A Military History of the Falklands War Part 1: Air-Sea Battle in the South Atlantic
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 พ.ค. 2024
- For the student of military history, the Falklands War is an endlessly fascinating conflict. This reasonably minor and limited conflict is a true microcosm of modern warfare. Special forces operations, missile armed jet combat, aircraft carrier battle, strategic bomber raids, nuclear submarines, Anti-Ship Cruise Missile strikes, amphibious assaults and set piece infantry battles; the Falklands has it all. One of the few conventional, high intensity peer conflicts of the modern era, the Falklands provides an almost unique window through which to understand modern warfare, especially in the naval sphere. But despite how interesting the conflict is from a miliary history perspective, the Falklands was still a war, one which took the lives of hundreds of people and demanded countless acts of gallantry. After all, a limited war is, nonetheless, still a war, and thus the Falklands should not be underestimated. It was, at times, every bit as brutal as its far larger historical analogues.
This video is the first in a two part military history of the Falklands War, which primarily focuses on the air and sea battle which took place during April and May of 1982. It covers the Argentine invasion of the Falklands, the wider strategic background, diplomacy, and then the major air and naval battles, including the sinking of the cruiser Belgrano, the loss of HMS Sheffield, the Black Buck raids, Operation Paraquet and finally the Battle of San Carlos, including the landing of the amphibious force and the week long air battle which would give the area the name "bomb alley". Part 2 of this series covers the following land campaign, through the breakout from San Carlos to the battle of Goose Green, then through to the final engagements around Stanley. The primary source material utilized in this series is the British Official History, which has been supplemented with numerous other sources, many of which were Argentine.
0:00 The Argentine Invasion: Operation Rosario
17:56 Strategic Background: Argentine Nationalism, British Imperialism and a Historic Period of Decline
46:22 Gathering the Task Force
1:09:57 Preliminary Intelligence Assessments
1:23:44 Diplomacy and Washington
1:35:34 Operation Paraquet: The Battle of South Georgia
1:56:07 Operation Black Buck and the Opening of the Air War
2:09:15 Belgrano and Sheffield
2:40:51 Shaping the Battlespace: MI6, Special Forces Raids and the Sea Dart Missile Trap
3:02:35 Operation Sutton: D-Day at San Carlos
3:24:08 Bomb Alley: The Battle of San Carlos
> 4 hour video
> part 1
the level of detail is simply nutty, these videos are so good
2:12:03 This Sea Harrier was a mission co-ordinated by Sharkey Ward. He tasked Ian 'Morts' Mortimer (RAF) to fly westwards and scan an area with Blue Fox. This one incident is what sent the whole Argentine Navy back to port. Why? Because it Morts' Sea Harrier picked up the radar signature of the Sea Dart and this it was a Type 42. If if was a Type 42 it was going to be on consert with the Argentine carrier. This meant a pincer movement was underway
This is just one of many missions and procedures Sharkey tasked 801 to conduct. Something that was not done by 800 on Hermes.
2:12:03 This Sea Harrier was a mission co-ordinated by Sharkey Ward. He tasked Ian 'Morts' Mortimer (RAF) to fly westwards and scan an area with Blue Fox. This one incident is what sent the whole Argentine Navy back to port. Why? Because it was Morts' Sea Harrier that picked up the radar signature of the Sea Dart and this was thus going to be a Type 42. If if was a Type 42 it was going to be in concert with the Argentine carrier. This meant a pincer movement was underway.
This is just one of many missions and procedures Sharkey tasked 801 to conduct. Something that was not done by 800 on Hermes.
if you call "so good" a bunch of lies and BS propaganda, I have a bridge to sell you... educate yourself dude, do not swallow the first BS you see on YT !
Perhaps - but getting the name and nationality of the pilot of the Black Buck 1 Vulcan incorrect is a bit embarrassing... th-cam.com/video/lHmd4xVeQj4/w-d-xo.htmlsi=sWWHzaX0bxpxAC6t&t=7310
//;*;*;;*;*;*;;*;//.
