Argentina Invades Falklands: War with Britain Begins
Argentina's military junta launched Operation Rosario on April 2, 1982, landing 600 marines on the Falkland Islands and overwhelming the 68 Royal Marines defending the capital, Stanley. The junta, led by General Leopoldo Galtieri, calculated that Britain would not fight for remote islands 8,000 miles from home. They were catastrophically wrong. Margaret Thatcher dispatched a naval task force within three days. The resulting 74-day war cost 649 Argentine and 255 British lives. Britain's decisive victory sealed the junta's fate; Galtieri was removed from power within days, and Argentina returned to civilian democratic rule by 1983. The conflict remains a source of intense national feeling in both countries.
April 2, 1982
44 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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