Invasion
Go-ahead - The build-up to invasion started when
Britain protested about the landing
on South Georgia. With
talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, Argentina
reacted strongly and by the 26th March, two frigates
were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea
ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it
seemed that only now was the final decision taken to
invade and they
headed for Stanley although
bad weather delayed their arrival. By Wednesday 31st
March, British intelligence had to assume landings were
imminent,
Governor Hunt was
warned, and next evening he announced over the radio
that invasion was expected early on Friday 2nd April.
Defences
- Before the broadcast took place, the defence of
Stanley was already
being put in hand by the small Falklands garrison of
Naval Party 8901. Usually consisting of just 40 Royal
Marines, the remaining members of the 1981/82 Detachment
(others had left with "Endurance"), had only been
relieved that day by Major
M J Norman (MID)
RM and
his 1982/83 Detachment. Assuming the main landing would
be
near the airfield followed by an advance on Stanley, he
deployed his 70 men accordingly, and positioned four
delaying sections on the Stanley road ready to fall back
on the main HQ at Government House. By the early hours
of Friday, they were mostly in position and the small
coaster "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar
watch.
Landings around Stanley,
Friday 2nd April - The plan was for the Buzo
Tactico to attack both the Royal Marine barracks at
Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender,
supported if necessary by men of the 2nd Marine Infantry
Battalion landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Once the
airfield was in Argentine
hands, the Army garrison would then fly in. The first
landings were before midnight with a Buzo Tactico party
going ashore from destroyer "Santisima Trinidad" to
secure Mullet
Creek, followed early
on Friday morning by a smaller group from submarine
"Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach
north of Stanley. Reports
now started reaching the defenders about the presence of
Argentine ships, and at 4.30am, more Buzo Tactico landed
at Mullet
Creek apparently from Sea King helicopters embarked on
icebreaker "Almirante Irizar". Most of them headed for
the by now empty barracks at Moody Brook while the rest
passed quietly below Sapper Hill on their way to
Government House. As they approached their objectives
the destroyers and frigates of TF 40 took up support and
escort positions and the LST headed in for the unguarded
beach at York Bay.
Less than
eight weeks after the invasion,
an Argentine Mirage was attacking a
British frigate in San Carlos Water
Attacks - From 6.00am the
main attacks and supporting landings got underway. The
larger body of Buzo Tactico hit
Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House
which by then was under
fire from the smaller group. Around 6.30am, the first of
some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 Marines each inside were
landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45am more troops
were coming into
the airfield by helicopter. As the off-balanced Royal
Marine defenders fell back on Government House, one of the
sections on the Stanley road stopped an Amtrak with
anti-armour weapons.
British Surrender -
With daybreak and
Government House surrounded,
under sniper fire and the Amtraks approaching,
Governor Hunt attempted
to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces
at Adm
Busser's disposal,
he ordered the Marines to lay down their arms, which
they did at 9.30am without having suffered any
casualties. The Argentines only admitted to one dead and
others wounded. That evening,
Governor and Mrs Hunt and
most of the Royal Marines and the few men from
"Endurance" were flown out. Major
Norman and his men were back in Stanley
76 days later with J Coy, 42 Cdo RM.
Argentine Reinforcements
- Before the surrender, the Army garrison, mainly from
the 25th Infantry Regt was flying in. Another early
arrival by Hercules was an AN/TPS-43F surveillance radar
which became the centre of Argentina's command, control
and communications structure
at Stanley right through until the end of the war. Now
Lieutenant General Osvaldo Garcia took over as
Commander, Malvinas Operational
Theatre, but as Britain's military response became
clearer, the command was relocated to Argentina to cover
the South Atlantic as a whole. Then on Wednesday 7th
April, Major
General Mario Menendez
was appointed commander-in-chief as well as military
governor, the same day Britain announced
a 200 nautical mile maritime exclusion zone (MEZ) around
the
Falklands to take effect from the 12th April.
By Monday 5th April following
the landings, the invading warships were returning to
port, although some of the naval transports were used in
the build-up, and after the MEZ
came into force the
blockade was run by fleet transport "Bahia Buen Suceso"
and merchantmen "Formosa" (12,800 grt) and "Rio
Carcarana" (8,500 grt). Most of the aircraft destined to
be lost on the islands flew over although some of the
helicopters were air-lifted, and Coast Guard patrol
craft "Islas Malvinas" and "Rio Iguaza" reached
Stanley for local duties.
Occupation
- The occupying forces were soon imposing their
rules and regulations on the Islanders, many of whom got
out of Stanley to the "Camp". Coasters "Forrest" (144
grt) and "Monsunen" (230 grt) were requisitioned
together
with a number of civil aircraft, some of which were lost
in the subsequent bombardments. By the end of the month,
as the British Task Force drew near, air raid
precautions were introduced and a curfew and black-out
was in force. A number of people were rounded up, some
deported, and others confined, sometimes as at
Goose Green in poor conditions.