This is possibly the best Falklands war video on TH-cam. I've watched it 3 times. Can't wait for part 2.
this is my 3rd time watching :p
Meh too much rhetoric and trying to justify the Royal Navy's actions instead of just speaking factual truth. A true example of history being written by the victor.
@@hulkkrogan420 What parts did he get wrong then?
idk dawg i think you need to get a girlfriend
"The Century of Warfare" (1993) is the finest, most well narrated war documentary I've ever seen, it's the gold standard.
And it is amazing to me that an Aussie with a YT channel is consistently producing content on-par with that.
The research, scope, narrative and the delivery, they are all top notch; I wasn't even interested in half the conflicts documented on the channel, not until I watched or listened to the videos anyway.
I am sure it's a ton of effort goes into each "episode" but the results really speak for themselves, thank you for sharing on public domain and please keep up the amazing work.
I agree completely. His videos on Australian defence doctrine and policy are brilliant.
I'm amazed an Aussie managed to make a TH-cam channel.
Don’t be fooled into thinking everyone from a place is a stereotype, that’s Racist!
Don’t be fooled into thinking, everyone from a place is a stereotype, that’s Racist!
@@flashgordon6670 I'm talking about the fauna. Imagine having to make this while dodging drop bears.
This channel has some of the best historical breakdowns of battles just about anywhere on the Internet & I'm very happy to see a two-parter on the Falklands War.
Any idea when part 2 is coming ?
@@paulfincham7761 unfortunately his drops are quite random, I don't believe he ever mentions it in the video
I think it’s a six parter 😂
@@TheT-lv4mt oh boy we're going to be talking about the Falklands until 2030 in that case... And I'm totally down with that!
As an american who cares way too much about the falklands war, this is awesome
The real pity was a senior member of 801 Squadron was a USMC pilot who phoned the US Embassy and told them he was going to be out of the country for a while to go and help the British retake the Falklands. The Guy at the Embassy told him "No, You're not!!!!".
Sickening that Reagan shared Intel with Argentina without obviously telling London.. ☘️
@@DaveSCameronand biden will do the same thing
It would be the same with Trump but it doesn't matter as there is not gonna be another invasion. Argentina is incapable of any military over that could threaten the Falklands. @@LukSter18998
@@LukSter18998are argentina and london going to war again?
I don't understand how sinking a combat vessel of a nation that has occupied your territory can be considered a warcrime. I don't see anyone complaining about the sinking of the slava class cruiser moscow?
Bc the ship wasn’t in the exclusion zone.
The Argentinian Captain agreed it was justified as he was ordered to engage British warships and was manoeuvring threaten our aircraft carriers. All said Rest in peace ARA General Belgrano and her crew,former USS Phoenix, pearl harbour survivor.
@@flashgordon6670 I have read that it was explained to the Argentine government that if the UK forces felt something was a threat that was outside the exclusion zone, it could also be attacked. But anyway I don't see why they couldn't just extend the zone if they wanted to. As long as it had some kind of military purpose and wasn't just killing for the sake of it. That would be a crime I think.
That's what I heard anyway. Could be wrong. 🪷
@@flashgordon6670 That exclusion zone had no international legal status, it was created by the British military as a way to manage their military theatre of operations to prevent diplomatic complications if a 3rd party or Argentine civilian freight traffic was impacted. It was a way to get around the more complicated diplomatic status of a blockage and sanctions, I mean why would the British create an exclusion zone so that the Argentine military could go anywhere outside it as they pleased and unchallenged? I mean think about it. Stupid logic. The only reason why the Argentine leadership then and nationalists still bang on about it today is they were embarrassed by the loss of the flagship and large loss of life after starting an unprovoked war.
@@user-oo8xp2rf1kJesus its not hard to grasp, it was even explained in the video, the exclusion zone was created by the British to streamline their own rules of engagement and to make the movement of Argentine bound freight traffic more complicated as it was calculated that an outright blockade would be diplomatically unpopular, it had nothing to do with Argentina or International Law. Bleating on about a warship being sunk during a war being a war crime is just beyond bizarre and shows how completely brain-washed the nationalists of Argentina had become.
