already won..everyone always counts Britain out but we always step up and fight back and win. It's that ''underdog British spirit'' we have. Makes me proud to be British.

[@paladinboyd1228]

Bradley Banford, The phase on news week was "the empire strikes back" Such a fitting phase.

[@markevans2247]

this conflict should never have been fought both goverments were in the no about these islands in1979. they said they were going to invade the islands britain sent 3 warships from gib and told the argys that there were 3rn subs in the south atlantic they new the argys were planning to invade in 79 same intel avalible to margret. iron madien as to was james callagan in 79. callahan chose to tell argintina that we would fight them if they tryed to invade margret chose to remove last royal navy ship in those waters green light to them to invade she new excatly what she was doing in my opinion she created war for her own political ends relection then used sinking belgrano as trigger. sub was armed with long range tiger fish torpedos but was ordered to close to 4000 meters and use mark48old type to sink ship so uk gov could have conformation of sinking

[@saulgarcia7083]

Bradley Banford too bad your football team ain’t British

[@RO-pg9hw]

I don’t think it was so much a lack of respect for the British fighting forces but more an overestimation of the Argentine determination. Argentina was well armed, had numbers and were fighting in their back yard. Much respect to both sides but the Brits fight hard when their back is against the wall.

[@SlipknotGrzzz]

Bradley Banford thanks to Gurkhas.

[@soxnation1000]

I think this a remarkable modern wars and amazing military feat by the UK. To successfully organize an attack 8000 miles from home is mindblowing. It was done so professionally too, in that the UK used force aggressively but not imprudently. Very skill and professional military.

[@pablofrediani2348]

La aviación argentina les dió una paliza

[@Bungy106]

The Empire strikes back!

[@1Loftwing1]

Hahah

[@lambycorn5253]

Shut up 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Bungy106]

You took your time, have you just woken up?

[@lambycorn5253]

@@Bungy106 have u woken up from ENGLAND still being an empire 🤔🤔

[@reecen819]

*The Eyebrows strike back!

[@patrickbobbin9789]

My third eldest lad married a scotty lassie , quite young lady with a determined spirit .gotta love the brits

[@kevinpierce3458]

Best tell him to behave or he’s a dead man

[@TankManHeavy]

Scots make for fierce soldiers.

[@guavaburst]

3:03 most serious eyebrows 2014

[@MajorMatt01]

guavaburst I’m glad someone said it

[@somerandomguy711]

Six years ago ..

[@DaPeePeePooPooCheck]

"It looks as if the buggers really meant it" bloody brilliant

[@westbourne14]

Proximity is not a basis for sovereignty. Uruguay shares a land border and a common language with Argentina and emerged as states at the same time, but nobody is suggesting that they should be one country. It's also hypocritical of the Argentines to call the islanders an 'implanted' population - 97% of Argentinians are European immigrants. The indigenous Mestizos were decimated by the Spanish. Huge sections of the Argentine population are descended from Italian immigrants who arrived in Argentine in the 1890s - i.e. 50 years after Britain took control of the Falklands. Argentina has no legitimate claim to the Falklands. Oh, and if they've forgotten, here's a reminder Argentina: you lost the war so you can complain all you like and it won't make any difference.

[@exequielguzman420]

G'day mate, let me please clarify something to you. the argies claim to be white and more Euroepans than the Europeans, but the truth is that they'd be as mestizos are the rest of us, including Uruguay, but they made a buthchery killing the indians and aborigins all over the country, Except for the Patagonia, which was chilean by the time of the South Pacific War. where Chile was at war against 2 adversaries, and the opportunists argies took the chance to calim for the Patagonia. if you go to visit the Patagonia you'll see that many people are mestizos. These fucking argies always claiming for lands that are not theirs, Falklands, Patagonia, el Chaco. Fucking cowards. Long life to Chile and Britain

[@skisurfsmiles]

Candido Lasala Roca was a genocidal mass murderer, even your own government recognises that now. Wasn't he taken off the banknotes. Still I am not surprised such a man is your poster boy, you Argentines love a dictator

[@skisurfsmiles]

***** Maybe Argies are hyppocrites for moaning about imperialism while trying to take away the 21st century human rights of 3000 peacefull farmers and fishermen. Its an issue you like to avoid by using insults but ALL of Argentina is stolen land, you are descended from European conquistadors and settlers who forced the native South American Indians of their own land to make room for you. You dont want to answer Ryan's questions because you have no answer!

