[EyeBrock]

The top one was either Ardent or the Arrow. The Argies set the fuses on their 1000 pounders too short, the bomb eventually went off.

The BBC (bless 'em) advised them of that fact and they made sure they were set to 50 feet after that. Ah, freedom of the press.

The rest are the Shiny Sheff. Bad days.

[Gunnair]

Last one is Coventry, I think.

Ardent is in two of the photos. What a mess.

[2Cdo]

Gunnair Gunnair:

See, we don't always disagree.

He just makes it too easy.

[EyeBrock]

Gunnair Gunnair:

Last one is Coventry, I think.

Ardent is in two of the photos. What a mess.

Ah, that makes sense. I was in Ascension Island when the guys from the Ardent were medi-vacced back. I was just about to deploy when the Sheff got zapped. I got there about half-way through the air-strikes on the Fleet.

[BartSimpson]

Gunnair Gunnair:

Wonder if the uber patriots still want to have their military rush out to a shooting war while they watch it on youtube?

No offense, brother, but it's not the UK starting this up again.

[CommanderSock]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/ar ... 8f0bc0.2d1

The Kirchner's don't want war.

$1:

Argentina seeks to lessen tensions over Falklands
(AFP) – 16 hours ago
BUENOS AIRES — Argentina pledged to use diplomatic channels to protest British military exercises near the disputed Falkland Islands that have provoked new tensions between London and Buenos Aires.
"We are very concerned by this acceleration or provocation by the United Kingdom, but we are not going to fall for any provocation and we will not stray from the law, diplomacy and peace," Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman told reporters.
He said Argentina had not been informed ahead of time about the British military exercises around the disputed territory, which Buenos Aires calls the Malvinas Islands.
The Foreign Office has said the exercises are "routine" and have "been carried out every six months for the last 28 years."
But Argentina on Saturday decried the maneuvers and military build-up as an "unacceptable provocation," and on Monday lodged a formal complaint with the United Nations in response.
The country's UN envoy Jorge Arguello told Argentine radio he had delivered a letter of protest to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, a copy of which had been given to the British embassy in Buenos Aires.
President Cristina Kirchner has denounced the exercises as a "militarization of the South Atlantic" and warned that the maneuvers could spark an arms race in the region.
She posted several messages on the social networking site Twitter, including one describing the British moves as "typical 19th century colonialism."
On Tuesday, the twelve-member Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) issued a statement "expressing its most formal and energetic protest" against the British operation, "demanding the British government to abstain" from carrying them out.
The statement, issued in Quito -- Ecuador currently holds the group's rotating presidency -- adds that the regional group reiterates its "firm support for the legitimate rights" of Argentina over the archipelago, and the regional interest for a peaceful resolution to the dispute.
Around 3,000 people live on the barren South Atlantic islands, which lie 450 kilometers (280 miles) off the Argentine coast.
Britain has held the archipelago since 1833. In 1982, Argentina's military junta invaded, prompting a short but bloody war that left 649 Argentine troops and 255 British troops dead.
Copyright © 2010 AFP. All rights reserved. More »

Edit: Then again I doubt the Junta of Argentina bothered to read up on their Clausewitz before their half assed attempt to take the Islands. If they wanted to really take them, they should have committed a real force.

[EyeBrock]

Argentina stationed 10,000 troops on the Falklands.

It fielded 220 combat aircraft against the joint RN/RAF Harrier force of less than 40 aircraft.

The Argie Air force sank four UK warships and damaged thirteen others, some badly.

It’s navy had a carrier group with support ships but was reluctant to expose itself to further losses after a RN sub sank the Belgrano.

It's naval strike aircraft were well used against British targets and inflicted considerable damage.

I’d say they committed a ‘real force’.

[CommanderSock]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

Argentina stationed 10,000 troops on the Falklands.

It fielded 220 combat aircraft against the joint RN/RAF Harrier force of less than 40 aircraft.

The Argie Air force sank four UK warships and damaged thirteen others, some badly.

It’s navy had a carrier group with support ships but was reluctant to expose itself to further losses after a RN sub sank the Belgrano.

It's naval strike aircraft were well used against British targets and inflicted considerable damage.

I’d say they committed a ‘real force’.

In terms of hardware they seemed committed, but 10,000 troops seems a bit on the short side.

Argentina's junta seemed to forget it's the UK it was dealing with, not some banana republic. They were dealing with a superpower that could mop the floor with them in the water.

But you are by far more experienced on these issues so I won't get into an argument over the Argentine military prep. Rather I'd ask the question, wasn't 10,000 troops a bit on the short side?

[EyeBrock]

It's a little Island.

Ten thousand troops is a lot.

The British Garrison currently is about 500 pongos with another 200 or so RAF and RN.

The base at Mount Pleasant can accommodate up to 8000 troops which is about how many the Brits have in Afghanistan.

The Falklands rely on a rapid re-force from the UK rather than thousands of troops watching the sheep tread on mines.

I also think the UK's superpower days ended around 1956. The Falklands War was a closer run thing that a lot of people think. We should have lost a lot more ships than we did, we were lucky.

Also our troops were better trained, had active duty experience and were better led, but it wasn’t a totally one-sided ground war. The Argie special forces gave our guys a few surprises and their regular army troops held their ground. The conscripts were not up to much admittedly.

[BartSimpson]

CommanderSock CommanderSock:

The Kirchner's don't want war.

Then they need to respect British sovereignty over territory that was British before Argentina ever existed.

Period.

[Gunnair]

BartSimpson BartSimpson:

Gunnair Gunnair:

Wonder if the uber patriots still want to have their military rush out to a shooting war while they watch it on youtube?

No offense, brother, but it's not the UK starting this up again.

I hear ya. I'm talking about the uber patriots in Canada wanting to run out firing harpoons.

[Dragom]

A change is as good as a break.

A stand up naval conflict might make a good change of pace from the glorified social services house call that is Afghanistan.

And it would be a good excuse to increase naval spending that arctic thing we keep talking about and not doing anything about.

[Gunnair]

Dragom Dragom:

A change is as good as a break.

A stand up naval conflict might make a good change of pace from the glorified social services house call that is Afghanistan.

And it would be a good excuse to increase naval spending that arctic thing we keep talking about and not doing anything about.

Are you suggesting Canada send a naval task force to support a British shooting war in the Falklands?

Really?

[Dragom]

Gunnair Gunnair:

Dragom Dragom:

A change is as good as a break.

A stand up naval conflict might make a good change of pace from the glorified social services house call that is Afghanistan.

And it would be a good excuse to increase naval spending that arctic thing we keep talking about and not doing anything about.

Are you suggesting Canada send a naval task force to support a British shooting war in the Falklands?

Really?

Your right, we should just focus on getting ready to support the next American war.

Wherever it takes place.

[Gunnair]

Dragom Dragom:

Gunnair Gunnair:

Dragom Dragom:

A change is as good as a break.

A stand up naval conflict might make a good change of pace from the glorified social services house call that is Afghanistan.

And it would be a good excuse to increase naval spending that arctic thing we keep talking about and not doing anything about.

Are you suggesting Canada send a naval task force to support a British shooting war in the Falklands?

Really?

Your right, we should just focus on getting ready to support the next American war.

Wherever it takes place.