30th anniversary of the Falklands War (41 photos)

On April 2, exactly 30 years from the start of the Falklands War. Falkland Islands or, as they are known in Argentina, the Malvinas Islands are an archipelago of stretching for 460 km in the Atlantic Ocean east of Argentina. The islands were the subject of long-standing dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom. In 1982, the Argentine leader General Leopoldo Galtieri sent 600 people, where at that time lived 1,800 people to capture him. The British government was extremely surprised by the attack and quickly organized a retaliatory strike, sending its soldiers to the island. The short but bloody war, including the battles at sea, in the air and on the ground, was won by Britain on June 14 after 74 days after the start of the conflict. A total ease killed about 900 people and more than 2,000 injured. The current President of Argentina Cristina Fernandez also has its sights on the Malvinas Islands. On this occasion, it has appealed to the UN and wrote an official letter to the British Prime Minister. Dissatisfaction with the Argentine side and warms the beginning of oil production on the island of Great Britain.

1. The Argentine cruiser General Belgrano crashed after hitting a torpedo of the British nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror, May 1st, 1982. Argentine and Chilean ships managed to save 770 people, while 323 were killed. (AP Photo)




2. Argentine soldiers commit war supplies soon after the invasion of the Falkland Islands, April 13, 1982. (Daniel Garcia / AFP / Getty Images)



3. Tens of thousands of Argentines gathered at the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, to show their support for President Leopoldo Galtieri, April 10, 1982. (AP Photo)



4. The Argentine soldiers buy postcards in a souvenir shop in Stanley in the Falkland Islands shortly after the invasion, April 13, 1982. (Daniel Garcia / AFP / Getty Images)



5. The Argentine soldiers take positions near the Strait of San Carlos in May 1982. (Reuters / Eduardo Farre)



6. The Argentine soldiers read newspapers in Stanley, in April 1982. (Reuters / Eduardo Farre)



7. General of the Argentine Army, which was considered as the Governor in Stanley for 73 days of war, addresses his troops in Darwin, May 25, 1982. (Reuters / Eduardo Farre)



8. gunsmiths preparing to torpedo the British aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, Sea King helicopters in the meantime follow the possible emergence of Argentine submarines, May 26, 1982. (AFP / Getty Images)



9. British soldier checks the area with the help of binoculars, it is located next to the battery in case of missile attack from the air, May 25, 1982. (AFP / Getty Images)



10. Argentine fighter-bomber Air Macchi, May 21, 1982. (AFP / Getty Images)



11. Thick smoke rises over the British frigate HMS Antelope in the Gulf of Ajax, May 24, 1982. Four Argentine A-4B Skyhawks attacked the British frigate eve. During the attack on the ship was dropped a bomb, which unsuccessfully tried to neutralize British art. It exploded, causing a fire broke out and killed two crew members. (AP Photo / Tom Smith)



12. Argentine military aircraft C-130 Hercules on his way to Puerto Argentino. (Reuters / Eduardo Farre)



13. Argentine soldiers are fleeing the Ross Road in Stanley, to take refuge from the explosion while warning of the dangers May 4, 1982. (Reuters / Eduardo Farre)



14. Argentine soldier walks past the wreckage of a downed British military aircraft in Darwin. (Reuters / Eduardo Farre)



15. Hundreds of Argentines gathered outside the store in Buenos Aires to learn the latest war news, May 21, 1982. (AP Photo / Pete Laebo)



16. The surviving crew of Argentine patrol boat met in Puerto Deseado, to say goodbye to his friends who lost their lives during the attack of the British HMS Coventry, May 4, 1982. (Reuters / Enrique Marcarian)



17. Argentine soldiers take position in Port Gorvarde. (Reuters / Eduardo Farre)



18. Argentine soldier stands guard near the military air base in Puerto Argentino, May 25, 1982. (Reuters / Eduardo Farre)



