Well as you should know I'm from Argentina and want to know what do you think of the Falklands War (Guerra de Malvinas in Argentina). I want to know what do you think of the british continuance in that argentinian islands.


ABOUT THE WAR

On 2 April 1982, Argentine forces mounted amphibious landings of the Falkland Islands (Spanish: Islas Malvinas). The invasion involved an initial defence force organised by the Falkland Islands' Governor Sir Rex Hunt giving command to Major Mike Norman of the Royal Marines, the landing of Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots' Amphibious Commandos Group on Mullet Creek, the attack on Moody Brook barracks, the engagement between the amphibious personnel carriers of Hugo Santillán and Bill Trollope marines east of Stanley, and the battle and final surrender of Government House. It marked the beginning of the Falklands War.
The Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas or Guerra del Atlántico Sur), also known as the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was a 1982 limited war between Argentina and the United Kingdom. The conflict resulted from the long-standing dispute over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, which lie in the South Atlantic east of Argentina.


Argentinian Soldiers


Controversial pic of argentinian soldiers with the british flag

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Casualties and losses of the war:

Argentina:
649 killed
1,068 wounded
11,313 taken prisoner
18 aircraft lost
3 Warship lost

UK:
258 killed
775 wounded
115 taken prisoner
33 aircraft lost
8 warship lost

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Position of third party countries:
An important factor was military support. The USA provided the United Kingdom with military equipment ranging from submarine detectors to the latest missiles. France provided dissimilar aircraft training so Harrier pilots could train against the French aircraft used by Argentina. French and British intelligence also worked to prevent Argentina from obtaining more Exocets on the international market. Chile gave support to Britain in the form of Intelligence about Argentine military and radar early warning.

Argentina was supported by Israeli IAI advisors, who were already in the country and continued their work during the conflict. Israel also sold weapons and crucial drop tanks that extended the combat radius of Argentine fighter-bombers, in a secret operation triangulated over Peru. Peru also openly sent "Mirages, pilots and missiles" to Argentina during the war. Through Libya, under Muammar Gaddafi, Argentina received 20 launchers and 60 SA-7 missiles, as well as machine guns, mortars and mines, all in all, the load of four trips of two Boeing 707 of the AAF, refuelled in Recife with the knowledge and consent of the Brazilian government.

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ARA General Belgrano sinking:
By 29 April the ships were patrolling the Burdwood Bank, south of the islands. On 30 April the Belgrano was detected by the British nuclear-powered hunter-killer submarine HMS Conqueror. The submarine approached over the following day. Although the group was outside the British-declared Total Exclusion Zone of 370 km (200 nautical miles) radius from the islands, the British decided that it was a threat. After consultation at Cabinet level, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher agreed that Commander Chris Wreford-Brown should attack the Belgrano.

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Important:
Before the sinking of ARA General Belgrano, no british soldier was killed. Peace was still possible. Other important thing is that the British gorvenment sent the Brigade of Gurkhas (mercenaries from Nepal) to the war.

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Now:
Actually tension between the two countries is rising because the British Army sent their "best" warship to the islands.



Some people here's talking about a possible future war but it won't never happen, any argentinian want another war.

Edited by user 11 February 2012 01:10:43(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

I could not give less of a shit about who landed on the Falklands first, or anything else out of history. The Falkland War is a depressing moment in British history.

BUT, and I'm far, far, far from a British patriot and every time I hear the Argentinians go on about the Falklands I cringe. Because it's pathetic. All that really matters here is what the people who live on the island want. I firmly believe in the rights of self-determination. The island had no indigenous people, and so the end of the matter is do the people who live there now want to be British or Argentine? Until they decide to be Argentine then it really doesn't matter what failing Argentine politicians want to do with the Falklands. Lets be honest, they only want the islands to extend their territorial waters over a presumed rich oil field. The British government feel the same way. Neither really gives a fuck about the islanders themselves. And yet they'd still prefer to belong to the British crown. Incidentally, I don't, I support Scotland leaving the UK.

