The outbreak of conflict
Argentina had claimed
sovereignty
over the Falkland Islands, which lie 300 miles (480 km) east of its coast, since the early 19th century, but
Britain
seized the islands in 1833, expelling the few remaining Argentine occupants, and since then consistently rejected Argentina’s claims. In early 1982 the Argentine military
junta
led by Lieut. Gen.
Leopoldo Galtieri gave up on long-running negotiations with Britain and instead launched an invasion of the islands. The decision to invade was chiefly political: the junta, which was being criticized for economic mismanagement and
human rights
abuses, believed that the “recovery” of the islands would unite Argentines behind the government in a patriotic fervour. An elite invasion force trained in secrecy, but its timetable was shortened on March 19 when a dispute erupted on British-controlled
South Georgia
island, where Argentine salvage workers had raised the Argentine flag, 800 miles (1,300 km) east of the Falklands. Naval forces were quickly mobilized.
Argentine troops invaded the Falklands on April 2, rapidly overcoming the small garrison of British marines at the capital
Stanley
(Port Stanley); they obeyed orders not to inflict any British casualties, despite losses to their own units. The next day Argentine marines seized the associated island of South Georgia. By late April Argentina had stationed more than 10,000 troops on the Falklands, although the vast majority of these were poorly trained conscripts, and they were not supplied with proper food, clothing, and shelter for the approaching winter.
As expected, the Argentine populace reacted favourably, with large crowds gathering at the Plaza de Mayo (in front of the presidential palace) to demonstrate support for the military
initiative
. In response to the invasion, the British government under Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
declared a war zone for 200 miles (320 km) around the Falklands. The government quickly assembled a naval task force built around two aircraft carriers, the 30-year-old HMS
Hermes
and the new HMS
Invincible
light carrier, and two cruise ships pressed into service as troop carriers, the
Queen Elizabeth 2
and the
Canberra
. The carriers sailed from
Portsmouth
on April 5 and were reinforced en route. Most European powers voiced support for Great Britain, and European military advisers were withdrawn from Argentine bases. However, most Latin American governments
sympathized
with Argentina. A notable exception was
Chile
, which maintained a state of alert against its neighbour because of a dispute over islands in the
Beagle Channel
. The perceived threat from Chile prompted Argentina to keep most of its elite troops on the mainland, distant from the Falklands theatre. In addition, Argentine military planners had trusted that the
United States
would remain neutral in the conflict, but, following unsuccessful mediation attempts, the United States offered full support to Great Britain, allowing its NATO ally to use its air-to-air missiles, communications equipment, aviation fuel, and other military stockpiles on British-held
Ascension Island
, as well as cooperating with
military intelligence
.
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