POTD: The Falklands Conflict – 1982

Eric B
by Eric B
THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL – JUNE 1982 (FKD 169) A British sentry wearing full camouflage defends the landing site at San Carlos with a 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun. A landing craft from HMS FEARLESS is in the background. Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205189464

Our Photo Of The Day goes back in time, to The Falklands Conflict in 1982. I wonder how many of our readers were even born then, some 40 years ago? The Falklands War between Argentina and the United Kingdom went on for ten weeks until Argentina surrendered. In total 907 people lost their lives.

The caption for the picture above reads: “A British sentry wearing full camouflage defends the landing site at San Carlos with a 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun. A landing craft from HMS FEARLESS is in the background.” (Copyright: © IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205189464)

THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982 (FKD 409) Two Royal Marines of 40 Commando defend the landing site at San Carlos with a Browning .5 machine gun. A landing craft from HMS INTREPID is in the background. Copyright: IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205188146
THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982 (FKD 346) A 0.5 inch Browning machine gun defends 5 Infantry Brigade's landing at San Carlos on 2 June 1982. Copyright: IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205189240
THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT APRIL - JUNE 1982 (FKD 394) The San Carlos landings on 21 May 1982. Two Royal Marines of 40 Commando keep watch at dawn, armed with a 7.62mm General Purpose machine gun, on board the P & O liner CANBERRA. HMS FEARLESS is in the background. Copyright: IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205188144
THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982 (FKD 382) Royal Marines of 40 Commando practice exiting from a Westland Sea King HC.4 at Wideawake Airport during the two weeks they spent training and reorganising at Ascension Island. Copyright: IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205188137

All photos and captions: Imperial War Museums

Eric B
Eric B

Ex-Arctic Ranger. Competitive practical shooter and hunter with a European focus. Always ready to increase my collection of modern semi-automatics, optics, thermals and suppressors. TCCC Certified. Occasionaly seen in a 6x6 Bug Out Vehicle, always with a big smile.

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  • Wolfgar Wolfgar on Dec 13, 2022

    I remember when the SAS used the (Stoner rifle) as they called it and went back to their L1A1 after they shot an Argentine soldier multiple times without much effect. Their words not mine. Many British soldiers also swapped their L1A1 rifles with the captured Argentine FN FAL's because they were full auto..It was written about in this excellent book.https:// www.abebooks.com/9780704334...

    • Jonathan Ferguson Jonathan Ferguson on Dec 15, 2022

      @Wolfgar They called it the 'Armalite' and did not in fact switch back to the L1A1 - individual troopers may have at the time and place, but the SAS stuck with the platform from 1964 to date.

  • Laurie Holland Laurie Holland on Dec 14, 2022

    Here's another excellent book about this war: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Re... Then RM Major Ewen Southby-Taylyor commanded the landing craft detachment. He'd also been the immediate preceding CO of Naval Party 8901, the pre-war permanent military presence. Max Hastings, the journalist and historian describes him as a man born out of his time - he should have been a privateer in Elizabeth I's reign. He somehow fiddled the cost of transporting his sailing boat from the the UK to the Falklands and explored many of the inlets and coves mapping them, making him a key intelligence source on the invasion plan.

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