The Falklands

[James Langham]

V1 and 2.X give different views as to what happened in the Falklands. This is intended to reconcile the two versions:

In August Argentina tries to divert attention from the poor situation at home considers launching an invasion of the Falklands. A naval task force is prepared and even sets sail. Following these Argentinian military moves, the company of British troops was augmented to a combined battalion (mainly consisting of TA - one ex-regular sergeant had even been there as a Lance-Corporal in 2 Para in 1982!) on the Falkland Islands arriving just before the task force is in a position to launch. The Argentines backed down with the Argentine government planning to let the islands gradually suffer with reduced support from the UK and decide to establish closer links with Argentina (and in years to come gradually become Argentinian). The defending battalion however remained on the islands not seeing combat. Or at least this was believed to be the situation until records were released under the thirty year rule which shows that the TA were engaged in a nasty game of cat and mouse with a unit of Argentine Naval Commandos that had landed 24 hours in advance of the main body. One of the RAF's 1435 Flight's F3 Tornados is lost when it collides with an Argentine Mirage when shadowing the Argentine fleet.