Changes

Newland shot several, three fatally.<ref>"La cuestión es que en ese lado ya no se combatía, pero en Dos Hermanas sí se veía el entrecruzamiento de disparos. Yo, como dije, no me imaginaba qué había pasado con mis tres soldados de la retaguardia y me preguntaba qué había ocurrido con esos changos mientras combatía hacia el frente. Después desgraciadamente, incluso a través de los ingleses, comprobé que estaban muertos." Así lucharon, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 155, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>

Newland shot several, three fatally.<ref>"La cuestión es que en ese lado ya no se combatía, pero en Dos Hermanas sí se veía el entrecruzamiento de disparos. Yo, como dije, no me imaginaba qué había pasado con mis tres soldados de la retaguardia y me preguntaba qué había ocurrido con esos changos mientras combatía hacia el frente. Después desgraciadamente, incluso a través de los ingleses, comprobé que estaban muertos." Así lucharon, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 155, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>

The fighting on Mount Harriet was fierce, casualties were heavy and passions ran high. Yet a sense of restraint existed in 42 Commando.

The fighting on Mount Harriet was fierce, casualties were heavy and passions ran high. Yet a sense of restraint existed in 42 CDO.

Meanwhile, to the southwest of Mount Harriet, the vanguard of 42 COMMANDO's 'Lima' Company (under Captain David Wheen) had had a nasty moment when it stumbled onto the 'Ghost/Lost' Platoon (3rd Infantry Brigade's Security Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Pablo Andres Oliva), entrenched on the southern approaches to Mount Harriet. The Argentinians with their MAG 7.62 belt-fed millimetre machineguns and FAL automatic rifles opened up on 'Lima' Company, spitting fire into the ranks. The weight of fire was incredible. The attack of the Royal Marine Commandos faltered and disaster on a gigantic scale threatened to overwhelm Captain Wheen's company.<ref>''The men of Lima Company found the going particularly tough, coming under sustained fire as they scaled the rugged flanks of Harriet to the southwest, and having to use Milan anti-tank weapons to take out the sniper hides and machine-gun nests. The Argentine troops fought fiercely, belying subsequent stories in the press of a ragged force of beleaguered conscripts.'' Commando: The Inside Story of Britain’s Royal Marines, Monty Halls, Random House, 2022</ref>

Meanwhile, to the southwest of Mount Harriet, the vanguard of 42 COMMANDO's 'Lima' Company (under Captain David Wheen) had had a nasty moment when it stumbled onto the 'Ghost/Lost' Platoon (3rd Infantry Brigade's Security Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Pablo Andres Oliva), entrenched on the southern approaches to Mount Harriet. The Argentinians with their MAG 7.62 belt-fed millimetre machineguns and FAL automatic rifles opened up on 'Lima' Company, spitting fire into the ranks. The weight of fire was incredible. The attack of the Royal Marine Commandos faltered and disaster on a gigantic scale threatened to overwhelm Captain Wheen's company.<ref>''The men of Lima Company found the going particularly tough, coming under sustained fire as they scaled the rugged flanks of Harriet to the southwest, and having to use Milan anti-tank weapons to take out the sniper hides and machine-gun nests. The Argentine troops fought fiercely, belying subsequent stories in the press of a ragged force of beleaguered conscripts.'' Commando: The Inside Story of Britain’s Royal Marines, Monty Halls, Random House, 2022</ref>

Then quite unexpectedly, with a collective roar, the Royal Marine Commandos began to advance, firing magazine after magazine. To the profound disappointment of Lieutenant-Colonel Soria, Oliva's 'Ghost/Lost' Platoon that suffered four killed during their defence of Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Then quite unexpectedly, with a collective roar, the Royal Marine Commandos began to advance, firing magazine after magazine. To the profound disappointment of Lieutenant-Colonel Soria, Oliva's 'Ghost/Lost' Platoon that suffered four killed during their defence of Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

With dawn approaching and 'Lima' Company still fighting forward, 'Juliet' Company was ordered on to Goat Ridge, by which time the defending rifle platoon under 2d Lieutenant Oscar Augusto Silva (a paratrooper) had retreated to new positions on Tumbledown Mountain and 'Kilo' Company had cleared the summit of Harriet.  

