Falkand documentry, powerful stuff.

I remember hearing a first hand conversation with a Falklands veteran on a radio program some years ago and it remained with me. To paraphrase from memory, the soldier was on the ground near to enemy soldiers.

"we were very close and our commander ordered us to fix bayonets and prepare for combat"

It brought home (if it ever needed to) the sheer horror and barbarism of war. Its not always fought from 30000ft or many miles away. I cant imagine the fear that must fill you receiving that order.

Yes. Watched it. I know it's common but still surprised how many of the guys hadn't talked about it to anyone in the last 40 years. And the para who went on to serve for years in the SAS but said nothing came close to the Falklands.

The reality of a bayonet charge. Breaking your bayonet in the arm of a guy lying face down in the Argie trench because you aren't sure if he is dead. Then when he isn't, using the broken bayonet to finish him off.

Never mind having to walk across the islands in winter carrying a crippling weight of kit before hard hand to hand fighting.

The NCO who's coping strategy during the battles was just accepting he was going to die then just thinking about looking after the guys in his platoon.

Not easy viewing but an insight into an experience of frontline battle that fortunately almost all of us will never have to go through.

The most shocking thing to me about the Falkland's war was that it happened at all really.

The most shocking thing to me about the Falkland’s war was that it happened at all really.

This, wholly unnecessary if UK government had been paying attention.

Headbutting somebody repeatedly until they were "no longer a threat" because there wasn't enough room to shoot or bayonet them. I can't imagine the horror for either of the two guys involved.

@Harry_the_Spider - that was my thoughts exactly. Harrowing to me that actually and difficult to listen to.

It was a pretty grim episode in our history. There's a decent podcast running that covers the Falklands War in some detail, one of the presenters was with the task force and there's a good amount of eyewitness testimony. It seems to have been a near disaster at a number of points, which was certainly not the narrative we were fed at the time.

Battleground: Falklands podcast

Dan Snow has been covering a fair bit of the conflict on his History Hit podcast.

This one where he interviews an Argentine veteran is an interesting / harrowing listen.

Tough but essential viewing and really well put together.

40 years later we don't seem to have moved on much, still no direct flights to Argentina from the islands and they still claim them as theirs even though the actual occupants want to be part of the UK.

It seems to have been a near disaster at a number of points, which was certainly not the narrative we were fed at the time.

It was a war - all wars are disasters, even for the victors, but propaganda does what propaganda needs to do - look at the conflict in the Ukraine.

BBC Archive has thrown some interesting bits on FB feed recently about WW1 - an excellent interview with a German soldier describing hand to hand fighting in a French trench, using his bayonet, his platoon using rifle butts and shovels. He wondered how on earth ordinary young men could be reduced to that kind of action

An account by a company Commander from 45 Commando. On the front line by also in touch with the overall strategy as it unfolded.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yompers-45-Commando-Falklands-War/dp/1848844417

Good reviews on Amazon including a few who served with the author in the Falklands. I presume the review from KeithB is Keith Brown MSP who was mentioned in the book as a young marine in the company.

If you're interested in the conflict the book Vulcan 607 is a fascinating insight into the mission they flew to take out the runway early in the war, the aircraft itself, the insane logistics of getting the planes over the Falkland Is, the challenges of navigation and the very difficult decisions taken by the flight crews to get the job done. It also gives some basic insight into the background politics.

If you’re interested in the conflict the book Vulcan 607 is a fascinating insight into the mission they flew to take out the runway early in the war,

Thanks - just bought it from Amazon!

Watched last night very gripping. I remember the Scots Guards officer guy who got shot on Tumbledown, there was a BBC drama about the aftermath YEARS ago and I'm sure there is a book as well...

Edit the Tumbledown drama / movie is available on IPlayer. 1988. No idea if it has aged well but I remember enjoying it at the time.

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0074mwj

My mate was with 45 Commando, his claim to fame was that he shot an Argentinian A4 Skyhawks down with a .50 machine gun. He was adamant that it was his shots that downed it as he was using tracer & the rounds were hitting the plane.
He did mention the fact that every other armed person was blasting away at it at the same time though.
Sadly he passed away last year.

Exocet Falklands by Ewan Southby-Tailyour is a great read on an often forget aspect of the conflict with troops being landed on a one way mission to Tierra del Fuego. It somewhat tarnishes the SAS’ image.

