ABSTRACT

For the Government the victory at Goose Green came as a major relief. It confirmed that the initiative and momentum was still with British forces. It had also, however, demonstrated that the enemy was no pushover. The thought of the political consequences of bloodied paratroopers being obliged to withdraw after robust Argentine resistance, especially after the settlement’s liberation had been advertised in advance, indicated just how much depended on every battle, well beyond the immediate military value. The growing drama of the story added to the political stake. Fox’s report, the first account of what had actually happened, was widely circulated around official London as it was transmitted back from the South Atlantic. It conveyed a sense of just how tough the battle had been. It established ‘H’ Jones as the first authentic hero of the campaign, but also raised some disturbing thoughts about its ferocity, with the suggestions of 250 Argentine dead. The reports of napalm being discovered indicated just how nasty the battle might become in the future.