Refitted British Nimrod Begins South Atlantic War Zone Patrol Missions
Dear Fellow Earthlings, On the 11th of May 1982 the Falkland Islanders were doing their best to cope because of the restrictions that were being imposed upon them by the Argentines. One thing the Islanders did was to maintain their habit of daily tea time. Another was to play cards and monopoly. Still another was to lament the sad conditions the lower ranking Argentine troops must be enduring. By adopting this attitude, the Islanders (who themselves were suffering) were trying to forget their own feelings of anguish -- and therein ward off any signs of hopelessness.
The British military also had to do some improvising to deal with the war they were now waging. The appearance on this day of the reconnaissance plane Nimrod over the South Atlantic theater of war would not only bolster the Task Force's capacity to keep track of Argentine ship and aircraft movements across the whole theater, but would give both Task Force personnel and the Falkland Islanders an increased sense of hope.
Military and industrial engineers and technicians had had to work feverishly as they tried to compensate for the more than 4-to-1 advantage the Argentines had in the number of war planes, for the technological advantages that Argentina enjoyed in data gathering and aircraft surveillance, and the fact that the British supply route distance was 20 times greater than that of the Argentines, to name just a few of the factors that could bring defeat to the British. . The Nimrod, the Hercules cargo plane, and the Handley Page Victor tanker all underwent rapid modifications to allow for efficient in-flight refueling -- all within a perod of four weeks! On May 11 reconnaissance missions by the Nimrod began. Now precious seconds' advanced warning of Argentine air attacks on the Task Force could be given, allowing the Task Force time to commence defense and counterattack measures.
I can only marvel at the inventiveness, ingenuity, and resourcefulness shown by the British in this very critical stage of the Falklands War!
Steve Wallker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator
© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.