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Dec 8 - Battle of the Falkland Islands (Read 989 times)
Dec 8th, 2005 at 12:23pm

Felix/FFDS   Offline
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In 1914...

1914 The Battle of the Falkland Islands

A month after German naval forces led by Admiral Maximilian von Spee inflicted the Royal Navy’s first defeat in a century by sinking two British cruisers with all hands off the southern coast of Chile, Spee’s squadron attempts to raid the Falkland Islands, located in the southern Atlantic Ocean, only to be thwarted by the British navy. Under the command of Admiral Doveton Sturdee, the British seamen sought vengeance on behalf of their defeated fellows.


 

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Reply #1 - Dec 11th, 2005 at 10:42pm
Flt.Lt.Andrew   Ex Member

 
Just proves the point.

Don't mess with The British Empire.


A.
 
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Reply #2 - Dec 12th, 2005 at 8:03am

Craig.   Offline
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Too bad the Argentines didn't take note of that. Wink
 
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Reply #3 - Dec 12th, 2005 at 9:47am

Felix/FFDS   Offline
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I don't know, the Turks gave a good account of themselves at Gallipoli  ....   Wink
 

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Reply #4 - Dec 12th, 2005 at 10:56am

Hagar   Offline
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Too bad the Argentines didn't take note of that. Wink

Two reasons they might have thought this irrelevant. In 1914 Great Britain had arguably the most powerful navy in the world. It also had the biggest Empire in history which was the reason for the navy used to protect its interests. It was very different in 1982, a fact that our Andrew still seems blissfully unaware of. Tongue Wink

PS. http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/3541.html
 

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Reply #5 - Dec 12th, 2005 at 1:18pm

Craig.   Offline
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I'm quite sure under estimating the harrier didn't help either.
 
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Reply #6 - Dec 12th, 2005 at 1:40pm

Hagar   Offline
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I think misreading the political situation & the person they were dealing with was their biggest mistake. All the signs were that Britain had lost interest in the Falkland Islands & not many people in Britain had ever heard of this remote place or any idea where in the world it was. Even I thought the operation was a bluff & didn't believe it could possibly succeed even while it was happening.
 

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Reply #7 - Dec 14th, 2005 at 12:54am
Flt.Lt.Andrew   Ex Member

 
Hehehe, Oh I'm aware Doug, I just wish I wasn't Grin!



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Reply #8 - Dec 14th, 2005 at 1:39pm

dcunning30   Offline
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Quote:
I think misreading the political situation & the person they were dealing with was their biggest mistake. All the signs were that Britain had lost interest in the Falkland Islands & not many people in Britain had ever heard of this remote place or any idea where in the world it was. Even I thought the operation was a bluff & didn't believe it could possibly succeed even while it was happening.



Agreed!

A lesson learned, they should have taken a clue from how the US gave up control over the Panama Canal.  Get a constituent group to complain that their country have no right to control  land they don't deserve to control.  The only way you can defeat a strong entity is to convince it that it's best interest is not served by continuing it's course of action.  That's what happened in the US.  All of a sudden, we heard this watershed opinion that we had no right to control the Panama Canal zone.  At the time, I wondered "where did all this come from?"  I still wonder.
 

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Reply #9 - Dec 14th, 2005 at 2:03pm

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Agreed!

A lesson learned, they should have taken a clue from how the US gave up control over the Panama Canal.  Get a constituent group to complain that their country have no right to control  land they don't deserve to control.  The only way you can defeat a strong entity is to convince it that it's best interest is not served by continuing it's course of action.  That's what happened in the US.  All of a sudden, we heard this watershed opinion that we had no right to control the Panama Canal zone.  At the time, I wondered "where did all this come from?"  I still wonder.


The people of the Falklands have been given chances in the past from what I know, on whether to break away from UK rule. They chose not to. No-one in Britain has any real right to argue the case, only the resident of the islands should and can choose. Its ours, has been for god knows how long so why change it? The same recent issue came up with Gibralta, The Spanish cant seem to get over the fact that they dont control the rock, so they took their complaint to the residents getting them to vote on whether to break away from British rule and join the Spanish. Not surprisingly they also chose to stay British. Many a red face in the Spanish cabinet after that Wink
 
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Reply #10 - Dec 14th, 2005 at 2:12pm

Hagar   Offline
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The people of the Falklands have been given chances in the past from what I know, on whether to break away from UK rule. They chose not to. No-one in Britain has any real right to argue the case, only the resident of the islands should and can choose. Its ours, has been for god knows how long so why change it? The same recent issue came up with Gibralta, The Spanish cant seem to get over the fact that they dont control the rock, so they took their complaint to the residents getting them to vote on whether to break away from British rule and join the Spanish. Not surprisingly they also chose to stay British. Many a red face in the Spanish cabinet after that Wink

This is true Craig but I'm not certain how long it will continue. It's quite possible that the British government will come to some sort of deal over Gibraltar & also the Falklands despite the residents wishes. Look at what happened in Hong Kong for example.

I've never visited & not likely to but from what I'm told life in the Falkland Islands is very different now to what it was before 1982. Things will never be the same & even some of the residents that remained there might feel differently now.
 

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Reply #11 - Dec 14th, 2005 at 3:01pm

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If I understand it correctly, Britain leased Hong Kong for something like 99 years, so it's eventual turnover back to China was always in the cards.

But I submit the Canal Zone matter was different.  The US having built the canal amounted to an economic boom to Panama that it wouldn't have had in the first place.  The US footed the bill and took on the risk to put it there, call it a venture capital endeavor.

Now I have no beef with having given it over to the Panamanians, in fact it seems the proper action, but I just rememeber, it was like on day the sun came up and all you heard was "we need to turn over the canal to Panama".  It was like, where did that come from?
 

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Reply #12 - Dec 14th, 2005 at 3:22pm

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Now I have no beef with having given it over to the Panamanians, in fact it seems the proper action, but I just rememeber, it was like on day the sun came up and all you heard was "we need to turn over the canal to Panama".  It was like, where did that come from?

I see your point & also that it's quite possible the British public would have felt the same way about the Falkland Islands had the Argentine government approached it in a different way. The fact is that they & the British government had a point to prove & both took advantage of the national feelings in their respective countries. The fate of the islanders themselves would not have been uppermost in the British government's minds.

My point about Hong Kong is that Britain is no longer capable of maintaining the remaining outposts of the old Empire like Gibraltar & the Falkland Islands. It simply doesn't have the resources & the commitments of its armed forces are stretched to the limit as it is. Britain is no longer a world power & whether there was a 99-year lease on Hong Kong or not I'm quite certain that we would never have given in so easily in different circumstances. The thought of giving up one of our colonies of considerable strategic value would simply never have arisen.
 

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Reply #13 - Dec 14th, 2005 at 4:10pm

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The only people to complain about the Falkands are the guys who had to sit on boats for god knows how long just to get there, in sea's rough enough to make even  hardend sailor sick. Believe me, I still hear the complaints from my dad to this day Grin
 
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Reply #14 - Dec 14th, 2005 at 4:21pm

Hagar   Offline
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The only people to complain about the Falkands are the guys who had to sit on boats for god knows how long just to get there, in sea's rough enough to make even  hardend sailor sick. Believe me, I still hear the complaints from my dad to this day Grin

You & your Dad might be interested to read this book. http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0304355429/202-6303327-2531055
Commander 'Sharkey' Ward commanded 801 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Invincible & is very critical about how the whole operation was handled. He left the service soon afterwards.
 

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