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Falklands War
Operación Rosario-Soldados argentinos en Stanley.jpg
HMS Broadsword and Hermes, 1982 (IWM).jpg
Etendard en 1982.jpg
ARA Belgrano 1982.PNG
HMS Antelope 1982.jpg
Argentine POWs.jpg
Top row: Argentine forces at Port Stanley, 2 April 1982; HMS Hermes and HMS Broadsword of the British Task Force

Middle row: two Super Étendards of the Argentine Navy; Argentine ARA General Belgrano sinking

Bottom row: British HMS Antelope after being hit (she later sank); Argentine Army POWs in Stanley
Date 2 April – 14 June 1982 (1982-04-02 – 1982-06-14)
Location
Result British victory
Belligerents
 United Kingdom  Argentina
Commanders and leaders
Casualties and losses
  • Casualties
  • 255 killed
  • 775 wounded
  • 115 captured
  • Losses
  • 2 destroyers
  • 2 frigates
  • 1 landing ship
  • 1 landing craft
  • 1 container ship
  • 24 helicopters
  • 10 fighters
  • 1 bomber interned
  • Casualties
  • 649 killed
  • 1,657 wounded
  • 11,313 captured
  • Losses
  • 1 cruiser
  • 1 submarine
  • 4 cargo vessels
  • 2 patrol boats
  • 1 naval trawler
  • 25 helicopters
  • 35 fighters
  • 2 bombers
  • 4 cargo aircraft
  • 25 COIN aircraft
  • 9 armed trainers
  • 3 Falkland Islanders killed by friendly fire
Photo montage of the Falklands War
HMS Antelope 1982
The British ship HMS Antelope after it was hit by Argentine weapons

The Falklands War was a war between the United Kingdom and Argentina over the Falkland Islands in 1982. The Falkland Islands are 480 kilometres from Argentina in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

Background

Argentina and the United Kingdom have both argued over which country the Falklands Islands belongs to since the 1800s. In the 1760s and 1770s, the British set up a town at Port Egmont, which nearly led to a war with Spain who had a town at Port Louis. Then Argentina became a separate country from Spain in 1817 and set up a colony on the islands in 1820. An American warship later destroyed this town, and the British took the islands again in 1833.

The British kept the islands until 2 April 1982, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands (and, the following day, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) in an attempt to establish the sovereignty it had claimed over them. On 5 April, the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands.

Aftermath

Falklands-Minefield
Although some minefields have been cleared, a substantial number of them still exist in the islands, such as this one at Port William on East Falkland.

The conflict has had a strong effect in both countries and has been the subject of various books, articles, films, and songs. Patriotic sentiment ran high in Argentina, but the outcome prompted large protests against the ruling military government, hastening its downfall. The cultural and political effect of the conflict has been less in Britain than in Argentina, where it remains a common topic for discussion.

Diplomatic relations between the United Kingdom and Argentina were restored in 1989 following a meeting in Madrid, at which the two governments issued a joint statement. In 1994, Argentina's claim to the territories was added to its constitution.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas para niños

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