Wrong button hit too early, but nevertheless:

Big Al - In response to your multiple posts:

www.historyworld.net - An entertainment channel - What they provide and you quote with such alacrity is an opinion not a fact. Not a fact because if it were then the Auxiliary Ice Patrol Ship HMS Endurance would have indeed been withdrawn, the Argentine Generals would have waited until 1983 (If they had then the islands would now be known as Las Malvinas - because exactly as we find ourselves today the Royal Navy would have had no aircraft carriers to provide the degree of air support required mount an opposed amphibious landing).

Anyway let us take a bit of a better look at the lead up to the invasion shall we:

Point 1:
"In the period leading up to the war, and especially following the transfer of power between military dictators General Jorge Rafael Videla and General Roberto Eduardo Viola in late-March 1981, Argentina had been in the midst of a devastating economic crisis and large-scale civil unrest against the military junta that had been governing the country since 1976."

Absolutely FUCK ALL to do with anything that had been happening in the UK or who was in power in the UK - TRUE?

Point 2:
"In December 1981 there was a further change in the Argentine military regime bringing to office a new junta headed by General Leopoldo Galtieri (acting president), Brigadier Basilio Lami Dozo and Admiral Jorge Anaya. Anaya was the main architect and supporter of a military solution for the long-standing claim over the islands, calculating that the United Kingdom would never respond militarily. In doing so the Galtieri government hoped to mobilise Argentines' long-standing patriotic feelings towards the islands and thus divert public attention from the country's chronic economic problems and the regime's ongoing human rights violations.

So Admiral Jorge Anaya was a close confidente of Margaret Thatcher was he? Had the idea just struck him because Maggie had told him I need a bit of a boost in the polls at home? How bloody ridiculous do you wish to make yourself look - Again the above had nothing whatsover to do with the UK or the British Government - what you have is one senior Argentine military officer making an assessment on a possible response, the driver however was what was happening inside Argentina - had he stuck to his original plan it would have succeeded. Tell me Big Al how do you think the population of the islands almost entirely British would have handled Galtieri's Junta's human rights violations - No Argentines have ever actually permanently settled on the Falkland Islands (as opposed to the British who colonised the uninhabited Islands in 1833 - so they've been there for 178 years)

Point 3:
"The newspaper La Prensa speculated in a step-by-step plan beginning with cutting off supplies to the Islands, ending in direct actions late 1982, if the UN talks were fruitless."

Their newspapers speculated about it? Wonder if the authors of any of those articles interviewed Mrs Thatcher, or indeed any member of the British Government - My guess Big Al is that NO THEY DID NOT.

Point 4:
"Admiral Jorge Anaya was the driving force in the Junta's decision to invade."

What not Thatcher???

A little footnote on Anaya:
" "A basic assumption underlying the conflict was that the British were, in the opinion of the war's main architect, Admiral Jorge Anaya, unworthy heirs to a glorious heritage, the men mainly maricones...to call a man a maricón does not question his heterosexuality; but it definitely impugns his physical and moral courage. Anaya was Naval Attaché in London from January 1975 to January 1976...He returned to Argentina, making no attempt to conceal his contempt for all things British."

A further footnote Big Al - Tell us what Government was in power in the UK between 1974 and 1979, the Government that was in power while Admiral Jorge Anaya was present in the UK forming his opinion and cultivating his contempt for all things British. I'll save you the trouble - It was smiling boy himself wasn't it - your very own Jim "Crisis-What-Crisis" Callaghan - a Labour Government.

Point 5:
"The ongoing tension between the two countries over the islands increased on 19 March when a group of Argentine scrap metal merchants raised the Argentine flag at South Georgia, an act that would later be seen as the first offensive action in the war. The Argentine military junta, suspecting that the UK would reinforce its South Atlantic Forces,[15] ordered the invasion of the Falkland Islands to be brought forward to 2 April."

About which you quote the Socialist Worker as stating:
"Her government took no action when scrap metal contractors landed on neighbouring South Georgia with an Argentinean naval escort in March 1982"

Which shows how much they know, or have the honesty or integrity to report events factually.

The Argentine Scrap merchants landed on South Georgia (Care to tell us what Argentines claim to South Georgia is based on?) on 19th March 1982. In the South Atlantic British Forces consist of the Ice Patrol Ship (Note: Ice Patrol Ship not battleship Big Al) HMS Endurance and Naval Party 8901 (68 Marines + 11 Sailors). So if the Socialist Worker is correct how did it come to pass that on the 3rd April, 1982, 22 Royal Marines from Naval Party 8901 managed to kill 3 Argentine Sailors and wound a further 9, shoot down an Argentine helicopter and damage an Argentine Navy Corvette?? After all it did say that the Thatcher Government took no action didn't it?

Now let me see the distance between Stanley and Lieth Harbour, Grytviken, on South Georgia is about 1,300 n.m. OK Big Al you were a teacher:

A ship leaves point A and travels to point B 1,300nm away travelling at 12knots how long will it take the ship to reach point B?

Big Al's Answer: 1,300 / 12 = 108 hours 20 minutes or 4days, 12hours and 20minutes

Let's take a look at the time line

19th March, 1982 Argies land on South Georgia, the leader of the British Antarctic Survey reports the matter to Stanley who inform London - Who order the despatch of HMS Endurance to South Georgia with 22 Royal Marines from Naval Party 8901 - So much for doing nothing eh Big Al?.

Obviously it takes time for the Endurance to get to Stanley to embark the Marines and it takes time for the Marines to get their stores and equipment together. So give them 24 hours which would bring us to 22nd March - On that day the Argentine Government instructed their Ice Patrol Ship to depart but the Leader of the BAS spotted Argentine personnel still on the island, Endurance is ordered to evacuate by force if necessary all Argentine personnel from South Georgia. Admiral Anaya orders two Argentine Navy Corvettes to the seas between the Falklands and South Georgia their orders being to intercept HMS Endurance.

So the earliest HMS Endurance could have arrived at Leith Harbour, Grytviken would have been around mid-day on the 27th March. But Endurance couldn't sail directly could she, she had three Argentine naval vessels looking for her (the two corvettes chasing her from behind and the Argentine Ice Patrol Ship ahead of her) Endurance arrived and landed the Royal Marines on 31st March then withdrew to sea to act as communications link.

2nd April the Argentines invaded the Falklands

3rd April the Battle of Grytviken occurred - bet the Socilaist Worker didn't report it - otherwise their lies about no action being taken by the British Government would have been exposed wouldn't they Big Al?