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Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T03:28:32Z

Brusero: /* Royal Marine reinforcements */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during May 27, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British SAS hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN) under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29, Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS in the form of 'Mountain Troop' engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream some 200 metres away.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T03:22:12Z

Brusero: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during May 27, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British SAS hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN) under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29, Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream some 200 metres away.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T03:16:03Z

Brusero: /* First contact */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during May 27, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British SAS hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN) under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29, Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T03:15:20Z

Brusero: /* First contact */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during May 27, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN) under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29, Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T03:07:43Z

Brusero: /* Argentinian commando incursion */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN) under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29, Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T03:05:58Z

Brusero: /* Mount Kent */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29, Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T03:05:24Z

Brusero: /* Mount Kent */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29, Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T02:53:26Z

Brusero: /* Bluff Cove Peak */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T02:52:54Z

Brusero: /* Bluff Cove Peak */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor en Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades and rock fragments (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T02:51:00Z

Brusero: /* Bluff Cove Peak */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, and Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T02:46:37Z

Brusero: /* Royal Marine reinforcements */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire cutting electrical cables) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T02:45:08Z

Brusero: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo 1º Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T02:38:18Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols operating in no-man's-land and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-guns waiting to ambush them opposite Murrell River.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY]</ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T02:33:09Z

Brusero: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five<ref>''"After about forty-five minutes of fighting, the Argentines finally gave up."'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 208, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref>minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-gun waiting to ambush them.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY] </ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-23T02:25:37Z

Brusero:

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-gun waiting to ambush them.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY] </ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T23:47:49Z

Brusero: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by civilian volunteers from the 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) of the Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. voluneeters from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-gun waiting to ambush them.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY] </ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T23:30:57Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British advance to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between two British patrols and two Argentinian Special Forces patrols armed with machine-gun waiting to ambush them.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY] </ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T23:27:47Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA<ref>''"Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds."'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British breakout to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but one SBS Commando (Sergeant Ian 'Kiwi' Hunt) was soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] in the Mount Kent zone when mistaken to be part of an Argentinian Special Forces patrol and another four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Corporal Andrew Uren, Corporal Peter Fitton and Marine Keith Phillips) lost their lives when caught between supporting patrols and two Argentinian patrols armed with machine-gun teams waiting to ambush them.<ref>''"We were under the threat of two enemy locations and two friendly locations as well, which funnily enough were trying to bring fire at ours. There was massive confusion ... We were at the height of our game to be honest. That is why we were operating on our own, that mattered, we were that professional. But nonetheless four men lost their lives. Somebody has to atone to that."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ri97aSDc98 THE MOUNTAIN WAY] </ref>

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T23:04:04Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured securing the British breakout to Mount Kent and Estancia House, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the eastern lower slopes of Mount Kent.

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T22:59:08Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen<ref>[https://postimg.cc/18J4qhcx The National Archives]</ref>) were wounded or injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T22:55:04Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment (Van Rooyen) were wounded or injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded or injured<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T22:52:09Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment were wounded or injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201023074444/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T22:49:06Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment were wounded or injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

Unknown to the Argentinian Army Special Forces, the Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available SAS and M&AWC Commandos, leaving only a handful of Captain Rod Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements while the rest recovered and the SAS got ready to deploy on West Falkland.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T22:40:55Z

Brusero: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner. The six Argentinian wounded were: Teniente 1º Humberto Daniel Martinez, Teniente 1º Horacio Losito, Teniente 1º Luis Alberto Brun, Sargento 1º Juan Carlos Helguero, Sargento 1º Humberto Omar Medina and Cabo Raúl Roberto Valdivieso.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro Jorge Ruiz-Moreno, Buenos Aires, Emecé, 1986</ref>

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment were wounded or injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

Unknown to Vercesi's men, however, the 45-minute fight at Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available M&AWC Commandos , leaving only a handful of Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T22:22:53Z

Brusero: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M&AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment were wounded or injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

Unknown to Vercesi's men, however, the 45-minute fight at Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available M&AWC Commandos , leaving only a handful of Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T22:21:31Z

Brusero: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

Unknown to the M@AWC the entire assault had been watched by 'Red de Observadores del Aire' (R.O.A.) Argentinian Air Force observation positions on Malo Hill and elsewhere. Fourteen R.O.A. civilian volunteers from these positions surrendered to 3 PARA the next day.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment were wounded or injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

Unknown to Vercesi's men, however, the 45-minute fight at Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available M&AWC Commandos , leaving only a handful of Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2022-07-22T22:16:34Z

Brusero: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 COMMANDO (45 CDO), Royal Marines left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak as part of the British breakout to Stanley. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force 'Mercedes' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus, suffering heavy casualties during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], but prevailing and eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison.

On May 29, Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO (42 CDO) embarked in Sea King helicopters to reinforce Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) that was holding Mount Kent with 'D' Company (under Major Cedric Delves). Captain Babbington's rifle company along with some 105mm Light Guns rom the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30. A sudden gun-battle near the helicopter landing zone and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 30/31, perilously close to another firefight.

On 31 May, 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, with orders to eliminate the Argentinian Army Special Forces patrol that had taken refuge at Top Malo House, in order to allow the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House Farm unmolested.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when 'Subteniente' Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo from the 3rd Rifle Platoon of the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information back to Regimental Headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

Preparations for the Argentinian Special Forces helicopter-borne offensive began on Saturday May 29. About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron ('Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de la Gendarmería Nacional' or EFE601GN)under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day (Sunday May 30), exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. <ref>[https://www.clarin.com/politica/abril-contado-hombre-hizo-rendir-ingleses_0_BJ8jvSeAYe.html Cómo fue el 2 de abril, contado por el hombre que hizo rendir a los ingleses]</ref>A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Army Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation 'Autoimpuesta' (Self-Imposed-Initiative) and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man Headquarters Section and Captain Tomás Victor Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into 16 'Air' Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with 'Comandos en Accion'. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh my flagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forecast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machine-guns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks (ration packs). We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando De La Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spare ammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water,' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauría who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Maqueda and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Sergeant Arturo Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauría, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauría thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauría managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucumán Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauría had wanted. Lauría and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant José Núñez helped Viltes.

