What would you have broadcast to Argentinian soldiers in The Falklands conflict to demoralise them?

[cakeorwine]

Fascinating documentary on YouTube about how the British broadcast on Short Wave radio during the Falklands

Argentinian soldiers had shortwave radio and the British picked Spanish speaking troops to broadcast on it

No lies could be told but not all truth was mentioned

The aim was to demoralise the Argentinians

It seemed to have had an effect

One of the themes was that they were up against professional soldiers such as the Marines and the Parachute Regiment

But can you guess what else they broadcast?

One of them was true and would have had a chilling effect. I can imagine some MNers would be brilliant at this

It's basically psychological warfare.
Getting into the Argentinians head

The one thing they didn't do was play Argentinian music. I would have done that so it would have given them something to listen to

Then put out messages in between the songs.

Probably the last series of Britain's Got Talent.

Well that's just mean

Why don’t you tell us what they broadcast, OP? Im not going to watch a lengthy YouTube video about propaganda in case there’s an interesting nugget.

If I wanted to demoralise enemy troops I’d broadcast a lot of Coldplay.

Anything by Cold Play.

I am asking you to use your imagination
You don't need to watch the video

Just imagine you are having a meeting and no idea is too stupid.
Just as long as it's true

It's more about what the Argentinians need to know about the troops facing them and what POWs have said

Simon & Garfunkel would also have a demoralising effect. Especially Bridge over Troubled Water.

Actually they did play popular songs, news and sports results from argentine towns to keep them listening
I dont think I'd have done anything different to what they did tbh, sounds spot on

Oh well in that case. Hint that American only want them for their oil and showcase the worst of America's got talent and Wife Swap USA.

We think alike.

It was the one line in Richard Osman’s We Solve Murders that actually made me properly laugh. Someone wearing a Coldplay T-shirt pulls a gun on the good guys, and one of the goodies shoots him. Someone asks him later if he’s ever shot someone before and he says ‘No, but the Coldplay T-shirt made it easier.’

I'd start with a catchy headline, then say click for more. Nothing more demoralising than click bait.

It was during the Falklands conflict
Not now

One of the broadcasts was about the Gurkhas,

What would you have told the Argentinians about the Gurkhas?

It's about the Falklands conflict in 1982

I don't think people are taking this seriously

Yes, I know when the Falklands war was, and I don’t think saying ‘Oh, the Gurkhas have big scary knives’ is quite as frightening as they appear to have imagined.

That's not what they said about the Gurkhas

They broadcast message saying that the Gurkhas have a tradition that if they draw their Kukri, they have to draw blood.

So it would be the Argentinian blood they would draw

The Argentineans also believed the Gurkhas would behead people but that was not on the official broadcasts. Just rumours

A lot of what Radio Atlántico del Sur broadcast was designed to make these young conscripts, including children - because Argentina sent children to war - feel homesick. They played Argentine music, football results, fake messages from 'mothers' back home. I have a friend who used to work in the hospital during the war and after battles had ended for the day, plenty of Argentine boys would come to the back of the hospital where the kitchen was and asked - in Spanish - for food, because they simply didn't have enough. See also: clothes, shoes, military training, etc.

It sounds like Tokyo Rose in WW2. Designed to make them feel homesick
They read out the names of POWs which helped reassure their parents
There are so many ways you can play with someone's head

I can't imagine how those young conscripts felt coming up against professional soldiers, despite the advantages of being dug in in well defended positions

One prospective battle, from memory, they told the Argies that the Ghurkas would be attacking. The Argies surrendered.

The only Gurkhas to die were after hostilities ended and they were clearing booby traps.

Initially well-defended, but the winter conditions and lack of supplies really negated those positions from the beginning of May.

Only one Gurkha died in the Islands and that was indeed due to an unexploded ordnance, his name was Lance-Corporal Budhaparsad Limbu. There were about another 15 men Gurkhas injured clearing the battlefields from memory.

You sound like you have a military background. Were you involved at all?