LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Falklands War
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For five years before the Falklands War, Hugh Bicheno was one of the top British spies in Argentina. As such, he gathered hard, corroborated intelligence on Argentine intentions over the Falklands - which the British establishment then chose to ignore. The reasons behind this British decision, and its disastrous and inevitable consequences in the South Atlantic, are the main story of this book. There were three main players in the war, each of them trying to overcome their own cultural baggage. The Argentinians were riddled with guilt: after years of fighting a morally repugnant campaign against its own people, the Argentine military saw a war for the Malvinas islands as a perfect opportunity to win back their self-respect. The hands of the Americans were ... bloody from the likewise dirty wars they had sponsored and abetted in Central America, involving first Argentine and later British mercenaries (and as a former mercenary in Central America, the author has first-hand knowledge of this too).
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Fought in 1982, the Falklands War was the result of the Argentine invasion of the British-owned Falkland Islands. Located in the South Atlantic, Argentina had long claimed these islands as part of its territory. On April 2, 1982, Argentine forces landed in the Falklands, capturing the islands two days later. In response, the British dispatched a naval and amphibious task force to the area. The initial phases of the conflict occurred mainly at sea between elements of the Royal Navy and the Argentine Air Force. On May 21, British troops landed and by June 14 had compelled the Argentine occupiers to surrender.
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The extensive bibliography of the Falklands War has one glaring exception, the part played by the legendary Gurkhas. Regarded by many as the world's finest infantry soldiers, the fiercesome reputation of these Nepalese troops for blood-thirsty aggression and stealth put real fear into the Argentine troops and civil population. They sailed with 5 Infantry Brigade on the QE2 and played a key role in the surrender of the occupiers. Written by one of their officers, this book conveys the professional, personal and emotional aspects of the Gurkhas' involvement. It provides a unique insight into a fighting force surrounded by mystique. This is both a serious and light-hearted account of the build-up, the battle and the aftermath of fighting.
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The Falklands War took place in 1982 and began when Argentina invaded the islands on April 2nd. The conflict lasted until June 13th, which saw the British forces victorious and the Falklands recaptured. The war itself was a curious mixture of modern, high-tech warfare (the sinking of the H.M.S. Sheffield due to an Exocet attack) and low-tech, in your face battles that could have taken place in any conflict over the past fifty years. The British were outnumbered on the ground, and were for the most part without true air cover, having only the aircraft that came with the task force. The amphibious operations were a potential disaster, as the landing fleet had been rapidly assembled for the upcoming conflict, with many of its members originally destined for the scrap yard. Yet training and valor carried the day, and in the end the British took the islands back and captured over 11,000 prisoners.
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In his autobiographical account of the Falklands War,[48] Admiral Woodward blames the BBC World Service for these changes to the bombs. The World Service reported the lack of detonations after receiving a briefing on the matter from an MOD official. He describes the BBC as being more concerned with being "fearless seekers after truth" than with the lives of British servicemen. Colonel H. Jones levelled similar accusations against the BBC after they disclosed the impending British attack on Goose Green by 2 Para. Jones had threatened to lead the prosecution of senior BBC officials for treason but was unable to do so since he was himself killed in action around Goose Green.
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Before leaving questions of jus in bello it might be noted that the fact that the Falklands War was apparently fought in quite strict accordance with the requirements for a just war is not unimportant. In recent times it has been quite fashionable to argue that there can be no such thing as a just war because modern weapons and modes of fighting are inevitably disproportionate and indiscriminate. They ... inevitably breach the jus in bello requirement that harm inflicted be in proportion to the good achieved and that non-combatants must be protected. The Falklands War provides a specific counter example to this claim. There is little evidence of gratuitous, or unnecessary killing in any phase of the war and, as noted above, civilian casualties overall amounted to just .3% of the total (3 out of 900). Of course, there are reasons why these things were so, some of which have to do with the peculiarities of the location and others with diplomatic and political considerations.
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Falklands War