1Leach sent orders to a Royal Navy force carrying out exercises
During a crisis meeting headed by the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Henry Leach, advised them that "Britain could and should send a task force if the islands are invaded". On 1 April, Leach sent orders to a Royal Navy force carrying out exercises in the Mediterranean to prepare to sail south.
2Approval was given to form a task force to retake the islands
Following the invasion on 2 April, after an emergency meeting of the cabinet, approval was given to form a task force to retake the islands. This was backed in an emergency session of the House of Commons the next day.
3The Conflict began
The conflict began on 2 April, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, followed by the invasion of South Georgia the next day, in an attempt to establish the sovereignty it had claimed over them.
4The United Kingdom's United Nations ambassador Sir Anthony Parsons put a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council
On the evening of 3 April, the United Kingdom's United Nations ambassador Sir Anthony Parsons put a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council.
5Conqueror
The nuclear-powered submarine Conqueror set sail from France on 4 April, whilst the two aircraft carriers Invincible and Hermes, in the company of escort vessels, left Portsmouth only a day later.
6RFA Tidepool
The Chilean government also allowed the United Kingdom to requisition the refueling vessel RFA Tidepool, which Chile had recently purchased and which had arrived at Arica in Chile on 4 April. The ship left port soon afterwards, bound for Ascention Island through the Panama Canal and stopping at Curacao en route.
7The British government dispatched a naval task force
On 5 April, the British government dispatched a naval task force to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands.
8War Cabinet
On 6 April, the British Government set up a War Cabinet to provide day-to-day political oversight of the campaign.
9The First landings of SAS troops took place
The first landings of SAS troops took place on 21 April, but—with the southern hemisphere autumn setting in—the weather was so bad that their landings and others made the next day were all withdrawn after two helicopters crashed in fog on Fortuna Glacier.
10A Submarine alert was sounded and operations were halted
On 23 April, a submarine alert was sounded and operations were halted, with Tidespring being withdrawn to deeper water to avoid interception.
11The British forces regrouped and headed in to attack
On 24 April, the British forces regrouped and headed in to attack.
12The Submarine ARA Santa Fe was spotted on the surface
On 25 April, after resupplying the Argentine garrison in South Georgia, the submarine ARA Santa Fe was spotted on the surface by a Westland Wessex HAS Mk 3 helicopter from HMS Antrim, which attacked the Argentine submarine with depth charges.
13Operation Paraquet
The South Georgia force, Operation Paraquet, under the command of Major Guy Sheridan RM, consisted of Marines from 42 Commando, a troop of the Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Service (SBS) troops who were intended to land as reconnaissance forces for an invasion by the Royal Marines.
14Black Buck 1
On 1 May, British operations on the Falklands opened with the "Black Buck 1" attack (of a series of five) on the airfield at Stanley.
15The British lost the Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield to fire following an Exocet missile strike
On 4 May, two days after the sinking of General Belgrano, the British lost the Type 42 destroyer HMS Sheffield to fire following an Exocet missile strike from the Argentine 2nd Naval Air Fighter/Attack Squadron.
16The SAS carried out a raid on Pebble Island on the Falklands
On 14 May the SAS carried out a raid on Pebble Island on the Falklands, where the Argentine Navy had taken over a grass airstrip for FMA IA 58 Pucará light ground-attack aircraft and Beechcraft T-34 Mentors, which resulted in the destruction of several aircraft.
17A Westland Sea King helicopter carrying the assigned team took off from HMS Invincible
A SAS reconnaissance team was dispatched to carry out preparations for a seaborne infiltration. A Westland Sea King helicopter carrying the assigned team took off from HMS Invincible on the night of 17 May, but bad weather forced it to land 50 miles (80 km) from its target and the mission was aborted.
18The Final British negotiating position was presented to Argentina
The tempo of operations increased throughout the first half of May as the United Nations' attempts to mediate a peace were rejected by the Argentinians. The final British negotiating position was presented to Argentina by UN Secretary General Pérez de Cuéllar on 18 May 1982.
19New Zealand would make HMNZS Canterbury available for use where the British thought fit to release a Royal Navy vessel for the Falklands
On 20 May 1982, Robert Muldoon announced that New Zealand would make HMNZS Canterbury, a Leander-class frigate, available for use where the British thought fit to release a Royal Navy vessel for the Falklands.
The New Zealand government expelled the Argentinian ambassador following the invasion. The Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, was in London when the war broke out.
20Operation Sutton
During the night of 21 May, the British Amphibious Task Group under the command of Commodore Michael Clapp (Commodore, Amphibious Warfare – COMAW) mounted Operation Sutton, the amphibious landing on beaches around San Carlos Water, on the northwestern coast of East Falkland facing onto Falkland Sound.
21Darwin and Goose Green Attack
From early on 27 May until 28 May, 2 Para, (approximately 500 men) with naval gunfire support from HMS Arrow and artillery support from 8 Commando Battery, Royal Artillery, approached and attacked Darwin and Goose Green, which was held by the Argentine 12th Infantry Regiment.
22The Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre defeated Argentine Special Forces at the skirmish at Top Malo House
On 31 May, the M&AWC (The Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre) defeated Argentine Special Forces at the skirmish at Top Malo House.
23The Arrival of a further 5,000 British troops of the 5th Infantry Brigade
By 1 June, with the arrival of a further 5,000 British troops of the 5th Infantry Brigade, the new British divisional commander, Major General Jeremy Moore RM, had sufficient force to start planning an offensive against Stanley.
24Plans were drawn up for half the Welsh Guards to march light on the night of 2 June
Plans were drawn up for half the Welsh Guards to march light on the night of 2 June, whilst the Scots Guards and the second half of the Welsh Guards were to be ferried from San Carlos Water in the Landing Ship Logistics (LSL) Sir Tristram and the landing platform dock (LPD) Intrepid on the night of 5 June.
25British forces launched a brigade-sized night attack against the heavily defended ring of high ground surrounding Stanley
On the night of 11 June, after several days of painstaking reconnaissance and logistic build-up, British forces launched a brigade-sized night attack against the heavily defended ring of high ground surrounding Stanley. Units of 3 Commando Brigade, supported by naval gunfire from several Royal Navy ships, simultaneously attacked in the Battle of Mount Harriet, Battle of Two Sisters, and Battle of Mount Longdon.
26A Ceasefire was declared
A ceasefire was declared on 14 June and the commander of the Argentine garrison in Stanley, Brigade General Mario Menéndez, surrendered to Major General Jeremy Moore the same day.
27The conflict lasted 74 days and ended
The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with the Argentine surrender on 14 June, returning the islands to British control. In total, 649 Argentine military personnel, 255 British military personnel, and three Falkland Islanders died during the hostilities.
28The British retook the South Sandwich Islands
On 20 June, the British retook the South Sandwich Islands, which involved accepting the surrender of the Southern Thule Garrison at the Corbeta Uruguay base, and declared hostilities over. Argentina had established Corbeta Uruguay in 1976, but prior to 1982 the United Kingdom had contested the existence of the Argentine base only through diplomatic channels.
29War Cabinet dissolved
The War Cabinet met at least daily until it was dissolved on 12 August.