That night Lauría lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machine-guns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomás Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

An attempt to disembark two platoon of Royal Marines from 42 COMMANDO to reinforce 'D' Squadron in the middle of the firefight was frustrated by heavy snows and machine-gun and tracer rounds, which forced the British helicopters to quickly exit the area with Marine William Macpherson recalling, ''"As we came in we could see glows through the snows as we came into the Landing Site and we were like thinking 'What is that?' and then there was a lot of machine-gun and tracer rounds coming at the helicopters and we banked away really hard and then the door slammed and we did not know what was happening and we ended up back in San Carlos. And when we got back, and this was probably 3 in the morning and the Sergeant-Major was there in the sheep-shed and he said 'You guys have no idea what a close call you just had tonight.'"''<ref>The UNTOLD Battle For Mount Harriet | Major 'Molly' Macpherson 42 CDO Royal Marines (available on YouTube)</ref>

Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose was aboard in one of the helicopters and he concedes the British very nearly lost the Falklands ground campaign on this night along with a substantial part of 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO and the helicopters allocated to assist the Royal Marine Commandos and Paras take key hills west of Murrell River, ''"By the time we got there, the Argentinian Special Forces were almost up on the ridge from which they could have brought direct fire down on the helicopters. Then as Brigadier Julian Thompson said, it would have been 'Game over'. So it was really down to 10 minutes that we might have well lost the war."''<ref>Falklands War: The Untold Story 2022 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Meanwhile, according to his Military Cross citation<ref>[https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?threads/burls-timothy-william.30947/ 22 SAS Burls, Timothy William]</ref>, Captain Timothy William Burls along with his Boat Troop from the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment's 'D' Squadron had arrived at Estancia House Farm and, whilst securing the area their position on Bluff Cove Peak had been infiltrated. After discussing with Brigadier Julian Thompson (commander of 3 Commando Brigade) of the option of regrouping at Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak and ordered him to gather his patrols and hold both peaks until 'Kilo' Company 42 from COMMANDO arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA in the meantime had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 but had lost one man in their march to Estancia House Farm when a Paratrooper in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company shot himself and was seriously wounded in a negligent discharge incident.<ref>''Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds.'' Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

The 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by 'Capitán' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that 'Teniente 1º' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and 'Sargento 1º' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the 'Medalla Al Valor En Combate' (Gallantry In Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos from 17 'Boat' Troop with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>"Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021</ref>''"There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak,"'' admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as 'Capitán' Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House Farm. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when 'Capitán' Tomás Fernández's radio operator, 'Sargento 1º' Vicente Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andrés Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian Special Forces nearby, in the form of Sergeant Mario Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, or Sergeant Luis Alberto Kovalski (also armed with a machinegun)<ref>[https://www.stopenlinea.com.ar/noticias/2019/06/06/45005-el-alacran-kovalski-participo-de-la-evocacion-del-bautismo-de-fuego-de-gendarmeria-nacional El alacrán Kovalski participó de la evocación del bautismo de fuego de Gendarmería Nacional]</ref>from EFE601GN along with Private Nicomedes Daniel Castillo<ref>Capitán Jorge R. Farinella: “Con el Tte 1ro D' Aloia nos encontrábamos con un misil SAM 7 cada uno que la noche anterior, yo había traído y a la luz de una vela habíamos aprendido teóricamente a usar debajo de una lona. Nuevamente entraban en picada dos aviones disparando sus ametralladoras y lanzando sus bombas; desde nuestras improvisadas posiciones abrimos fuego con todo lo que teníamos. Los misiles que son un arma tremendamente eficaz, y normalmente por cada uno que se dispara se derriba un avión, siempre que el apuntador tenga un mínimo de experiencia para usarlos. Y eso nos faltaba. Hay que disparar de pie y desde un costado de la dirección de ataque del enemigo. Ambos estábamos parados en la dirección del fuego, y entre el esfuerzo por mantenernos en el lugar -que era descubierto- la falta de experiencia y la mala ubicación, nuestra acción fue ineficaz, no así la de las 12,7 y los fusileros que dieron en uno de los aviones que incendiado comenzó a perder altura mientras trataba de sobrevolar por la costa y se retiraron.” Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p.96, Editorial Rosario, 1984</ref>from the 3rd Rifle Platoon (under 2d Lieuenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz) of C Company 4th Regiment however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's 'Kilo' Company from 42 COMMANDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions and sudden firefights, meant it took five nights to airlift in the rifle company of Captain Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentinian Special Forces patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170324022411/http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS engage Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak with the SAS patrol under the command of Captain Timothy Burls.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, 'Bravo November'. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms or mortar fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvering to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting and injuring Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand (bad bone bruising) as he was preparing to fire an anti-tank rocket as part of thee support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to fall back in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he all of a sudden lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded or injured<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>in the protracted gun-battle, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos that had managed to reach Mullow Stream.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces, including a Blue Beret (Senior Lieutenant Luis Darío José Castagnari) from the Argentinian Air Force's Special Operations Group ('Grupo de Operaciones Especiales' or GOE) at Stanley Airbase that was killed and another four Blue Berets wounded when hit by a Seaslug missile that the British light cruiser HMS 'Glamorgan' fired in the surface-to-surface role while the Argentinian Air Force Commandos were protecting the Skyguard fire-control radars and preparing to take part in the helicopter-borne offensive and seize Smoko Mount. Ten British Commandos and Paratroopers (4 M&AWC, 4 SAS, 1 Paratrooper from 3 PARA and 1 gunner from the Royal Marine Artillery Regiment were wounded or injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

Unknown to Vercesi's men, however, the 45-minute fight at Top Malo House had tied down a significant part of the available M&AWC Commandos , leaving only a handful of Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay to clear both settlements, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up a significant part of the bridge unmolested on June 2<ref>[http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed and forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-22T22:08:52Z

Brusero: /* Wireless Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO was heading for Two Sisters Mountain. The objective of the night attack of June 11 were three rocky peaks in the area west of Port Stanley: Mount Longdon, Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet.

