When Argentina invaded the Falklands and South Georgia in 1982, the British turned to their Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, to see how the country would respond. The ‘Iron Lady’ did not disappoint, and soon a massive naval task force was organized to retake the islands.
The task force was lead by two small aircraft carriers, the Hermes and the Invincible that together could support just twenty Sea Harrier fighter planes. The task force assembled at the miniscule Ascension Island, a volcanic speck halfway between Britain and the Falklands. Along with the carriers, Britain could field 5 destroyers, 11 frigates, and three nuclear powered submarines. The rest of the force consisted of 70 transport ships, carrying ground troops, fuel and supplies.
Against this force, the Argentineans could field one aircraft carrier, a handful of warships, and 120 front-line fighter jets, including the French Mirage, which many thought a superior plane to the British Harrier.
The British plan called for their warships to arrive at the islands three weeks ahead of the cargo ships and, in that time, to establish sea and air superiority to facilitate an amphibious landing.
As this attack force neared the Falklands, Argentina launched several air attacks against the British. However, the Argentina fighters were unable to pierce the protective screen put up by the Harriers and 4 Argentinean planes were shot down.
Soon thereafter, the British nuclear submarine Conqueror, located the Argentinean warship, Belgrano. The submarine fired a spread of torpedoes, blowing the Belgrano’s hull apart. The ship sunk with a loss of 368 lives.
So shocking was the loss of the Belgrano, it convinced the Argentineans that their warships could not compete with the British submarines and the entire Argentine Navy returned to port immediately. They would play no further part in the war.
However, the Argentineans would answer this attack. Only a few hours later, they launched a major air-strike, including fighters equipped with top-of-the-range French Exocet missiles. From a distance of twelve miles the fighters fired their missiles and scored a hit on the HMS Sheffield. The Sheffield became the first British ship sunk by enemy action since World War II. Fearing the power of the Exocet, The British task force commander backed his carrier force away from the islands. The British then began to use their own ship-based missile systems to strike against the ongoing Argentine air-attacks. Everyday the Argentines lost a few more planes and were unable to penetrate the British defensives screen, but they had prevented the British from establishing the air-superiority they had desired.
On May 19, the full taskforce arrived at the Falklands ready to make an amphibious landing. The British Navy took up a new position forming a large square around the landing force. As the Brits began to land, the Argentinean’s sent everything they had against the British Navy. In order to avoid the British missiles, the Argentinean fighter pilots flew in low over the water. The British Harriers met them head on, destroying ten enemy planes during the battle, but there were far too many to stop. The Argentinean’s dropped a spread of bombs all over the British fleet, hitting five different warships. But, because they had flown so low, most of the bombs didn’t have time to arm and failed to explode on contact. Of the ships hit, only one, the Ardent took crippling damage.
Several days later, the Argentineans launched another major air strike. Again they hit four British ships, but their bombs failed to explode, while more fighters fell prey to the Harriers.
It was the high-water mark for the Argentinean Air Force. Although they would continue to attack ships for the rest of the war, they would never do so again in such numbers. The strategy of focusing solely on the British warships had left the Argentinean’s vulnerable to the Harriers, and they were running out of pilots and planes. The British had not lost a single Harrier.
There would be one final hurrah for the Argentine Air Force. On June 7, during a British landing, Argentinean fighter plans managed to attack the HMS Galahad that had been sitting idle. The bombs hit the ship and, dropped from high altitude, all exploded. 46 British sailors died and another 150 were wounded. It would prove the worst disaster of the war for the British. It was also the last gasp of the Argentinean Air Force. After nearly two months of attrition, it had nothing left to give.
Joseph Allen McCullough - Joseph A. McCullough was born in the town of Greensboro, NC, site of the Battle of Guildford Courthouse. In 1994, he graduated from the ...
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