19. The British flag near the Gulf of Ajax. (AP Photo)



20. Frigate watered damaged HMS Sheffield, 28 May 1982. Sea King helicopter in this time floating in the air, providing security. Two Argentine Super Etendard attack aircraft attacked the ship with rockets started a fire that lasted for several days until HMS Sheffield completely sank, killing 20 people. (AP Photo / Press Association / Martin Cleaver)



21. Argentine prisoner blindfolded for security reasons in Stanley. (AP Photo / Tom Smith)



22. Stanley, Falkland Islands, June 29, 1982. (AP Photo)



23. Argentine prisoners of war held by the burning building in Port Stanley in the last days of Argentine occupation of the southern part of the island. (AP Photo / J. Leonard)



24. Argentine prisoners of war in Stanley, June 17, 1982. By the end of the conflict, more than 11,000 Argentines were taken prisoner.



25. ejected Argentine weapons in Stanley, June 16, 1982. After British forces took control of the island, the Argentine Brigadier General Mario Menedes surrendered to British Major General Jeremy Moore. (Kenneth Ian Griffiths)



26. Mass grave of 30 Argentine soldiers after the Battle of Darwin. June 14, 1982 Argentine troops left the island, defeated the British. (AP Photo / Martin Cleaver)



27. The Argentine Falklands War veteran Jose Luis Aparasio holds a picture, which shows it (right) and his friend (left) after they captured British troops at the Battle of Mount Longdon on June 12, 1982. The photo above is made in La Plata, Argentina, March 20, 2007. (Reuters / Enrique Marcarian)



28. Stephen Dickson shows a photo with his comrade Emma Reid. It Stephen only 8 years old, but he already helped Parachute Regiment soldiers to carry the mines to the port of San Carlos. Dixon now lives with his family in the settlement of North Arm, which is located 160 km south of Port Stanley. In this small rural community is home to about 25 people, but there is a school and a shop that offers only 3 hours once a week. (Peter MacDiarmid / Getty Images)



29. A road sign warning drivers of approaching minefields near Stanley, February 6, 2007. (Peter MacDiarmid / Getty Images)



30. Stanley, Falkland Islands on March 12, 2012. (Reuters / Marcos Brindicci)



31. Sheep Village Darwin, Falkland Islands, 25 March 2012. Sheep farming was once the main source of income in the Falkland Islands, are here also to develop tourism and fishing. (Martin Bernetti / AFP / Getty Images)



32. British aircraft flying from the nearby Port Stanley on 16 March 2012. (Reuters / Marcos Brindicci)



33. Fragments of the Argentine Chinook helicopter still lie in the mountains near Stanley. (Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images)



34. The Argentine veteran of the Falklands War Jose Bratulich front of the cemetery in Darwin, where they were buried Argentine soldiers who died during the conflict on March 11, 2012. (Reuters / Marcos Brindicci)



35. Crosses raised in memory of the fallen British soldiers during the Falklands war 10 March 2012. (Reuters / Marcos Brindicci)



36. A resident of the Falkland Islands Phil Middleton in front of his house, which is also a shop for collectors in Port Stanley on 15 March 2012. Some local residents are descendants of British settlers who arrived here 8-9 generations ago, there is also a community of immigrants from Chile, but still noticeable on the island is dominated by the British character. (Reuters / Marcos Brindicci)



37. Local resident Wayne Bryuver shows fragments of the Argentine military aircraft Mirage-Dagger Port Havorde, September 9, 2005. (Reuters / Enrique Marcarian)



38. Gentoo penguin colony near the minefield not far from Stanley, September 9th, 2005. (Reuters / Enrique Marcarian)



39. Nancy Mancilla, moved here from Argentina, her husband, Joseph Reed, a native of the Falkland Islands, and their children Zoe Meg Owen Joseph in Port Stanley on 16 March 2012. (Reuters / Marcos Brindicci)



40. Argentine recoilless gun on Mount Longdon, March 20, 2007. (Daniel Garcia / AFP / Getty Images)



41. British military cemetery in the village of San Carlos in the Falkland Islands, 25 March 2012. (Martin Bernetti / AFP / Getty Images)