[@oscar1964arg]

y las islas GARCIA??????????????. hipocrita????? piratas de porqueria

[@oscar1964arg]

todo por eeuu... no tienen verguenza de decir derechos humanos.... ya se les va a terminar todo...

[@deplorabled1695]

Love how the Guardian is presenting itself as a decent arbiter after the campaign. They supported the Argentinians the whole way through.

[@mm__1659]

They always support evil

[@billbillson5082]

Of course they do. What trash they are.

[@baldbadger7287]

Yes I'm surprised they have put this on, being an anti British news channel

[@seang3019]

Absolute twaddle! Prove it. No part of the press opposed the war, let alone supported the Argentinians.

[@ChrisSmith-vw1zf]

They loathe the armed.forces

[@luketuttiett]

It just shows how great our little island is.

[@DrPepe-ph8vf]

Why was the sinking of the Belgrano a controversy? They were at war.

[@erichalfbee503]

The British has already extended the area or engagement and told Argentina that via the Swiss embassy. The captain of the Belgrano admitted, much later, that they were preparing for a pincer movement on the British fleet. The sinking cost many lives but saved many many more on both sides. If the Argentinians had attacked the fleet they would have lost many ships - where do you think the two other nuclear subs were?

[@icemachine79]

Mainly because of the Sun's headline in response to the sinking. An irresponsible media outlet created an unnecessary controversy... hard to believe, amirite? :-)

[@icemachine79]

@mx 20 No, it wasn't. Even the Captain of the Belgrano himself admitted his ship was a legitimate target because it still posed a danger to the British taskforce approaching from the UK.

[@erichalfbee503]

@mx 20 Incluso su propio capitán dijo que no. Tu nave se estaba preparando para atacar

[@shrek_has_swag2344]

@Ace Of Spades it was never a legal exclusion zone, just something as a guideline

[@caractacus6231]

just been in Chile..the Argentineans of course still resent the Chileans for supporting us..and on the intel side their role was crucial it seems..the airbase as Punte Arenas was monitoring Argentinean radio comms from their airbases over the border plus radar coverage. the day the Sir Galahad was hit was the day apparently their radar was offline for maintenance. RAF also had a liaison officer embedded with Chileans

[@ManuelAlejandroCopaira]

The Chileans made a great job giving Intel to English Intel about where argies were located

[@bradleyclutton4564]

Lindybeige made a brilliant video about that.

[@decimated550]

@@bradleyclutton4564 i like the info LB has but his stuttering, exploding, redundant way of talking is impossible for my brain to comprehend!

[@morganlloyd6351]

The Empire strikes back, one of the last " old fashion wars " very little armour or dominant air power just groups of men fighting it out

[@voiceofreason162]

I beg to differ on the airpower. Though outnumbered we weren't outmatched. We shot down air-to-air or ground to air 101 targets for the loss of 8. Only 1 was lost in direct combat.

[@xZebbb]

Also people saying the Argies were better because they got two of our destroyers. None of those details mean you won. The final outcome shows who won.

[@tomlucas4890]

The sinking of the 2 Destroyers opened some eyes, not just here in the UK, we were using too much aluminium in the ships, this soon changed and not only in the RN.

[@henryfchapman3544]

tom lucas Yeah, but the only reason we didn’t sink more was because there baby withdrew after they lost just 1 ship to a Trafalgar class sub.

[@pheasantpluckersson2138]

R SV yeah with French supplied Excoset missiles 🤔 Turned the Belgrano into a submarine though 👍🏻

[@elquincy5520]

@@henryfchapman3544 dumb

[@henryfchapman3544]

@@elquincy5520 Lol yeah looking back on it I was actually. Trafalgar class subs weren't even in service and I couldn't even spell navy!!

[@Herbymac0811]

The British military in terms of killing power and capability has evolved by leaps and bounds since the 80s. Argentina’s military not so much. If the British had to go to war with Argentina again to defend the Falklands the outcome would be the same. BRITISH VICTORY!!!

[@guillaumegiroux9425]

Ciaphas Cain Argentina’s equipment is actually the same than from the war year. It’s purely a diplomatic matter now.