Haven't read his book (yet) but I recognised the name. Mentioned in a few books as he had luckily charted the coast of the islands while posted there shortly before the invasion. Very useful in 1982.

With regards specifically to the Black Buck (Vulcan and Victor) missions the 1984 USMC report into the Air War makes for interesting reading

Offensive Air Operations of the Falklands War

The most critical passages are below, but the whole report is worth a read if you're at all interested in military aviation history.

 However, the success of BLACK BUCK can be at best
described as minimal.  The seven attempted missions
included three aborts, three of undetermined results and one
of minimal success (the first).  The runway was continually
used by Argentine C-130's until the end of the war.  The
Argentines would leave the runway covered with piles of dirt
during the day causing British intelligence to surmise that
repairs were still in progress.  This deception mislead the
British as to the condition of the airfield and the success
of their raids.
     The most critical judgment of the use of the Vulcan
centers on the argument that their use was "...largely to
prove [the air force] had some role to play and not to help
the battle in the least."8  This illustrates the practice
of armed services to actively seek a "piece of the action"
when a conflict arises, even if their capabilities or
mission are not compatible with the circumstances of the
conflict.  Using BLACK BUCK as an example shows the effects
of this practice can be trivial and the results not worth
the effort involved.

There are a few examples of the thousand yard stares in those guys.
That bit about the Argentinian carrying his brother’s body got me.
A friends Dad was over there. He never spoke about what went on.
Brutal

Watched last night very gripping. I remember the Scots Guards officer guy who got shot on Tumbledown, there was a BBC drama about the aftermath YEARS ago and I’m sure there is a book as well…

Edit the Tumbledown drama / movie is available on IPlayer. 1988. No idea if it has aged well but I remember enjoying it at the time.

He was the chap with the 'tache and the damaged left arm in the documentary.

He was the chap with the ‘tache and the damaged left arm in the documentary.

This bloke. Lost 42% of his brain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Lawrence_(British_Army_officer)

@nickc

Interesting link. The Vulcans never put the Port Stanley runway out of order but it appears that the demonstration of the ability of the Vulcans to bomb the Falklands and hence that they were capable of bombing Argentina was partly responsible for some fighters being withdrawn for air defence of the mainland.

The Argentines attempted to use Mirage III's in the
escort role, but this proved to be unsuccessful. This
aircraft is best suited for maneuvering at high altitude
while the Harrier is more efficient below 10,000 feet.
Tactics in the Falklands saw Mirage III's operating at
20,000 feet or more while attempting to provide cover for
attack aircraft proceeding to the target at much lower
levels. With the attack aircraft they were supposed to
cover flying low, the Mirage pilots were forced to descend
into the lower regime most favorable to the Harrier to carry
out their fleet defense mission. When they did so, the
British took full advantage of the situation. A description
of an engagement on May 1 illustrates this:

Captain Gustavo Cuerva and his wingman,
ler Ten. Carlos Perona received information
from Falklands/Malvinas radar that there were
Sea Harriers at twelve o'clock. Cuerva spotted
two Sea Harriers and fired two missiles which
missed. The Harriers then curved around and
fired their Sidewinders - one exploded near
Cuerva causing sever damage.... Perona's Mirage
was hit by the missile from the second Harrier
and the aircraft exploded into a ball of
flames.... On the sixth mission of the day
Jose Ardiles was killed in his Mirage by a
Sidewinder from another Sea Harrier. As a
result of these heavy losses...it was decided
to pull the Mirage III's back to the mainland
to stand alert for a possible Vulcan attack..

I think it also helped that Maggie persuaded Ronnie to let us have the latest generation of sidewinder missiles, putting our Harriers in an advantageous position against the Mirages.

Wife's uncle was 2 Para through the falklands war, after 16-17 tours of Northern Ireland (as far back as alot of his friends were blown up on the bus that was revenge for bloody sunday), after the falklands he was done and bought himself out, still suffers from PTSD as a result.

@irc isn't it?

I think overall, the strategic effect on the Argentinian Junta of the black buck missions probably outweighs their tactical usefulness. David "Sharkie" Ward (899Sqn Boss) was particularity scathing, but I think he's probably as guilty of the same inter-service rivalry he accuses the RAF of.

