Episode 6 – The Argentinians invade the Falklands on 2nd April 1982

The Argentinians have just landed commandos and attacked the Marine Barracks at Moody Brook, but missed their target as the 40 specialist brit soldiers have been on the move for more than a day already. 

As your heard last episode, the British finally managed to get a warning to their Falklands Governor, Rex Hunt, a few hours before the Argentinian fleet anchored off Port Stanley. 

Argentinian Rear-Admiral Büsser had been studying the problems of landing at the Falklands since January 1982 and the commandos had carried out the first obvious mission – to strike at the Marine Barracks “by surprise and without bloodshed” he told author Martin Middlebrook.

Büsser’s original plan was to land the Amphibious Commando Company during the night on a beach two miles south of Stanley, then to march overland and seize the barracks along with other key points in the town. The main landing force would then come ashore at dawn with an army platoon sent ahead to capture Government House and the governor, while the marines completed the sweep of Stanley. 

A small plane would fly from the mainland once the island was secure, and its occupants would prepare the airport for the arrival of a much larger army contingent which would replace the landing force and form the first garrison. 

Two more platoons were to be transported by helicopter from the Almirante Irizar to occupy Goose Green and Darwin area. 

However, he hit a snag. Firstly, there was no surprise, his own state radio had told everyone the night before that by dawn the Falklands would “be ours”. So the beach was going to be defended and the airport runway likely blocked. Worse, the Puma helicopter that was supposed to be used on board the Almirante Irizar  had broken loose in its hangar during the raging storm you heard about last episode and was damaged. 

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