Changes

The British [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]] (SAS) and [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) had several clashes with the 602nd Commando Company in the [[Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House]].

The British [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]] (SAS) and [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) had several clashes with the 602nd Commando Company in the [[Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House]].

<ref>"Interestingly, Argentine military planners were aware of the redeployment of the SAS to Mount Kent and sent their own Special Forces (Commando 602) to neutralise them. New information reveals some tough fighting occurred between the British and Argentine Special Forces in which casualties were sustained on both sides; however, the failure of the Argentine forces to coordinate their efforts (communication was very difficult on Mount Kent) undermined their performance." Special Forces, Strategy and the War on Terror: Warfare By Other Means, Alastair Finlan, pp. 40-41, Routledge, 2009</ref> The Argentinian Green Berets were being used as fighting patrols in the area and were ordered to shoot down British helicopters whenever possible. The 602nd had two men killed in an SAS ambush at Bluff Cove Peak in a morning action on 30 May. First Lieutenant [[Rubén Eduardo Márquez]]<ref>[http://www.ellitoral.com/index.php/id_um/107118-merecido-homenaje-a-ex-combatiente-en-coronda Merecido homenaje a ex combatiente en Coronda]</ref> and Sergeant [[Oscar Humberto Blas]], from Captain [[Tomás Victor Fernández]]' 2nd Assault Section, were posthumously decorated for their part in this action.<ref>"Oponerse a una fracción enemiga superior en número, en ocasión en que integraba una patrulla de exploración que operaba en una zona ocupada por el enemigo. Alertar con su acción a sus camaradas y combatir hasta lograr que estos se replegaran, ofrendando su vida en esta acción." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>

<ref>"Interestingly, Argentine military planners were aware of the redeployment of the SAS to Mount Kent and sent their own Special Forces (Commando 602) to neutralise them. New information reveals some tough fighting occurred between the British and Argentine Special Forces in which casualties were sustained on both sides; however, the failure of the Argentine forces to coordinate their efforts (communication was very difficult on Mount Kent) undermined their performance." Special Forces, Strategy and the War on Terror: Warfare By Other Means, Alastair Finlan, pp. 40-41, Routledge, 2009</ref>The Argentinian Green Berets were operating behind enemy lines and were ordered to capture British soldiers and shoot down enemy helicopters. The 602nd Commando Company had one man badly wounded in an SAS ambush on Mount Kent on the night of May 29/30, with the British SAS suffering two badly wounded in the action (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer), and Major Rico's company lost two men killed in an SAS ambush at Bluff Cove Peak in the morning of May 30 with the British reporting two of their men (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters) hit by hand-grenades. First Lieutenant [[Rubén Eduardo Márquez]]<ref>[http://www.ellitoral.com/index.php/id_um/107118-merecido-homenaje-a-ex-combatiente-en-coronda Merecido homenaje a ex combatiente en Coronda]</ref> and Sergeant [[Oscar Humberto Blas]], from Captain [[Tomás Victor Fernández]]' 2nd Assault Section, were posthumously decorated for their part in this action.<ref>"Oponerse a una fracción enemiga superior en número, en ocasión en que integraba una patrulla de exploración que operaba en una zona ocupada por el enemigo. Alertar con su acción a sus camaradas y combatir hasta lograr que estos se replegaran, ofrendando su vida en esta acción." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>

A larger fight took place on May 31. Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company was spotted by the British in an isolated sheep farm, Top Malo House, which had been bypassed by the 3rd British Commando Brigade. 19 Mountain & Artic Warfare special forces were helicoptered there and attacked the house. During a fierce 45-minute action the house was set on fire, the British later paid tribute to the tough fight put up by the Argentinians, who suffered two killed and six wounded; there were only four unwounded prisoners. Two of the Argentinians, Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] and Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]], were posthumously awarded Argentina's highest decoration for bravery. The Argentinian commandos claimed two British were killed; their comrades, they said, could be seen crying over the dead bodies. But no British were killed; what the Argentinian survivors saw were the three badly British wounded being tended.<ref>[http://www.laperlaaustral.com.ar/contenidos/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108:elcombatedetopmalohouse&catid=56:companiadecomandos602&Itemid=127 El combate de Top Malo House]</ref>