Anyway, excellent documentary, and as other's have said, very effecting. I'd imagine the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan are storing up many of the post-war difficulties for scores of young men and women now that those poor men have suffered.

I thought the Argentines were planning on extending the Stanley runway so that they could operate fast jets from the Falklands rather than operating from the mainland, so limited time on station due to fuel. The Black Buck raids prevented the extension of the runway.

Argentine Mirages and A4s constantly in the air over the battlefield would have likely changed the course of the war.

The runway extension options were covered jn Nick,s link.

The Port Stanley airfield could have solved Argentina's
problem. The field, only 2,000 feet long, was not suited to
heavy jet operations. Had it been longer, however, it could
have accommodated Argentine attack aircraft.
The Argentines considered attempting to enlarge the
field with expeditionary materials10 but gave up on the
idea for several reasons. The portable metallic planking
was available but was an extremely large load to transport
either by air or sea. In April, they moved one load by ship
but began to feel pressure from the quick reaction of the
British which compelled them to concentrate on the transport
of other war supplies. They also decided that the time
required to install the matting, considering the rugged
terrain surrounding the airport, would be greater than that
available. They also had to improve fuel storage and
refuel capabilities to support jet aircraft, but again time
constraints caused them to reject such an endeavor.
Finally, the Argentines felt they would not be able to
defend the airfield and their valuable jet assets would be
victimized by Harrier or Vulcan attacks.

However, aircraft operating from the islands would have
been a great cause of concern for the closing British
fleet. If the occupation had not been impromptu, they might
have considered, planned and prepared for the enlargement of
the strip, moved aircraft and defense equipment there and
been prepared to carry the fight to the British further out
at sea. Their spontaneous attack of the islands left the
Agentines without this viable alternative.

Vulcan 607 is an amazing book. Don’t know what happened to my copy but I want to read it again.
I remember one page where they were talking about the in air refuelling kit, the bombers that were left (they were going out of service) had their refuelling apparatus filled with concrete IIRC and the engineers had to traipse round airbases and plane graveyards to try and find the parts they needed to fix the refuelling kit and do the mission.

I was 21 at the time so remember it well. As it was before widespread sat coms and very remote there was no live news reporting. Much of the breaking news was delivered throughout by one MOD spokesman who had a very deliberate delivery.

It was a strange time. Unlike now when UK armed forces have been frequently involved in various medium sized conflicts it was the first big conflict I could remember UK forces in.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AOv4s30R40U

I've not seen the documentary yet, but my ex colleague and I were getting shelled at a location I was only just 18 and he had fought in the falklands at 18 and had a bayonet scar in the face for his troubles.
As we sat getting fired upon he got to telling me what his parents had gone through while he was away and how it had affected them and let me know how my family would be feeling it was all rather surreal. He never mentioned his time in the falklands but it made me think on my return a bit more about what loved ones go through when we were overseas and understand a little more, and how we change after traumatic events and how that can change our relationships with them
We also had Tracy Chapman on the cassette deck at the time lol funny the little things that stick with you
Will have a watch of it

engineers had to traipse round airbases and plane graveyards to try and find the parts

One part was used as an ashtray in the mess.

The maintenance director at an aviation company i worked for served in the RAF working on Vulcans. By the time of the Falklands he and several other engineers had left as the jets were going out of service. They all got chased down to come and work on the jets

They all got chased down to come and work on the jets

One of my father's friends in the RAF at the time had his retirement postponed. He was a recently retired Harrier pilot working at Strike Command nr High Wycombe as a last posting, and while he didn't go the SA, he was asked/told to go to Wittering and re-qualify. His wife wasn't chuffed by all accounts.

Off topic.
Remember at the beginning of Vulcan 607 when the story about Vulcan XM610 crashing in Wingate in Co Durham was told?
I saw that from our school playing field.

Re the 607 book- was it in there that they referenced a Navy “research” vessel was on permanent station there costing £xm & Thatcher thought it was a water of money so had it recalled with the war and subsequent military posting costing £xxxxxxm?

Good article on the impact of the brand new Sidewinders at https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/36949/her-majestys-death-ray-how-the-aim-9l-sidewinder-vanquished-argentine-air-force

@FB-ATB

It wasn't Thatcher. A patrol ship HMS Endurance was withdrawn as part of defence cuts. Lord Carrington the Foreign Secretary argued against it but the defence sec John Knott overruled him.

