50 Fun Facts About Falklands War

How many days did the Falklands conflict last?

It ran from the invasion on 2 April 1982 to the Argentine surrender on 14 June.

Besides the Falklands, which other islands did Argentina invade the next day, 3 April 1982?

A small British force recaptured it on 25 April, prompting Thatcher's 'Just rejoice at that news'.

How many Falkland Islanders were killed during the hostilities?

Argentine losses were 649 military personnel and British losses 255.

The Falklands had been a British Crown colony since which year?

Islanders are mostly descendants of British settlers and strongly favour British sovereignty.

Which British prime minister secretly sent two frigates and a nuclear submarine south in 1977?

Operation Journeyman sent HMS Dreadnought after Argentina occupied Southern Thule.

Which minister pitched a leaseback scheme to islanders in 1980 and was savaged in Parliament?

Britain wanted a 99-year lease; Argentina pressed for just thirty. Ridley warned: 'If we don't do something, they will invade.'

Which general headed the Argentine junta that ordered the invasion?

Admiral Jorge Anaya was the main architect of the military option, betting Britain would never respond.

Who were the Argentine party that raised their flag at Leith Harbour on 19 March 1982?

The group had been infiltrated by Argentine marines; the act is seen as the war's first offensive move.

Which ice patrol ship was Britain's only naval presence in the South Atlantic before the war?

Defence Secretary John Nott's 1981 White Paper had planned to withdraw her, which Captain Barker felt signalled weakness.

What was the Argentine codename for the 2 April landings?

Governor Rex Hunt's 68 marines and 11 hydrographers fought briefly before he ordered a ceasefire.

Who was the Governor of the Falkland Islands at the time of the invasion?

He and his family were flown to Montevideo that afternoon and later repatriated.

Which First Sea Lord told Thatcher Britain 'could and should' send a task force?

He ordered a Mediterranean exercise force to prepare to sail south on 1 April, the day before the invasion.

What was the British codename for military operations in the Falklands?

Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse commanded the task force; operations ran from 1 April to 20 June 1982.

Which UN Security Council measure, passed 10–1, demanded Argentine withdrawal?

Panama voted against; the Soviet Union and China abstained. It gave Britain the diplomatic upper hand.

Which country cast the lone vote against the Security Council measure condemning the invasion?

Britain's ambassador Sir Anthony Parsons needed nine votes and no permanent-member veto, and got both.

Who was appointed Argentine Military Governor of the occupied Falklands?

He surrendered to Major General Jeremy Moore in Stanley on 14 June 1982.

Which US Secretary of State flew between London and Buenos Aires on a shuttle-diplomacy mission?

His mission failed; on 30 April the Reagan administration publicly backed Britain.

Which liner, fresh from a world cruise, was requisitioned and sailed with 3 Commando Brigade?

The QE2 followed on 12 May carrying the 5th Infantry Brigade.

How many ships made up the British task force in total?

That was 43 Royal Navy vessels, 22 Royal Fleet Auxiliaries and 62 merchant ships.

Which two aircraft carriers led the task force out of Portsmouth?

Britain had 42 Harriers for air combat against roughly 122 serviceable Argentine jets.

The RAF staged its Vulcans and Victors from which mid-Atlantic island?

The US diverted a supertanker to refill the island's empty fuel tanks with about two million gallons.

What was the codename for the British recapture of the island Argentina seized on 3 April?

Major Guy Sheridan's 240 men included SAS and SBS; 190 Argentines surrendered without resistance.

Which Argentine submarine was crippled by British helicopters at King Edward Point on 25 April?

Wessex, Wasp and Lynx helicopters hit her with depth charges, a torpedo and AS-12 missiles; her crew abandoned her at the jetty.

Which bomber flew the 8,000-nautical-mile Black Buck round trips to bomb Stanley airfield?

Only one of the 21 bombs on the first raid cratered the runway; Victor tankers refuelled the bomber repeatedly.

Which British missile, fired from Sea Harriers, proved decisive in air combat?

The US supplied 200 of them; one downed a Mirage III in the first dogfight on 1 May.

The British Total Exclusion Zone around the islands extended how far?

