Outbreak of the Falklands War

Date: April 2, 1982 • Location: 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands, International

This milestone marked the outbreak and beginning of this historic period, which spanned 1982.

Falklands War: Argentina invades the Falkland Islands.

The Falklands War was a ten-week war in the South Atlantic in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over possession of the Falkland Islands and its dependencies of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. The conflict began on 2 April 1982 when Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, followed by the invasion of South Georgia the next day. On 5 April, the British government dispatched a naval task force to regain possession of the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine surrender on 14 June, which formally returned possession to Britain. In total, 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel, and 3 Falkland Islanders were killed during the hostilities.