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Author, film researcher and member of the Swedish Military History Commission.

Monday, April 02, 2012

Swedish Contribution to the Falklands War


Sweden's probably most important contribution to the British inventory in the Falklands War: BV 202.

It is now 30 years since the Falklands War of 1982. Sweden played no direct role in this war but three Swedish products were put to good use by the British task force in the war.

I have been unable to find any Youtube-clip of the BV 202 during the war but here is a photograph of some lucky Royal Marines riding a BV towards Port Stanley.

Photos of Swedish Carl Gustaf recoilless rifles during the war exist but none AFAIK showing the British marine shooting his Carl Gustaf against an Argentine war ship. It rather seriously damaged the ship in question. By the way this incident was part of the battle of Grytviken and that place not only sounds Swedish. It indeed got its name from a Swede.

The third contribution was boots and as it happens I was very affected to learn about how appreciated these boots were during that war. So when I became a soldier in 1988 I of course got myself a pair of the same, i.e. a pair of Lundhags. I used them extensively in the army and later on many, many trips to Russia and Norway. It was a sad moment when I had to get a new pair about six years ago. But they had a long and healthy life...

1 comment:

  1. few seconds of video footage of BV 202 just after coming ashore at San Carlos (?)
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FU8lH586Fw&feature=relmfu
    (54:11 - 54:18)
    Interested in Falklands myself and being Dutch (our Marines use 206s) also in the Bandvagn. Never knew they were already using them in early 80s.

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