It came into force on 30 April, replacing the earlier Maritime Exclusion Zone.

Which British submarine torpedoed the cruiser ARA General Belgrano on 2 May?

Two torpedoes sank her in an hour; 321 crew and two civilians died, and the Argentine fleet never sailed again.

How many of the Belgrano's crew died when she was sunk?

More than 700 men were rescued after up to 30 hours in overcrowded life rafts in cold, stormy seas.

Which Type 42 destroyer was the first Royal Navy ship sunk in action since the Second World War?

An air-launched Exocet hit her on 4 May, killing 20; she sank under tow six days later.

Which French-made anti-ship missile became a household word in Britain during the war?

Along with 'yomp', the word entered the British vernacular as a result of the conflict.

A Sea King on an aborted SAS mission was burned by its crew after landing in which neutral country?

The crew surrendered to Chilean police on 25 May; Chile quietly fed Britain intelligence on Argentine air movements.

An SAS raid on 14 May destroyed Argentine aircraft on which grass airstrip?

The strip hosted Pucará ground-attack aircraft and T-34 Mentors.

British forces nicknamed the San Carlos landing bay what?

Operation Sutton put 4,000 men of 3 Commando Brigade ashore on the night of 21 May.

Why did many Argentine bombs fail to explode when they hit British ships?

Admiral Woodward blamed the BBC World Service for broadcasting the problem, which let the Argentines adjust the retarding devices.

The loss of MV Atlantic Conveyor on 25 May cost the British three of four of which helicopters?

Five Wessex, runway-building gear and tents went down too; twelve crew members were killed.

Which battalion attacked Goose Green and Darwin on 27–28 May?

Its 700 men took 961 prisoners; Colonel H. Jones accused the BBC of disclosing the attack in advance.

Lieutenant Colonel H. Jones was posthumously awarded which decoration for Goose Green?

Sergeant Ian McKay of 3 PARA earned the same posthumous honour on Mount Longdon.

Which landing ship, hit by three bombs at Port Pleasant on 8 June, carried the Welsh Guards?

Thirty-two Welsh Guardsmen died; more than 150 were burned or injured, among them Simon Weston.

The Port Pleasant disaster is usually known by the name of which nearby settlement?

ITV footage of helicopters winching survivors from the burning ships became some of the war's most sobering images.

HMS Glamorgan was hit on 12 June by an anti-ship missile fired from what?

Argentine technicians had taken the launcher from the destroyer ARA Seguí; 14 men died.

Which unit captured Mount Tumbledown, the last natural defence line before Stanley?

It cost 10 British and 30 Argentine lives; the Gurkhas then found Mount William deserted.

To which British officer did the Argentine garrison surrender on 14 June?

Moore had arrived as divisional commander with the 5th Infantry Brigade at the start of June.

Which member of the royal family flew helicopter missions, including missile decoy, in the war?

Two of the embedded journalists were said to be interested only in him.

Which tabloid ran the 'Gotcha' headline after the sinking of the Belgrano?

It also ran 'Stick It Up Your Junta!'; the Mirror took a decidedly anti-war line.

Which Argentine writer called the war 'a fight between two bald men over a comb'?

The junta banned English-language music, which helped local rock acts like Charly García and Fito Paez.

In the 2013 sovereignty referendum, what share of Falkland voters chose to stay British?

Turnout was 92%; full British citizenship had been restored to islanders in 1983.

Which permanent RAF base with a long-haul runway opened on East Falkland in 1985?

It is the heart of 'Fortress Falklands', with a deep-water port at Mare Harbour and a garrison of about 1,000.

The islands were declared landmine-free in 2020 after clearance by contractors from where?

There had been 113 uncleared minefields in 2011; no civilian was ever hurt by one.

In which year did Argentina return to democratic government after the defeat?

The war destroyed the military's self-image as the 'moral reserve of the nation'; diplomatic ties with Britain resumed in 1989.

Which prime minister expelled Argentina's ambassador and offered a frigate to free a Royal Navy ship?

New Zealand's Muldoon broadcast to islanders on the BBC World Service and sent HMNZS Canterbury.