Post invasion Carrington resigned. Back when politicians did.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/10/peter-carrington-lord-carrington-obituary

And of course David Cameron cut the Harriers in 2010. They continued to be used by the US Marines. One of the few foreign aircraft ever bought by the USA.

https://www.blogbeforeflight.net/2022/03/us-marine-corps-harriers-norway-cold-response-22.html?m=1

Initially imported then under licence and further developed by MacDonnell Douglas

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/harrier-us-marine-corps-loves-plane-1-big-reason-49762

The Falklands “war” was called a conflict at the time, the withdrawal of HMS Endurance was designed as a green light to Argentina to have a go. It was the dead cat of its time for Thatcher. Unfortunately it cost a lot of lives.

One of the few foreign aircraft ever bought by the USA.

It's not really. Without the US bankrolling the development of the Kestrel (and some of the earlier test models). The Harrier wouldn't have existed, the MOD thought the aircraft interesting, but weren't at all ever going to pay for it. The early development/evaluation squadron of nine aircraft* was entirely funded by the Pentagon. The first Harriers may have been manufactured by Hawker Siddley , but the largest operator of the aircraft has always been the Americans, and all their aircraft were built by Mcdonnell Douglas. The AV8B which in he RAF is the GR5/7/9 series are almost entirely US designed and developed.

*W Germany was interested early on by at the end of the development programme 6 of the 9 aircraft were taken to the US for further development and testing. Most the the Harrier development came from US trails

EDIT: The B57 is probably the aircraft that best represents a UK designed aircraft used by the USAF rather than the Harrier, it's a licence built Canberra.

From Vulcan 607:

'In New York, the British Air Attache knew that neither Spartan or Splendid was yet on station. As he talked to the French representative after a long and very boring meeting of the United Nations Staff Committee, a Soviet Admiral brushed past him.
'Are our submarines being of any help?' the old sailor asked, not stopping for an answer.'

At that point the Royal Navy were still a long way from having any useful vessels on the scene, but Argentine efforts to reinforce their troops were hampered by reports in their newspapers of submarine activity off the coast.

I thought it was an excellent watch, but still didn't come close to portraying the brutality of that conflict. Which isn't a criticism, just an observation. I cried when I watched it, simply because that war changed my life and robbed me of a happy childhood filled with memories and joy.

Instead I got something worse, a cold silence and ambivalence.

My old man and a few colleagues were pulled from the Royal Engineer Training Wing at Bovington to deploy with 59 Independent Commando Squadron RE to operate combat engineering tractors for the Sqn, my dad was an armoured engineer by trade with specialism in EOD and Sniping, so this got him pulled into the very pointy end of things.

Some footage of the Sqn and my old man here.

The man that went away was a happy go lucky, fun dad who; the man who came home was a very quiet man who even when he was there, was always somewhere else. He left the army in 1986, much earlier than he planned (this is all learnt years later).

He has never ever spoken about his service with me, when I was a lad or when I was serving myself; he point blank refused to let me join at 17, I had to wait another year to do it without parental consent, it's hard to describe our relationship, it seemed like he'd partially checked out; not enough to walk into the woods with a rope, but just enough that he'd given up on ever looking for joy in things.

It wasn't until after joined and by sheer fluke met an old mate & colleague of his from that period who deployed with him while I was at the defence driving school. Terry was my B licence instructor; he saw my distinct surname and asked me if I was related to a man of the same name. The world is oddly small, as is the world of defence.

Through Terry I learned about the things my dad had witnessed and had done whilst there, So through a combination of my own experiences and listening to a man that was with him for most of his career I understood why he was this distant figure in my life, why he was so adamant I shouldn't join and why he was the way he was growing up.

Throughout my career I've been able to spend time with & speak to veterans of multiple conflicts, (odd to say I am one of that group now), but the tinge of sadness that they all have is a hallmark of those who have witnessed the emotional maelstrom of human conflict and how it leaves its mark on not only those who served but generations of their families and loved ones.

Edit: some of the observations thrown in there are with the benefit of age and hindsight. I was never that astute as a kid nor as a young soldier. We all thought war was ace until we witnessed it ourselves. How naive and bloody stupid we were.