Pike's plan was for Major Mike Argue, commanding 'B' Company, 3 PARA to capture Mount Longdon ('Fly Half' and 'Full Back') while Major David Collett's 'A' Company seized the hill running north ('Wing Forward'). 'C' Company would attack the hill north of the Argentinian Command Post, nicknamed 'Rough Diamond'. The apparent ease with which the British Paratroopers got right up to Mount Longdon was lost when Corporal Brian Milne of 4 Platoon 'B' Company stepped on an anti-personnel mine and this alerted the Argentinian 1st Platoon. Corporal Gustavo Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section engaged the Paras, holding up the British advance. Only after an hour or two, perhaps more, a couple of Paras blasted his machinegun out of action and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior Lieutenant Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was located, for a time was on a roll with their successful battle against the Argentinian soldiers until a navigational error in a maze of rocks in the dark, left Shaw's advance shattered. In fact, it later transpired that 6 Platoon had run into a dead end among the boulders. It was here that 6 Platoon came under fire from half-a-dozen conscripts under Captain López-Astore, armed with automatic rifles, which fatally wounded four Paras in quick succession.

The fighting had now lasted for about an hour. It appeared that the attack on Longdon might be the only action of the night and Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, commander of the 10th 'Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade asked Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini for a company from the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment with a field officer to help Carrizo-Salvadores to make a major counterattack on the British. The 3rd Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Rubén Oscar Zunino), overlooking Eliza Cove, was ordered to move in Unimog lorries to the foot of Mount Longdon. Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay, went with the company to take charge:{{cquote|We were in the Command Post when Jofre told Lieutenant-Colonel Comini to prepare A Company for a special mission and that he wanted an officer of at least 'jefe' rank to lead it. The Colonel said he could send two such officers; which one was to go? Jofre said to send the Operations Officer - that was me! I called the commander of A Company, which was our reserve company. He and I went to Stanley House where Jofre was. He showed me a map and told me that things were difficult and that he wanted me to take the company and go up to Tumbledown Mountain. A guide from the 5th Marines would then show us exactly where to place the company.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA, and attached units, 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</ref>}}

The failure on the part of 3 PARA's C Company to secure the nearby 'Rough Diamond' strongpoint, was not considered too serious. Brigadier Julian Thompson has written that:{{cquote|A feature north-east of Longdon thought to be held by 3 Para seemed to be occupied by the enemy. A short altercation took place between 2 and 3 Para about who did hold the feature and was settled by 2 Para having it comprehensively shelled without complaint from 3 Para.<ref>Ready for Anything: The Parachute Regiment at War, Julian Thompson, p. 452, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited, 1989</ref>}}

Several Paras, unwilling to believe that the Argentinian conscripts could be capable of being good shots and fighting so fiercely, thought the Argentinians might have hired American mercenaries in the form of Vietnam Veterans. Some British officers claimed Argentinian Army Green Beret snipers had been present in the fighting. According to the Intelligence Officer (Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie) of 3 PARA, who examined all the evidence, no Argentinian Army Special Forces took part in the battle:{{cquote|However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.<ref>Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>}}

19-year-old Private Grant Grinham, badly wounded in the action, in an interview with the 'Leicester Mercury' in 2017, reported that the Argentinian conscripts had indeed fought very hard:{{cquote|Those Argentinian lads on Mount Longdon fought their hearts out. They were determined defenders. The battle was in the balance. We fought for every inch of ground. The Heavy Machine Gunners were regular Marines and their confidence was high. They were armed with .50-cal machine guns which would stop a car, and were well up for the fight. They're a big heavy weapon, mostly used in an anti-aircraft role. It was a formidable defensive weapon for us to engage. They also had snipers all along Mount Longdon who were very accurate. They had night sights and were far superior to anything we had - contrary to reports. It was a very difficult battle.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170406200039/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/the-falklands-war-paratrooper-lost-a-leg-and-saw-friends-killed-but-would-do-it-all-again/story-30241617-detail/story.html The Falklands War: Paratrooper 'lost a leg and saw friends killed but would do it all again']</ref>}}

Kenneth M. Pollack, former CIA intelligence officer and expert on military affairs, in his research of the Falklands War concluded:{{cquote|Despite the unfavorable force ratio, the Argentine defenders were clever and active and had fortified their positions well. They forced the British to advance through a narrow killing zone, ambushing and counterattacking the Paras repeatedly, and inflicting heavy casualties on them. Eventually, the British took the position only by employing Milans, LAWs, artillery and mortars.<ref>Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness, By Kenneth M. Pollack, p. 212, Oxford University Press, 2019</ref>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company 3rd 'La Tablada' Regiment west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the counterattack, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

The forty conscripts and NCOs involved (under Senior Lieutenant Victor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez) shot very accurately. There was considerable confusion in 'D' Company 2 PARA and Private Graham Carter was forced to throw himself on the snow-stained ground and to remain largely lain, pressing himself into the ground to avoid the attention of the Argentinian riflemen:{{cquote|We were out in the open on limb, and it looked like 10 and 11 Platoons were shooting at us. (Several conscripts under Corporal Ugo Rene Domínguez from 'A' Company 3rd Regiment) managed to sneak into the rocks through which Neame's 'D' Company had come through earlier) We asked the OC (Major Neame) to come over and check our position. He bimbled across seeming oblivious to tracer all around him, then wondered back. We thought, 'silly bugger'. Then our platoon commander (Lieutenant Jonathan Page) stood up, shouted to everyone to keep down and was knocked over himself, hit in the leg. He was screaming and shouting, but when the medic stripped him off there was no wound, just massive bruising where the round had hit his ammunition pouch.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 186, HarperCollinsPublishers, 1993</ref>}}

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in fighting off this Argentinian force:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action), having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores, comprising survivors of the 7th 'La Plata' Regiment, attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles after having fired supercharge rounds for extra range in order to repel the Argentinian counterattacks from Moody Brook. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Héctor Edgardo Gazzolo) from Delta Company 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Alfredo José Imboden) from Hotel Company 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed although 3 of the British attackers had been wounded.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Royal Marines<ref>''The other companies had skirted one minefield on their approach and Staff Sergeant Pete Thorpe of Condor Troop Royal Engineers was later to lose his foot on a mine while trying to extract a damaged vehicle with injured gunners, near Murrell Bridge.'' The Yompers: With 45 Commando in the Falklands War, Ian Gardiner, p. 161, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-22T21:54:01Z

Brusero: /* Wireless Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO was heading for Two Sisters Mountain. The objective of the night attack of June 11 were three rocky peaks in the area west of Port Stanley: Mount Longdon, Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet.