Been looking forward to this one, the Falklands conflict is fascinating.
Yeah I agree.I think a lot of the reason for it being such a fascinating conflict to study is the fact that it was a 'warriors war' which wasn't tainted by civilian deaths and atrocities.There were unfortunately 3 civlian deaths,but had the British landed at (or near)Stanley, the number would have been undoubtedly a lot higher, which is one of the reasons they chose to land on the other side of the island.
Nice... you just ruined my plans for the next few hours.. well done, Sir. Much appreciated
A friend of mine was an RAF helicopter pilot during this time and according to him, the presence of tactical nuclear weapons was not incidental. They were being used to threaten Soviet submarines, he claimed that they carried them regularly and referred to them as a bucket of instant sunshine.
Correction, Royal Navy helicopter pilot.
Nuc Depth Charge?
Yeah, and my neighbour's dog was befriended with a cat of a guy who knew the milkman who delivered cottage cheese to sub base 🤮🤮🤮
@@Ansset0Just because you don’t know anybody involved that doesn’t mean others don’t. What do you think - that none of the military personnel involved had any friends? Newsflash lil annsie, the world doesn’t revolve around you.
Yeah and I’m Ronald Reagan.
An incredible piece of work. I've watched everything on TH-cam re. The Falkland war but nothing is as comprehensive as this.
Thank you for your outstanding effort 👌
Looking forward to part II
You have ruined youtube for me. Nothing and no one makes content as detailed, interesting, and well presented as you. There are other channels, like perun, who are of course fantastic. But there is no one i have found that does military history like you do. You both inspire me, and make me more disappointed with the lack of other military history content of a similar level of excellence on youtube
Animarchy also does high quality, long-form naval history, but he generally focuses on naval ships.
One thing that this war did vindicate of the British defense strategy prior to 1982 was the shift to submarines. The mere threat of the three were sufficient to keep the Argentine Navy away from the islands.
The carriers were key to actually conducting the landings...but the subs were the most potent warship against warship weapon systems.
If the Argentine Navy didn't retreat from the area there's little doubt British submarines would've carried out further attacks.
I was borne 1974 in london,my early childhood memories are of this war and have been looking at documentaries ever since.This is without doubt the most indepth clear and concise retelling of what actually happened I've ever seen.Thankyou so much for your work. I'm drinking beer and brandy on a lazy afternoon enjoying this greatly learning points I never new before, keep it up newly subscribed.
Part 1 - 4 hours. This is my kind of channel!
You should discover Drachinifel 😁6 hours Q&A, monthly, are standard.
great video as always, would love to see you cover the 2008 Russo-Georgian War in this style
This is easily the best Falklands island conflict summation I've ever seen. Kudos.
Absolutely masterful storytelling; history , politics, hardware, geography, strategy, tactics: every element of good military history. Looking forward to the next installment. Thank you for excellent content!
Emutopia hasn't let us down, What a surprise to see this pop up, A very enjoyable way to spend 4 hours on a Monday.
Holy smokes, one of the best videos of this type I have seen. Keep up the good work!
Thank you, that was riveting. I knew much of the history of this conflict but this is the first time I've seen so much of it, pulled together in so much detail. Absolutely superb piece of work.
For anyone who wants some more personal experiences from the Falklands War, you can also check out the Bilge Pumps Podcast hosted by Dr Alexander Clarke, Drachinifel, and Jamie from Armoured Carriers. They've spoken on the Falklands and the lessons of the conflict several times as well as had people on who were part of the air maintenance and command staffs of the British side.
Obviously one should keep in mind that they do have slightly more of an Anglo focus on the conflict but they aren't chest thumping teaboos about it either, they take a very measured view of the successes and strengths of the Argentinians as well as the failures and failings of the British.
I loathe that our government (US) would ever diminish our international commitment to the UK. We have too much history with the English, Aussies, and Canadians to ever be anything but the best of allies.
I wholeheartedly agree! I am generally a huge fan of Reagan but this is one of the few things done by his administration that is absolutely disgusting to me.
