British veterans of the Falklands War have reacted with fury and disbelief to the opening of a new state-run museum in Argentina, which they accuse of a pathetic attempt to rewrite history by grossly inflating the number of British casualties.
Distorting the Facts
The museum, located in Bariloche, Patagonia, and inaugurated last month in a ceremony attended by the heads of Argentina's army, navy, and air force, makes the astonishing claim that 1,200 UK troops died during the 1982 conflict. This figure is nearly five times the officially recorded and accepted number of 255 British military personnel killed. One display insists the true British death toll could be close to 1,200, citing that British military reports remain secret until 2072.
Further stoking the anger of those who fought, the museum's narrative describes the war as beginning when the British Empire attacked civilians, labelling the UK's response as lawful retaliation. In stark reality, the British task force was dispatched to liberate the Falkland Islanders following an invasion by General Galtieri's military junta.
Veterans Voice Their Outrage
The historical inaccuracies have been met with scorn and sadness by the British servicemen who were there. Steve Douglas, a 65-year-old shocked visitor from Wokingham, Berkshire, noted that Argentina's final surrender after just ten weeks is glossed over. He stated, Most offensive is their suggestion that we distorted our casualty numbers in some UK government-inspired cover-up.
This sentiment was echoed at the highest levels. Lord West of Spithead, a former head of the Royal Navy who commanded HMS Ardent during the war, firmly stated, Britain is not a country which covers up the numbers of people killed fighting in war. A former paratrooper named Tom, who fought in the conflict, called the false claim an insult to all of those who died in the conflict, both British and Argentinian.
A Clear-Cut Victory Misrepresented
The museum also misrepresents key battles, such as labelling the battle of Goose Green as one of the toughest in the war history of the United Kingdom, despite the fact that outnumbered British Paras and Marines forced an Argentine surrender within 14 hours. Jeff Williams, a former Royal Marine Sergeant Major who served in the war, summarised the feelings of many, saying, You can't make a loss out of a win, no matter how hard you try. This is a pathetic attempt to rewrite history. He added that he was unsurprised Argentina was trying to convince people the war was not a catastrophic failure for their country.
The museum's exhibits, which include RAF planes and a Mirage III interceptor jet that attacked British warships, stand as a physical testament to the conflict, but the accompanying information has been condemned as a falsification of a well-documented historical event.
