Changes

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.  

The British attack began under the cover of darkness of 28 May with heavy naval and artillery support.  

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), gave their lives covering the Argentinian retreat despite British calls for them to surrender. While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.

At 3.35 AM, Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company moved off on the left and attacked Burntside House believed to be occupied by the Argentinian 12th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (Lieutenant Carlos Morales), but found no-one there other than four civilians. Major John Crosland's B Company started forward from the other side of Burntside Pond down the right flank with Major Philip Neame's D Company following them long the middle. With artillery support on both sides, B and D Companies were soon in close-quarter combat with the 12th Regiment's A Company (under Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). During the fight for Burntside Hill, Corporal Edmundo Federico Marcial and Privates Juan Carlos Monzón, Carlos Agustín Díaz and Fernando Jesús Lugo from the 2nd Rifle Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Gustavo Adolfo Malacalza), were killed fighting No. 5 (under Lieutenant Geoffrey Weighell, B Company) with the British Paras forced to use L2 fragmentation and L84 White phosphorus (WP) grenades in order to clear the defiant Argentinian defenders. <ref>"The first attempts at clearing them had little impact. After we laid down some fire on each trench, Neil Dance's half section went forward and threw L2 grenades into it. These proved to be worse than useless and the Argentinians were soon firing back at us with machine-guns and FN rifles. With the weight of fire they threw up, who knows how none of us got killed ... Having no luck with the L2 grenades, some of the lads began throwing Willie Petes (white phosphorus grenades) into the Argie trenches. In a blinding flash, the chemicals burned and we heard the screams."  CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 118, Random House, 1998</ref>

 

While this fighting was in progress Senior Lieutenant Carlos Chanampa and his airborne gunners from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group brought their Italian-built Oto Melara 105 mm pack howitzers into action with considerable accuracy. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/sociedad/2020/12/04/malvinas-desconocida-el-artillero-descendiente-de-un-cacique-diaguita-que-lucho-36-horas-sin-dormir-para-no-rendirse-ante-los-ingleses/ Malvinas desconocida: el artillero descendiente de un cacique diaguita que luchó 36 horas sin dormir para no rendirse ante los ingleses]</ref> Fortunately for the British parachute battalion, the damp peaty ground absorbed the impact of the shells and reduced the killing power of the splinters.<ref>Meanwhile the weight of fire seemed to increase rather than diminish; artillery and mortar rounds were landing all around us and it was a miracle that I hadn't seen any casualties. It was only much later that I learned the reason. If the weather and terrain had been dry, the whole company would probably have been wiped out. Instead, a lot of the artillery shells and mortars were landing in peat bog and either not exploding or having the sodden earth take the sting out of the blast. Ironically, we'd been complaining constantly about the horrible tabs and our rotting feet, yet if the conditions had been any different, we'd have died within hours. CQB: Close Quarter Battle, Mike Curtis, p. 121, Random House, 1998</ref>

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.

Back in the Argentinian Command Post (CP) Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Piaggi felt that the defence of Manresa's original company positions was going to be critical at this point of the battle, so he ordered that no more ground be lost. Manresa ordered Second Lieutenant Marcelo Martin Bracco's 3rd Rifle Platoon on Coronation Ridge to hold their trenches at all cost. As the Paras continued their advance, the platoon lay in wait concealed in the terrain.