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BELLWORK: November 19th Describe the British task force. Include air, land and sea forces. What was the TEZ? How did this contribute to Britain’s war strategy? What was Britain’s biggest strength? Weakness? To what extent did Argentina’s war strategy rely on assumptions? Describe Argentina’s task force. Include air, land and sea forces. What was Argentina’s biggest strength? Weakness? THINKER: After the initial invasion, Britain responded by assembling a massive task force within 5 days (even though they were in the middle of military cutbacks). It was very important for PM Thatcher to publicize the movement of this task force….why?
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Britain Argentina Advantages/ Strengths (Include weapon advances)
Britain Argentina Advantages/ Strengths (Include weapon advances) Disadvantages/ Weaknesses Goals Strategies (Include specific war plans)
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British Task Force 65 ships 2 aircraft carriers were key
Rest of ships would be stationed in Falkland Sound 7,000 troops Army Regulars Royal Marines (trained in amphibious landings & night fighting) 42 planes All carrier-born; 1/3 the size of Argentina Helicopters increased mobility once on the islands Relied on Ascension Island to re-group and re-fuel (U.S. owned airstrip on island) Goals: Defend the TEZ (What was the TEZ? How did it contribute to Britain’s war strategy?) Protect A.C.C. Highly publicize movement of task force Land invasion
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Why did Britain want to publicize the movement of their task force?
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The cover of Newsweek magazine, 19 April 1982, depicts HMS Hermes, flagship of the British Task Force
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Key locations in the Task Force’s logistic chain
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**Britain’s invasion force would be stationed in the Falkland Sound in order to establish a base at San Carlos and launch land operations.
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HMS Invincible in the South Atlantic
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A British Sea Harrier plane on the deck of the HMS Invincible
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Britain’s Strengths vs. Weaknesses
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BELLWORK: November 19th Describe the British task force. Include air, land and sea forces. What was the TEZ? How did this contribute to Britain’s war strategy? What was Britain’s biggest strength? Weakness? To what extent did Argentina’s war strategy rely on assumptions? Describe Argentina’s task force. Include air, land and sea forces. What was Argentina’s biggest strength? Weakness? THINKER: After the initial invasion, Britain responded by assembling a massive task force within 5 days (even though they were in the middle of military cutbacks). It was very important for PM Thatcher to publicize the movement of this task force….why?
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Argentine War Plans Est. presence on S. Georgia
To what extent did Argentina’s war strategy rely on assumptions? Est. presence on S. Georgia Launch full scale amphibious invasion (ground forces would est. defensive positions in hills of Stanley) Launch air/naval attacks (Exocets) on British ships at sea & in Falklands Sound (destroy British task force!) Maintain a naval & air presence around the Falklands Changed after Belgrano sank!
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Argentine Task Force Could operate in all aspects of naval warfare – submarine, surface & air Strong Air Force 120 aircraft (quality mixed) French-made Mirage III and Super Etendards (speed) Exocets (anti-ship missiles) Land forces – 13,000 men (10k in Stanley), but weapons limited Arms embargo (due to “dirty war”) Strategy depended on their strengths – air power and geography
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Mario Menendez: Argentine General; came to Falklands to become governor
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Argentine Air Force Plans
FAA pilots plan during the war Argentine Air Force: (Fuerza Aérea Argentina; FAA) Due to the distance required to fly to the islands, two minutes was the average time FAA attack aircraft had available in the target area.
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FAA primarily used French-made Super Étendard jets (could fire French-made Exocet missiles)
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Exocet Missiles French for “flying fish”
Missile is initially computer-guided and turns on active radar late in flight to find and hit its target. Its rocket motor gives the Exocet a maximum range of 110 miles. As a countermeasure against air defense around the target, it stays only 5-7 ft. above sea surface. This means that the target may not detect an oncoming attack until the missile is 4 miles from impact.
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Argentina’s Strengths vs. Weaknesses
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PM Thatcher and U.S. Secretary of State, Alexander Haig
Partner Discussion Review PM Thatcher’s speech to Parliament on the Falklands Crisis (pg. 49) and answer the following: How does Thatcher justify British involvement in the Falklands? Do you agree with Thatcher’s assessment that “gentle persuasion will not make the Argentine Government give up what they have seized by force?” Were there any alternative options? THINKER: With reference to origin, purpose and content, discuss the value and limitations of this source for a historian studying British efforts to resolve the Falklands Crisis. PM Thatcher and U.S. Secretary of State, Alexander Haig
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HOMEWORK: due Wednesday!