With dawn approaching and 'Lima' Company still fighting forward, 'Juliet' Company was ordered on to Goat Ridge, by which time the defending rifle platoon under 2d Lieutenant Oscar Augusto Silva (a paratrooper) had retreated to new positions on Tumbledown Mountain and 'Kilo' Company had cleared the summit of Harriet.  

By 09.30 local time the craggy peaks of Mount Harriet and Goat Ridge were secure, at a cost to 42 COMMANDO of two fatal casualties (Corporals Jeremy Smith and Laurence Watts) and thirty wounded.<ref>"2 COYS OF 42 CDO HAD TAKEN A REGIMENTAL POSITION FOR 2 KILLED AND 30 WOUNDED ... WE HAD BEEN ORDERED TO BE PREPARED TO PRESS FORWARD THE ATTACK ONTO MOUNT TUMBLEDOWN AND MOUNT WILLIAM IF THE ENEMY FLED OUR INITIAL ATTACK, AND TIME ALLOWED. BY DAWN IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT WE WERE IN NO POSITION TO ATTACK.  WE WERE EXHAUSTED, OUT OF AMMO AND SUFFERING SIGNIFICANT CASUALTIES. MY 21C, A RADIO OPERATOR, MY TAC HQ MACHINE GUNNER AND ONE OF MY TROOP COMMANDERS HAD ALL BEEN SHOT, AND A FURTHER 10 ALSO WOUNDED. ANOTHER TROOP COMMANDER I DISCOVERED WAS SUFFERING FROM SHELLSHOCK". [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1986/WDG.htm A  Rifle Company Commander's Perspective, Major David G. Wheen, Royal Marines]</ref>

By 09.30 local time the craggy peaks of Mount Harriet and Goat Ridge were secure, at a cost to 42 COMMANDO of two fatal casualties (Corporals Jeremy Smith and Laurence Watts) and thirty wounded.<ref>"2 COYS OF 42 CDO HAD TAKEN A REGIMENTAL POSITION FOR 2 KILLED AND 30 WOUNDED ... WE HAD BEEN ORDERED TO BE PREPARED TO PRESS FORWARD THE ATTACK ONTO MOUNT TUMBLEDOWN AND MOUNT WILLIAM IF THE ENEMY FLED OUR INITIAL ATTACK, AND TIME ALLOWED. BY DAWN IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT WE WERE IN NO POSITION TO ATTACK.  WE WERE EXHAUSTED, OUT OF AMMO AND SUFFERING SIGNIFICANT CASUALTIES. MY 21C, A RADIO OPERATOR, MY TAC HQ MACHINE GUNNER AND ONE OF MY TROOP COMMANDERS HAD ALL BEEN SHOT, AND A FURTHER 10 ALSO WOUNDED. ANOTHER TROOP COMMANDER I DISCOVERED WAS SUFFERING FROM SHELLSHOCK". [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1986/WDG.htm A  Rifle Company Commander's Perspective, Major David G. Wheen, Royal Marines]</ref>

The remnants of the 4th Regiment's 'B' Company were virtually surrounded and Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo and his men were forced to surrender:{{cquote|It hurt me a lot to have to take the decision to surrender, but the situation then gave no alternative, and all I could have achieved was further casualties in my personnel, who were already in a bad state. But I was very sad to surrender.<ref>Denys Blakeway,The Falklands War: A Major Television Series of Channel Four, p. 156, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1992</ref>}}

The remnants of the 4th Regiment's 'B' Company were virtually surrounded and Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo and his men were forced to surrender:{{cquote|It hurt me a lot to have to take the decision to surrender, but the situation then gave no alternative, and all I could have achieved was further casualties in my personnel, who were already in a bad state. But I was very sad to surrender.<ref>Denys Blakeway,The Falklands War: A Major Television Series of Channel Four, p. 156, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1992</ref>}}