Logistics
Sea King helicopter delivering supplies (Soldier Magazine)
Fought far from home bases, supply was a deciding factor in the conflict. The Royal Navy needed to maintain an extended supply line to support the invasion force. Harsh conditions at sea and on land hampered the movement of men, machines and stores.
The few helicopters available were used for casualty evacuation and ammunition supply. Rations took second place, and troops often went without. It took 45 Sea King helicopter trips to move a battery of six 105mm guns, their crews, and equipment along with 1,000 rounds of ammunition.
There were few tracks and no roads outside the main settlements. Local agricultural vehicles were utilised at the San Carlos bridgehead and along the line of march to Stanley. The terrain and the threat of mines hampered the few tracked vehicles that were available such as the Scimitar and Scorpion tanks of the Blues and Royals.
Over snow tracked vehicle. NAM 2004-12-35-9
Without sufficient helicopters or vehicles, infantry had to carry their own support weapons, ammunition, survival equipment and rations. Crossing peat bog, tussock grass and rocky hills was a feat when weighed down with bergens (rucksacks), weapons and ammunition.
Royal Marines mortar team in action on Mount Kent. NAM 1988-09-13-27
Weather made operations difficult. Snow, rain and fog could follow sunshine in quick succession, and the wind was constant.
In contrast Argentina could easily build up her forces and defences on the Islands using the airport at Stanley, stockpiling weapons, ammunition and supplies. Despite this advantage, the Argentine forces had piles of kit, weapons and ammunition that were never used in the conflict because of poor logistics.
Medicine
Westland Scout casevac (casualty evacuation) helicopter (Soldier Magazine)
Commonplace medical problems were faced daily. Lack of cover left nowhere to get dry and exposure and the old enemy ‘trench foot’ were constant threats. Many men used privately-purchased footwear. The natural water available was sterilised but the peaty liquid still caused stomach upsets, nicknamed 'Galtieri’s Revenge' after the Argentine dictator.
British forces showed a high standard of battle first-aid. Every wounded man, British and Argentine, who arrived at Surgeon Commander Rick Jolly’s dressing station at Ajax Bay survived. It was nicknamed ‘The Red and Green Life Machine’.
Intense media coverage of attacks at sea led to an unprecedented level of interest in the stories of those wounded by war. Guardsman Simon Weston, badly burned on the Sir Galahad, figured for many as a symbol of the fortitude of the common soldier. Other wounds were not as visible. Many of the soldiers who fought in the Falklands War are still dealing with the trauma it caused.
Media
Reporters writing copy in the Falklands (Soldier magazine)
Media correspondents were ‘embedded’ - or allowed to accompany the troops - so they could report the war. They were sympathetic to the men on the ground but resentment has long been felt by service personnel about the publication of key tactical information.
In Argentina and Britain the popular press used provocative language and images that generated support for the war.
The pictures of burning and broken ships had a profound effect on people at home. But it was the human cost that the media recorded so vividly – the wounded evacuated from HMS Sheffield, the burial of the dead from Goose Green and the burns casualties at Bluff Cove. The reality of war was delivered by television to people’s living rooms.
Politics
Burial of Argentine dead (Soldier Magazine)
Victory in the Falklands ensured a landslide Conservative victory in the 1983 General Election. Political casualties included the Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, who resigned with his ministers at the beginning of the conflict. Controversy over the sinking of the General Belgrano continued.
While the achievement of the Task Force was admired, the human and economic cost of war meant that any display of triumph was met with considerable disapproval. Despite criticism, Mrs Thatcher’s international reputation as the ‘Iron Lady’ was reinforced and national pride bolstered.
Democracy was restored to Argentina in 1983 after the fall of the discredited Junta. To date, Argentina has not given up its claim to the Malvinas.
Proposed defence cuts had been discredited by the rapid and effective response of the Armed Forces. Accusations were common, as they are today, that the Services were not funded effectively to deliver operational requirements.
Defence Secretary John Nott did not return to office in 1983, but defended policies that had been based on economic conditions and the military needs of the Cold War and not on the ‘peripheral issue’ of the Falklands. The defence budget remains a controversial issue.
"The iron law of defence policy remains unaltered. It is dictated not by defence but by money. And the highest price, as always, is paid by the poor bloody infantry when the guns begin to shoot"
Simon Jenkins, The Sunday Times, 11 March 2007