Read and annotate the “operations” section of the Falklands War! Pages 50-53
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Pressure on Galtieri Admiral Jorge Anaya was the driving force in the Junta's decision to invade Never believed the UK would respond militarily. Their goal: mobilize Argentines' patriotic feelings towards the islands and thus divert public attention from the country's economic problems and the regime's ongoing human rights violations
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Pressure on Thatcher First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Henry Leach assured the Prime Minister he could have a task force ready in 48 hours. Guaranteed a victory! Thatcher worried the public/press would demand an immediate response.
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Why didn’t Thatcher settle this dispute diplomatically?
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BELLWORK: 11/20 Explain the sinking of the General Belgrano. Why was this a turning point in the war? How did it change strategy? How were foreign powers/groups involved in the conflict? (Include U.S., U.N, & O.A.S.) THINKER: Who do you think is most at fault for the outbreak of war in the Falklands? Was there anything that could have been done to prevent this war from escalating?
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General Belgrano
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British Justification
The TEZ was stated to be "...without prejudice to the right of the United Kingdom to take whatever additional measures may be needed in exercise of its right of self-defense”, under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter
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What did the O.A.S. declare with regards to the outbreak of war?
Supported Argentina Problematic for U.S. who was also in N.A.T.O w/ UK Rio Pact of 1947: An attack on one OAS state = attack on all! OAS ordered resolution that denounced Britain and called for an end to hostilities U.S. abstained – saw Argentina as the aggressor
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How did the U.N. get involved in the Falklands conflict?
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Foreign Involvement in the Falklands
Role of the UN Role of the US Attempted to find negotiated peace Britain supported by Security Council Resolution 502 called for end to hostilities and Argentine withdrawal (did not take action when broken) Ceasefire resolution supported by 9 countries; vetoed by GB Britain was key to Cold War alliance Airstrip on Ascension Island used as a base Supplied Britain with aviation fuel & missiles (through trade) Secretary of State Haig attempted arbitration Supported their veto in the UN
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Reagan & Thatcher – some perspective
Aldous, Richard. “With Friends Like These.” The New York Times. 27 Feb The Falklands War is often hailed as a high point of the “special” bond between President Reagan and PM Thatcher. And yet, America’s response at the time, and the subsequent attempts to revise it, exemplifies how complex and even fractious that historic relationship really was. By the time Reagan took office in Jan 1981, Thatcher had been in power for more than a year and half. They proclaimed themselves conservative soul mates. “Your problems will be our problems,” she told him at their first meeting in Washington, “and when you look for friends we will be there.” Afterward James S. Brady, the White House press secretary, quipped that “it took a crowbar to get them apart.” During the Falkland Islands war, however, it seemed more likely that Mrs. Thatcher would attack the president with that same crowbar. Mrs. Thatcher, facing pressure to resign, had expected resolute support from Reagan in retaking the islands by force. Instead what she got was studied neutrality. “We are friends with both countries,” the president breezily remarked. Was it really worth going to war over what he called that “little ice-cold bunch of land down there”? Reagan’s folksy rhetoric obscured a strategic dilemma. The United States had a longstanding alliance with Britain, but by 1982 the right-wing junta in Argentina had become a key cold war ally in Latin America. Before the invasion, Argentina’s leadership asked Reagan’s ambassador, Vernon Walters, what would happen if Argentina took the Falklands, he told them the British would “huff, puff and protest, and do nothing.”
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Reagan & Thatcher – some perspective
That calculation was, of course, incorrect. Thatcher sent a task force to reclaim the islands and was “horrified” when Reagan pressed her not to fight. Alexander Haig, the Secretary of State, shuttled thousands of miles between Washington, London and Buenos Aires in a failed attempt to force a deal. To greet him Thatcher put out paintings of the Duke of Wellington and Lord Nelson, two of Britain’s greatest military heroes, as a signal that the country was ready for war. Mrs. Thatcher let Mr. Haig know that she was “dismayed” by Reagan’s attitude and the “constant pressure to weaken our stance.” When Reagan telephoned on May 31 urging her “to show we’re all still willing to seek a settlement,” the prime minister finally lost patience. “This is democracy and our island,” she thundered, “and the very worst thing for democracy would be if we failed now.” “What would the United States do if Alaska were invaded?”, she demanded to know. Battered into near silence, Reagan stumbled off the line. James Rentschler (NSC aide) reported: “The president came off sounding like even more of a wimp than Jimmy Carter.” Britain’s victory could not hide the fracture between Reagan and Thatcher. When George P. Shultz replaced Mr. Haig as secretary of state the next month, he found the president “fed up with her imperious attitude.” In front of the cameras, the pair continued to present an image of personal and political comity. “It is special,” Mrs. Thatcher said of the relationship in “It just is. And that’s that.” But behind closed doors, the two leaders fought over almost every international decision they confronted: imposing sanctions on the Soviet gas pipeline, budget deficits, arms control, the Strategic Defense Initiative and even the 1983 American invasion of Grenada, which, like the Falklands crisis in reverse, left Reagan astonished by Mrs. Thatcher’s lack of support. These interests often required Mrs. Thatcher to keep her thoughts on Reagan to herself. Those who saw behind the facade knew differently. When Sir Nicholas Henderson, the British ambassador to Washington during the Falkland Islands war, was asked in the 1990s whether he had ever known anything absolutely secret, he replied, “If I reported to you what Mrs. Thatcher really thought about President Reagan, it would damage Anglo-American relations.”
