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==Mount Longdon==

==Mount Longdon==

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.

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://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>

Of these objectives, 3 PARA was tasked with taking Mount Longdon on the night of June 11/12, to coincide with attacks on Two Sisters Mountain by Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead's 45 Commando and Mount Harriet by Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux's 42 Commando.

Mount Longdon is a long narrow feature of rocky terrain, running from east to west with two summits. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores, second-in-command of the 7th Regiment, was the senior officer on the eastern summit ('Full Back'), and Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary on the western one ('Fly Half'). There was a Rasit radar set on Longdon, with which the defenders could scan the Murrell River area at night to reveal any hostile troop movements. As a result of its geography only one company attacking could advance along it. The plan was that the rifle companies would be led to the start line at the river, west of Mount Longdon by members of Captain Matthew Selfridge's D (Patrol) Company. The start line would be known as ‘Free Kick’.

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://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 11th 1982, the 3rd Battalion (3 PARA) from the British Parachute Regiment, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 Commando Battalion was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 Commando Battalion 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.

Mount Longdon is a long narrow feature of rocky terrain, running from east to west with two summits. Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores, second-in-command of the 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, was the senior officer on the eastern summit ('Full Back'), and Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary on the western one ('Fly Half'). There was a Rasit radar set on Longdon, with which the defenders could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movements. As a result of its geography only one company attacking could advance along it. The plan was that the rifle companies would be led to the start line at the stream, west of Mount Longdon by members of D (Patrol) Company. The start line would be known as ‘Free Kick’.

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 Pedemonte deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and he 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 the darkness.

Major Mike Argue's B Company, on the right would take the two summits named ‘Fly Half’ and ‘Full Back’ following the ridge line. Meanwhile, Major David Collett's  A Company would be on the left to take ‘Wing Forward’, a spur running from the western side of the summit. C Company would seize 'Rough Diamond' before clearing the rest of Wireless Ridge.

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO. The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where First 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 the dark, left Shaw's advance shattered. In fact, it later transpired that 6 Platoon had run into a dead end among the rocks. It was here that 6 Platoon came under fire from half-a-dozen conscripts armed with automatic rifles  which fatally wounded four Paras in quick succession.

It was a silent approach until Corporal Brian Milne stepped on a land mine, which alerted 2d Lieutenant Juan Baldini's 1st Rifle Platoon (B Company 7th Regiment ''La Plata'') to the attack. At this point the Argentinian sentries opened fire and fierce fighting ensued.  

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, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had shot him dead.

 

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 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.  

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 Hugo Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward. 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.

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 Hugo Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward. 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.