Operation Paraquet
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Paraquet was the code-word for the British military operation to recapture the Island of South Georgia from Argentine military control in April 1982. This operation, a subsidiary of the main Operation Corporate (recapture of the Falkland Islands from Argentina) was successful, leading to the island being restored to British rule on April 25, 1982.
The operation was originally supposed to involve both SAS and SBS forces being infiltrated onto South Georgia by helicopter, but the plan had to be changed when the helicopters transporting the troops crashed on Fortuna Glacier. The revised plan involved two Royal Navy vessels subjecting the Argentine garrison at Grytviken to an artillery bombardment. The garrison surrendered to M Company, 42 Commando, Royal Marines, after fifteen minutes.
"Paraquet" is an early spelling of Parakeet and the operation is often, mistakenly, referred to as Operation Paraquat.
One of the most famous and legendary signals of the entire Falklands War was made by the British forces' commander after the surrender at Grytviken:
[edit] External links
- Naval-History.Net - "Battle Atlas of the Falklands War 1982" by Gordon Smith
- The RAF - "The Falkland Islands - A history of the 1982 conflict"
| Falklands War |  |
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|---|---|---|
| Military forces | Argentine ground forces | British ground forces | Argentine air forces | British air forces | Argentine naval forces | British naval forces | ||
| Timeline | Background | Invasion | Falklands War | ||
| Battles | Goose Green | Mount Harriet | Two Sisters | Mount Longdon | Mount Tumbledown | Wireless Ridge | ||
| Operations | Algeciras | Canbelow | Corporate | Black Buck | Keyhole | Paraquat | Purple Warrior | Rosario | Sutton | ||
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