| Line 25: |
Line 25: |
| | At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 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. | | At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 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. |
| | | | |
| − | 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. | + | 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 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 action in the darkness. |
| | | | |
| − | 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. | + | 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 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, 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 Jofre, 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 major 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. | | 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 Jofre, 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 major 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. |