Incredible story of how 70 brave Brit marines fought 800-strong Argentine army to defend the Falklands 40 yrs ago today

IT is eerily familiar. A dictator facing failing popularity decides to invade a peaceful sovereign nation.

Exactly 40 years ago today Argentinian troops stormed ashore on the Falkland Islands — a tiny British territory in the South Atlantic 8,000 miles from the UK.

Argentine dictator General Leopoldo Galtieri sent a first wave of 800 soldiers — many of them highly trained special forces — to take control of the islands and the 2,000 people who lived there.

All that stood in their way was 70 British Royal Marines, who had been on the islands for less than a week.

Officially known as Naval Party 8901, the men, led by Major Mike Norman, were expecting their posting at a peaceful base off the tip of South America to be quiet — possibly even a bit boring.

But on the evening of April 1, 1982, the vastly outnumbered Commandos received a telegram from London warning they had just hours to prepare for invasion at first light the next morning.

The dispatch from Foreign Secretary Lord Peter Carrington told NP8901 to “make their dispositions accordingly” — a ridiculous term with no explanation. 

There were no instructions on how to react to a threat which London had known about, and ignored, for nine months.

With just one machine gun and very basic equipment, the men were fully aware they were likely to die defending the Islands.

They were willing to do what they were trained to do, keep on fighting to the last bullet.

‘Intention was to kill us in our beds’

We are witnessing that same patriotism to fight for freedom in Ukraine today. 

With incredible heroism, those 70 men in the Falkland Islands fought for hours against a force ten times bigger and equipped with amphibious armoured vehicles before eventually being ordered to lay down their arms.

But for 40 years the men of NP8901 have been dogged by accusations that they were “shamed”, that they “surrendered” without putting up much resistance.

I recently travelled to the Falkland Islands, a place I love and have visited many times, to make a documentary that I hope will put the record straight for those soldiers.

In Falklands War: The Forgotten Battle some of those brave men — who deserve a better legacy — tell their incredible story.

After reading the British Government’s telegram instructing them to “take the appropriate dispositions”, Major Norman rallied his Marines with an emotional speech. 

Yet he recalled: “All I could think of was, ‘All these young men are going to die and there’s nothing that I can do about it’.

“We were there to do a job, we weren’t there to roll over, even though we knew we stood no chance at all against a proper invasion force.”

After landing, Argentine special forces obliterated the Marines’ base at Moody Brook, on the outskirts the capital Stanley, hurling stun grenades as they went from room to room.

Marine Mark Gibbs says: “It had the s*** shot out of it. Their intention was to kill us in our beds.” 

His friend Gary Williams adds: “There’s no way they came in to take prisoners.”

Thankfully, the Marines of NP8901 weren’t there. They were in Stanley, hoping that by causing Argentinian casualties they could buy enough time for negotiations, which hopefully would lead to a ceasefire. Or they would go down fighting.

Gunfire filled the streets as NP8901 hurried back for their last stand at Government House, residence of the islands’ Governor, Rex Hunt.

Bullet holes are still visible in fences in the street around Government House where an Argentine sniper was trying to pick off the Marines.

Marine Jim Fairfield had the unenviable job of drawing him out by repeatedly running through gardens.

Finally, Jim heard: “We got him!”

 Marine Mark Gibbs managed to blow up an Argentine armoured vehicle.

 He says: “It was a serious piece of kit to take on. I fired a rocket at it. Nobody came out of that vehicle.

“I didn’t think our prospects at that point were very promising at all.”

Tje Naval Party fired 6,500 rounds, injuring many of the invaders, and took three prisoners without any injuries to themselves.

But with overwhelming numbers, the Argentines finally surrounded Government House.

 Carlos Busser, the Argentine naval officer commanding the invasion, told Governor Hunt: “I’ve got 800 men ashore, I have another 2,000 waiting to come ashore. Your men have fought well and I do not want to kill them.”

 Governor Hunt was forced to admit: “In that case you give me no option, I will tell my Marines to lay down their arms.”