Edit: miss spelt word
One word: Suez.
I've read many books about the political, military (tactical, strategic and logistics) and first hand accounts of combat. As well as watching many documentaries. This is by far the most comprehensive of them all. There were details covered here that were not covered elsewhere. Best/most comprehensive coverage of the war I've ever seen! Thanks @hypohystericalhistory !
Any books you want to share ?
The sustained effort and rigour it must have taken to produce this documentary is to be applauded.
Not having air superiority can really reck your day
Absolutely. Just ask Ukraine...
Looks like Christmas came early this year! Have a wonderful holiday, thank you for the new video.
I worked on Ascension Island remodeling the barracks. I did 5 trips to "The Rock" and really enjoyed it. The Saints from St. Helena were so cool and made our trips really enjoyable. We did some amazing fishing and scuba diving trips around the island as well as a trip to Green Mountain to The Residence. Good times 🍻🍻👍🏻👍🏻
If you have been there, then please be kind enough to point out to Argentinians and conspiracy idiots that there is no place to dock or secretly repair a carrier that supposedly was seriously damaged.
The quality of presentation and depth of research here is off the charts good.
I got so excited when this came up (over 3 awesome hours!). Thank you for your high quality analysis👍👍
I can’t imagine the time, effort and research that goes into these thorough and - more importantly - accurate videos
First you need to read Several books, Then ya need to make ya own script Record it Then edit it all together with the images. over 100 hours would be my low end guess.
You haven’t got much imagination then have you?
your comment has no purpose other than to boost your own ego@@flashgordon6670
@@flashgordon6670 not when it comes to producing youtube videos...no. Christ, try to say something nice in a comment section....
DW mate, flash is apparently not capable of being nice in the comments section of videos....@@mikeck4609
The production standard and narration is excellent. Please keep it up. This type of media and its comprehensive coverage is sorely lacking these days. Some grown ups want more than a goddam 10 minute TH-cam vid.
I was born in Argentina, and lived there when this happened... I know the soldiers were told they were "liberating thr islands. Once they landed, the realized that they were lied to. I was told that Las Malvinas, were part of the Argentinas continental shelf. The islands are in the National Anthem. I personally wonder why Argentina would attack a much more powerful country like England 🤦 wtf did they expect.
Unfortunately, the Argentine troops took the islanders not welcoming them as personal slights, and therefore they ended up treating the falkland islanders awfully
@@littleshep5502 I know, I remember. They treated the people of Argentina like sh**, why would they treat the people on the island any better lol.
A ningun soldado argentino se le mintio, las malvinas son parte integral del territorio de Argetnina. y no se estaban liberando, se estaba retomando territorio nacional invadido por fuerzas extranjeras. Y efectivamente las Islas Malvinas son parte de la pataforma continental argentina.
Solo decirte que durante la recuperación de nuestro territorio, no hubo un solo soldado o civil fallecido.
@@mauricioz7567 No one was killed, but not through lack of trying. Argentine tropps used white phosphorous on the barracks, where the royal marines were supposed to be sleeping, while firing machine guns through the walls. This was an attempt to slaughter them while they slept. All due to an illegal invasion, to take islands that have never been argentine, and the act that condemned the country to the status of non power
I hope more people are like the original commenter, and they open their eyes to the lies that have been told
@@mauricioz7567
You really need to learn how to do proper research instead of blindly swallowing the stupid 3rd world propaganda that your country puts out.
The Falklands have NEVER been part of Argentine territory. They were colonized by the British long before there ever was an Argentina, and you can't claim to have "inherited" them from Spain after independence, because Spain had never established any permanent presence to make a claim to them.
The simple fact is that you allowed yourselves to be subjugated by a dictator who ruined your economy, and then turned to some nationalist crusade to distract you, and you were all dumb enough to believe it, and many of you are still dumb enough to believe it.
This documentary is almost as long as the whole war
Bravo😂
And if you don't get off a 4 hour video and take the trash out, your wife is going to shove an Exocet up your ..... stern.