Pike's plan was for Major Mike Argue, commanding 'B' Company, 3 PARA to capture Mount Longdon ('Fly Half' and 'Full Back') while Major David Collett's 'A' Company seized the hill running north ('Wing Forward'). 'C' Company would attack the hill north of the Argentinian Command Post, nicknamed 'Rough Diamond'. The apparent ease with which the British Paratroopers got right up to Mount Longdon was lost when Corporal Brian Milne of 4 Platoon 'B' Company stepped on an anti-personnel mine and this alerted the Argentinian 1st Platoon. Corporal Gustavo Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section engaged the Paras, holding up the British advance. Only after an hour or two, perhaps more, a couple of Paras blasted his machinegun out of action and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior Lieutenant Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was located, for a time was on a roll with their successful battle against the Argentinian soldiers until a navigational error in a maze of rocks in the dark, left Shaw's advance shattered. In fact, it later transpired that 6 Platoon had run into a dead end among the boulders. It was here that 6 Platoon came under fire from half-a-dozen conscripts under Captain López-Astore, armed with automatic rifles, which fatally wounded four Paras in quick succession.

The fighting had now lasted for about an hour. It appeared that the attack on Longdon might be the only action of the night and Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, commander of the 10th 'Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade asked Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini for a company from the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment with a field officer to help Carrizo-Salvadores to make a major counterattack on the British. The 3rd Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Rubén Oscar Zunino), overlooking Eliza Cove, was ordered to move in Unimog lorries to the foot of Mount Longdon. Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay, went with the company to take charge:{{cquote|We were in the Command Post when Jofre told Lieutenant-Colonel Comini to prepare A Company for a special mission and that he wanted an officer of at least 'jefe' rank to lead it. The Colonel said he could send two such officers; which one was to go? Jofre said to send the Operations Officer - that was me! I called the commander of A Company, which was our reserve company. He and I went to Stanley House where Jofre was. He showed me a map and told me that things were difficult and that he wanted me to take the company and go up to Tumbledown Mountain. A guide from the 5th Marines would then show us exactly where to place the company.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA, and attached units, 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</ref>}}

The failure on the part of 3 PARA's C Company to secure the nearby 'Rough Diamond' strongpoint, was not considered too serious. Brigadier Julian Thompson has written that:{{cquote|A feature north-east of Longdon thought to be held by 3 Para seemed to be occupied by the enemy. A short altercation took place between 2 and 3 Para about who did hold the feature and was settled by 2 Para having it comprehensively shelled without complaint from 3 Para.<ref>Ready for Anything: The Parachute Regiment at War, Julian Thompson, p. 452, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited, 1989</ref>}}

Several Paras, unwilling to believe that the Argentinian conscripts could be capable of being good shots and fighting so fiercely, thought the Argentinians might have hired American mercenaries in the form of Vietnam Veterans. Some British officers claimed Argentinian Army Green Beret snipers had been present in the fighting. According to the Intelligence Officer (Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie) of 3 PARA, who examined all the evidence, no Argentinian Army Special Forces took part in the battle:{{cquote|However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.<ref>Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>}}

19-year-old Private Grant Grinham, badly wounded in the action, in an interview with the 'Leicester Mercury' in 2017, reported that the Argentinian conscripts had indeed fought very hard:{{cquote|Those Argentinian lads on Mount Longdon fought their hearts out. They were determined defenders. The battle was in the balance. We fought for every inch of ground. The Heavy Machine Gunners were regular Marines and their confidence was high. They were armed with .50-cal machine guns which would stop a car, and were well up for the fight. They're a big heavy weapon, mostly used in an anti-aircraft role. It was a formidable defensive weapon for us to engage. They also had snipers all along Mount Longdon who were very accurate. They had night sights and were far superior to anything we had - contrary to reports. It was a very difficult battle.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170406200039/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/the-falklands-war-paratrooper-lost-a-leg-and-saw-friends-killed-but-would-do-it-all-again/story-30241617-detail/story.html The Falklands War: Paratrooper 'lost a leg and saw friends killed but would do it all again']</ref>}}

Kenneth M. Pollack, former CIA intelligence officer and expert on military affairs, in his research of the Falklands War concluded:{{cquote|Despite the unfavorable force ratio, the Argentine defenders were clever and active and had fortified their positions well. They forced the British to advance through a narrow killing zone, ambushing and counterattacking the Paras repeatedly, and inflicting heavy casualties on them. Eventually, the British took the position only by employing Milans, LAWs, artillery and mortars.<ref>Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness, By Kenneth M. Pollack, p. 212, Oxford University Press, 2019</ref>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the counterattack, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

The forty conscripts and NCOs involved (under Senior Lieutenant Victor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez) shot very accurately. There was considerable confusion in 'D' Company 2 PARA and Private Graham Carter was forced to throw himself on the snow-stained ground and to remain largely lain, pressing himself into the ground to avoid the attention of the Argentinian riflemen:{{cquote|We were out in the open on limb, and it looked like 10 and 11 Platoons were shooting at us. (Several conscripts of Rodriguez-Perez's platoon managed to sneak into the rocks through which Neame's 'D' Company had come earlier) We asked the OC (Major Neame) to come over and check our position. He bimbled across seeming oblivious to tracer all around him, then wondered back. We thought, 'silly bugger'. Then our platoon commander [Lieutenant Jonathan Page] stood up, shouted to everyone to keep down and was knocked over himself, hit in the leg. He was screaming and shouting, but when the medic stripped him off there was no wound, just massive bruising where the round had hit his ammunition pouch.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 186, HarperCollinsPublishers, 1993</ref>}}

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in fighting off this Argentinian force:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles in repelling the Argentinian counterattacks. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Héctor Edgardo Gazzolo) from Delta Company 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Alfredo José Imboden) from Hotel Company 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed although 3 of the British attackers had been wounded.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Royal Marines<ref>''The other companies had skirted one minefield on their approach and Staff Sergeant Pete Thorpe of Condor Troop Royal Engineers was later to lose his foot on a mine while trying to extract a damaged vehicle with injured gunners, near Murrell Bridge.'' The Yompers: With 45 Commando in the Falklands War, Ian Gardiner, p. 161, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-22T21:32:22Z

Brusero: /* Wireless Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO was heading for Two Sisters Mountain. The objective of the night attack of June 11 were three rocky peaks in the area west of Port Stanley: Mount Longdon, Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet.