We watched this last night. It was a profound and sobering watch. The mental anguish was palpable. I'm obviously very naive as I assumed forty years would have healed their minds. How crass and wrong. Young lads watching their mates and comrades slump for the last time into distant mud.

Brave men then and still dealing with it now.

@relapsed_mandalorian - thanks for posting, I've nothing else to add - I think your post says it all.

@relapsed_mandalorian – thanks for posting, I’ve nothing else to add – I think your post says it all.

+1

@relapsed_mandalorian – thanks for posting, I’ve nothing else to add – I think your post says it all.

Great post.

Very sad.

Thanks @relapsed_mandalorian, what great post

Another thanks relapsed maldorian, I watched the documentary with great interest but reading your post got me thinking.

Before I was born my old man joined the RAF during the last days of military service but signed on for a longer stint to get trained up as an electrical engineer. Then he got posted to Aden, where he was installing radar units into Hawker Hunters. It was only after he died that I discovered that he had seen some things out there, not least removing body parts from returning aircraft.

Like your father, he was somewhat distant and emotionally switched off and I could never really get to engage with him, it even made me angry.

Reading your post enables me to put two and two together, especially when I hear descriptions of him as a younger person from uncles and the like that don't quite fit with the person I knew. I had always thought that it was because that was part of his intrinsic personality and had never really considered how the Aden conflict might have affected him.

Needless to say, he didn't talk about it much and then only anecdotal things that didn't directly relate to the conflict.

Was good to see the men talking unimpeded and I assume unscripted/MOD approved.

The few veterans I've known over the years were very similar and didn't take kindly to fools who made light or glorified the reality of killing each other. Verging on violence when asked by blood thirsty idiots to recount the events!

@relapsed_mandalorian – thanks for posting, I’ve nothing else to add – I think your post says it all.

Another +1.

We were at RAF Odiham at the time, my Dad was in 240 OCU working on Chinooks. The operational squadron, 18, were deployed, and as many know most of their aircraft went down on Atlantic Conveyor. Bloke from the house opposite was on it at the time and was awarded a medal for activities as they abandoned ship.

As an 11 year old I found it all quite exciting. I've read a few books on the conflict since then and I'm very lucky my Dad wasn't sent there.

As an 11 year old I found it all quite exciting

Yep, I remember being glued to the 6 o'clock news or whenever it was back then. The famous 'I counted them all out and I counted them all back' quote from the journalist on the carrier (can't recall who it was).

Brian Hanrahan

The few veterans I’ve known over the years were very similar and didn’t take kindly to fools who made light or glorified the reality of killing each other. Verging on violence when asked by blood thirsty idiots to recount the events!

Hmmm, now I feel a bit guilty.
We had a guy on a wing I worked on in HMPS who told me he was with the Paras down there (in chatting, I was his personal officer) I kind of innocently asked him if he’d killed anyone & he just said, ‘probably’.
He was known as SAS Bob outside prison but he never mentioned the SAS to anyone in jail as far as I know.

Tough watch. Good cross section of vets, all of whom were clearly affected by what they were asked, and asking others, to do.

Reading a bit more on this. I came across an account by Philip Neame, one of the guys in the documentary. One of thd nuggets in that account is that before landing they considered not packing bayonets to save weight as it was not thought there would be hand to hand fighting.

I was also concerned about how much kit we should take ashore. I spent days trying to pare it down to essentials. H. even decreed that to reduce weight we wouldn't take bayonets as we were going to win the battle with firepower. I thought, 'That's all right until things go wrong.' So I managed to persuade him that we should take them as tin openers.

https://www.paradata.org.uk/article/major-phil-neames-personal-account-falklands-war

Also found on google that his father also Philip Neame had the unique double of an Olympic gold medal and a Victoria Cross in WW1

I watched this last night and thought it was a truly staggering piece of television. Incredibly powerful and moving! It really got me thinking, then I've just read this thread and particularly the post from @relapsed_mandalorian

My best mate joined 'The Mob' at 16, to follow in the footsteps of his dad, a wonderful man, still full of shrapnel from Korea, who never spoke about it. My mate deployed to war zones on many occasions and I watched as it took its toll on him over the years. He'd never speak about it, and I never asked, but as a frontline medic he must have seen some truly horrific stuff.

