One of the major occurrences of the Falklands War was the sinking of the Belgrano. This was an Argentine ship which was torpedoed and sunk by the British. Source 4 tells of the 4,368 Argentine soldiers that were killed. This clearly would have heavily impacted the mindset of the Argentine soldiers; with it not only implementing great fear, but also with them grieving the loss of their friends. Source 4 also gives insight into the extent to which the sinking affected the Argentine’s, especially the captain, Hector Ponzo, as he describes the ‘agonizing decision to abandon ship.’ The Argentine Public would also have been feeling intense fury towards Britain as they disregarded the rules of engagement with regard to the 200 mile exclusion zone. Contradicting this, the British public would have felt vindication due to the fact that the Argentine’s declared war on Britain; making them feel a sense of blamelessness and perhaps shifting the blame to the Argentines. Source 3, an article from ‘The Sun’ newspaper gives insight into the feelings of the British public, with the headline, ‘Gotcha’. This perhaps insensitive headline shows the sense of victory the British experienced as well as displaying the positive outlook they adopted towards the war which shows moral was up and expectations for the British army were high. However, this source is also useful in showing us the media reaction to the war, which was clearly very optimistic and showed the British army to be advantageous, which could be contributable to the feeling of positivity the British public adopted. However, this source gives no mention to the retort of the Argentinean and there is no reference to the extent of damage caused, as the article fails to state the number of casualties. There are aspects of dependability in Source 3 as it is primary evidence, telling information based about the event at the time of it happening. Also, with it being written by a journalist, there are a certain number of journalistic ethics that should be kept to, enabling us to assume the writer is being honest with the information given. On the other hand, the source could be seen as undependable as it could be biased towards Britain, making the soldiers appear superior to boost British moral. Also, with it being a tabloid, there is an air of doubt over the reliability of the information as they are not known for reporting news and also could be seen to be sensationalistic.
Following the sinking of the Belgrano, another key event in the war was the events at Goose Green, which originated with the Argentine soldiers holding the islanders prisoner. The British then proceeded to invade, however they were outnumbered 3:1. Despite this, the British were victorious and freed the islanders. Despite the initial impression that the soldiers morale would be high after the victory, it was actually the opposite, as Source 12 explains how one of their own men, ‘Lt. Col H. Jones’ was killed and buried in a mass grave. With Lt. Col H. being well respected and in high opinion, he was sorely missed by the soldiers, creating a melancholy atmosphere amongst the soldiers. Conflicting this feeling, they also would have experienced a sense of elation from their success over the Argentines.
Despite the Argentine soldiers obviously adopting a defeatist attitude when faced with their loss at ‘Goose Green,’ Source 9 tells how they were ‘glad to be going home,’ which clearly shows their loss of gusto and passion for fighting in the war which leads to the assumption the conditions were particularly bad and home- sickness was rife. However, Source 9 doesn’t inform us of the affect the deaths had on the British soldiers and families. Also, it fails to inform us about the large number of Argentine casualties. The dependability of this source is debatable, as on one hand it was produced by a BBC reporter who was on the Falklands Islands with Second Battalion, therefore the experience is first hand and personal, making it probable he is telling the truth. As well as this, seeing as it has come from the BBC, the report should have integrity and the reporter should act with veracity. However, as he experienced the war first hand, his information is anecdotal and as he could have been biased- making the British appear superior, making them appear to be heroes. Also, having firsthand experience could lead to exaggeration as he could remember the incidences to actually be more intense than they really were.
Bluff Cove proved to be the next destination for the British soldiers as it was left unattended by the Argentines. Then, leaving them open to fire, the British proceeded to bring in supplies via boat which was obviously potentially hazardous, however it saved them a lengthy trek across bogs and mountains. Despite two loads being successful, two British ships, ‘Sir Galahad’ and ‘Sir Tristram’ were bombed by Argentine air planes. There were up to 50 British servicemen killed by the blasts and also another 150 injured. A public figure today, Simon Weston was injured at Bluff Cove, and had severe burns which covered his body.
Source 16 shows the return of the British soldiers to the shore after the attack on Sir Galahad. The picture clearly depicts the happiness of the soldiers returning and shows how relieved they were to be safe and in good health. However, keeping in mind the ordeal they had just been through, there would have been an obvious sense of discontentment and fear amongst the soldiers. However, the source fails to explain the feelings of the families of the injured and dead and also doesn’t tell us the extent of the injuries obtained by the soldiers such as Simon Weston. The source is trusty as it is primary, photographic evidence which is clearly from the time of the event as ‘Sir Galahad’ can be seen burning in the background. However, the evidence could also be deemed unreliable as it could have been seen as British propaganda to brainwash the Argentine into thinking the British army was scathe free. Also, the photo may have been tampered with which would obviously make the evidence untrustworthy. The British soldiers would have been feeling a sense of failure and perhaps remorse as their comrades died under circumstance they originally believed to be dangerous, yet they still went ahead with the proceedings. Yet, to contrast this, they would also feel a definite sense of luck and thanks for remaining alive and well.