Marine Graham Evans says: “We never surrendered, we were ordered to lay down our arms.” Gary Williams adds: “If the decision was made to carry on fighting we’d have done it. 

“It would have been down to the last man.”

But shortly after, NP8901 were disarmed and made to lie face down on the road next to Government House as Argentine soldiers pointed guns at them.

‘Hardly a shot fired? No, that ain’t true’

Nick Williams says: “I had a very big fear that they would kill us, especially with a human rights record like Argentina had at the time. It was really, really scary.”

Photographs of the Marines lying humiliated in the road became the defining images of the Islands’ capture. 

The world’s Press described the Marines as having been “shamed” after they “surrendered”. But rather than take the Marines as prisoners of war, the Argentines allowed them to fly back to London with Governor Hunt.

Major Norman was horrified to be hauled to face a hostile Press where the Marines were accused of failing to put up a fight.

He says: “It was very depressing to go to this national press conference and have them against us. They did not want to hear our story, they wanted us to justify what we had done.” 

Jim Fairfield was furious. He said: “Hardly a shot fired? No, that ain’t true.” And Nick Williams adds: “To this day, that side of it is insulting because it’s not what happened.” 

The men had held out against overwhelming odds and felt they had unfinished business. Most of the unit flew to Ascension Island to join the British task force that had been sent to retake the islands. They fought with 2 Para in the bloody battle of Goose Green before finally reaching Stanley.

When Argentina surrendered, the exhausted Marines were left with one final and crowning task to honour their efforts. On June 14, 74 days after their epic forgotten battle on April 2, some of the men from NP8901 raised the Falkland Islands Flag at Government House.

Major Norman says: “It gave us great satisfaction that we pulled the flag back up at Government House. We’ll always be part of the Falklands.”

Two months after facing wrongful humiliation at home, their mission was complete. Now, 40 years later, it is time for them to be given a better deal in history.

• Falklands War: The Forgotten Battle, is on ITV on Thursday, April 7, at 9pm. Catch-up on ITV Hub

Flag goes up to claim back isle

COMMANDO forces photographer Pete Holdgate, now 71, captured many of the Falkland conflict’s most iconic images.

He was responsible for the picture of the Royal Marines from NP8901 raising the flag at Government House on the day Argentina surrendered.

Pete, of Widecombe in the Moor, Devon, says: “The flag that had been flying at Government House was found in an Argentinian soldier’s pack after he surrendered. I happened to be there and I said to my boss that it would be fitting for the NP8901 guys to put it back up.

“So I tootled down to where they’d just arrived in Stanley and put it to them. They were knackered and not over-enthused at the prospect of walking even further to Government House to put it up. They’d been sleepless for days and yomped (a long-distance march with full kit) for miles by this point and rightly just wanted to get their heads down.

“It was Major Mike Norman who convinced them when he said, ‘You’ll regret it if you don’t’.

“If you look at the picture you can see none of them is smiling, it’s because they’re all absolutely shattered and just want to sleep.

“Afterwards, one by one, I’d come across them or they’d find me – each and every one of them thanked me for getting them there and taking the picture. We could have got anyone nearby to raise the flag but I knew them and what they’d been through.

“I’d photographed them coming along the road into Stanley and could see how exhausted they were.

“With everything that had happened to them it was befitting they be the ones to reinstate the flag.”

 Mike Norman turned to reporters watching the historic moment and told them: “We said we’d be back.”

Veterans remember

THE Royal British Legion has invited up to 10,000 Falklands veterans, civilians and bereaved family members to mark “liberation day”.

The commemoration event will be held at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire on Tuesday, June 14.

It will be 40 years to the day since Argentina surrendered and fighting ended in the Falklands.The morning will be led by military units, with guests given the chance to visit Arboretum memorials to the 255 British military killed in the conflict, and join in with Regimental activities.

 An afternoon ceremony, hosted by the RBL, will include a live link to a corresponding ceremony taking place at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Stanley Cemetery in the Falkland Islands.