[@apathyintheuk265]

@@Vectif I think the only 'uninformed' individual on this page is yourself.

[@ramaascliar9919]

really, you call that pride, killing 18-year-old soldiers who ate once a day, had no war suit, no weapons, while you had night vision and super advanced projectiles You call that pride. I promise that I will go to your country and kill one by one.

[@wowzer4058]

Ramiro Scliar So your angry about him being happy about the war? Ok, understandable. But then you say that your going to kill British people one by one? Seriously?

[@isziahs5951]

@@Vectif well if the guy on the tricycle tries to set a landmine for the tank, we will be going WOOOOOO when he’s killed

[@callamarcher6184]

To think my dad was 18 when he was a part of that

[@baileyhawkins4126]

Callam Archer to think that we don’t care

[@jameshartley6161]

Bailey Hawkins You, you don’t care. *We* care

[@mickyday2008]

Callam Archer Amazing. Only a few years older than me when I was 15. Well impressed

[@cityzens634]

I was the same age when I was 18.

[@tjlocust]

Im 18 right now, and i cant imagine me risking my life at this age.. Respects to your dad from Somerset

[@0Rocking]

I'm speaking for myself: I am argentinian and I just want a better relationship between Argentine and the British Falkland. The isles are yours. NO HATRED BETWEEN HUMANS.

[@mattsmith6284]

3:23 that man has the most incredible eye brows I’ve ever seen! 😂😂😂

[@U2QuoZepplin]

I still love The Harrier Jump Jet !!! What an awesome aircraft. I had an air fix model of one years ago.

[@Nerinav1985]

Never to be forgotten: Gallant Gurkha warriors from Nepal who parachuted into enemy territory.

[@derektaylor6389]

it might be impossible for america but not uk

[@randomuser7708]

And easy for Argentina

[@isziahs5951]

@@randomuser7708 to lose?

[@williampaz2092]

It is still difficult for me to accept the retirement of the Harrier Jump Jet. It was, and in my opinion still is, an effective weapon.

[@peterchessell28]

in mothballs for when needed.

[@johnallen7807]

Sold to the USMC 2 yrs after a £750 million upgrade, thank you David Cameron!

[@paulmcdonough1093]

What a amazing performance by the most professional force on earth the BRITISH 8000miles away from Great Britten,No proper aircover harriers were there to protect hermes, invincible carriers,only the BRITS could pull this of a fact.Sheer bravery won this war getting stuck into them,If you invade a territory and the enemy come 8000miles you must make sure you mean business and not run away like the argie navy did when the belgrano was sunk.:)

[@paulmcdonough1093]

Candido Lasala you don`t know your history idiot the truth hurts you i see.

[@paulmcdonough1093]

The argie airforce suffered terrible losses 16 planes where shot down on day 1,The BRITISH sent such a small force to the FALKLANDS and totally defeated a enemy in 74 days a fact that was huge in numbers of personal ,argies must have thought what are we doing here we are not real fighters like the BRITISH are:)

[@felixcortez849]

The British Army struggled big time against a conscript army. An entire battalion of red berets got themselves pinned down for 6 hours in front of Boca House and Darwin Hill and lost their battalion commander who yelled out angrily at his men "Come on 2 Para, get your skirts off" before he was shot in the back by his own men. On Mount Longdon, several British red berets shot themselves dead in the confusion of battle, when Argentine reinforcements broke their lines. 50 British red berets were killed on Mount Longdon and 33 British green berets were killed taking Mount Harriet and Two Sisters. After the war, several hundred red and green berets were locked up in mental hospitals because of the trauma of battle. It wasn't a picnic like some fools would like us to believe.

[@albertobertorelli1482]

***** The Gurkhas are not the "supermen" many would like us to believe.. A battalion surrendered really without a shot after the fall of Tobruk on 21 June 1942. Another battalion surrendered again with hardly a shot being fired when Mersa Matruh fell in late June 1942. On both occasions it was the Bersaglieri, Italy's equivalent of the Waffen SS broke their will to fight and rounded up the Gurkhas..

[@albertobertorelli1482]

***** It was the Bersaglieri that was given the job of rounding up the Gurkha battalion that had formed part of the defences at Tobruk and that in part tried to escape. British historian Gordon Corrigan in the book The Second World War: A Military History (Page 214) writes:"It took an entire Italian corps and several weeks to round the Gurkhas up, some having got as far as Sollum on the frontier." Mersa Matruh was an Italian victory, just google 101 ITALIAN WW2 VICTORIES & COUNTING to get a good summary of the largely Italian action.

