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Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge (view source)
Revision as of 14:26, January 25, 2019
, 14:26, January 25, 2019→Mount Longdon
Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA 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.
Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA 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.
On the night of June 8-9, Sergeant Roque Antonio 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 disperse 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>
Before the British 3rd and 5th Brigades could retake Port Stanley, it was essential that the high ground around the capital was taken. This included Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge.
Before the British 3rd and 5th Brigades could retake Port Stanley, it was essential that the high ground around the capital was taken. This included Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge.