14. The British land invasion began on May 21 at East Falkland
The British 3 Commando Brigade of 4,000 men went ashore on East Falkland on the night of May 21. They were delivered to the shores at San Carlos via landing craft and barges. Artillery and armored vehicles were also delivered, along with engineering units. The beachheads were secured by dawn. British ground operations were directed toward the targets of Darwin and Goose Green prior to an assault on Port Stanley. The Argentine Air Force responded to the invasion force with bombing raids, which continued at night for the rest of the war. The helicopters lost when Atlantic Conveyor was sunk directly impacted the British assault, as they were meant to carry troops and support their attack on Goose Green.
Initially, the Argentine defensive positions at Goose Green and Darwin were considered to possess little offensive capability and were thus unable to hinder British operations against Port Stanley. Following the landings at San Carlos, the British troops did little but patrol and consolidate their position. Naval losses mounted. Rumors of a peace agreement reached at the United Nations which included a ceasefire with all forces remaining in place were also considered in London. The decision was made that the formerly undesirable attack on Goose Green was critical to Britain’s overall strategy. Control of Goose Green and Darwin would place a large portion of East Falkland under British control in the event of a ceasefire. They were ordered to be attacked.