|
Summary of Main
Participating Military Bases in Britain
NORTHWOOD (Task Force HQ)
 ROYAL NAVY
Culdrose
(HMS Seahawk)
Devonport (HMS Drake)
Faslane (HMS Neptune - SSN's)
Gosport (HMS Dolphin)
Portland (HMS Osprey)
Portsmouth (HMS Nelson)
Rosyth (HMS Cochrane)
Yeovilton (HMS Heron)
ROYAL MARINES
Arbroath
(45 Cdo RM)
Plymouth (3 Cdo Bde RM, incl. 40 & 42
Cdo)
RM Poole
BRITISH ARMY
Aldershot
(2 & 3 Para)
Church Crookham (1/7 Gurkhas)
Hereford (SAS)
London (2 Scots & 1 Welsh Guards)
Marchwood (RCT)
Middle Wallop (AAC)
Netheravon (AAC)
Sennybridge (5th Inf Bde training)
ROYAL AIR FORCE
Brize
Norton (VC10’s)
Coningsby (Phantoms)
Kinloss (Nimrod MR2’s)
Lyneham (Hercules)
Marham (Victors)
Odiham (Chinooks)
St Athan (maintenance)
St Mawgan (Nimrod MR1’s)
Waddingtons (Vulcans)
Wittering (Harrier GR3’s)
Wyton (Nimrod R1’s)
Summary of Main
British Commanders (Honours awarded in brackets)
| |
DEFENCE
STAFF, WHITEHALL,
LONDON
Admiral of the Fleet
Sir (later Baron) Terence
Lewin, Chief of the Defence
Staff,
Admiral Sir Henry Leach, Royal
Navy,
General Sir Edwin Bramall, Army,
Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael
Beetham, Royal Air Force TASK
FORCE COMMANDERS, NORTHWOOD
Admiral Sir John
Fieldhouse (GBE), Task Force
Commander,
Major General J J Moore (KCB) MC and bar
RM, Land Forces Deputy,
and later
Lieut General Sir Richard Trant,
Air Marshal Sir John Curtiss (KBE), Air
Commander,
Vice Admiral P G M Herbert, Flag
Officer Submarines
SOUTH
ATLANTIC COMMANDERS
Rear Admiral J F Woodward (KCB), Carrier
Battle Group,
Commodore M C Clapp (CB), Amphibious
Task Group,
Brigadier J H Thompson (CB) RM,
Landing Force Task Group and 3
Commando Brigade RM,
Followed by:
Major General Moore RM, Land
Forces Falklands Islands,
Brigadier M J A Wilson MC, 5th
Infantry Brigade
Eventual
British Casualties and Losses in Major
Equipment
Four warships and a
landing craft,
One fleet auxiliary and one
merchantman,
23 Navy, seven RAF, three Marine
and one Army helicopters and
aircraft.
One thousand of the men taking
part were killed or wounded.
|
| |
|
|
British Aims and
Outcome - Once the decision was taken to launch
"Operation Corporate" and dispute the Argentine
invasion by force if necessary, Britain's military power
was rapidly mobilised. Commanders were appointed and from
bases thoughout the country, the highly technological
ships and aircraft were readied and despatched to
transport and support a limited number of professional
Marines, Paras and Guardsmen. Fighting as infantrymen,
they re-took the Falklands the hard way, and at the end
of an 8,000 mile long logistical nightmare and lengthy
chain of command. Directly responsible to the British Cabinet
for all military aspects was the Defence Staff at
Whitehall not far from Downing Street with its Chief,
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Terence Lewin and the other
service heads. Working out of Northwood, Middlesex, just
outside London were the Task Force Commanders led by
Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse, Commander-in-Chief Fleet,
who in turn controlled events in the South Atlantic
through the commanders on the spot.
Taking part in this vast undertaking were
nearly 30,000 men and a few women, and a large proportion
of Britain's Navy and Marines, fleet auxiliaries and
merchantmen, aircraft and helicopter squadrons, plus five
Army battalions and supporting arms.
Nuclear-powered
hunter-killer submarine
HMS Conqueror, one of the first Royal Navy
warships to reach South Georgia and then the
Falklands area. She torpedoed and sank the
Argentine cruiser "General Belgrano" on
the
2nd May 1982 Up to the final Argentine
surrender, each of the ships, aircraft squadrons and main
military units, as they entered the South Atlantic for
the FIRST time in the campaign are introduced below. Ships lost are in
blue CAPITALS, damaged in lower case blue letters:
Submarines reaching the Falkland's
Area, early April to May
Nuclear
submarines "Spartan", "Splendid",
"Conqueror", "Courageous"(?),
"Valiant" and conventionally powered
"Onyx", with some SBS.