Pike's plan was for Major Mike Argue, commanding 'B' Company, 3 PARA to capture Mount Longdon ('Fly Half' and 'Full Back') while Major David Collett's 'A' Company seized the hill running north ('Wing Forward'). 'C' Company would attack the hill north of the Argentinian Command Post, nicknamed 'Rough Diamond'. The apparent ease with which the British Paratroopers got right up to Mount Longdon was lost when Corporal Brian Milne of 4 Platoon 'B' Company stepped on an anti-personnel mine and this alerted the Argentinian 1st Platoon. Corporal Gustavo Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section engaged the Paras, holding up the British advance. Only after an hour or two, perhaps more, a couple of Paras blasted his machinegun out of action and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior Lieutenant Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was located, for a time was on a roll with their successful battle against the Argentinian soldiers until a navigational error in a maze of rocks in the dark, left Shaw's advance shattered. In fact, it later transpired that 6 Platoon had run into a dead end among the boulders. It was here that 6 Platoon came under fire from half-a-dozen conscripts under Captain López-Astore, armed with automatic rifles, which fatally wounded four Paras in quick succession.

The fighting had now lasted for about an hour. It appeared that the attack on Longdon might be the only action of the night and Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, commander of the 10th 'Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade asked Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini for a company from the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment with a field officer to help Carrizo-Salvadores to make a major counterattack on the British. The 3rd Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Rubén Oscar Zunino), overlooking Eliza Cove, was ordered to move in Unimog lorries to the foot of Mount Longdon. Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay, went with the company to take charge:{{cquote|We were in the Command Post when Jofre told Lieutenant-Colonel Comini to prepare A Company for a special mission and that he wanted an officer of at least 'jefe' rank to lead it. The Colonel said he could send two such officers; which one was to go? Jofre said to send the Operations Officer - that was me! I called the commander of A Company, which was our reserve company. He and I went to Stanley House where Jofre was. He showed me a map and told me that things were difficult and that he wanted me to take the company and go up to Tumbledown Mountain. A guide from the 5th Marines would then show us exactly where to place the company.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA, and attached units, 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</ref>}}

The failure on the part of 3 PARA's C Company to secure the nearby 'Rough Diamond' strongpoint, was not considered too serious. Brigadier Julian Thompson has written that:{{cquote|A feature north-east of Longdon thought to be held by 3 Para seemed to be occupied by the enemy. A short altercation took place between 2 and 3 Para about who did hold the feature and was settled by 2 Para having it comprehensively shelled without complaint from 3 Para.<ref>Ready for Anything: The Parachute Regiment at War, Julian Thompson, p. 452, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited, 1989</ref>}}

Several Paras, unwilling to believe that the Argentinian conscripts could be capable of being good shots and fighting so fiercely, thought the Argentinians might have hired American mercenaries in the form of Vietnam Veterans. Some British officers claimed Argentinian Army Green Beret snipers had been present in the fighting. According to the Intelligence Officer (Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie) of 3 PARA, who examined all the evidence, no Argentinian Army Special Forces took part in the battle:{{cquote|However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.<ref>Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>}}

19-year-old Private Grant Grinham, badly wounded in the action, in an interview with the 'Leicester Mercury' in 2017, reported that the Argentinian conscripts had indeed fought very hard:{{cquote|Those Argentinian lads on Mount Longdon fought their hearts out. They were determined defenders. The battle was in the balance. We fought for every inch of ground. The Heavy Machine Gunners were regular Marines and their confidence was high. They were armed with .50-cal machine guns which would stop a car, and were well up for the fight. They're a big heavy weapon, mostly used in an anti-aircraft role. It was a formidable defensive weapon for us to engage. They also had snipers all along Mount Longdon who were very accurate. They had night sights and were far superior to anything we had - contrary to reports. It was a very difficult battle.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170406200039/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/the-falklands-war-paratrooper-lost-a-leg-and-saw-friends-killed-but-would-do-it-all-again/story-30241617-detail/story.html The Falklands War: Paratrooper 'lost a leg and saw friends killed but would do it all again']</ref>}}

Kenneth M. Pollack, former CIA intelligence officer and expert on military affairs, in his research of the Falklands War concluded:{{cquote|Despite the unfavorable force ratio, the Argentine defenders were clever and active and had fortified their positions well. They forced the British to advance through a narrow killing zone, ambushing and counterattacking the Paras repeatedly, and inflicting heavy casualties on them. Eventually, the British took the position only by employing Milans, LAWs, artillery and mortars.<ref>Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness, By Kenneth M. Pollack, p. 212, Oxford University Press, 2019</ref>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles in repelling the Argentinian counterattacks. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Héctor Edgardo Gazzolo) from Delta Company 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Alfredo José Imboden) from Hotel Company 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed although 3 of the British attackers had been wounded.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Royal Marines<ref>''The other companies had skirted one minefield on their approach and Staff Sergeant Pete Thorpe of Condor Troop Royal Engineers was later to lose his foot on a mine while trying to extract a damaged vehicle with injured gunners, near Murrell Bridge.'' The Yompers: With 45 Commando in the Falklands War, Ian Gardiner, p. 161, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-22T21:17:29Z

Brusero: /* Mount Longdon */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO was heading for Two Sisters Mountain. The objective of the night attack of June 11 were three rocky peaks in the area west of Port Stanley: Mount Longdon, Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet.