[@pheasantpluckersson2138]

Argentinian FAL for sale......never fired and only dropped once 👍🏻

[@dimitrissimitzis6944]

DAMN

[@MrDamning]

You know after reading The First Casualty, 69 will forever have a second meaning in my heart. Hint: 69 defenders against a force 40 times their size killing at least 50 Argentinian Marines Commandos and Spec Ops.

[@bradical6019]

Full metal jacket

[@bienvenidodestroyer5418]

British Mostaches and Sir Galahad for sale!!!!

[@jorgeabud902]

(cont 3) & u are forgetting the Chilean contribution, with a massive Chilean mobilisation along the Andes (some 100,000 men) the Argie Marine Corps deployed the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Marine Battalions & raised the 6th & 7th Marine Battalions. The army deployed the 11th Cold Weather Brigade, the 5th, 6th & 8th Mountain Brigades + the 4th Airborne Brigade.

[@scippio3]

never tell britain its impossible ,history tells otherwise

[@mussicanttakegreece7296]

Ah, the defeater of Hannibal in the 2nd Punic Wars.

[@scippio3]

@@mussicanttakegreece7296 you are well educated in classical history ,my compliments

[@CancerGaming56]

Nothing is impossible if it includes the British Armed Forces.

[@ramaascliar9919]

really, you call that pride, killing 18-year-old soldiers who ate once a day, had no war suit, no weapons, while you had night vision and super advanced projectiles You call that pride. I promise that I will go to your country and kill one by one.

[@CancerGaming56]

@@ramaascliar9919 So, you say about how there's no pride in killing Argie 18 year olds, but there is in massacring the population of the UK? Mate, all I said was that how the British Armed forces is able to achieve the impossible. Not to mention that British and Argie soldiers had the same small arms. The Argies had uniforms and weapons. And are you saying that it's OUR fault that you invaded OUR land, so we ended up utilising night vision?

[@danieljames2015]

@@ramaascliar9919 You would have rejoiced at British Soldiers being killed at the time. Your Country invaded, celebrated in the Streets and then got thrown out. You're fault.

[@harry793]

@@ramaascliar9919 you invaded our islands though

[@wallacetf]

interested in this topic, but more interested in the magnitude of those eyebrows

[@Govindarokaya]

I salute for the bravery of Gurkha armies !

[@bulletproofguy5112]

It was the Royal Marines and Paras that took back the Falklands not the gurkhas,l,

[@adeptkhristossilvae2601]

@@bulletproofguy5112 the Gurkas were on the Falklands. They literally helped surround Port Stanley.

[@bulletproofguy5112]

@@adeptkhristossilvae2601 yes but they saw no combat, it was the Royal Marines, sas SBS, and Paras that done it...

[@adeptkhristossilvae2601]

@@bulletproofguy5112 On the night of 13-14 June 1982 the British launched an assault on Mount Tumbledown, one of the highest points near the town of Stanley, the capital, and succeeded in driving Argentinian forces from the mountain. This close-quarters night battle was later dramatized in the BBC drama Tumbledown. The attacking British forces consisted of the 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards (2SG), mortar detachments from 42 Commando, Royal Marines and the 1st Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles (1/7 GR), as well as support from a troop of the Blues and Royals equipped with two Scorpion and two Scimitar armoured vehicles. By 9:00 a.m., the Scots Guards had gained the high ground east of Tumbledown Mountain and the Gurkhas commenced deploying across the heavily shelled saddle from Tumbledown south to Mount William, which they took with the loss of 8 wounded. The 2nd Battalion Scots Guards had lost eight dead and 43 wounded. The Welsh Guards had lost one dead, the Royal Engineers had also lost one dead, and the Gurkhas had sustained altogether 13 wounded, including the artillery observation officer, Captain Keith Swinton. Please stop talking like you have any knowledge of the Falklands....

[@perrysmith1838]

♥️♥️♥️

[@noothan7239]

6:41 thats Portsmouth, where I live, I can see the harbour from my window.

[@TheFewzz]

Snap!