Whenever he came back from Iraq or Afghan he'd be worse. his behaviour got more and more erratic and he just seemed to get angrier and angrier with everything. The he went to Sierra leone for the Ebola crisis and thats what really finished him off. He was out there for 6 months trying to contain the outbreak and in his words 'just watching people die'. It was how powerless he felt that did it. He couldn't help them.

When he got back home he came and stopped with me and he was a mess. He is one of the funniest men you could ever meet, but he was a shadow of that. The humour had gone and everything got very very dark. It got to the point where his behaviour got so bizarre and aggressive I actually had to kick him out of my house. That was tough.

At that point his wife issued him with an ultimatum. Go and get some proper treatment for his PTSD or she was off. I'm amazed she lasted that long. He was a nightmare. So he (very reluctantly) agreed to get therapy. He said he was scathing about it but at his first session, again in his words "I started talking and I just never shut up". He poured it all out to a therapist all that he'd seen and he got proper treatment

The upshot of this is that I've got my best mate back, his wife has got her husband back and his kids have got their dad back. It's transformed him. The old Walshy is back. Madder than a bucket of frogs and as a loud as bombs (seems like an appropriate term). I saw him a month ago and we went out for a beer (lots of beers) and had a right laugh

I watched that documentary last night, got a bit upset, had a bit of a cry then texted him and told him how much I love him. He replied "I love you to brother, but what the hell brought that on?". Bloody hell... its just got a bit dusty in here again while typing this.

What was striking about last night is the trust and that the film crew must have built up with the guys they interviewed. I liked the way they panned back at times to show the people asking the question. It was incredibly sensitively handled

If you've not seen it, then its a must watch. We really do as a society fail to fully appreciate the sacrifices our armed forces make for us

Yeah it's a good watch. For me it wasn't what they did at the time I think true bravery comes with dealing with the aftermath and the effect it still had.

The bald tall guy scared me with how cold and detached he seemed to it - he'd been abused as a child and had just built a massive shell around himself.

The guy burning pallets in his garden (sorry I can't remember their names) - I felt sorry for his partner - she was carrying a lot and I don't think has an easy life?

I did laugh at the guy wearing sunglasses with the 'tache at just how much he is a spit of my ex marines uncle the funniest person I've ever met but who would fight with anyone and his own shadow.

I'd like to know more about the 'commander' - who was 19 at the time and was flapping about and nearly had his command removed. He appeared successful in life but the program did seem to put a slight negative slant on his command which was no doubt due to his age and lack of experience and whether he felt he 'failed' or if did have his troops respect.

I’d like to know more about the ‘commander’ – who was 19 at the time and was flapping about and nearly had his command removed. He appeared successful in life but the program did seem to put a slight negative slant on his command which was no doubt due to his age and lack of experience and whether he felt he ‘failed’ or if did have his troops respect.

I thought there was something familiar about him when I watched the programme but didn't realise until the final clips of him that I had chatted to him the week before as he filled up his Pitts Special at Shobden Airfield. He was a very nice guy & how he fitted in that tiny aircraft I have no idea. He certainly looked to be enjoying his best life.

Slightly off topic but the horrors of hand to hand combat brought to mind the Battle of the shirts, the casualty rate was incredible and the loss of men to communities must have been a huge blow. Worth a google.

Just finished Vulcan 607 whilst on holiday and what an amazing read! Absolute page turner, not only very well written but an incredible story. What they achieved in only three weeks is quite incredible.

I watched a documentary on the Vulcans before that recounted having to find the air to air refueling nozzle in the mess room, it was being used as an ashtray.

I'll check out the documentary as I enjoyed dipping into the Falklands war story when there was a fair bit on it before, must have been an anniversary?

Did any of you ever see the TV clip of Thatcher being questioned about why the Belgrano was shot on (and sunk) whilst it was sailing away from the Falklands and was outside the exclusion zone?

Thatcher apparently gave the order to sink it l, knowing it was sailing away.
Thought provoking when you start to think about it.

Also, have any of you found any truth about rumours on American mercenaries fighting for the Argentinians, and the Paras being given orders to shoot them on sight?

I worked with an ex serviceman who was adamant that this was true.

“It was absolutely not a war crime. It was an act of war, lamentably legal.”

The above was said by the Belgrano’s captain, Hector Bonzo, in an interview two years before his death in 2009.

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/britain-was-right-to-sink-the-belgrano/

Copy of the Black Buck documentary is on YouTube.