Armed with missiles, Argentina’s superior air force heavily bombed British ships, causing serious damage and keeping troops off the island for weeks. By May 4th, though, the Argentinians had lost almost 30 percent of their planes and British forces took advantage of the weakened forces to make an amphibious landing on Falkland Islands (via Britannica).

Once on land, the British infantry advanced rapidly, cutting off the Argentinian forces from their supply runs. Aware that they could be starved out, Argentinian troops surrendered on June 14. The surrender was basically an admission that the country was just not prepared for the fight. They didn’t have the artillery capacity to fight England and what little they had was in the form of smaller-gauge weaponry, according to The Christian Science Monitor.

In addition, the Argentinian army had serious shortages that made the fight difficult for its own soldiers. According to reports from the surviving troops, their soldiers didn’t have the proper equipment for the harsh island weather. They also had little food, not enough ammunition supplies, and not even enough toilet paper. Plus, the harsh weather of the islands, coupled with the lack of proper protection, meant many Argentinian soldiers ended up with frostbite. One soldier explained, “When we were issued jungle boots rather than winter boots, I knew we were in trouble.”

Official numbers reported by Smithsonian Magazine account for 649 Argentinian army fatalities, 255 British troops fatalities, and 3 Falkland Islanders dying as the result of friendly fire over the course of the undeclared war.