On April 2, 1982, Argentine military forces invaded and occupied the Falklands, a small group of islands off of their east coast. Known to the Argentines as the Malvinas, they considered them to be rightfully their territory; however, Great Britain had claimed the Falklands as a colony of The Crown since 1841 and considered the residents to be British subjects. This event sparked a brief but costly conflict as Britain immediately dispatched naval, air, and land forces some 8000 miles to the South Atlantic to take control of the islands back from Argentine forces.

One of the more memorable and well-documented aspects of the war was the air attacks by Argentine Air Force and Navy aircraft on the Royal Navy ships in San Carlos Water, and narrow bay where the fleet had assembled in preparation for an amphibious assault on East Falkland. Argentine pilots flew to the limit of their range, at wavetop height, and often in poor weather to then face a wall of fierce anti-aircraft fire, surface-to-air missles, and aggressive Sea Harrier fighters in their attempt to prevent the landings. This area became known as "Bomb Alley" due to the narrow confines in which the battle took place. Many aircraft and pilots were lost; several ships were sunk or damaged, with the loss of numerous sailors. In the end these efforts were futile, as the conflict eventually resulted in the expulsion of the Argentines from the islands while the British re-established their sovereiqnty. But many British combatants agreed on one thing: they had nothing but the highest respect for the courage and tenacity displayed by the Argentine pilots, who hurled themselves again and again into the gauntlet despite the odds.

"Thunder Over San Carlos" depicts a Douglas A-4Q Skyhawk of the Argentine Amada (Navy) flown by Capitan de Corbeta Alberto Jorge Philippi as he and his wingman, Lt. Marcelo Marquez, attempt to escape after their attacks. Moments later, both aircraft were hit by a missiles fired by Royal Navy Sea Harriers. Capt. Philippi ejected at low altitude, but survived the incident and the war; Lt. Marquez, unfortunately, was killed.

For more information on the conflict, follow this link:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falklands_War

For actual videos of the attacks as they happened, follow these links:

Footage of a Tense Aerial Battle During the Falkland War posted by the Smithsonian Channel

Falklands War-Bomb Alley posted by scifirandoms