What if Argentina had better defences and troops in the Falklands 1982. Was their an attempt by Argentina to send in reserves or attack the Task force before it reached the Falklands
What if Argentina had better defences and troops in the Falklands 1982. Was their an attempt by Argentina to send in reserves or attack the Task force before it reached the Falklands
A better economy usually equates a better military. An earlier PoD will help. This would have given ample reason to afford a more sophisticated and larger air force which would have given Argentina Air Superiority. With Air Superiority, comes superiority over any naval or land operation. A successful nuclear program would also help.
However, if a nation becomes too powerful, too wealthy and sophisticated, the British will just hand it back like Hong Kong. Thus, defeating the purpose of having a Falkland war. For capitalist economies, Economic prosperity, trade is better than a war between sophisticated military nations especially with nukes.
Was their an attempt by Argentina to send in reserves or attack the Task force before it reached the Falklands
What if Argentina had better defences and troops in the Falklands 1982. Was their an attempt by Argentina to send in reserves or attack the Task force before it reached the Falklands
AFAIK, all reinforcements during the combat phase were sent in by air, and no attempt was made to attack the TF before it reached the Falklands.
...if the Belgrano had been reserved until the invasion had captured the Falklands then it could have commanded the seas around the islands with its 8 inch guns from a protected anchorage and prevented the Royal Navy from providing fire support to ground forces.
However, had the best Argentine forces been sent to the Falkland Islands then Britain would have opted for the Plan B. Plan A was to go as soon as possible with whatever could be found in a hurry and this is what was chosen IOTL, Plan B was to wait until the local summer and assemble the best force that could be put together. This would have included at least 2 more aircraft carriers and 2 8 inch gun cruisers so Argentina would still have lost but with fiercer fighting and heavier losses on both sides.
What 8" cruisers was the RN thinking of sending, exactly? And I don't know what these two other carriers were.