Airfix 05205 Falklands Warships

The Falklands War, Spanish Guerra de las Malvinas ) was fought between April and June 1982. Its main cause was Argentine aggression and Argentina's occupation of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. The British government, led by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, decided to retake the islands and not succumb to aggression. The decision to recapture the islands from Argentinian hands was made on April 2, 1982. A special British squadron was formed very quickly, consisting of, among others, aircraft carriers HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes, destroyers: HMS Bristol and class 42 units (e.g. HMS Sheffield or HMS HMS Cardiff) and numerous frigates of classes 21, 22, Leander and Rothesay. In the course of the operation in the Falkland Islands, the Royal Navy lost several units - primarily the destroyer HMS Sheffield, "in return" with the sinking of the cruiser General Belgrano. It also showed superiority over the Argentinean Navy. From a military point of view, the war showed the necessity to rearm the Royal Navy units - primarily with artillery means of direct defense, but it also proved the great role of naval aviation armed with guided missiles. From a political point of view, it ended in the defeat of Argentina, the collapse of the military junta that ruled there, and a sharp increase in support for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.