Warmatrix

The Falklands War of 1982 CE was a war fought on a tiny insignificant group of islands with only 1,800 inhabitants, though actually over domestic political power. It was a small war, with a heavy stress on logistics and air power.
In the late 1970's CE, the economy of Argentina stagnated. Seeking a way to divert the attention of the population away from the internal problems, the ruling military "junta" envisioned a patriotic reconquest of the Islas Malvinas a.k.a. Falkland Islands, a small group of islands east of Argentina. These had been alternatingly settled and abadoned by France, Britain and Spain since the 18th century CE and made a British crown colony in 1840 CE. The Argentine invasion was launched in early April 1982 CE with 2,000 soldiers and easily overcame 84 British troops on the islands. Britain was taken completely by surprise by the aggression; likewise its decision to stretch its military capabilities to the limit and sail halfway around the world with a task force to retake the islands baffled the Argentines.
Britain hastily assembled a task force of 127 ships, half of them civilian. The flagships were its two small aircraft carriers, carrying 42 Harrier jumpjets and some helicopters. On board the transports were some 9,000 British troops, many of them marines and commandos. The ships were vulnerable because there were no airborne radar aircraft, few anti-missile capable ships and only a limited number of Harriers. While the British fleet sailed south, Argentina reinforced its garrison on the Falklands to around 14,000 men, 75% of them conscripts. They were backed by a fleet and an air force of some 120 jet fighters, a mix of modern and old models. A handful of Super Etendars bought from France were armed with state-of-the-art Exocet Air-to-Air Missiles. The remainder of the Argentine armed forces, including the best mountain troops, guarded the mainland against a possible conflict with Chile. The Argentine army failed to use the time to reinforce the Falklands with supplies and heavy artillery, construct bunkers, or to improve the airstrip at Stanley.
The logistics of the operation were very difficult for the British. The fleet had to sail 13,000 kilometers south, straining its supply of fuel and even fresh water. The first landing on barren South Georgia, which was also included in the war, by special forces was repelled by bad weather alone. Bombing raids launched from Ascencion Island, 2,700 kilometers away, required multiple refuelings and had little effect on their targets. The Argentines were also hampered. Because all airstrips on the islands were too short for the fastest jet fighters, these had to operate from the mainland, 700 - 750 kilometers away, at the extreme end of their operational range.
When the vanguard of the British task force closed in in early May, the submarine HMS conqueror torpedoed the light cruiser Belgrano. Frightened, the Argentine navy retreated to their ports and did not see further action in the war, yielding sea dominance to the British fleet. However the latter were not safe, as was demonstrated by the sinking of a destroyer by one of Argentina's few Exocet missiles two days later. In response Britain sent two SAS teams into Argentina to sabotage the aircraft that launched the missiles, but neither team managed to reach its goal. Before the task force arrived, the Royal Navy was able to impose a blockade of the islands, restricting resupply of the Argentines to airlifts and prohibiting any supply of heavy weapons.
The Argentines concentrated most of their forces around the capital Stanley and its vital airstrip. In late May the British launched an amphibious assault near Port San Carlos, 80 kilometers northwest of Stanley. Argentine aircraft attacked the ships and managed to damage and sink several, along with nearly all British helicopters and some other equipment, though many bombs failed to detonate. The Harriers, equipped with more modern anti-air missiles, shot down a sizable portion of the attacking aircraft. The Argentine air force operated without naval support and the army too remained bottled up in its fortified positions. After a week, the British troops broke out of their beachhead and captured the hamlet of Goose Green, then slowly moved east towards Stanley. Deprived of transports, the soldiers were forced to carry much equipment on foot.
By June, the British were reinforced by 5,000 troops. Disorganization caused losses by Argentine air attacks and delayed the attack on Stanley, where 70% of the Argentine soldiers were waiting for them. When it was finally launched in mid June, the British liberated Stanley in three days, effectively ending the war.
Britain lost 255 soldiers and 3 civilians; Argentina 650 men. Both sides lost several ships and a few dozen aircraft. The political consequences stretched far wider. In Britain, the victory earned the conservative government a win in the next election; in Argentina, the junta lost power after a year. The Falkland Islands received extra economical investments; budget cuts for the Royal Navy were abandoned.
The British armed forces lacked good leadership, though still won the Falklands War on the ground because its troops were better trained. Yet the fight at sea and especially in the air was more important. If Argentina had postponed the attack until it had acquired more Super Etendard fighters and Exocet missiles and possibly sunk a British aircraft carrier or troop transport, the result would have been reversed. In general, a more determined and aggressive defense would have prolonged the war and could have stretched the British supply lines beyond breaking point.