Even though I’ve watched every documentary on this, including my favorite put out directly by the British military after the event, I clicked on this so fast my phone caught on fire.
Impressive Video. I did a 4 Part Series on the CVRTs in the Falklands a year ago and can appreciate some of the amount of work that went into this. Thx for putting in the time
i can't believe i just watched an entire 4 hour documentary about the Falklands war 🤣 Very good job on the details. Will be waiting for part 2.
You are a talented historian, and know how to present all of the information skillfully.
My uncle was in 40 commando during the conflict he died in the 90's he was a Captain, I miss him he was a really nice guy....... unless you were shooting at him.
This is an excellent comprehensive documentary. It is detailed but maintains a good pace which is neither too fast nor too slow. As an American amateur historian who lived during the Falklands campaign, I possessed a decent understanding of the event. However, I've learned much from this presentation and I thank those responsible for it.
Still watching this first episode but had to comment as this is by far the best documentary on the falklands war I have watched/listened to. It's like a super detailed Doc Audio book combo.
Fantastic. Really goes to show that operations are a joint effort and every component matters. Single weapons and platforms can make a difference, but they have to overlap or provide layered capabilities so that insufficient capabilities in one arena don’t become a linchpin for effective operational capability.
amazing work man, I'm enthralled and I know this conflict inside and out. Thank you for your efforts pal :)
For what it's worth, as a young USAF officer in that period, most of my young officer friends supported Britain over Argentina. Our senior officers tended to keep their opinions to theirselves.
Amazing research, and I assume, hours upon hours of work must have gone into this. It just may be the definitive documentary on the Air Sea phase of the Falklands war. I eagerly await Part 2!
That was an excellent break down of the events with just the right amount of additional background information...brilliant watch 👍
First big event I remember as a kid. Utterly superb this.
very well made narrative! I lived at that time in Chile, and I remember the Falklands conflict well, since it was a key issue at that time down there, where considering the recent experiences with argentine brawls along the border, no wonder practically everyone was absolutely pro-british... and I would say remain to this very day, considering the many mutual interests in the Antarctic Ocean and the long standing very close relationship with the UK (traditional allies), most particularly with the Royal Navy, which so closely resembles the Chilean Navy's doctrine and appearance... thus no one can be surprised about the many mutual exchanges, like the recent overhanding of three E3 Sentry Awacs to the already mighty Chilean Air Force... will the Eurofighters and Apaches really follow?
I'm sure you'll get the Eurofighters after they've started collecting some rust and dust and the new 6th gen fleet is in full capacity
so maybe 2060 at this point
Buy some Griphens from Sweden.
They’re not allowed Eurofighters, bc they’re not in Europe.
@@flashgordon6670Neither is Saudi Arabia
Chilean intelligence helped Britain during the war and I'm sure if Argentina messes with Chile the British will return the favour.
A magnificent video. I enjoyed it immensely. Looking forward to part 2. Well done.
Well, guess I am going to be tired at work tomorrow.
And it will be worth it
Incredible comprehensive overview into the Falklands war! Thank you!
You are quite simply the best military documentary compiler I have watched. Thanks for putting this together. Nothing better on the subject anywhere.
Can not wait for part two!!! Excellent work ,deeply researched!
Awesome work, looking forward to part 2 !!
You've got a new subscriber. I love that you're doing this in just the amount of detail that I like in a documentary.
Also I commend that you're mixing global assessments and big picture with concrete examples. Too few history youtubers do that, especially in post-WW2 military sphere.
I've watched a lot of documentaries on the war and this is far and away the most detailed and thorough synopses I've experienced!
Subbed!
watch all there is on the Falkland's. many hours of doc and footage. each have their own merits but i have to say this is in a league of its own, the attention the detail is awesome and something i love to find. can not wait to see the next part.
great work!
Outstanding account comprehensive yet succinct. Thank you!
How topical and relevant, given that shenanigans currently going down in South America.
Also, fantastic video as per usual sir, bravo.