[@alanoag8926]

My dad was the marine with the pack with the Union Jack

[@TheShaw08]

Robbo! I was at Lympstone at the same time and in another company during the war

[@keithdonald7429]

Notionless respect 🇬🇧

[@archluke6099]

Notionless cool

[@canadiannavigator3346]

Notionless ... Thank you for your service 🇨🇦 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@Streetpfosten]

Wait, that was my dad!

[@xfire7]

When the Guardian actually reported acurate news .

[@davidnichols9796]

"Despite being a conscript army ... the Argentinian conscripts were a force to be reckoned with because they were led by skilled regulars." (Ex-marine Chris Caroe from Chester recalls the Falklands War, Chester Chronicle, 5 April 2012)

[@spitfireace87]

david nichols well they weren’t skilled enough

[@areaxisthegurkha]

@@spitfireace87 they weren't even expecting a navy to show up in the first place.

[@JoelBK]

Britain probably would've done a full scale invasion of Argentina after, but they realised it's a third world country, and that the tiny Falkland islands are more valuable than the whole of Argentina.

[@pablonero7111]

12,000 British Redcoats under General Sir John Whitelocke tried to invade Argentina in 1807 but were defeated by Argentine patriots seeking independence. 300 British soldiers remain buried in a mass grave in downtown Buenos Aires today. This Argentine victory fortified the independence movement and Argentina declared independence 3 years later.

[@TheArmouredGamer]

Note that it was 1807, Nowadays a poor LIC like Argentina would not even be able to hold up against the more advanced and better trained British military.

[@bigbluecoconutcrab1732]

Like in just about every war up to WW1 the biggest killer of soldiers in 1807 wasn't the enemy they were fighting, it was disease - in this case yellow fever

[@the5gen]

The Spaniards won, not you guys.

[@MikhaelAhava]

Joel B Yes, and Spain could take it back in exchange for its claims in Gibraltar. Someone send a letter to them.

[@unbearifiedbear1885]

In perspective, this was one of the most successful military operations of the 20th century... Brits seem to have a thing for achieving the impossible Respect *o7*

[@Quidzyn]

I have friends who were there. Your men had weeks to prepare their defensive positions. You had more men and more ammunition. From the landing at Bluff Cove on 21st of May to your surrender on 14th of June it took our men 24 days to sweep you off the islands. I spoke to a Royal Marine who told me if it was the other way around and they had the time to dig defensive positions and as many men and as much ammunition as your troops had it would have taken months to get them off those mountains.

[@elfrank333]

"War is a place where young people who do not know each other and do not hate each other kill each other, because of the decision of old people who know and hate each other, but do not kill each other". Erich Hartman (THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE)

[@highgreen6452]

Nothing is Impossible to the British

[@lydiamutoti4228]

I can remember my father telling me that if the Belgrano had managed to get amongst our fleet it could do enormous damage. She was a second world war American cruiser and she out gunner our ships with six inch guns to our 4.5 inch guns and also the belgranos armour was more able to endure hits unlike our type 42 destroyers and frigates and more crucial our two aircraft carriers. Also as my father explained in the second world war our ships had a full wartime compliment of crew and everyone trained in fire fighting and damage control. The second world war warships could endure alot more. I think a very important thing we should be doing is making our tools of war more adaptable especially in regards to computer and satellite . We should be able to still be effective if we lose this. A very apt comment was made by the commander of the land campaign on the Falklands about the French harness and the knots in our rope. Love to all Jonathan Prigmore

[@rhodesy761uk]

RESPECT

[@Quidzyn]

