A series of eight programmes Part 1: Opening Shots
On 18 March a group of Argentine scrap-metal merchants raised their country's flag on the British island of South Georgia. It was an illegal and provocative act that started a chain of events ending with Britain's biggest and bloodiest military operation since the Second World War.
From the outset, BBC news teams were assigned to follow the story wherever it led. This series is a record of their experiences and of events that are sometimes horrific, often heroic, always dramatic.
Tonight's episode begins with the origins of the conflict, and its escalation to the point where a huge task force prepares to leave for the South Atlantic. Narrator Richard Baker
Chief picture editor DUNCAN HERBERT
Written and produced by GORDON CARR
A BBCtv News special
(Part 2 tomorrow at 9.25 pm>