The Argentine Air Force came into active operation for the first time on June 16, 1955 during the bombing of the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires. Government loyalist Gloster Meteors fought rebel planes and attempted a failed assassination of the President in a coup d'état. The plan failed, and the rebels bombed the city and the House of Government). In the following September coup, the Air Force supported Perón's government by initiating combat operations and transporting troops and arms with a meager five aircraft defecting to the other side. After the Revolución Libertadora succeeded and the coup took place, previously mentioned manufacturing operations ceased and most foreign workers left the country, including engineer Kurt Tank who went to work in India. Despite claims that the Argentine Air Force "baptisme by fire" took place during the Malvinas War (1982), this was actually the first time it entered combat.
