Random News and Notes 2 April
On this date in 1982 the Argentines invaded Las Malvinas or as we know them, the Falkland Islands. The islands had been a British possession since 1833. The pre-1833 history was a mess with competing colonial claims. Four years after Argentina declared independence from Spain in 1816, it laid claim to the Falklands. In 1832, the USS Lexington leveled an Argentine fort on East Falkland in retaliation for the seizure of U.S. seal ships in the area. It was the only permanent Argentine military installation in the Islands. In 1833, a British force expelled the remaining Argentine officials and began a military occupation.
Fast forward to 1982, the military junta led by Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri was looking for a way to deflect internal criticisms, invaded. This, of course, irritated the Brits. I suppose if anyone other than Margret Thatcher was British PM, we’d be calling the Islands Las Malvinas. She ordered her government to assemble a naval task force of 30 warships to retake the islands.
As Britain is 8,000 miles from the Falklands, it took several weeks for the British warships to arrive. On April 25, South Georgia Island was retaken, and after several intensive naval battles fought around the Falklands, British troops landed on East Falkland on May 21. After several weeks of fighting, the large Argentine garrison at Stanley surrendered on June 14, ending active hostilities.
Britain lost five ships and 256 lives in the fight to regain the Falklands, and Argentina lost its only cruiser and 750 lives. Humiliated in the Falklands War, the Argentine military was swept from power in 1983, and civilian rule was restored. Maggie and the Tories won big in Parliamentary elections in 1983.
President Trump made remarks about the Iran war last night. He laid out what has already happened and what the next few weeks will likely look like.
I did not hear anything I didn’t expect to hear. If anything I thought it was shorter than I expected.
There was a magnitude 4.9 earthquake in California this morning. The shallow quake hit Boulder Creek, near San Jose, at 0441 EDT (0141 PDT) this morning. It was felt all across the Bay area.
No major damage has been reported.
And here’s me hoping most of Cali would just slide off into the Pacific. . .
Epic Fury News
Today’s CENTCOM update:
This is video of a strike on the B1 Bridge on the Karaj Northern Bypass in western Tehran. It was targeted in a U.S. and/or Israeli strike, amidst an uptempo in joint U.S.-Israeli strike operations, announced by U.S. President Donald J. Trump last night.
Translation from Persian: Received video: ‘Another attack on B1 bridge in Ozemie #Karaj around 5:30 PM’ Thursday, April 2
Photo of the damaged bridge
Pretty clean destruction if you ask me. Looks to be in the center of the span, and there does not look like there is much if any damage to the suspension towers on either side.