Argentina becomes British Vietnam
- Thread starter Killer300
- Start date
This. How are you going to have the British fight for several years and take many losses trying to capture a couple of rocks in the South Atlantic?
Riain
Banned
Winter was the problem, if the war had lasted too much longer the British would have been stuck in the south atlantic without victory in a freezing sub antarctic shithole. However come summer they could have gained a full victory, don't forget that Britain was still a great power in 1982.
The situation in the South Atlantic was pretty shity per se, and that did not stop the British ...
I think sort of a Tsunami its almost impossible ...
There isn't any way to have the UK invade Argentina's mainland and the quality difference between British and Argentine soldiers became painfully obvious as soon as the British were ashore so nothing resembling Vietnam could have taken place on the Falklands.
A tsunami striking the island and killing many soldiers would be a disaster, not a "Vietnam". A "Vietnam" would entail a long and grueling war that gets thousands of soldiers killed, usually for no good reason. A tsunami killing people wouldn't exactly start anti-war protests in the streets of London or anything. Nor would any realistic outcome of the Falklands War. Long wars are not fought on small barren islands between modern countries, one of which is a great power.
Chris Oakley
Banned
The above scenario is so unlikely I think this thread might be better suited for the ASB forum.
loughery111
Banned
Basically, it's not. Unless Thatcher and every figure in the British government, including the heads of the Opposition, go insane and decide that invading the Argentine mainland is a good idea, they'll win a quick victory as IOTL. The Falklands aren't big enough for guerrilla warfare, and the Argentine Navy was woefully outclassed anyway.
Honestly, even if the British did go insane and decide to invade the mainland, they have no way to do it, so even that probably wouldn't be sufficient to get them into a scenario anything like Vietnam.
I think calls to relegate posts to ASB are a form of bullying that should be punished. It's for moderators to decide on the destination of posts, not posters.
It actually isn't so unlikely that the British could have failed to exert their will. Perhaps if fewer Exocets had been tampered with more British ships would have gone down. Maybe the British might have ended up dominating West Falklands but not East Falklands. A stalemate is not entirely inconceivable - and I can guarantee you (as a UK citizen) it would have had a political effect.
Clipper747
Banned
How could it be a "Vietnam"? The Argentine public didn't have the heart or stamina for 100% all out war with a NATO or non NATO country. The junta wasn't liked or trusted either. Who would sacrifice themselves for it?
Er - you seem to have forgotten the million plus gatherings in Buenos Aries supporting the invasion. I think the Argentinian public would have supported the war if more British ships had gone down.
loughery111
Banned
So? They have no effective naval force... Argentina can be completely committed to the war, but so long as Britain isn't STUPID enough to invade, they have no way to actually fight after the Falklands fall, and that they would fall quickly is beyond doubt.
Clipper747
Banned
The Argentine public was sold on lies and that support in Buenos Aires dried up in a day when bad news came.
Argentina's military leaders were full of themselves and incompetent. The handful of assets that did put up a fight did so to no avail since the grassroots support was so fragile.
That makes no sense whatsoever. The issue is whether the Argentine Air Force can blow up the UK ships. As it was they took out at least three if I remember correctly. The legend is that the other Exocets didn't work because they were tampered with - possibly by French intelligence - not sure. If you can take out three ships, you can take out ten all else being equal. I think the UK was v. lucky.
Bullying? NIMO. However, Chris' observation/opinion probably should have been sent to a moderator and not posted on the thread, for it indeed is up to the moderators to decide whether a particular thread is or is not located in the most appropriate forum.