Well Clearly British youth want Argentina and hamas to murder and slaughter their own defense forces
Wow! Riveting! Probably the best video I've seen about the Falklands war. Part of my childhood! So much detail, can't wait for the next one!
This is by far the best overview of the conflict I've ever seen; fantastic work. Especially a lot of the stuff about the contexts of the diplomatic environment throughout the conflict.
Just a brief comment - Royal Marine Commando Battalions are referred to by their numbers individually. So 45 Commando is Four Five Commando. 42 Commando is Four Two Commando. The only exception is 40 Commando which is Forty Commando.
They are Royal Marine Commando Units not Battalions or Regiments
@@ajm2212 yes of course. My mistake.
Tremendous content, yet again. Mahalo for your work!
Absolutely fantastic! New to the channel but can’t wait for part 2!
I was ex regular RAF Armourer, now going through college as a mature student getting more qualified, financing myself partly by being a TA REME Craftsman attached to ACOY 4QLR Infantry, and we were on standby to go.
However, I’d served as groundcrew on a Phantom squadron’s flight line in Germany for a couple of years, and I knew what our aircrew said about the Harrier squadrons when they went up against each other on exercise. Even though they were subsonic, the Harriers could get the better of the supersonic Phantoms by ‘VIFFing’ (vectoring in forward flight) ie they were much moreso manoeuvrable in comparison. Eg. Harrier spots Phantom catching up at great rate of knots, Harrier pilot, reduces speed and vectors out of the way sideways. Phantom can’t slow down, overshoots the Harrier, Harrier gives him a blast of 30mm Aden gun cannon shells up his arse or launches a heat seeking Sidewinder missile up his jet exhaust.
I was confident that the Harriers would soon gain air superiority in dog fights and then be able to ground attack enemy positions to support the ground force.
So it proved as no Harrier was lost in combat, whereas the Argentinian Air Force lost plenty.
Before the Falklands conflict, the Harrier was looked at by many other countries military as a quirky/eccentricity, following the conflict that changed.
When the Harrier was retired by the RAF, even though many had received the latest upgrades, the USMC bought up the whole UK fleet to add to their stock for spares at the very least, and they got them for the same price as just one F35 Raptor.
The USMC is still operating their AV-8B Harrier II aircraft, and will do until 2029 at least.
I love the f16 lighting 2
I would love to visit the Falklands - I have a curious fascination with remote islands and communities. I have heard from a few people that the accent there sounds a bit like our Australian accents. I guess that when you put a heap of Brits on an island, you'll end up with an accent akin to ours. I cannot say that I am a huge fan of Thatcher's economic policies, although I can sympathise with a few changes she made. However, I completely support her decision to get The Falklands back. As an Aussie of English descent, it was just freaking awesome seeing Britannia rule the waves again. I imagine most Australians held a similar view.
I would say that the accent is a mixture of English West Country and Australian
The Falkland Islanders accent is kind of that of the Kiwis.
Great video. Love the attention to detail, and how well it's put together.
These videos are SO GOOD. Thank you for the time and effort you put into these.
A superb and extremely comprehensive video. Well done.
I think the Falklands is interesting as it's arguably the final 'old school' analogue war, of any of the great powers.
It's much closer in execution to something from World War 2 than it is, say, Gulf War 1, just 9 years later.
Personally I think it’s more that the battle has more of a world war 2 feel due to the combination of land sea and air, all performing their roles at the full extent of their capabilities and the fact that the war wasn’t a one sided shooting gallery. Unlike many of the follow on wars.
to mean it feels like one of those "little wars" of the 1800s
You can argue that it was the first naval conflict of the "guided missile age".
You are creating some serious quality education!!!
Always wanted a long form informative video on the falklands war thanks for your hard work!
Hey congrats on the baby! I’ve been really excited for this! Thanks for getting it out, hope all is well with the baby and the family.
It’s the mother who deserves most of the credit.
Going to the Falklands next week. Looking forward to seeing the places you described. Thank you for your in depth narrative. They should do a movie based on your you tube story.
What airline flights to the Falklands?
What a welcome surprise, good to see you back mate. Hope to see ya on tiktok again too!