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Who did the U.S. side with? Why?
“I knew of the enormous admiration that Mr. Reagan had for Mrs. Thatcher, and the similar views that they had on many subjects. I never really had any doubt … basically, there was a trust and a friendship, personal friendship as well as professional friendships, all the way along the line. Certainly, the admiration that President Reagan had for Mrs. Thatcher, I would have found it almost inconceivable that in the final analysis, he would not have supported Britain in this situation.” Secretary of Defense Weinberger
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March 19, 1982: group of marines (posing as scrap metal merchants) raised Argentine flag over South Georgia April 2, 1982: Argentina sent troops & occupied the Falklands April 3: UN Resolution 502 demands withdrawal of all forces; GB announces task force to be sent to reclaim islands April 28: Britain establishes a TEZ May 2: Britain sinks Argentine battle cruiser General Belgrano killing 323 (importance?) As UN diplomatic talks broke down, it was clear there was no turning back! Neither side officially declared war, but come on….. Obviously!!!
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THINKER: Who do you think is most at fault for the outbreak of war in the Falklands? Was there anything that could have been done to prevent this war from escalating?
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20th Century Battlefields: Falklands (BBC)
As we watch the video, take notes on: Important Events (battles, ships, turning points, etc.) Strategies Used New weapons/technology
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BELLWORK: November 25th To what extent were Galtieri & Thatcher pressured by other generals/leaders to go to war over the Falklands? Describe how war was fought on land in the Falklands (Include the key battles of Goose Green & Stanley)
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Air warfare/strategies
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HMS Sheffield
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Land Strategies
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Britain’s Invasion of the Falklands
British supply ship Atlantic Conveyor entered San Carlos Bay on May 5 carrying the helicopters and troops needed to get to Stanley. Two Argentine aircraft released Exocets aimed at two British frigates The frigates fired up metal foil to confuse the missiles’ radar Instead, the Exocets picked up a new target…Atlantic Conveyor Missiles sunk the ship and destroyed all helicopters on board British now forced to walk four days to the capital (open to attack) carrying 120 pounds of gear Split their ground forces into 2: 500 for “morale boost” at Goose Green 2,000 to re-capture the capital of Stanley
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Britain's invasion of the Falklands – split into 2:
Goose Green Stanley
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British Night Fighting
British forces trained to fight in night as effectively as day This was effective against defended targets and open terrain Key was consistent communication and continual movement!
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Key Land Battles Goose Green Stanley Capital of the Falklands
Main British force of 2,000 men Attack over 2 nights Troops land & launch 3-prong attack to surround hills around city Move on city while 30 seek higher ground to force Arg. retreat Success! Argentina loses will to fight and surrenders! Strategic Port with air strip 500 Brits move South to achieve “morale boost” Plan: attack air field in dark and take settlement by day Argentina: defensive position on hills – surround British with artillery and mine fields Britain out in open – no cover & vulnerable Air support arrives and bombs Argentina’s defensive positions Britain threatens to try Argentina for civilian deaths if fighting continued
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Britain wins Stanley! Argentine POW’s in Stanley
Confiscated Argentine Weapons
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20th Century Battlefields: Falklands (BBC)
As we watch the video, take notes on: Important Events (battles, ships, turning points, etc.) Strategies Used New weapons/technology
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Ending/Effects of the Falklands War (54-55)
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Historical Role Play Group A: Advisers to General Galtieri advocating FOR war over the Falklands Group B: Advisers to General Galtieri advocating AGAINST war over the Falklands Group C: Advisers to Margaret Thatcher arguing FOR war over the Falklands Group D: Advisers to Margaret Thatcher arguing AGAINST war over the Falklands You need to prepare a brief presentation/speech/statement on your viewpoint Your presentation should be review! Focus on actual arguments and events leading up to the Falklands War.
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What do YOU think? Which viewpoint do you agree with?
Who should be blamed for the conflict? Why couldn’t this dispute be settled diplomatically? Were there any alternatives?
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