UK Prime Minister David Cameron's Christmas message to the Falkland Islands. "2013 will be remembered as a momentous year in the history of the Falkland Islands. The referendum in March offered a clear choice: whether or not to remain a British Overseas Territory. It was not a decision for me. It was not a decision for Argentina. It was a decision for you, the people of the Falkland Islands. This was a question of self-determination - and you could not have sent a clearer message: the Falkland Islands are British through and through. And that is how you want them to stay. The rest of the world has a fundamental duty to respect and honour what you have said so clearly. So as we look to 2014, you can count on the British government’s continued support in countering the Argentine government’s campaign to claim the Islands’ resources and to inflict damage on your economy. Most recently, this has involved shameful attempts to discourage hydrocarbons exploration in your waters. My message on this is clear: you have every right to explore your natural resources. The Argentine government’s attempts to deter you from doing so will not succeed. The British government will continue to support economic development in the Falkland Islands. I was pleased, in particular, that 2 Members of your Legislative Assembly were able to attend this year’s Joint Ministerial Conference, to work in partnership with other UK Overseas Territories in promoting economic diversification, and creating the jobs and growth so vital to our future prosperity. The British government will remain steadfast in its commitment to your sovereignty and security. The Argentine government will never succeed in any attempt to misrepresent the history of your Islands or question your right to self-determination. Britain will always be ready to defend the Falkland Islands. Alongside the referendum, 2013 will also be remembered as the year in which we lost Baroness Thatcher. I know she will hold a special place in many of your hearts. I believe it was fitting that her resolute leadership in defending the Falkland Islands was honoured at her funeral service. I know that you are planning your own memorial to her with a statue in Stanley. Her contribution to the security and future of these islands will never be forgotten. More than 30 years on, my message to you this Christmas is simple: the Falkland Islands is one of Britain’s most important overseas communities. And our commitment to your prosperity, security and sovereignty remains as strong as ever. Samantha and I wish you all a great Christmas and a happy and successful 2014."

[@rivco5008]

That was quite an achievement, getting those islands back. Just getting that task force on the way within 72 hrs. of the invasion was amazing. But I understand the UK navy has gotten much smaller, and all their forces actually. So I don't know if they could do it again, but they do have the airbase, and they still have some nuclear subs...they should watch Argentina carefully.

[@SooSneeky]

As far as I've read the Argentine Navy or military for that matter is in no state to threaten the Islands at all.

[@timw5108]

SooSneeky I hope it stays that way. It is obvious that the Islanders have not the slightest desire to be Argentines. So, Britain must stay alert, intelligence is critical. No being taken by surprise. So if there is the slightest sign of Argentine aggression they can fly in the reinforcements, put in more Typhoons, get a couple of SSN's on the way.

[@tesstickle7267]

Californian smaller yeah but still not small enough lol two supercarriers world's 2nd largest class,most advanced subs ever,with new dreadnought class subs coming, new type 26 destoryers, type 45s etc f35s ,typhoons, apaches ,drones blah blah alot more than argentina lol plus trump has said he'll back the uk if they require any assistance. unlike before when the us would only offer replacement ships lol

[@spursgog835]

There are 2 huge aircraft carriers coming on line so I do not fear an Argentine invasion.

[@theprussian8102]

Britain still has 80 of the most advanced ships in the world

[@MrAlwaysBlue]

Time flies. The Falklands campaign is now as far away as WWII was at that time.

[@pxa-sv5vq]

up until like a year ago i used to live in constant fear mainly because of paranoia but it is now understood you can never win when scared, and i have been training ever since.

[@kevinwilliams5873]

Respect to Thather. God love the UK.

[@exequielguzman420]

Britain's got Talent!!!!!

[@exequielguzman420]

ukkowalski Malvinas? wtf is that? I know Falkland Islands but not Malvinas. LOL

[@Olliebobalong]

Are you Chilean ?

[@exequielguzman420]

Oliver Newell Yes I am, and I'm proud of it, I'm also proud of being friends with GB

[@gabyesteban2356]

Exequiel Guzman JAJAJA. Amigos de GB??? Son las miserables alfombras adonde los ingleses se limpian las botas.

[@exequielguzman420]

con tu bandera se limpian el culo

[@danielwhyatt3278]

It truly was a brilliant victory.

[@hirdy161]

That Bernard Ingham bloke sounds and looks like an old man character in a kids video game 😂 3:05

[@berniecoles2337]

If they chose to invade again, they wouldn’t just be meeting a small detachment of Marines, we have a far higher military presence there now. At your peril Argentina.

[@TC27127]

Why is every comment section filled with nonsense with people not fit to lick the boots of the servicemen who fought on both sides in this conflict? If you are from Argentina and you genuinely believe the Islands should be part of Argentina there are probably much better ways to further this cause than trolling the comments section of KZbin videos.

[@ripsnorter185]

Still waiting for a movie on the Falklands. Something on goose green perhaps

[@nathaniel4334]

Trust the Guardian to only interview journalists and politicians.

