In human history, no country can always stand at the top of the world, and no country can always be a superpower. When Britain was the empire on which the sun never set, it occupied a territory as large as the United States when it was at its most powerful. But when it declined,

In human history, no country can always stand at the top of the world, and no country can always be a superpower.

When Britain was the empire on which the sun never set, when it was at its most powerful, it occupied a territory as large as the United States. But when it declined, even its original colonies were powerless.

They fought with the colonial Argentina for a remote archipelago.

Argentina was defeated as expected and lost ownership of the island, but Britain lost its future and let the world see its weakness .

Transferring wars caused by domestic problems

In 1981, with the development of the world economy, Argentina's inflation rate reached more than 600%, gross domestic product (GDP) dropped by 11.4%, manufacturing output dropped by 22.9%, and wages increased. But only 19.2%.

Under this circumstance, the domestic situation began to become unstable. The inactive military government was opposed by the trade unions with more and more supporters.

Faced with low income, they decided to launch a long-term general strike and demanded that the government make corresponding policies to improve the domestic situation.

When faced with domestic general strikes and economic problems, Argentina's leader at the time, Leopoldo Galtieri, , did not choose to solve them through economic means, but chose another path.

He believes that choosing a clean and victorious war to divert the public's focus and alleviate the domestic crisis is the best way.

On March 19, 1982, a group of scrap hardware dealers hired by the Argentine government forcibly landed on South Georgia Island.

They established a camp on the island according to ancient rules and raised the Argentine flag to promote that this place belongs to Argentina.

The British government was very angry after receiving the news and immediately sent the Royal Icebreaker Endurance to demolish the camp.

I don’t know whether it is confidence in my own strength or disdain for Argentina. The Endurance only has two 20mm Oerlikon cannons and two Wasp helicopters.

This armed force is fine for intimidating ordinary businessmen, but it is of no use to the disguised Argentine soldiers.

And at that time, Argentine Navy warships had secretly dropped off 100 soldiers in advance. They also forced a landing and established a defense line around the camp.

When the British Royal Navy landed, they found that the number of people in Argentina was several times greater than theirs. They did not launch an attack, but quietly retreated.

They returned to the icebreaker and told the top brass of the British military the news. After receiving the news, the British military immediately held a meeting to find a solution.

At the same time, the British government sent officials to conduct diplomatic mediation with the Argentine government, hoping to resolve the matter through diplomatic means.

Faced with the aggressive Argentine government, the United Kingdom still believed that they did not dare to take the initiative to launch an attack. After all, the United Kingdom won the victory of World War II .

However, there are various signs that Argentina does not care about this at all. They just want to resolve domestic conflicts as soon as possible.

A useless battle

html On April 2, Argentina announced that it would send troops to occupy the Falklands , and the Falklands War officially broke out.

News of the Argentine army's occupation of the Falklands spread back to the country. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in front of the presidential palace and chanted slogans. In their enthusiasm, the people seemed to have forgotten the severe domestic economic problems.

When the British in Europe learned that the Falklands were occupied, the entire society felt very humiliated, especially the people who had experienced World War II.

Three national television channels, four national radio stations and 39 local radio stations owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation and the Independent Broadcasting Organization have interrupted normal programs and repeatedly broadcast the news of the fall of the Falklands.The front page of " Daily Mail " was printed with two big black characters: "Shame!"

While exerting diplomatic pressure, the United Kingdom also quickly dispatched a naval task force to fight against the Argentinian navy. Air Force Attack.

And the British Royal Space Service began to station at Widiawick Air Force Base in the Atlantic Ocean. The McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 fighter-bombers responsible for escort, the Vulcan bombers of 44 Squadron , and a fleet of Victory aerial tankers.

The British responded quickly with the mentality of solving the war once and for all.

At that time, the British Special Air Service planned to conduct the first landing on April 21, and the remaining British troops were preparing to land on the next day.

As a result, their luck was very bad. As they were preparing to airborne, they felt that the wind on the sea was getting stronger and stronger, even as high as 32 miles per hour, and the visibility was getting lower and lower. In order to protect their own safety, they initiated a retreat signal.

Not only them, the two helicopters cooperating in the operation also encountered danger. One crashed in the thick fog, and the other barely returned to a safe place.

After some probing attacks, both parties hurt each other and figured out each other's attitude.

html On the night of May 21st, under the cover of weather, the British troops landed on the north shore of East Falkland Island. They quietly walked onto the beach and established a safe beachhead.

As the leader of the advance team, Brigadier General Thomson planned to capture Darwin and Erlu first, and then Port Stanley.

Soon, the Argentine army in the Falklands became aware of the news. They sent Canberra bombers to use night bombing to fight against it.

But after all, Argentina's strength in the air is not as good as that of the old power Britain, and it has been at a disadvantage in several conflicts.

In this way, the supply line from Argentina to the Falklands can only be maintained by air, which greatly increases the difficulty of logistical supply.

May 25, which is Argentina’s National Day, in order to celebrate the arrival of the National Day, the Argentine Air Force went out with all its strength.

has dispatched a total of about 200 aircraft sorties, and achieved the results of sinking the destroyer "Coventry" and the ro-ro ship "Atlantic Conveyor", damaging 1 destroyer , and 1 frigate.

Among them, the sinking of the "Atlantic Conveyor" was one of the most significant losses of the British task force . Three of the only four Chinook heavy transport helicopters were lost with the ship, which greatly affected the British army's supply to the shore. ability.

But after all, Britain is a country with comprehensive development of sea, land and air. They also dispatched special forces to cooperate, promoted the operation in a planned way, and successfully airborne to the Falklands.

In order to cooperate with the actions of the special forces, the British army began to launch a series of attacks, requiring the occupation of the Falklands as soon as possible.

html In June, when the British army broke through the last natural defense line of Argentina, the defenders guarding the Falklands began to become hesitant, with surrender and resistance constantly switching in their minds.

html On June 14, Major General Menendez, commander of the Argentine garrison, surrendered to Major General Moore of the Royal Marines. 9,800 Argentine soldiers became prisoners of war, declaring Argentina's failure.

The failure of this war also led to a larger anti-government movement in Argentina. When the war used to divert conflicts is useless, there will be a greater backlash.

Ending

Although it won the Falklands War, it was more like the last roar of a declining empire. It fought for its former dignity, but it no longer had the strength it once had.

After all, Argentina has turned its face on Britain. Under extremely unequal conditions, Britain has to use force to win dignity for itself.

Therefore, when Mrs. Thatcher , known as the Iron Lady , came to China and tried to use force to threaten the colonial ownership issue, she had to give up after careful consideration.

Looking at all the super empires in history, they will not collapse instantly. Instead, after problems accumulate bit by bit and straws are stacked one after another, when the last straw appears, this super empire will be crushed.