Key Facts
- Duration
- 74 days (2 April – 14 June 1982)
- Total killed
- 907 (649 Argentine, 255 British, 3 civilian)
- Conflict start
- Argentine invasion of Falkland Islands
- British response
- Naval task force dispatched 5 April 1982
- Sovereignty dispute origin
- British Crown colony since 1841
Strategic Narrative Overview
Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982, seizing South Georgia the following day. Britain dispatched a naval task force and, after a period of diplomatic failure, retook South Georgia on 25 April. British forces landed amphibiously at San Carlos Bay in late May, then advanced overland, defeating Argentine forces at Goose Green and around Stanley in a series of engagements before Argentina surrendered on 14 June.
01 / The Origins
Argentina long claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which had been a British Crown colony since 1841 and populated predominantly by British-descended settlers. In April 1982, Argentina's ruling military junta ordered an invasion, describing it as the reclamation of national territory. The action reflected both long-standing nationalist grievances and the junta's desire to shore up domestic support amid economic hardship and political unrest.
03 / The Outcome
Argentina's surrender on 14 June 1982 returned the Falkland Islands to British control. The defeat discredited Argentina's military government, triggering large public protests that accelerated a return to civilian democracy. In Britain, the Conservative government of Margaret Thatcher won a landslide re-election the following year. Diplomatic relations were restored in 1989, though the sovereignty dispute remained unresolved, and Argentina enshrined its claim in its 1994 constitution.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Leopoldo Galtieri, Mario Menéndez.
Side B
1 belligerent
Margaret Thatcher, Sandy Woodward, Jeremy Moore.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.