Pike's plan was for Major Mike Argue, commanding 'B' Company, 3 PARA to capture Mount Longdon ('Fly Half' and 'Full Back') while Major David Collett's 'A' Company seized the hill running north ('Wing Forward'). 'C' Company would attack the hill north of the Argentinian Command Post, nicknamed 'Rough Diamond'. The apparent ease with which the British Paratroopers got right up to Mount Longdon was lost when Corporal Brian Milne of 4 Platoon 'B' Company stepped on an anti-personnel mine and this alerted the Argentinian 1st Platoon. Corporal Gustavo Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section engaged the Paras, holding up the British advance. Only after an hour or two, perhaps more, a couple of Paras blasted his machinegun out of action and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior Lieutenant Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was located, for a time was on a roll with their successful battle against the Argentinian soldiers until a navigational error in a maze of rocks in the dark, left Shaw's advance shattered. In fact, it later transpired that 6 Platoon had run into a dead end among the boulders. It was here that 6 Platoon came under fire from half-a-dozen conscripts under Captain López-Astore, armed with automatic rifles, which fatally wounded four Paras in quick succession.

The fighting had now lasted for about an hour. It appeared that the attack on Longdon might be the only action of the night and Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, commander of the 10th 'Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade asked Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini for a company from the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment with a field officer to help Carrizo-Salvadores to make a major counterattack on the British. The 3rd Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Rubén Oscar Zunino), overlooking Eliza Cove, was ordered to move in Unimog lorries to the foot of Mount Longdon. Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay, went with the company to take charge:{{cquote|We were in the Command Post when Jofre told Lieutenant-Colonel Comini to prepare A Company for a special mission and that he wanted an officer of at least 'jefe' rank to lead it. The Colonel said he could send two such officers; which one was to go? Jofre said to send the Operations Officer - that was me! I called the commander of A Company, which was our reserve company. He and I went to Stanley House where Jofre was. He showed me a map and told me that things were difficult and that he wanted me to take the company and go up to Tumbledown Mountain. A guide from the 5th Marines would then show us exactly where to place the company.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA, and attached units, 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</ref>}}

The failure on the part of 3 PARA's C Company to secure the nearby 'Rough Diamond' strongpoint, was not considered too serious. Brigadier Julian Thompson has written that:{{cquote|A feature north-east of Longdon thought to be held by 3 Para seemed to be occupied by the enemy. A short altercation took place between 2 and 3 Para about who did hold the feature and was settled by 2 Para having it comprehensively shelled without complaint from 3 Para.<ref>Ready for Anything: The Parachute Regiment at War, Julian Thompson, p. 452, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited, 1989</ref>}}

Several Paras, unwilling to believe that the Argentinian conscripts could be capable of being good shots and fighting so fiercely, thought the Argentinians might have hired American mercenaries in the form of Vietnam Veterans. Some British officers claimed Argentinian Army Green Beret snipers had been present in the fighting. According to the Intelligence Officer (Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie) of 3 PARA, who examined all the evidence, no Argentinian Army Special Forces took part in the battle:{{cquote|However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.<ref>Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>}}

19-year-old Private Grant Grinham, badly wounded in the action, in an interview with the 'Leicester Mercury' in 2017, reported that the Argentinian conscripts had indeed fought very hard:{{cquote|Those Argentinian lads on Mount Longdon fought their hearts out. They were determined defenders. The battle was in the balance. We fought for every inch of ground. The Heavy Machine Gunners were regular Marines and their confidence was high. They were armed with .50-cal machine guns which would stop a car, and were well up for the fight. They're a big heavy weapon, mostly used in an anti-aircraft role. It was a formidable defensive weapon for us to engage. They also had snipers all along Mount Longdon who were very accurate. They had night sights and were far superior to anything we had - contrary to reports. It was a very difficult battle.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170406200039/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/the-falklands-war-paratrooper-lost-a-leg-and-saw-friends-killed-but-would-do-it-all-again/story-30241617-detail/story.html The Falklands War: Paratrooper 'lost a leg and saw friends killed but would do it all again']</ref>}}

Kenneth M. Pollack, former CIA intelligence officer and expert on military affairs, in his research of the Falklands War concluded:{{cquote|Despite the unfavorable force ratio, the Argentine defenders were clever and active and had fortified their positions well. They forced the British to advance through a narrow killing zone, ambushing and counterattacking the Paras repeatedly, and inflicting heavy casualties on them. Eventually, the British took the position only by employing Milans, LAWs, artillery and mortars.<ref>Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness, By Kenneth M. Pollack, p. 212, Oxford University Press, 2019</ref>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles in repelling the Argentinian counterattacks. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Héctor Edgardo Gazzolo) from Delta Company 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Alfredo José Imboden) from Hotel Company 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed although 3 of the British attackers had been wounded.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Royal Marines<ref>''The other companies had skirted one minefield on their approach and Staff Sergeant Pete Thorpe of Condor Troop Royal Engineers was later to lose his foot on a mine while trying to extract a damaged vehicle with injured gunners, near Murrell Bridge.'' The Yompers: With 45 Commando in the Falklands War, Ian Gardiner, p. 161, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-22T21:15:14Z

Brusero: /* Mount Longdon */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO was heading for Two Sisters Mountain. The objective of the night attack of June 11 were three rocky peaks in the area west of Port Stanley: Mount Longdon, Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet.

Pike's plan was for Major Mike Argue, commanding 'B' Company, 3 PARA to capture Mount Longdon ('Fly Half' and 'Full Back') while Major David Collett's 'A' Company seized the hill running north ('Wing Forward'). 'C' Company would attack the hill north of the Argentinian Command Post, nicknamed 'Rough Diamond'. The apparent ease with which the British Paratroopers got right up to Mount Longdon was lost when Corporal Brian Milne of 4 Platoon 'B' Company stepped on an anti-personnel mine and this alerted the Argentinian 1st Platoon. Corporal Gustavo Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section engaged the Paras, holding up the British advance. Only after an hour or two, perhaps more, a couple of Paras blasted his machinegun out of action and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior Lieutenant Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was located, for a time was on a roll with their successful battle against the Argentinian soldiers until a navigational error in a maze of rocks in the dark, left Shaw's advance shattered. In fact, it later transpired that 6 Platoon had run into a dead end among the boulders. It was here that 6 Platoon came under fire from half-a-dozen conscripts under Captain López-Astore, armed with automatic rifles, which fatally wounded four Paras in quick succession.

