As a 6-year-old at the time, my memory of the Falklands War is vague and seen through the prism of national newspaper headlines and the 6 o’clock news. With my father in the army, I was all for The Sun’s portrayal of the British Army as supermen, and it seemed a fait accompli that the Argentines would be defeated. Learning later of ‘Bomb Alley’ (the Battle of San Carlos as Argentine fighters attacked British ships), that was not necessarily so, and having seen the most recent evidence: Channel 4’s riveting documentary Falklands War: The Untold Story, it now seems Britain was a mere 10 minutes from defeat.
Tom Hardy provides sufficient gravitas as the narrator, and several veterans offer fascinating insight. The marvellous Sulle Alhaji (of the Parachute regiment) gives a response which summed up most of the country’s confusion to the news that the Falkland Islands had been invaded: “Why would they attack Scotland?”. HMS Antrim Wessex pilot Chris Parry tells a wonderfully self-deprecating account of what had to have been near impossible flying conditions over South Georgia.
That stark ’10 minutes from defeat’ appraisal comes from Michael Rose, then commander of the SAS, and speaking publicly about the Falklands for the first time. He gives damning evidence of tactical decisions on the ground, as well as the command structure, which even to a layman seems strange. Rose, Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) and a number of other senior officers remain very unhappy with the commander of 5 Brigade, Brigadier Tony Wilson who made a series of blunders. There is a scene of him giving a briefing that is total farce. It’s difficult for me, sitting at my comfy desk and with zero military experience to be critical, but I would recommend watching this brilliant documentary to understand the anger still felt today by many of the veterans of the Falklands. This was a conflict that was ultimately a huge success and which, as Max Hastings states, revitalised the country in 1982.
Falklands War: The Untold Story is available to watch now on All 4 On Demand.