Can't wait for the next part. Amazing level of historic and technical detail.
You Rock dude, such awesome content.
Boy am I glad that you released this vid! Cheers.
Have you got any further information about the mentioned "Polish supply ship" that was turned around by the Argentinian warship shortly before invasion?
Excellent doco. I greatly look forward to the next 9 parts :)
Loved seeing the Kiwi (NewZealand) Skyhawk at 3:25:48
They used to fly over my farm each week when I was a kid. I think they (The Kiwi's) used the hills and valleys around the area to practice low level evasion using the natural terrain to avoid detection. (Just guessing on this last bit)
Martin Withers was the pilot of the Vulcan and he was born in Surrey, England.
A very interesting presentation. Thank you 😊
Fantastic content and I can't imagine the level of research and work that you put into this presentation! I only knew what the Evening News would tell me about the Falkland War so this was incredibly eye-opening to say the least! I'm a new subscriber that has smashed the hell out of the like button and share this to several of my history loving friends! Keep up the good work!
This is beyond brilliant 👍
Great research, perfect documentary, thank you 🙏
Thanks
Should I stop expecting an Iraq War Part 2 at this point?
Pt.3*
That’s what I’m saying. We took a vote and I thought we were gonna get it. But it may end up as illusive as GTA6
Excellent presentation , cant wait for part 2 !
Possibly one of the most detailed videos on the subject yet, incredible work. My boy loves history and aims to make it his living. I will show him this video to set an example as to the level of research and detail he should emulate.
Intrepid and Fearless were both destined for the scrap heap but demonstrated the huge importance of Amphibious warfare ships especially if you're an island! I was on Intrepid in the late 80s and it was a pretty awesome ship for its age, a submersible rear dock which housed 4 x 250tonne landing craft each of which could land 120 marines, 4 trucks or a Challenger 2 each trip. It also had 6 LCVs on Davitts which could land a further 200 marines. Essentially an entire batallion could be landed with support in one trip.
The navy kept them in service until decommissioned Intrepid 1999, Fearless 2002.. the RN now runs two larger ASVs and the RFA has 3 very large ASVs which mean the British have a formidable amphibious warfare capability, in particular due to rhe extremely high level of training of the Royal Marines and the crews of these vessels.
@HarryFlashmanVC They had actually been reprieved by this point. John Knot had visited Fearless with Julian Thompson and some Admiral who didn't have a clue what he was talking about according to Thompson a few months after the Knot Cuts had been announced. Knot turns around to Thompson after being Briefed and says "I didn't know about what we would lose by getting rid of these" and he cancelled the scraping of the LPD's. Thompson tells the story on an oral history he gave to the IWM which is on-line on their web site.
This is what I'm waiting for.
I love the level of detail this channel always puts into videos.
Really good video. No music makes it even more satisfying. And, no extra drama for scoring internet karma. I have subscribed, and liked, and am so happy to have found your channel. Huge thanks for keeping your ego at bay.
1970's electronics at it's finest.
Very good and look forward to the 2nd part, at the time I was 18 and in the Territorial Army in the uk and was put on call that we might have to go to Germany to replace the regular Army that was redeployed to the Falklands conflict.
Was just thinking about when you'd upload next watching Operations Room. 4 hours is a bit much for one sitting; but with multiple parts promised I'll find the time.
Nice to see you back.
Wow, this was such an awesome detailed documentary. Thank you for putting this all together. Your channel is seriously underrated.
9pm upload?
welp, guess im late for work tomorrow.
Just hitting the like button is not enough for this video, possibly the best one i have seen on the Falklands War to date....... and it's only part one!
You Sir put tv documentaries to shame!
Absolutely brilliant work, can wait to see the next part.
4 hour video!?! Subbed and only 10 seconds in. Thank you for long form content.
I'll just watch an hour, said 4 hours ago hahaha. Once again top notch, you never fail to impress. Looking forward to part 2.
Damn it Hypohystericalhistory you’ve messed up my plans! How could I do anything but watch this all day?
he posted again!
he's back!