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On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment and Condor Military Airbase on the Darwin/Goose Green Peninsula.   

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment and Condor Military Airbase on the Darwin/Goose Green Peninsula.   

==Darwin Ridge==

==Darwin Parks==

The attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.  

The attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.  

At 3.35 am, A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by an Argentinian platoon, but found no-one there other than four  civilians. B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with 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 1st Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). Leaving No. 13 Platoon of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.  

At 3.35 am, A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by an Argentinian platoon, but found no-one there other than four  civilians. B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with 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 1st Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). Leaving No. 13 Platoon of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.  

By daylight, however, the British attack was held up by strong enemy defensive positions on Darwin Hill and Boca Hill (Darwin Ridge) and the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Jones, was killed trying to take out a machine-gun post. Major Chris Keeble was called up from the rear, and leaving A Company to slowly wrestle control of Darwin Hill and pulling B Company back to Middle Hill, ordered D Company to move round Boca Hill, advancing from the nearby beach. Support Company used MILAN anti-tank rockets to destroy these trenches. Approximately, 3 hours after the death of Jones, the last Argentinian defenders on Boca Hill surrendered.

By daylight, however, the British attack was held up by strong enemy defensive positions on Darwin Hill and Boca Hill (Darwin Ridge) and the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Jones, was killed trying to take out a machine-gun post. Major Chris Keeble was called up from the rear, and leaving A Company to slowly wrestle control of Darwin Hill and pulling B Company back to Middle Hill, ordered D Company to move round Boca Hill, advancing from the nearby beach. Support Company used MILAN anti-tank rockets to destroy these trenches. Approximately, 3 hours after the death of Jones, the last Argentinian defenders on Boca Hill surrendered.

In the meantime, the Argentinians helicoptered in their first reinforcements and the Stanley Air Base flew in support missions. The first attack took place earlier when a ''Grupo 3'' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley. 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 attacking Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

In the meantime, the Argentinians helicoptered in their first reinforcements and the Stanley Air Base flew in support missions. The first attack took place earlier when a ''Grupo 3'' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley. 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 attacking Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began.  Elements 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, 2nd Lieutenant Claudio Cesar Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper and wounding eleven.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story</ref>

 

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began.  Elements 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, 2nd Lieutenant Claudio Cesar Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper and wounding eleven.<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 Argentinian Air Base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving a 25th Regiment platoon. According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon{{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>}}

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Argentinian Air Base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving a 25th Regiment platoon. According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon{{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>}}