Source 18 is also effective in giving information of the events at Bluff Cove. It explains the in some respect heroic actions the soldiers undertook as they ‘risked their lives to save others.’ It also tells how the explosions caused the ship to ‘burst into flames immediately’ which clearly depicts the unexpectancy of the blasts and therefore, the terror of the British soldiers is assumed. However, the source doesn’t explain the horrific injuries obtained by them or the number of deaths. Also, it doesn’t give any insight into the physiological affects the soldiers attained by the terrifying event. Source 18 could be seen as reliable, as it is again written by the BBC who act with impartiality and report with honesty. On the other hand, they may be certain dishonesty with the source as it’s a British source so could be biased to keep morale strong within the country. Another reason for its unreliability is reporting restrictions implemented by the government and military were enforced, applying strict censorship restrictions.
On the 21st June, Port Stanley airfield opened for operations again. During the final battle, Britain employed they help of the naval task force. The 42 commando attacked Mount Harriet and Goat Ridge. By the following day, the Argentine surrendered due to all the objectives being achieved. The war was officially declared over by Britain on the 12th July. The end of the war would have seen the Argentine soldiers feeling extremely relieved and anxious to return home to their families and loved ones as many of them were conscripts. Source 11 shows the islanders were so grateful to the British soldiers, they lets some of them become Godfathers to the Argentine soldiers. There were now conflicting views over the governments of the two countries, with Margaret Thatcher remaining extremely popular due to her decision to go to war. However, Source 13 is a letter from an Argentine mother to her son who was serving Argentine in the war. It tells how she believes that ‘Lord Jesus Christ will protect (her) sons.’ This shows the faith that she had in her sons to survive, however she has chosen to put her confidence in Jesus, as opposed to the government, which is an indication it was not as successful as Britain’s as she makes no reference to them throughout her letter. The source doesn’t include any information regarding the feelings and emotions of the mother when she realised her son had been killed in battle. Source 13 is reliable in telling us the mindset of the mothers of the soldiers. However, as everyone is different, there would have been conflicting opinions on how much faith they had in them returning.
Despite the soldiers being affected most directly by the war, the islanders also felt a great impact on their lives as they were fighting on their home land. Source 6 explains how their island was turned upside down by the changes such as ‘the smell of foreign tobacco’ and ‘the smell of other people.’ This shows the perhaps more trivial changes; however this would affect their morale as they were witnessing unwanted changes. Also, this source proves useful as it tells that various parts of town were out of bounds and they had to have a permit to get out of their Capital City, Stanley. This clearly displays their newly found lack of freedom which would have seemed extremely unfair and made it difficult to keep their normal routines as they were restricted from going about their daily lives. However, the source is limited as it doesn’t compare with life before the invasion so it is difficult to prove the severity of the changes. Also, it doesn’t mention the numbers of deaths or casualties. Source 6 proves to be reliable as it was written by an islander who had lived there during the war. Therefore, he was an eye- witness who experienced firsthand what the island was like both before and after the war. However, the source may also be unreliable as he was recollecting the series of events, so it is possible he may have made mistakes with his account. Also, he may be embellishing the story and he could be being biased as he said he ‘believed’ local telephones were tabbed, which proves he was not definite about what he was saying, merely stating his thoughts.
There were a number of restrictions placed upon the islanders such as curfews and blackouts. Source 8 explains how the currency changed which would have dampened their spirits and also angered them as a part of their British culture was taken away from them. The source is useful because it tells us the islanders were made to drive on the left of the road instead of the right which caused confusion when both sides of the road were deemed acceptable to drive on. However, source 8 has elements which are lacking as it tells nothing about vital statistics such as the number of injuries obtained and also doesn’t mention issues that have previously been looked at such as the phones being tabbed. Very similar to source 6, this source has been written by an islander which causes great question of its reliability die to the possibility of exaggeration as well as causing trust in the source as it is an eye- witness account, making the evidence primary.
Finally, the islanders were affected by the loss of three members of their community which would quite obviously saddened them and generally added to the disconcerting atmosphere. Source 10 informs the only civilians to die during the war were three women.
There were also minor groups affected by the Falklands war such as the medics who were forced to use cruise liners for hospital ships which would disadvantaged them and made it harder for them to give the necessary care. As well as this, they would have to deal with horrific injuries which would have been distressing. The media was also affected by the war, as despite having many stories to report, the government enforced censorship on their writing and monitored what was written. The war could also be a very dangerous time for reporters as people like, Robert Fox, were sent on ships with soldiers so they could report back to the UK on the events happening- this obviously put their lives at risk. Also, there was a great contrast between the tabloids the more serious newspapers, with the tabloids releasing brash stories of victory on the part of the British soldiers, whilst others reported the subject more sensitively. However, both newspapers always reported the success of the British soldiers, never their downfalls.
To conclude, I think the events at Bluff Cove had the most devastating affects on people as there were an extensive number of casualties and also one fifth of all British fatalities occurred there. Also, the media had great coverage on this event, writing about it in much detail and also unveiling many graphic images. I would deem the Argentine soldiers to be most affected by the war as many of them were conscripts so had little knowledge of the physiological or physical strains that would be placed upon them. As well as this, they were poorly trained, badly equipped and ill informed. However, I also think the islanders were harshly affected due to them having to live in the middle of a modern war zone.