RAF Squadrons reaching or deploying
to Ascension, early April
to May
VC.10
transports of 10 Sqdn, Hercules transports of 24, 30,
47 and 70 Sqdns,
Nimrod maritime reconnaissance aircraft of 42(TB),
51(?), 120, 201 and 206 Sqdns,
Victor tankers of 55 and 57 Sqdns,
Vulcan bombers of 44, 50 and 101 Sqdns,
Harrier GR.3 attack aircraft of 1(F),
Chinook helicopter of 18 and a
Sea King of 202,
Phantom fighters of 29(F) Sqdns,
Units of the RAF Regiment.
South Georgia recaptured
("Operation Paraquat") on 25th April
Naval forces - Destroyer "Antrim", Frigates
"Brilliant", "Plymouth", Ice patrol ship
"Endurance", RFA's "Tidespring"
and (earlier) "Brambleleaf" and "Fort
Austin".
Land
forces - M Coy 42 Cdo RM, SBS RM and D Sqdn 22nd
SAS.
Carrier Battle Group starting attacks
on Falklands, 1st May
Naval forces - Carriers "Hermes",
"Invincible", Destroyers "Glamorgan",
"COVENTRY", "Glasgow",
"SHEFFIELD", Frigates "Broadsword",
"Alacrity", "Arrow", "Yarmouth" and
RFA's "Olmeda" and "Resource".
Joined later in May
by destroyer "Exeter", frigate
"Ambuscade" and RFA "Regent".
Carrier
aircraft - Sea
Harriers of Nos.800 and 801, anti-submarine and
assault Sea King helicopters of Nos.820, 826 and 846
NAS; and later, Sea Harriers of No.809 and RAF
Harrier GR.3's of 1(F) Squadrons.
Land
forces - SBS RM, D and G Sqdns
22nd SAS.
Amphibious Group reaching the TEZ,
followed by Landings in San Carlos Water
("Operation Sutton") on 21st May
Naval forces - including Assault ships
"Fearless", "Intrepid", Frigates "ARDENT",
"Argonaut" and later "ANTELOPE", RFA's "Stromness",
"Tidepool", LSL's "SIR
GALAHAD",
"Sir Geraint", "Sir Lancelot", "Sir Percivale", "Sir
Tristram" and
(later) "Sir Bedivere", Transports
"Canberra", "Elk", "Europic
Ferry", "Norland", and Aircraft and
helicopter support ship "ATLANTIC CONVEYOR".
Land
forces - 3 Commando Brigade RM including 40, 42 and 45
Cdo RM and 2 and 3 Para, and 3 CBAS Gazelle
and Scout helicopters.
Other Ships and Helicopter Squadrons
supporting the Task Force up to the End of May
At Ascension
RMAS mooring vessel "Goosander" and Tanker
"Alvega"; also Detached despatch vessel
"Dumbarton Castle".
Tanker
Holding Areas in the South Atlantic and in Tug,
Repair and Logistics Area (TRALA)
RFA tankers
"Appleleaf", Pearleaf and
"Plumleaf" plus Tankers "Anco
Charger", "Eburna", Eight British
Petroleum "British" tankers, and Water
tanker "Fort Toronto".
Operating
in Falklands area
Hospital ship "Uganda" and Ambulance ships
"Hecla", "Herald" and
"Hydra" in Red Cross Box (RCB), Repair ship
"Stena Seaspread" and Tugs
"Irishman", "Salvageman",
"Yorkshireman" in TRALA.
Reaching
South Georgia
Requisitioned minesweepers "Cordella",
"Farnella", "Junella",
"Northella" and "Pict", RFA
tanker "Blue Rover", RMAS tug
"Typhoon", Detached despatch vessels
"Iris" and "Leeds Castle", Ammo
ship "Lycaon" and Stores ship
"Saxonia".
Other
Helicopters
Sea Kings of No.824 and also 846, Wessex of Nos.737,
845 and 848, Lynx of No.815 and Wasps of No.829 NAS
on warships, RFA's and merchantmen, together with one
RAF Chinook of 18 Sqdn.
"Bristol" Group arriving in
TEZ, late May
Destroyers
"Bristol", "Cardiff", Frigates
"Active", "Avenger",
"Andromeda", "Minerva",
"Penelope", RFA's "Bayleaf" and
"Olna".
5th Infantry Brigade reaching South
Atlantic late May to join
Advance on Stanley, early June
Land forces - 5th Infantry Brigade including 2 Scots and 1
Welsh Guards, 1/7 Gurkha Rifles and Gazelle and Scout
helicopters of 656 Sqdn AAC.
Transports - "Queen Elizabeth
2", "Baltic Ferry" and "Nordic
Ferry".
Other Ships and Helicopter Squadrons
arriving to support Task Force up to
Surrender
RFA's
"Engadine" and "Fort Grange",
Merchantmen "Atlantic Causeway",
"Balder London", "Contender
Bezant", "Geestport", "St.
Edmund", "Tor Caledonia" and
"Wimpey Seahorse",
Sea Kings of No.825 and Wessex of No.847 NAS.
|
