Argies Catch 22

[NotAllThere]

I agree completely with the sentiment but careful a mod doesnt see it. Apparently they dislike slurs like cowards against the French but are fine with people speaking about beating up other ethnic groups. No, it doesnt make any sense at all.

Oh it rankles so much doesn't it.

btw - where are these posts about beating up other ethnic groups?

[BrilloPad]

I sat down for a late lunch the other day with Mrs ZM, I popped the TV on (no idea why) and it was on. Sat there transfixed that these people exist for about 5 mins before we turned it back off.

2 things worried me: were these people actualy real, and who actually watches it? It must be popular, for it's been on for years, but who actually watches it?

My mother-out-law

[BrilloPad]

Oh it rankles so much doesn't it.

btw - where are these posts about beating up other ethnic groups?

You don't need facts or data before banning! Just roll the dice ad carry on.

[EternalOptimist]

Very good...

I think they are good, as they will blindly fight, but I don't think it's like it is out in the gulf, or Afghanistan, where you're all in this together. This is a remote archipelago, miles from anywhere, with one hotel, a couple of pubs and a naafi. Drink is very expensive, as the people in town with money (the oil folk) are being milked, so they can't even really afford to get out. There really is nothing to do, nothing. Nothing to shoot at, nothing to hunt, nothing. 9 months there would feel like a prison sentence. The morale, well, it must be low, through boredom.

I think if they did the Eurofighters, they'd be in there, within a couple of days. There is no way our gov would drop a bomb on mainland Argentina, absolutely no way. By the time we have negotiated an aircraft carrier from the French, the argies would be entrenched and the UN involved.

I think it is genuinely at risk, and I the rhetoric is slowly turning to nasty.

You think the Falklands are bleak do you ? and the squaddies have nothing to do and are bored and not motivated.

Well I spent 3 years on St Kilda (thats where the falklanders go for a remote/wild experience) and I can tell you that you are speaking through your ring piece.

There are many thing you dont know or understand about the armed forces, one of them is that part of the selection and training is to identify people or train people to remain calm and focussed, in a situation where most people would be climbing the walls. To be able to stop yourself(and your mates) going bonkers in situations that are bordering on sensory deprivation. The ability to fashion entertainment out of nothing.

Morale ? we used to pray every day that the Russians would come and have a go. My guess is that the blokes down there are gagging for it too

You do not understand Zoidy

[Doggy Styles]

I think it's not the tenacity, but the will. I genuinely dont think they could afford war, fiscally, as well as physically. But the rhetoric is being ramped up, and if we don't do more to bolster defences, I think it could go tits up and I am not too sure anyone this side would stomach another war.

I don't really care about the Falklands and it does seem a little absurd we are still there.

Why is it absurd? It is where they live. And, as a British dependency, they depend on the UK for defence.

[shaunbhoy]

However, most military strategists think we cannot defend it, let alone hold on to it.

Are you going to provide any links, or are you just opening your gormless cakehole again and letting your guts rumble?
With only 20 miles of water between us and France we managed to hold the Wehrmacht back with a BEF just back from Dunkirk.
The Falklands lie about 1200 miles from Buenos Aires.
The argies struggled to take them back in 1982 when it was garrisoned by about 30 Marines with SLRs.
If you must try and contribute, leave the military threads alone until and unless we decide to cover aspects relating to the waving of white flags.
At that stage only your input might be wanted and relevant.

[BrilloPad]

The argies struggled to take them back in 1982 when it was garrisoned by about 30 Marines with SLRs.

My understanding was the marines surrendered almost immediately as there were thousands of argies?
Surely air superiority is almost a deciding factor? And I am not convinced that we would have naval superiority anymore. Though I would accept that 1 Britsh squaddie is worth 100 Argies.

Didn't one our ships try to land troops before setting up the AA batteries with the loss of about 100 soldiers?

[shaunbhoy]

Surely air superiority is almost a deciding factor?

Not really. Sooner or later you need to put sufficient troops on the ground, and the only way to do that for a place like the Falklands is by ship. The Argies are all too well aware of what happened to the Belgrano, so won't be likely to explore that avenue again.
Besides, the options for the Argies to mount serious air raids on the islands, without sustaining serious losses, are not that high. It is still a considerable flight time from the mainland to the islands, thus reducing the amount of time they can actually spend over the targets. And they can be seen on radar from a long way off too.

And I am not convinced that we would have naval superiority anymore.

You'd be surprised just how "superior" you can appear to your enemies with as little as 1 undetectable sub.
They caught us by surprise last time, we won't make the same mistake again.
Found this on the Beeb site.

Military experts believe the islands are now virtually impregnable. The new air base has completely altered the balance of power. Any sign of Argentine invasion and the islands could be quickly reinforced by air. "There's no way Argentine forces could ever take Mt Pleasant air base," says Prof Clarke. They would need to land a large number of troops to capture it. And with more than 300 miles of sea to cross from the mainland, and Typhoon fighters and HMS Dauntless in the way, it is not going to happen, he says.

[Moscow Mule]

This might inject a bit of realism into the discourse...

The Falkland Islands and Our Pants | Think Defence

The reality of the challenges involved in recapturing the Falkland Islands | Think Defence

The articles are quite long, and some of you might need some help with the longer words or TLAs but the upshot is, it aint happening.

[stek]

My understanding was the marines surrendered almost immediately as there were thousands of argies?
Surely air superiority is almost a deciding factor? And I am not convinced that we would have naval superiority anymore. Though I would accept that 1 Britsh squaddie is worth 100 Argies.

Didn't one our ships try to land troops before setting up the AA batteries with the loss of about 100 soldiers?

I thought they popped about five Argies and took out an AMT before Sir Rex implored them to surrender?