I must say that the rhetoric coming from Buenos Aires is really concerning though, god damn awful jingoistic war-mongering talk. It's just depressing in the 21st century that this pissing contest can go on and goodness only knows where it'll end. You'd hope that no longer being ruled by a tin pot general would ensure war is not going to happen but...fucking people.

Oh yeah and dude, not cool trying to fuck the rep of the Gurkhas. Those guys are not mercenaries, retired Gurkhas recieve a British army pension and are entitled to settle in the UK.

And tensions were rising along time before HMS Dauntless was sent to the islands (as a direct replacement for HMS Montrose.) Sorry brah, but you need to look a bit closer to home for the source of the heat here, such as banning boats flying the Falkland land from a handful of South American ports.

And it's more depressing to have british soldiers and their most-powerful warship near to my country.

I won't agree with you ever but Ghurkas are mercenaries.


My uncle went to the war and the Ghurkas were wild torturers, I can't call that a soldier.


The Ghurkas were well-known in the war for using an insane amount of bullets to kill each soldier.


But be shure, I'm not defending the argentinian the military government. They killed more argentinians than the british.

PS, shut the fuck up about the Gurkhas please. Serious. They get the right to settle in the United Kingdom if they so want. They recieve a state pension when their service is over. None of this applies to mercenaries. Gurkha soldiers have served in the British military since before Argentina had signed its declaration of independence. After Indian independence was confirmed, six of the Gurkha regiments were to serve in the Indian army, & 4 with the British Army. Again, not mercs.

Mercs aren't the only soldiers who commit horrible acts in war, that's every armed unit that has the potential. It's the problem with desensitising human beings in such away that they can become effective killing machines.

yeah, I'm not arguing that they weren't or that they were. I am simply stating that you made a factual inaccuracy about the status of the Gurkhas several times (by calling them mercenaries when clearly they are not). That's all it comes down to. I'm sure soldiers on all sides commited atrocities coz y'know, that's what happens in war.

And no, incidentally we won't agree because you're swept up in a depressing jingoistic fever and I'm an internationalist who believes nationalism is a harmful force that's utterly out-dated for the 20th century. Oh, and you don't respect the right of self-determination for people who have lived on those godforsaken worthless islands for 150 years, which is just ridiculous and without a positively 19th century sense of nationalist mindset impossible to justify.

self determination should be everyones right and as long as the majority of a population desire a certain form of governence, thats what they should have.

and if you want to talk about falklands war crimes, clear your own house out first..
A soldiers job is to kill, something the Ghurka's do very well.

Yeah, that totally is their job, if you're going to be near-sighted about it I suppose. A Soldier's Job usually includes killing but more or less it's following orders, there are several branches of the United States Military that don't revolve around KILLKILLKILL, such as the Finance Corps., not to mention the Civil Affairs branch.

Most Soldiers Kill, not all do.

You'll find nothing I've said to support colonialism. It was an arrogant policy to have. But what do you want us to do about it now? Take back everything European colonial powers have ever done? Ship all the blacks back to Africa? Ship the vast majority of the population of South America back to Spain? North America to the British Isles? Leave it to the indigenous people? It's a lovely idea but it's too far gone. And so it is with the Falkland Islands. Which at least has the bonus of, unlike Argentina, USA, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Jamaica, Chile, etc, not having a native indigenous people who were displaced, mistreated, oppressed and killed out by the descendants of Europeans.

The Falkland Islands is a remanant of colonialism, it's true. But frankly what's done is done. Unless you fancy moving back to Spain then I think it's frankly ludicrous to hold the Falkland Islanders to a different standard than yourself. Unlike Argentina, they are still happy with their colonial overlords, they prefer self-government under London than Buenos Aires. It's as simple as really.

Well I have to recongnise that you know a lot of this topics but we won't ever agree...

Now, the british government confirmed that they have Nuclear weapons in the Falklands!!! Why? I don't know, do they think Argentina will attack the islands??