[@kenlawton1531]

And the Brits would take it back again! Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves! Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.

[@policero7371]

Britoins don´t rule. Take easy pirate

[@MrCliteatswood]

We are slaves today 🙁

[@apathyintheuk265]

Well, you'd like to think we would (defend it) considering we've built a sizeable garrison there ever since the back end of 1982. And I would no longer believe the words of that old song if I were you.

[@omarpm9641]

You wouldn't say that nowadays... Russia and China ...watch your doorstep...a biological war is near. Maybe W.W.III

[@arandomperson5434]

@@policero7371 Laughs in 7.62x51 NATO.

[@LocalAndOrGeneral]

Thank you, I wasn't aware of the formal changes to Islander's nationality situation. Looking into the issue a little more deeply, I recognise now that the Argentinians have a very weak sovereignty claim on the islands, and their foolhardy 1982 invasion has all but put the islands out of their reach.

[@1111hola]

Gracias hermano.

[@jorgeabud902]

(cont) also Chile helped pinning to the frontier in case of a Chilean invasion, the 5th, 6th, 8th Mountain Brigades, the 11th Cold Weather Brigade & the 4th Airborne Brigade not counting several Marine units.

[@stewal6835]

Agression by a fairly nasty regime? Thats so Guardian.......

[@AidanMillward]

The Empire Strikes Back.

[@trooperdgb9722]

ADM Sir Henry Leach. Son of Captain John Leach DSO MVO, Commanding officer of HMS Prince of Wales who died with his ship. Henry Leach was at the time serving as a Midshipman in HMS Mauritius. I think it is fair to say that family have "done their bit" for Britain!

[@churrosking3769]

Remember friends the Chileans also helped out let's not forget.

[@peterchessell28]

We havn,t and we never forget.

[@Quidzyn]

You are spot on Jim.....although the time between the landings at San Carlos (21st May) and the Argentine surrender (14th June) was only 24 days. It is universally accepted that the Argentine land forces were pathetic. A Royal Marine told me if they had had the length of time the Argies had to "dig in" and build defensive positions it would have taken months to get them off those mountains.

[@bairoletto3821]

During the Malvinas war 8 ships of the British Royal Navy were sunk, 8 destroyed, 5 almost inactive and 10 damaged, haha LOL 😅

[@tugmckiltoff1564]

I was there and the Argentinians were not all "pathetic"! The image of innocent untrained 15 year old choir boys making up the Argentinian army of occupation was put about afterwards by successive Argentinian governments looking for an excuse for their defeat. The reality is that the Argentinian force included Special forces, Paratroopers and Marines who were deliberately held back until the major engagements, in particular their defence of Mounts Tumbledown, Longdon, Two Sisters and Wireless Ridge.

[@gigilaco]

3:20 are we just going to ignore this man’s eyebrows

[@ramonesperanza8078]

The Paras were closer now Fernando Every hour every minute seemed to last eternally I was so afraid Fernando We were young and full of life and none of us prepared to die And I'm not ashamed to say The roar of guns and cannons almost made me cry There was San Martin in the air that night The star-shells were bright, Fernando They were shining there for you and me For our dignity, Fernando Though we never thought that we could lose There's no regret If I had to fight in Malvinas again I would, my friend, Fernando (Song dedicated to the young conscripts that fought at Goose Green from ABBA)

[@trevortrevortsr2]

Interesting post - the comments seem kinda childish though

[@davetherave28]

It's one of those subjects that stirs up a lot of hate. I can't find a single Falklands video without the name calling and goading..

[@trevortrevortsr2]

Mr Moff Yes - our old disabled neighbor is a wounded Falklands vet - he said it was a horrific gruesome struggle where young life was extinguished like pawns on a chest board - though he believes his role to liberate the Islanders was correct he is haunted by the images of dead and dying inexperienced conscripts

[@davetherave28]

It's dreadful, The cost of war !

[@Pablobalda30]

Mr Moff vocabulary excuse is that I write with a translator .... can not keep pirates robbing the resources to poor countries ...... continue to defend our country with honor and resources of our land and all ..... countries of the world and the UN supporting one another our cause because they consider fair ...... sooner or later will have to leave our country and had to go to India or South Africa ..... can no longer maintain enclaves colonialist in 2015-17000 km away from England ... Greetings ....

