US wanted to warn Argentina about South Georgia

[ORAC]

Toygraph: US wanted to warn Argentina about South Georgia (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9767707/US-wanted-to-warn-Argentina-about-South-Georgia.html)

Grauniad: Thatcher urged to steal French-made Exocet missiles during Falklands war (http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/dec/28/thatcher-exocet-missiles-falklands-war)

[Roland Pulfrew]

An interesting line in the article (and WITHOUT wishing to start another LRMPA topic :=) this caught my eye

For a short but important time after the invasion of the Falklands, Chile secretly allowed Britain to base a Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft at an airfield on San Felix, a small island off the Chilean coast.

Despite being ex-Nimrod aircrew, this isn't a detachment I remember hearing about. Any other Nimrod mates know anything? Or is this just another example of a secret world, kept so secret that no-one really knew what the force did?

26° 17' 36" S 80° 6' 3" W (sorry not sure how to insert a Google Earth link)

Certainly doesn't look like a good night out!!:E

[Biggus]

Who said the "Nimrod" in question was an MPA...?


Just a thought!

[mike-wsm]

Nimrod on San Felix?

Chile (http://www.spyflight.co.uk/chile.htm)

[Roland Pulfrew]

Biggus

Fair point, well made. That would explain more of it.:}

[SASless]

Alexander Haig was an Idiot....how he got to...and maintained a position of importance defies the imagination. But then....it seems that kind of buffoonery exists at those levels in government most everywhere these days.

I fail to understand his logic....by leaking British Military plans he was to prove how impartial he was to the Argies?

How would that have played with the Brits as a way to impress them of his Bona Fides? If I had been Miss Maggie....I would have been on the Talking Bone to my Cowboy buddy and said Haig would have been looking for a new job.

[November4]

Interesting programme on Radio 4 - UK Confidential (IPlayer (http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01pgksh/UK_Confidential_1982/))

At 19:10 in the programme, when discussing with Haig about a statement over the US stance

Let's get Ascension out of this as it's our island. Do I make myself clear?

[air pig]

SASless, yes Haig was an idiot, played like a fish on a line by Costa Mendes, behind him he also had the other idiot but much more dangerous Jean Kirkpatrick at the UN talking shop, who I believe hated the British intensely due to Irish republican leanings.

[Pontius Navigator]

It was recommended that the two Canberra’s and two C-130’s depart for Belize as a matter of urgency, to pre-position for the journey to Chile. The four aircraft soon arrived in Belize and on 26 Apr 82 the two C-130s, disguised in Chilean markings applied in Belize, arrived in Santiago – the Canberra’s were expected to arrive just after dawn on 30 Apr 82.

In 1987 the then Colonel of the Intelligence School at Ashford said he had seen RAF aircrew in green flying suits, no badges, in Belize. He knew their unit because of the stitch patterns on the flying suits. They would have been these PR9 crews.

[TEEEJ]

Roland,

The Chilean Air Force Commander-in-Chief at the time of the conflict, General Fernando Matthei, and other Chilean Air Force personnel have provided details of RAF C-130s and Nimrod R.1 operating from Chile.

http://www.pprune.org/7095219-post368.html

See following for link to videos of the Chilean documentary.

http://www.pprune.org/7097031-post396.html

[Roadster280]

Certainly doesn't look like a good night out!!

Well it does have a tennis court...

[JimNtexas]

While US defense secretary Caspar Weinberger proved a staunch ally of Britain from the outbreak of war on 2 April 1982, authorising secret shipments of weapons vital to the task force, the US state department was anything but sympathetic to British interests. (emphasis added)

If it makes our British friends feel any better, the U.S. State Department has never been particularly sympathetic to American interests either.

[The Oberon]

I had several R1 groundcrew mates who, post war, had rosettes on their SAM ribbons.