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Falklands: Argentinian President Cristina Kirchner Declassifies Rattenbach Report

PA/Huffington Post UK  |  By   |  Posted: 24/03/2012 19:44 Updated: 24/03/2012 19:44

Cristina Fernandez De Kirchner Falklands

President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has finally declassified a scathing review of the mistakes made by Argentina's military junta in going to war with Britain in 1982 trying to recover the Falkland Islands.

The Rattenbach Report is so critical of Argentina's military leadership that the last dictator ordered it kept secret for 50 years.

By making it public, Ms Kirchner said she hopes to show Argentina "will always be on the side of peace".

The release comes at a time of heightened tensions between Argentina and Britain over the sovereignty of the Falklands, which Argentina says Britain has illegally occupied since 1833.

Fernandez had sought to place the blame for the failed war on the 1976-1983 dictatorship and not the Argentinian people.

A version of the report was leaked years ago, revealing the junta had planned for an easy occupation and had been expecting backing from the USA, AP said.

Things didn't go to plan and the report confirms Argentine soldiers were sent into wintry conditions without proper clothing, supplies or weapons. Nor had they had basic training in weaponry and combat.

"Troops weren't adapted or equipped to handle the weather or the living conditions," and yet they had to face "a highly equipped and trained enemy," the report concluded.

"Military commanders encouraged the preconceived notion that there would be no armed conflict, and that the situation would be resolved diplomatically, which affected the morale of the forces and their readiness for combat."

Prince William this week returned from a seven-week deployment to the Falkland Islands. William, a Flight Lieutenant with the RAF, was sent to the South Atlantic to fly search and rescue helicopter missions.

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President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has finally declassified a scathing review of the mistakes made by Argentina's military junta in going to war with Britain in 1982 trying to recover the Falkla...
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has finally declassified a scathing review of the mistakes made by Argentina's military junta in going to war with Britain in 1982 trying to recover the Falkla...
 
 
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Harry Palmer Esq
36 Fans
04:49 PM on 03/25/2012
You can understand how the Argentines misread US feelings. Reagan didnt really care and there were many in the US who didnt want to get involved preferring a diplomatic resolution, or at most only under the counter help to the UK.

Britains great friend was Casper Weinberger who fought for the UK's cause in the US as one of their oldest allies. He made sure Britain received the logistical and intelligence help needed. Sadly I dont believe he and the US received the thanks they deserved, unless they wanted to keep it low key.
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vividrick
I came, I saw...I had a cup of tea!
495 Fans
12:04 PM on 03/25/2012
I don't get what made them think they'd recieve backing from the US!

Maggie & Reagan were in each other's pockets.
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Johnr968
3 Fans
09:11 AM on 03/25/2012
One word Oil - Argentina wants our Oil
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Drg40
Representative Democracy is all we have.
65 Fans
08:53 AM on 03/25/2012
Lots of comments about "sabre rattling". I thought sabre rattling was what one of these effete cavalry units did when trying to frighten their enemy. Followed, in most cases by their trousers turning brown, charging off in the wrong direction or not doing anything on the grounds that there were too many of the enemy. Sorry, I digress. Kirchner has a beef. Not a well found one, I grant, but as long as we adopt this silly fringe American habit of presuming that any argument, however trivial, entitles you to hate your opponent we have a problem. Or is it that the meeja find that wars are good for profit and there's still lots of luvverly cheap column inches to be found from the campaign of 30 years ago?
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oneilleddieeddie
27 Fans
08:23 AM on 03/25/2012
how about...las islas malvinas argentina
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lenuk
128 Fans
12:23 PM on 03/25/2012
Que?
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oneilleddieeddie
27 Fans
02:00 PM on 03/25/2012
the islands falklands argentinian....you seem incredibly dim to me ?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
jessjesskk
Benevolent Zombie Power
267 Fans
 
06:44 PM on 03/25/2012
How about the Islanders deciding for themselves if they want to be
(i) Argentiniana
(ii) british
(iii) independant

Personally I don;t care what happened 2 centuries ago. The lone thing I know is that there are inhabitants there and THEY should decide. Not Argentina. Not the UK. Not the UN.
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Hank Hancocks
9 Fans
08:15 AM on 03/25/2012
There is no need for us to read this report! We know what they did wrong and that is why the Falkland Islands are free from rule by the Argies. As for saying there troops had to face a highly equipped enemy! WRONG? We did it on a shoestring with a single Chinnok Helicopter and a lot of hard workI know that because I was there! We also knew what we were doing was right??? The Argie army was so scared of the own conscripts they placed them in front of their regualr troops so they coould not retreat when they came up against the Paras and Royal Marines. The Special Forces also carried out covert missions and knew what the Argies were going to do before they did it. A good dose of Galtieri's desease also meant the Argies spent longer on the loo than fighting.
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dek670
1 Fans
04:59 AM on 03/25/2012
The Falkland islanders are British period,they are peaceful and were invaded 30 years ago, the invasion was rebuffed, the only sabre rattling since the war has come from Argentina.
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dkellyscotland
64 Fans
04:03 AM on 03/25/2012
The simple fact is that in the days when western European countries were building empires, you fought and if you won, you took the land. That sort of behaviour might be frowned upon these days but that is the way it was.