[@davetherave28]

Gaston, I don't recall picking you up on your vocabulary. If I have a problem with an argument it is usually because it is childish (in attitude,Not the way it is written).

[@louisperron4918]

HMS Queen Elizabeth, 4 T23 Frigates, 2 T45 destroyers, 2 Astute subs, 1 Trafalgar sub, HMS Albion/Bulwark and several RFA support ships says otherwise. And not to mention the permanent 4 typhoons, helicopters, SAM's, an OPV and 1200 personnel already on the island.

[@isziahs5951]

And the argies still think the Falklands is theirs 😂

[@stevejessemey8428]

Let’s be honest here. We Brits have the SAS, SBS , Commandos, Para and a professional Navy. A truly outstanding and formidable Task Force. Shame Britain doesn’t have the money like America has. But then again, quality is better than quantity as they say.

[@richardzamoros5519]

Your figure includes the 3500 captured at Goose Green & West Falkland. Whitehead was brilliant but he forgets that the forces he faced fought were green conscripts. The 4th Regt had solid positions on Challenger but on 31 May they received orders to man Two Sisters, Goat Ridge, Harriet. By this time the thinly spread out regt was under constant bombardment & couldn't prepare proper positions but still they fought against 2 full battalions & the sector cost the lives of 8 valiant Royal Marines.

[@lexility_gaming5063]

my grandad was in the navy he fixed planes in the falklands war

[@tezin7243]

It's an honor to have the brits on our side. Respects from America.

[@remembertotakeshowerspleas355]

​@@zackhunt6180 We rebelled because your government was essentially stealing our wealth and dragging us into military conflicts we had nothing to do with.

[@zackhunt6180]

you rebelled after we had spent £60million on you from defending you from the french so we needed the money

[@remembertotakeshowerspleas355]

​@@zackhunt6180 We wouldn't have needed to be defended from the French if we weren't forced to be a part of the British empire, hence how we immediately formed a lasting alliance with them the second we escaped Brit rule.

[@maji1870]

@@remembertotakeshowerspleas355 as a british citizen i say america had all rights to rebel

[@ataxpayer723]

The Argentine armed forces never stood a chance, as many of the professional British offices had fearsome moustaches and eyebrows.

[@maxdejersey9910]

Very cool

[@superben2000]

if guardian readers had their way we would have surrendered and all be argentinian now.

[@kilroy8263]

Ben Cook no, they wanted the falklands islands, not britain

[@kilroy8263]

Nathan Jessup what?

[@kilroy8263]

Nathan Jessup I only said they wanted the falklands

[@kilroy8263]

Nathan Jessup I don't want them to have it I'm just saying that's what they want

[@isengard1500]

Who reads the Guardian? It is now a laughable excuse for news, look how they span Tommy Robinson's Against Hate rallies.

[@deplorabled1695]

This war fascinates me because it happened while I was actually a army brat and my dad was serving...

[@jorgeabud902]

5,000 was the initial British wave in the form of 3 Commando Brigade. Then came the 5th Infantry Brigade with another 5,000. Valerie Adams (pg 102) has correctly written that "the British task force numbered some 28 000 people, of whom 10 000 men were eventually put ashore"

[@paullowden1643]

Thank goodness Britain had a man like Admiral Leach. Margaret Thatcher should have sacked the others.

[@folkskjoldr4814]

Way to go, UK! Outstanding British allies!

[@rick081956]

The secret for a country is being able to defend what it has. Sometimes an enemy knowing it can is all you need, and Argentina misread it. I don't see Argentina launching anything for a while as it's military is in bad shape, so with Falkland defenses in better shape, you will have peace thru strength.

[@sariahizusqui9447]

Is there a list of Royal Marines that served in the Falklands war?

[@jorgeabud902]

Tim Coates when writing about 21 May 1982 & the role of 1st Lt. Carlos Esteban has written, "5,000 men were safely landed, and what little opposition there was quickly silenced."

[@mikebrown614]

Small point: The "Overt Act of War" was carried out by the Argentines, not the British.......................

[@somtimesieat2411]

God save the queen

[@elizabetharmada5335]

Very fascinating ang kilay ni Sir😂agaw eksena eh

[@billykenmure9290]

Don't count us Brits out, no surrender

[@MrXray2011]

Haha... it's good to know that there are some American's on our side :)