The fighting had now lasted for about an hour. It appeared that the attack on Longdon might be the only action of the night and Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, commander of the 10th 'Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade asked Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini for a company from the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment with a field officer to help Carrizo-Salvadores to make a major counterattack on the British. The 3rd Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Rubén Oscar Zunino), overlooking Eliza Cove, was ordered to move in Unimog lorries to the foot of Mount Longdon. Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay, went with the company to take charge:{{cquote|We were in the Command Post when Jofre told Lieutenant-Colonel Comini to prepare A Company for a special mission and that he wanted an officer of at least 'jefe' rank to lead it. The Colonel said he could send two such officers; which one was to go? Jofre said to send the Operations Officer - that was me! I called the commander of A Company, which was our reserve company. He and I went to Stanley House where Jofre was. He showed me a map and told me that things were difficult and that he wanted me to take the company and go up to Tumbledown Mountain. A guide from the 5th Marines would then show us exactly where to place the company.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA, and attached units, 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</ref>}}

The failure on the part of 3 PARA's C Company to secure the nearby 'Rough Diamond' strongpoint, was not considered too serious. Brigadier Julian Thompson has written that:{{cquote|A feature north-east of Longdon thought to be held by 3 Para seemed to be occupied by the enemy. A short altercation took place between 2 and 3 Para about who did hold the feature and was settled by 2 Para having it comprehensively shelled without complaint from 3 Para.<ref>Ready for Anything: The Parachute Regiment at War, Julian Thompson, p. 452, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited, 1989</ref>}}

Several Paras, unwilling to believe that the Argentinian conscripts could be capable of being good shots and fighting so fiercely, thought the Argentinians might have hired American mercenaries in the form of Vietnam Veterans. Some British officers claimed Argentinian Army Green Beret snipers had been present in the fighting. According to the Intelligence Officer (Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie) of 3 PARA, who examined all the evidence, no Argentinian Army Special Forces took part in the battle{cquote|:However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.<ref>igsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>}}

19-year-old Private Grant Grinham, badly wounded in the action, in an interview with the 'Leicester Mercury' in 2017, reported that the Argentinian conscripts had indeed fought very hard:{{cquote|Those Argentinian lads on Mount Longdon fought their hearts out. They were determined defenders. The battle was in the balance. We fought for every inch of ground. The Heavy Machine Gunners were regular Marines and their confidence was high. They were armed with .50-cal machine guns which would stop a car, and were well up for the fight. They're a big heavy weapon, mostly used in an anti-aircraft role. It was a formidable defensive weapon for us to engage. They also had snipers all along Mount Longdon who were very accurate. They had night sights and were far superior to anything we had - contrary to reports. It was a very difficult battle.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170406200039/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/the-falklands-war-paratrooper-lost-a-leg-and-saw-friends-killed-but-would-do-it-all-again/story-30241617-detail/story.html The Falklands War: Paratrooper 'lost a leg and saw friends killed but would do it all again']</ref>}}

Kenneth M. Pollack, former CIA intelligence officer and expert on military affairs, in his research of the Falklands War concluded:{{cquote|Despite the unfavorable force ratio, the Argentine defenders were clever and active and had fortified their positions well. They forced the British to advance through a narrow killing zone, ambushing and counterattacking the Paras repeatedly, and inflicting heavy casualties on them. Eventually, the British took the position only by employing Milans, LAWs, artillery and mortars.<ref>Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness, By Kenneth M. Pollack, p. 212, Oxford University Press, 2019</ref>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles in repelling the Argentinian counterattacks. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Héctor Edgardo Gazzolo) from Delta Company 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Alfredo José Imboden) from Hotel Company 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed although 3 of the British attackers had been wounded.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Royal Marines<ref>''The other companies had skirted one minefield on their approach and Staff Sergeant Pete Thorpe of Condor Troop Royal Engineers was later to lose his foot on a mine while trying to extract a damaged vehicle with injured gunners, near Murrell Bridge.'' The Yompers: With 45 Commando in the Falklands War, Ian Gardiner, p. 161, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-22T21:12:06Z

Brusero: /* Mount Longdon */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO was heading for Two Sisters Mountain. The objective of the night attack of June 11 were three rocky peaks in the area west of Port Stanley: Mount Longdon, Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet.

Pike's plan was for Major Mike Argue, commanding 'B' Company, 3 PARA to capture Mount Longdon ('Fly Half' and 'Full Back') while Major David Collett's 'A' Company seized the hill running north ('Wing Forward'). 'C' Company would attack the hill north of the Argentinian Command Post, nicknamed 'Rough Diamond'. The apparent ease with which the British Paratroopers got right up to Mount Longdon was lost when Corporal Brian Milne of 4 Platoon 'B' Company stepped on an anti-personnel mine and this alerted the Argentinian 1st Platoon. Corporal Gustavo Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section engaged the Paras, holding up the British advance. Only after an hour or two, perhaps more, a couple of Paras blasted his machinegun out of action and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior Lieutenant Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was located, for a time was on a roll with their successful battle against the Argentinian soldiers until a navigational error in a maze of rocks in the dark, left Shaw's advance shattered. In fact, it later transpired that 6 Platoon had run into a dead end among the boulders. It was here that 6 Platoon came under fire from half-a-dozen conscripts under Captain López-Astore, armed with automatic rifles, which fatally wounded four Paras in quick succession.

