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Line 123: − − In 2012, in an interview with the British newspaper ''Chester Chronicle'', Lieutenant Chris Caroe, a 21-year-old platoon commander in the fighting for the southern peak, reported that:{{cquote|Despite being a conscript army... the Argentinians were a force to be reckoned with because they were led by skilled regulars. − <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141019061950/http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/ex-marine-chris-caroe-chester-recalls-5179719 Ex-marine Chris Caroe from Chester recalls the Falklands War ]</ref>}}
Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain (view source)
Revision as of 23:20, May 30, 2021
, 23:20, May 30, 2021no edit summary
Then to the astonishment of the Argentinians on the northern peak, 'Zulu' Company, below, at about 02.30 local time rose, charging with fixed bayonets and screaming at the top of their voices swept the defenders aside. Lieutenant Clive Dytor, commander of 8 Troop, 'Zulu' Company had tipped the scales and defeated Major Ricardo Cordón. At about 0300 Major Cordón and his staff threw up their arms when Royal Marines entered their bunker. Had Lieutenant Clive Dytor dithered in closing with and defeating Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps been reinforced in time by the 6th 'Mercedes' Regiment's 'B' Company which was currently preparing. Commando-trained Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet was naturally anxious to help Major Cordón. This would have changed the picture of the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain completely.
Then to the astonishment of the Argentinians on the northern peak, 'Zulu' Company, below, at about 02.30 local time rose, charging with fixed bayonets and screaming at the top of their voices swept the defenders aside. Lieutenant Clive Dytor, commander of 8 Troop, 'Zulu' Company had tipped the scales and defeated Major Ricardo Cordón. At about 0300 Major Cordón and his staff threw up their arms when Royal Marines entered their bunker. Had Lieutenant Clive Dytor dithered in closing with and defeating Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps been reinforced in time by the 6th 'Mercedes' Regiment's 'B' Company which was currently preparing. Commando-trained Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet was naturally anxious to help Major Cordón. This would have changed the picture of the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain completely.
In an interview with the ''Globe & Laurel'' (The Journal of the Royal Marines), Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu" Company, recalled that:{{cquote|The mission was to attack the Two Sisters and exploit forward to Mount Tumbledown. However, the presumed enemy forces strength of one medium machine gun on our company objective was later confirmed to have swollen to at least two platoons of Argies in a seemingly impregnable defensive position within the rock formation on the Bluff ... Yankee Company on our right immediately suffered two fatal injuries from gunshot wounds. Amongst my troop, I sustained two VSI head wounds from artillery fragments in my forward sections.As these men were being casevaced, our depth troop was temporarily caught in a mortar DF which resulted in one further fatality and three seriously injured. It was now that everyone turned on to 'auto-pilot', relying totally on their own professionalism and training ... Having sustained such early casualties, it was with pride that I noticed a bold defiance and aggressiveness during our skirmish forward. The steady thudding of their 0.5 Browning machine gun, chorused by the rattle of FN automatic fire was regularly interrupted by our Carl Gustav and 66 mm HEAT warheads exploding on the rock face of the Bluff ... The Commando policy of hitting hard with everything at our disposal, from rifle to Naval gunfire proved its worth.
<ref>The Globe & Laurel:The Journal of the Royal Marines, p. 251, July/August 1982</ref>}}
The task of ridding the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment's 'B' Company remained. On the eastern ridge the fighting was equally tough. The defenders brought down heavy machine-gun and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company reduced to a single platoon (5 Troop under Lieutenant Andy Davis) after the loss of the other two rifle platoon commanders.<ref>''"What was a Yankee company became once again a 5 Troop task, so I got summoned by the company commander ... and I was told I was the only troop commander left so 5 Troop had to crack on with the job."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ3WNHdACfs The Untold Story Of 45 Commando In The Falklands | Major Andy Shaw]</ref>
The task of ridding the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment's 'B' Company remained. On the eastern ridge the fighting was equally tough. The defenders brought down heavy machine-gun and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company reduced to a single platoon (5 Troop under Lieutenant Andy Davis) after the loss of the other two rifle platoon commanders.<ref>''"What was a Yankee company became once again a 5 Troop task, so I got summoned by the company commander ... and I was told I was the only troop commander left so 5 Troop had to crack on with the job."'' [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ3WNHdACfs The Untold Story Of 45 Commando In The Falklands | Major Andy Shaw]</ref>
For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams protecting on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine marines all fought to the end and were killed with bullets and bayonets. We had to fight through lots of positions, clearing the enemy."''<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/9164691/Falklands-War-hero-explains-why-he-entered-the-church-after-being-awarded-the-Military-Cross.html Falklands War hero explains why he entered the church after being awarded the Military Cross]</ref>
For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams protecting on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine marines all fought to the end and were killed with bullets and bayonets. We had to fight through lots of positions, clearing the enemy."''<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/9164691/Falklands-War-hero-explains-why-he-entered-the-church-after-being-awarded-the-Military-Cross.html Falklands War hero explains why he entered the church after being awarded the Military Cross]</ref>
In 2012, in an interview with the British newspaper ''Chester Chronicle'', Lieutenant Chris Caroe, a 21-year-old platoon commander in the fighting for the southern peak, reported that: ''"Despite being a conscript army... the Argentinians were a force to be reckoned with because they were led by skilled regulars."''
<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141019061950/http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/ex-marine-chris-caroe-chester-recalls-5179719 Ex-marine Chris Caroe from Chester recalls the Falklands War ]</ref>
==Harriet==
==Harriet==
The 4th Infantry Regiment had lost nearly all of its platoons and half of the platoon commanders and platoon sergeants were battle casualties. Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverría was badly wounded and captured as was 2d Lieutenant Eugenio César Bruny and 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz. Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano
The 4th Infantry Regiment had lost nearly all of its platoons and half of the platoon commanders and platoon sergeants were battle casualties. Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverría was badly wounded and captured as was 2d Lieutenant Eugenio César Bruny and 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz. Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano
was killed.
was killed.
In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Towsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Towsend reporting that Jiménez-Corbalán was ''"A well trained officer that fought with bravery alongside his men."''<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-tras-enfrentarse-combate-se-hicieron-amigos-nid2234223 Malvinas. Tras enfrentarse en combate, se hicieron amigos y ahora volvieron juntos a las islas]</ref>
In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Towsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Towsend reporting that Jiménez-Corbalán was ''"A well trained officer that fought with bravery alongside his men."''<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-tras-enfrentarse-combate-se-hicieron-amigos-nid2234223 Malvinas. Tras enfrentarse en combate, se hicieron amigos y ahora volvieron juntos a las islas]</ref>