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Falklands War
April 2 – June 14, 1982· War· Americas
Well documentedSolid records, physical evidence or scientific consensus.
A ten-week war in 1982 after Argentina seized the British-ruled Falkland Islands, which Britain retook with a naval task force.
See it on the Battles & Wars map →What happened
Argentina's military government, facing economic crisis, landed troops on April 2, 1982, to claim the islands it calls Las Malvinas. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher sent a task force 8,000 miles (13,000 km) south. A British submarine sank the cruiser General Belgrano; Argentine Exocet missiles and bombs sank six British ships. British troops landed at San Carlos on May 21 and fought across the islands to Port Stanley, where Argentina surrendered on June 14. About 649 Argentines, 255 Britons and 3 islanders died.
Why it matters
Defeat brought down Argentina's junta and restored democracy there in 1983, strengthened Thatcher, and reminded navies that missiles, submarines and air cover decide modern sea battles.
How we know
Britain's official history by Lawrence Freedman, both navies' records, casualty lists and heavy press coverage; Argentina's Rattenbach Report (1983) criticized its own commanders.
Still debated
Sovereignty is still disputed: Argentina claims the Malvinas; Britain cites islanders' wishes (99.8% voted to stay British in 2013). Whether sinking the Belgrano was justified is still argued.
Connections (4)
▸Falklands War hinged on two small British examples of the Aircraft carrierMostly agreed
The connection
Britain's only carriers, the old HMS Hermes and the new light carrier HMS Invincible, carried Harrier jump jets and helicopters 8,000 miles south. Without them there was no air cover for the landings, and losing either to an Exocet might have ended the campaign. Argentina's own carrier stayed in port after the Belgrano sinking.
When and how
South Atlantic, April–June 1982; the carrier group was commanded by Rear Admiral Sandy Woodward.
How sure are we?
British and Argentine records, and Woodward's memoir 'One Hundred Days', describe the carriers' central role and Argentine efforts to hit them.
Debates and open questions
Argentina claimed it hit Invincible on May 30; Britain denies it, and the ship returned undamaged. Whether Britain could have won after losing a carrier is debated.
▸Falklands War was a rare naval war late in Cold WarWell documented
The connection
The Falklands War was not a superpower proxy fight, but it unfolded inside the Cold War. Britain's navy, built to hunt Soviet submarines in the North Atlantic, fought a surface and air war instead. The US, torn between NATO ally Britain and anti-communist partner Argentina, backed Britain with intelligence, fuel and Sidewinder missiles.
When and how
South Atlantic and Washington, April–June 1982; Secretary of State Alexander Haig's shuttle diplomacy failed before the US openly sided with Britain on April 30.
How we know
Declassified US and British government papers, Haig's records, and Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger's later accounts document US support.
Debates and open questions
How much US help mattered is debated; reports that Soviet satellite intelligence reached Argentina remain unconfirmed.
▸Falklands War saw the only combat sinking ever by Nuclear and missile submarines (Nautilus, Polaris)Well documented
The connection
On May 2, 1982, the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror fired three World War II-design torpedoes at the Argentine cruiser General Belgrano, sinking it; 323 of its crew died. It remains the only ship sunk in combat by a nuclear-powered submarine. Afterward Argentina's surface fleet stayed close to its own coast.
When and how
South Atlantic, southwest of the Falklands and outside Britain's declared exclusion zone, May 2, 1982; Commander Christopher Wreford-Brown commanded Conqueror.
How we know
Both navies' records, survivors' accounts and British cabinet papers document the sinking and the orders behind it.
Debates and open questions
Whether sinking a ship outside the zone and sailing away was justified is still argued; Britain said it threatened the task force.
▸Precision-guided munitions (smart bombs) sank HMS Sheffield (Exocet missile) in the Falklands WarWell documented
The connection
On May 4, 1982, an Argentine Super Étendard jet fired a French-made Exocet, an anti-ship missile that skims the sea and homes on its target by radar, at the destroyer HMS Sheffield. It burned and sank days later; 20 crew died. Another Exocet later sank the supply ship Atlantic Conveyor.
When and how
South Atlantic, May 4, 1982 (Sheffield) and May 25 (Atlantic Conveyor); Argentina had only five air-launched Exocets.
How we know
The Royal Navy's Board of Inquiry report, released in fuller form in 2017, and Argentine air force records describe the attack.
Debates and open questions
Whether the Exocet's warhead exploded at all is disputed; the fire from its unburned rocket fuel may have done the main damage.