A larger fight took place on the morning of May 31. Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company was spotted by the British in an isolated sheep farm, Top Malo House, which had been bypassed by the 3rd British Commando Brigade. 19 Mountain & Artic Warfare special forces were helicoptered there and attacked the house. During a fierce 45-minute action the house was set on fire, the British later paid tribute to the tough fight put up by the Argentinians, who suffered two killed and six wounded; there were only four unwounded prisoners. Two of the Argentinians, Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] and Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]], were posthumously awarded Argentina's highest decoration for bravery. The Argentinian commandos claimed two British were killed; their comrades, they said, could be seen crying over the dead bodies. But no British were killed; what the Argentinian survivors saw were the three badly British Marines wounded being tended.<ref>[http://www.laperlaaustral.com.ar/contenidos/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=108:elcombatedetopmalohouse&catid=56:companiadecomandos602&Itemid=127 El combate de Top Malo House]</ref>

The only British death in the Mount Kent area was when an SAS patrol accidentally fired upon an SBS patrol in the early hours of 2 June and SBS Sergeant Nick Hunt was killed. Four Royal Marines (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Coporals Peter Fitton, Andrew Uren and Marine Keith Phillips) were also killed in the British patrol phase, reportedly due to friendly fire, but this action took place near Murrell River on the night of 9/10 June.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref>The Argentinian Army's version of events is that Senior Lieutenant Jorge Manuel Vizoso Posse, second-in-command of the 602nd Commando Company's 3rd Assault Section, shot dead all four Royal Marines that night at point blank range<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170212091658/http://www.laperlaaustral.com.ar/contenidos/index.php?Itemid=127&catid=56:companiadecomandos602&id=105:lacompania602decomandos&option=com_content&view=article La Compañía 602 de Comandos]</ref>for which he would win the Heroic Valour Cross<ref>[http://diarioepoca.com/92321/Vizoso-Posse-superandoacute-la-guerra-gracias-a-su-fe-y-excepcional-valor/ Vizoso Posse, superó la guerra gracias a su fe y excepcional valor]</ref>, Argentina's highest military decoration. Senior Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría and Sergeant Orlando Aguirre claimed to have destroyed a British machine-gun with rifle-grenades fired at ''a punto'' (horizontally) in this action with the British admitting one Royal Marine killed due to a fragmentary round.<ref>[http://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1980-89.htm 1945-2008 - Casualty Lists of the Royal Navy

The only British death in the Mount Kent area was when an SAS patrol accidentally fired upon an SBS patrol in the early hours of 2 June and SBS Sergeant Nick Hunt was killed. Four Royal Marines (Sergeant Robert Leeming, Coporals Peter Fitton, Andrew Uren and Marine Keith Phillips) were also killed in the British patrol phase, reportedly due to friendly fire, but this action took place near Murrell River on the night of 9/10 June.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref>The Argentinian Army's version of events is that Senior Lieutenant Jorge Manuel Vizoso Posse, second-in-command of the 602nd Commando Company's 3rd Assault Section, shot dead all four Royal Marines that night at point blank range<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170212091658/http://www.laperlaaustral.com.ar/contenidos/index.php?Itemid=127&catid=56:companiadecomandos602&id=105:lacompania602decomandos&option=com_content&view=article La Compañía 602 de Comandos]</ref>for which he would win the Heroic Valour Cross<ref>[http://diarioepoca.com/92321/Vizoso-Posse-superandoacute-la-guerra-gracias-a-su-fe-y-excepcional-valor/ Vizoso Posse, superó la guerra gracias a su fe y excepcional valor]</ref>, Argentina's highest military decoration. Senior Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauría and Sergeant Orlando Aguirre claimed to have destroyed a British machine-gun with rifle-grenades fired at ''a punto'' (horizontally) in this action with the British admitting one Royal Marine killed due to a fragmentary round.<ref>[http://www.naval-history.net/xDKCas1980-89.htm 1945-2008 - Casualty Lists of the Royal Navy