The "Little Things" count so much!

Dear Fellow Earthlings, On the 28th of May1982 the people of Port Stanley and, indeed all Falkland Islanders were elated to hear that Goose Green had been taken by British Forces. They were equally dismayed, however, to learn that the 100 or so people of Goose Green who had been prisoners in their own community hall had not been released until now. Finally the poor souls were free once more! In the battle to take Goose Green the British lost 17 men and about 35 men were wounded. The Argentines lost somewhere around 50 killed and an equal number were wounded. But over 1,500 were taken prisoner -- and eventually repatriated to Argentina. The British air and sea forces were finally seeing the British land forces accomplishing something. Meanwhile 45 Commando and 3 Para continued to make their long march to the five "mountains" (actually more like five sizeable hills) that would have to be taken before an assault on Port Stanley could begin. Without the troop carrying helicopters needed to leapfrog them to any areas within striking distance of Port Stanley, these troops were forced to exert themselves physically to a point where only the truly fit could be expected to be able to perform well in battle. If there is anything that would make the difference between the British ground forces and their Argentine counterparts here, it was the "little things" that would ultimately make the difference. The thoughtful, even gentle way, in which the British troops would dry each other's wet clothing was one. Another was the way the British Para forces were asked to carry less equipment than the Commandos so that the Paras could establish forward positions ahead of the Commandos (burdened with their heavier loads). After catching up to the Paras, the Commandos could then reinforce their positions and make use of any refined invasion routes the Paras had formulated. The preparedness of the British ground forces and their expertise in making due in situations where contingency adaptation was necessary allowed them to defeat their Argentine counterparts, who simply did not have the long history of acting as agents who could project their motherland's power to faraway places with inhospitable climates, tenuous supply lines, and other daunting obstacles.

Steve Walker Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

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