Spain were hardly saints in that regard and often used extreme brutality against indigenous populations. If she thinks Argentina has a claim to the Falklands, do not the tribes of the land on which Argentina now stands have a claim for the return of what was taken from them?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
George McAulay
Delighted to meet you
962 Fans
04:08 AM on 03/25/2012
F&F laddie from an Australian ex pat
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
livingbettertherapy
Counselor, Therapist, Strategic Intervention
189 Fans
 
03:41 AM on 03/25/2012
Give her credit for making an effort towards peace. Be kind and visit Argentina, you will love it and love the people. Courtesy opens a lot of doors.
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Lupinblog
28 Fans
09:14 AM on 03/25/2012
I have visited Argentina and the people are charming. But Argentina is a country with much violence and corruption in its history and there is much povery, with a huge divide between rich and poor. Young children sleep in doorways in Buenos Aires. The Falkland islanders do not want be ruled by a country with such a poor reputation for its treatment of its own people (and treatment of them during the brief occupation!).
Argentina has no legitimate historical claim to The Falklands since the only people to continuously settle there have been British. Moreover, Argentina itself was established in lands which rightly belonged to indigenous people. Any claim that Argentina has would be based on its colonial period under Spain, but Spain's claims were only tenuous. Possibly the French would have a stronger claim. Argentines might reflect that it was thanks to the British removing them from The Falklands that led to the despicable junta in BA being ousted.
Just leave the islands in peace and try to co-operate and maybe in time something worthwhile will emerge to the benefit of both countries.
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silverline
3 Fans
01:26 PM on 03/25/2012
Dear Lupinblog,

I am wondering what portions of Argentina and, in particular, of Buenos Aires you visited and at what time exactly. I spent half of my career between Europe and the US but now back in Argentina I see there are also problems but they are not worse than anywhere else. Things are easier now than in many European countries. Each months thousand of young professionals from Europe emigrate to Argentina looking for a better future.away from crisis.
I studied in Oxford but also visited many industrial areas in the UK and was greatly surprised to note the extreme divide between rich and poor in England.
Do you know under what conditions the Islanders lived before the war? Are you aware to what extent they were discriminated in the UK?
The Islanders still remember the war but they are also clear about the fragility of the future support they may expect from UK. Should the "big" oil projects fail the Islanders know they would be "back to basics", that is to say, they would be on their own again!
It is doubtful whether the quality of the oil is worth investing and environmental issues are a very serious concern among others. Once the conservative party is out of office and CF is out of office, I am certain that the relationship between the Islanders and continental Argentina will greatly improve and it will make no difference to them to be called Falklanders or "Malvinenes"!
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silverline
3 Fans
11:44 PM on 03/28/2012
I found your comments most remarkable - one seldom reads deep thoughts about some of the issues involved at least not in the HUFFpost. The fact remains that there are interesting roots in Argentine culture that connects an import part of the population with England. Jorge Luis Borges brings to light some of this in his writings. Then also music and sport as well as many other manifestations which make Argentina different from other Latin American countries while still being part of it. So, in the case of this particular issue which is presently being debated, there are many problems unresolved such as geopolitical questions, the conservation of the natural environment and so on, plus the past colonial history which ought not be denied. All the same, one day things will change for the best. This will be day when neither the UK nor the Argentine government use for political reasons the cause of the Falklands/Malvinas.
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peterg6
7 Fans
12:06 AM on 03/25/2012
The Argentine air force can use balloons inflated by hot air from Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner
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gimmieitbaby
17 Fans
11:33 PM on 03/24/2012
Ms Kirchner said she hopes to show Argentina "will always be on the side of peace".

But apparently also on the side of pointless sabre rattling and misplaced Nationalism to the point of jingoism.
Silly woman. How many times have idiot politicians played that card and not been prepared for where it lead?
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TheLibraryOfCodex
1108 Fans
10:28 PM on 03/24/2012
Yes sweetie, why don't you read that report, see the pasting your country took, and try not blundering into another futile war?
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etherea1
1 Fans
09:47 PM on 03/24/2012
They'll probably be releasing commemorative 9 Bob notes next. . .
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Chemical Viking
12 Fans
 
09:33 PM on 03/24/2012
I don't think Britain needs to take lessons on colonialism and the benevolence of peacefulness from Latin America.

The whole ridiculous argument boils down to, "This territory has a british rather than spanish flavour, and it doesn't feel right." If Argentina wants to discuss sovereignty, they should do it with the indigenous natives of their own country, or what is left of them after they were butchered by the spanish. Of oue empire, including all our ill gotten gains, the Falklands is one of those few we have completely clean hands over and quite frankly, the self determination of the islanders triumph all Argentinian whines.

So they are going nowhere and Argentina will have to get used to it.
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bobbymc777
3 Fans
11:04 PM on 03/24/2012
Hmmm, where shall I start on your ridiculous post!!!
You know what...
I'll leave some for seconds but please explain why you choose to use the term "indigenous" when your own name is VIKING.
& the article refers to Prince William who descends from every corner of Europe...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Purple seastar
My micro-blog is no longer empty
226 Fans
02:48 AM on 03/25/2012
But the bottom line is that the people of the Falkland Islands do not want to be under Argentine Rule. Period. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, they don't want it, and due to their status as an overseas territory Britain is morally obliged to provide diplomatic and military support when and where needed.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
patrick klocek
... takes more than combat gear to make a man
290 Fans
02:59 AM on 03/25/2012
What's your point? The Falklanders are ENGLISH. The Argentines are, mostly Italians and Spaniards with a strong German minority. The "indigenous people" (what's left of them) are found a bit in the far north and far south. The Falklands had no "indigenous" people in 1830 since the Tierra del Fuego natives never went out there and didn't know the place existed. Therefore, the Falklanders are indeed, the indigenous people. The Islands are English because the Islanders wish to be English. It is well know that the Crown would have happily dumped the islands decades ago as the cost of defending them is much more than the revenue to Crown derives from them. But if that were the case, I suspect the islanders would sooner try to become a Canadian or American territory than ever join the culturally very dissimilar Argentinians.
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