Would Argentina Succeed in Consolidating Its Gains in both South Georgia and the Falklands?

Dear Fellow Earthlings, On the 15th of April 1982 the Falkland Islanders were aware that Argentina's adventurism in the South Atlantic was motivated more by plain old expansionism than by the Argentines' trying to follow the Papal decree signed by Pope Alexander VI back in 1494! Not only were the Argentines trying to "recapture" (as the invaders referred to the invasion of their autonomous, albeit small nation) the Falklands, but were trying to reach out and grab South Georgia, some 1,457 kilometers east southeast of the Falklands, as well! The Argentines had actually gone down to South Georgia using a ruse. They claimed that they were scrappers hoping to dismantle abandoned whale processing factories and related facilities on the island. Mixed in among the "scrappers" were Argentine military personnel. Things did not go so well for the Argentines despite their numerical advantage over the British forces stationed there. In fact, South Georgia would be liberated by the British before the month of April ended. The British would have proved that recapturing an area from Argentine forces was NOT impossible. The people of the Falkland Islands, back in 1982, had been happy just to have their quiet little corner of the world. They did not want to be part of Argentina. Nor did they consider themselves typically British. They were -- and had been for over 8 generations -- Falkland Islanders. The fact that the British were now sailing toward them to rescue them in their distress was actually a pleasant surprise for them. They had known that tired old Britain was divesting itself of its colonial dead weight. So the Islanders could scarcely believe that, back in London, Mrs. Thatcher had rallied her countrymen to the cause of liberating this tiny little bastion of Anglo-Saxon culture down in the South Atlantic. The Islanders were particularly astonished in light of the fact that England had actually been considering delivering the Falklands to Argentina without even consulting the ISLANDERS about THEIR (the Islanders') wishes! Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.