Sir John Fieldhouse, “This is going to be a sad and bloody business-I only wish I could offer you more ships.” 5 Julian Thompson, the commanders of these two groups, had been warned by task force commander Adm. The mission of these two task groups was “to land a force in the Falkland Islands with a view to repossessing the Islands.” 4 Prior to sailing, Cdre. ![]() Its passengers included the Landing Force, Task Group 317.1, composed of the Royal Marines’ 3rd Commando Brigade, reinforced with the 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment, plus supporting arms. ![]() Against the background of these losses, an amphibious force, Task Group 317.0, steamed toward Falkland Sound. 2 Within forty-eight hours, an AM39 Exocet air-launched antiship cruise missile slammed into the British destroyer HMS Sheffield, killing twenty-one crew members and the Royal Navy’s confidence in its ability to defend itself. On 2 May, the nuclear attack submarine HMS Conqueror torpedoed the cruiser ARA General Belgrano, taking 368 lives. The following day, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher stood up in the House of Commons to condemn this aggression, and at the end of her speech, announced, “A large task force will sail as soon as preparations are complete.” 1 It seemed preposterous that two American allies could fight over a bunch of remote rocks in the South Atlantic, yet as the weeks passed, diplomacy failed, British warships churned south, and the prospect for a peaceful resolution dimmed. On 2 April, Argentine forces landed on East Falkland and seized Port Stanley, claiming the “Malvinas” for Argentina. In April 1982, the Falkland Islands became a household name. (Photo courtesy of the Press Association via Wikimedia Commons) ![]() The Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano lists heavily to port in the Atlantic Ocean after being attacked by a British submarine during the Falklands War.
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