An introduction to the islands disputed with Britain in the Atlantic Ocean of Argentina.

1In the early morning of April 2, 982, the eyes of the world gathered on the Malvinas Islands in the South Pacific. These islands, which were called the Falkland Islands by the British, suddenly raised the national flag of Argentina after being occupied by the British 149 years. People know that the fuse of war has been lit.

Mashima is close to the southern tip of the South American continent, consisting of two large islands in the east and west and more than 200 smaller islands, covering an area of about 6,543.8+0.2 million square kilometers, more than 500 kilometers away from Argentina and 6,543.8+0.2 million kilometers away from Britain.

The sovereignty dispute between Britain and Tsushima Island has a long history. Britain believes that Falklands was first discovered by itself, and sovereignty should belong to itself. According to Britain's own records, John Strong, the captain of the British "Happiness", was blown to the island by strong winds in 1690. He also named a strait between the two islands in the Middle East and the western part of the islands after Viscount Falkland, then the British Minister of the Navy. Britain later named these islands "Falkland Islands". However, the British statement has never been recognized by the world. In the later period, under the struggle of western European powers such as Britain, France and Spain, the island changed hands several times. 18 16, Argentina gained independence from Spanish colonial rule, turned the island into its 24th province, and appointed officials to manage it. Unexpectedly, a few years later, the Argentines on the island clashed with the Americans who went to the island to hunt seals. Arrogant Americans sent warships to ransack the island and handcuffed Argentine officials on the island. Britain returned the region on 1833 and declared the exercise of Tsushima Island's sovereignty.

Since then, the island has been occupied by Britain. Although the Argentine government has asked Britain to return it year after year, it has no result. During this period, there was some friction between the two sides, but it did not trigger a major military conflict. 1965 and 1973, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolutions twice, urging Britain and Afghanistan to resolve the Falklands issue through peaceful negotiations, and the two sides began long negotiations. 197 1 year, Britain agreed to gradually merge the residents of the island into Argentina and receive higher education in Argentina. Just as the situation was developing in a good direction, the British-Arab negotiations were terminated due to the demand for resources because of the discovery that there might be rich oil, natural gas and other mineral deposits in the southern waters of the island. Later, under the mediation of the United States, the two countries resumed negotiations. 1980, Britain proposed that it could consider handing over the sovereignty of Falklands to Argentina, but requested to lease Falklands for a long time. This plan was rejected not only by Argentina, but also by the British Parliament. In this way, the marathon negotiation came to a dead end.

198 1 year, after Galtie, a soldier, became the Argentine president, he was determined to take back the island by force. Galtie said in a speech: "The island is a treasure house at our doorstep, and the British have no reason to enjoy it. We should be prepared to drive the British into the sea even if we give our lives. " Subsequently, he ordered the military to formulate an action plan code-named "Rosario".

1982, 19 In March, dozens of Argentines boarded South Georgia Island, which also has sovereignty disputes with Britain, and planted the Argentine flag. The British government mobilized the British troops stationed on the island to deter. This incident prompted Galtie to order the implementation of the "Rosario" plan ahead of schedule on March 26th. In the early morning of April 2, after careful planning, the Afghan army landed on the island and captured the airport and port. Then, by airdrop, the total strength of the Afghan army on the island reached 4,000. After only a little symbolic resistance, all 200 British troops stationed on the island surrendered under the leadership of Governor Rex Hunt.

"Iron Lady" launched a counterattack.

After the recovery of Falklands, Argentine national sentiment was high, and Galtie became a national hero. In Britain, far from the ocean, a sense of shame is spreading rapidly. The BBC's three national television channels, four national radio stations and 39 local radio stations, as well as independent broadcasting organizations, all interrupted their normal programs and repeatedly broadcast the news of the fall of the Falklands. The front page of the Daily Mail is impressively printed with two big black letters: "Shame!"

British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was on pins and needles, and Foreign Secretary carrington resigned. On Saturday, April 3rd, the British Parliament held an emergency meeting as an exception. Mrs. Thatcher said at the meeting, "We have to hold the meeting at this time because Britain's territorial sovereignty has been violated for the first time in many years." "The lifestyle of Falkland Islanders is British, and they are loyal to the king of England." In order to gain the support of parliament, she issued an appeal: "support me!" " To support me is to support Britain! "

With Margaret Thatcher's efforts, the British Parliament decided to set up a wartime cabinet with her as its chairman, and decided that a powerful task force led by British Major General John Wood Waugh would sail to the Falkland Islands and recapture the island. In order to ensure victory, Iron Lady even ordered 58 merchant ships, including Queen Elizabeth II, the most modern luxury cruise ship in the world at that time, to be requisitioned for military use. Seeing Britain's aggressive appearance, the United States can't sit still. Secretary of State Haig kept shuttling between Britain and Albania, hoping to avoid war at the south gate of the United States through diplomatic mediation. On April 8, Margaret Thatcher met Haig. She knocked on the table and said, "This is the table that Chamberlain used at 1939. He talks nonsense about how far the Czech Republic is from us! It is precisely because of his dereliction of duty that a large number of British people lost their lives in vain! " Hearing that the "Iron Lady" compared the Falklands dispute with Chamberlain's appeasement policy on the eve of World War II, Haig knew that he had made up his mind to fight, so he stopped diplomatic mediation.