The fighting had now lasted for about an hour. It appeared that the attack on Longdon might be the only action of the night and Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, commander of the 10th 'Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade asked Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini for a company from the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment with a field officer to help Carrizo-Salvadores to make a major counterattack on the British. The 3rd Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Rubén Oscar Zunino), overlooking Eliza Cove, was ordered to move in Unimog lorries to the foot of Mount Longdon. Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay, went with the company to take charge:{{cquote|We were in the Command Post when Jofre told Lieutenant-Colonel Comini to prepare A Company for a special mission and that he wanted an officer of at least 'jefe' rank to lead it. The Colonel said he could send two such officers; which one was to go? Jofre said to send the Operations Officer - that was me! I called the commander of A Company, which was our reserve company. He and I went to Stanley House where Jofre was. He showed me a map and told me that things were difficult and that he wanted me to take the company and go up to Tumbledown Mountain. A guide from the 5th Marines would then show us exactly where to place the company.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</ref>}}

The failure on the part of 3 PARA's C Company to secure the nearby 'Rough Diamond' strongpoint, was not considered too serious. Brigadier Julian Thompson has written that:{{cquote|A feature north-east of Longdon thought to be held by 3 Para seemed to be occupied by the enemy. A short altercation took place between 2 and 3 Para about who did hold the feature and was settled by 2 Para having it comprehensively shelled without complaint from 3 Para.<ref>Ready for Anything: The Parachute Regiment at War, Julian Thompson, p. 452, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited, 1989</ref>}}

Several Paras, unwilling to believe that the Argentinian conscripts could be capable of being good shots and fighting so fiercely, thought the Argentinians might have hired American mercenaries in the form of Vietnam Veterans. Some British officers claimed Argentinian Army Green Beret snipers had been present in the fighting. According to the Intelligence Officer (Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie) of 3 PARA, who examined all the evidence, no Argentinian Army Special Forces took part in the battle{cquote|However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.<ref>igsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>}}

19-year-old Private Grant Grinham, badly wounded in the action, in an interview with the 'Leicester Mercury' in 2017, reported that the Argentinian conscripts had indeed fought very hard:{{cquote|Those Argentinian lads on Mount Longdon fought their hearts out. They were determined defenders. The battle was in the balance. We fought for every inch of ground. The Heavy Machine Gunners were regular Marines and their confidence was high. They were armed with .50-cal machine guns which would stop a car, and were well up for the fight. They're a big heavy weapon, mostly used in an anti-aircraft role. It was a formidable defensive weapon for us to engage. They also had snipers all along Mount Longdon who were very accurate. They had night sights and were far superior to anything we had - contrary to reports. It was a very difficult battle.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170406200039/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/the-falklands-war-paratrooper-lost-a-leg-and-saw-friends-killed-but-would-do-it-all-again/story-30241617-detail/story.html The Falklands War: Paratrooper 'lost a leg and saw friends killed but would do it all again']</ref>}}

Kenneth M. Pollack, former CIA intelligence officer and expert on military affairs, in his research of the Falklands War concluded:{{cquote|Despite the unfavorable force ratio, the Argentine defenders were clever and active and had fortified their positions well. They forced the British to advance through a narrow killing zone, ambushing and counterattacking the Paras repeatedly, and inflicting heavy casualties on them. Eventually, the British took the position only by employing Milans, LAWs, artillery and mortars.<ref>Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness, By Kenneth M. Pollack, p. 212, Oxford University Press, 2019</ref>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles in repelling the Argentinian counterattacks. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Héctor Edgardo Gazzolo) from Delta Company 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Alfredo José Imboden) from Hotel Company 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed although 3 of the British attackers had been wounded.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Royal Marines<ref>''The other companies had skirted one minefield on their approach and Staff Sergeant Pete Thorpe of Condor Troop Royal Engineers was later to lose his foot on a mine while trying to extract a damaged vehicle with injured gunners, near Murrell Bridge.'' The Yompers: With 45 Commando in the Falklands War, Ian Gardiner, p. 161, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T03:56:29Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650 Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the journalists and veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over one-thousand 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies from 2 PARA managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to slowly but steadily clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour on the part of 'Task Force Mercedes' in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley and elsewhere during the Falklands War.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University who received him warmly. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T03:08:40Z

Brusero: /* Darwin Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650 Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the journalists and veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over one-thousand 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies from 2 PARA managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to slowly but steadily clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour on the part of 'Task Force Mercedes' in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley and elsewhere during the Falklands War.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T03:05:25Z

Brusero: /* Darwin Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650 Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the journalists and veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over 1,000 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies from 2 PARA managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to slowly but steadily clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour on the part of 'Task Force Mercedes' in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley and elsewhere during the Falklands War.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T02:53:07Z

Brusero: /* Aftermath */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650 Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the journalists and veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over 1,000 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour on the part of 'Task Force Mercedes' in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley and elsewhere during the Falklands War.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T02:45:42Z

Brusero: /* San Carlos */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650 Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the journalists and veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over 1,000 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and kept under armed guard after the Royal Navy Harrier strike of May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders during the war.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T02:44:01Z

Brusero: /* San Carlos */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650 Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the journalists and veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over 1,000 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and kept under armed guard after the Royal Navy Harrier strike of May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders during the war.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T02:39:43Z

Brusero: /* Darwin Parks */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 600 Paratroopers of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the journalists and veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over 1,000 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and kept under armed guard after the Royal Navy Harrier strike of May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders during the war.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T02:30:17Z

Brusero: /* 'Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident) */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 600 Paratroopers of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they [the journalists and veterans involved] took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over 1,000 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and kept under armed guard after the Royal Navy Harrier strike of May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders during the war.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T02:25:10Z

Brusero: /* Argentinian surrender */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 600 Paratroopers of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they [the journalists and veterans involved] took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over 1,000 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar).

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and kept under armed guard after the Royal Navy Harrier strike of May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders during the war.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-07-22T02:24:41Z

Brusero: /* Argentinian surrender */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the regimental commander, the operations officer, Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore and the personnel officer, Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."'' <ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

Indeed one local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim: ''"After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well . People were generally good-natured."'' <ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Trafalgar Square, 1989</ref>

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused A Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 600 Paratroopers of the British 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Group. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams." CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 am.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A ' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon, C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they [the journalists and veterans involved] took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García and others, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of 'Combat Team Eagle' (under Senior Lieutenant. Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for 'Combat Team Eagle' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, 'Combat Team Eagle' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over 1,000 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar).

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors in his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm. The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School area began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him. It was here that 2 PARA's advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 pm when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company from the 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and his men. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden ''et al''., Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Outskirts), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript Army could fight so professionally and doggedly.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on National Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and kept under armed guard after the Royal Navy Harrier strike of May 1. Nor is there any mention of this criminal behaviour in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders during the war.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]