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The failure on the part of 3 PARA's C Company to secure the nearby 'Rough Diamond' strongpoint, was not considered too serious. Brigadier Julian Thompson has written that:{{cquote|A feature north-east of Longdon thought to be held by 3 Para seemed to be occupied by the enemy.  A short altercation took place between 2 and 3 Para about who did hold the feature  and was settled by 2 Para having it comprehensively shelled without complaint from 3 Para.<ref>Ready for Anything: The Parachute Regiment at War, Julian Thompson, p. 452, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited, 1989</ref>}}

The failure on the part of 3 PARA's C Company to secure the nearby 'Rough Diamond' strongpoint, was not considered too serious. Brigadier Julian Thompson has written that:{{cquote|A feature north-east of Longdon thought to be held by 3 Para seemed to be occupied by the enemy.  A short altercation took place between 2 and 3 Para about who did hold the feature  and was settled by 2 Para having it comprehensively shelled without complaint from 3 Para.<ref>Ready for Anything: The Parachute Regiment at War, Julian Thompson, p. 452, Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited, 1989</ref>}}

Several Paras unwilling to believe that the Argentinian conscripts could be capable of fighting so fiercely thought the Argentinians might have hired American mercenaries in the form of Vietnam Veterans. 19-year-old Private Grant Grinham, badly wounded in the action, in an interview with the 'Leicester Mercury' in 2017, reported that the Argentinian conscripts had indeed fought very hard:{{cquote|Those Argentinian lads on Mount Longdon fought their hearts out. They were determined defenders. The battle was in the balance. We fought for every inch of ground. The Heavy Machine Gunners were regular Marines and their confidence was high. They were armed with .50-cal machine guns which would stop a car, and were well up for the fight. They're a big heavy weapon, mostly used in an anti-aircraft role. It was a formidable defensive weapon for us to engage. They also had snipers all along Mount Longdon who were very accurate. They had night sights and were far superior to anything we had - contrary to reports. It was a very difficult battle.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170406200039/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/the-falklands-war-paratrooper-lost-a-leg-and-saw-friends-killed-but-would-do-it-all-again/story-30241617-detail/story.html The Falklands War: Paratrooper 'lost a leg and saw friends killed but would do it all again']</ref>}}

Several Paras, unwilling to believe that the Argentinian conscripts could be capable of being good shots and fighting so fiercely, thought the Argentinians might have hired American mercenaries in the form of Vietnam Veterans. Some British officers claimed Argentinian Army Green Beret snipers had been present in the fighting. According to the Intelligence Officer (Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie) of 3 PARA, who examined all the evidence, no Argentinian Army Special Forces took part in the battle{cquote|However, notwithstanding the mention in 3 PARA's Post Operational Report that 7 Infantry Regiment had been 'reinforced by specialist elements and snipers from 601 Commando Company', I have found no evidence to substantiate the suggestion that Argentine special forces were deployed on Mount Longdon ... Carrizo-Salvadores also denies that Argentine special forces were present ...My reading suggests that that much of the damage done to 3 PARA was inflicted by a small number of Argentine marine conscripts ... A number of 3 PARA's casualties were inflicted by Argentine snipers, although Carrizo-Salvadores claims that some of this 'devilishly accurate aiming I have read about in British accounts was achieved as a result of the markmanship training on the rifle ranges and the good aim of the riflemen, nothing more'.<ref>igsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>}}

 

19-year-old Private Grant Grinham, badly wounded in the action, in an interview with the 'Leicester Mercury' in 2017, reported that the Argentinian conscripts had indeed fought very hard:{{cquote|Those Argentinian lads on Mount Longdon fought their hearts out. They were determined defenders. The battle was in the balance. We fought for every inch of ground. The Heavy Machine Gunners were regular Marines and their confidence was high. They were armed with .50-cal machine guns which would stop a car, and were well up for the fight. They're a big heavy weapon, mostly used in an anti-aircraft role. It was a formidable defensive weapon for us to engage. They also had snipers all along Mount Longdon who were very accurate. They had night sights and were far superior to anything we had - contrary to reports. It was a very difficult battle.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170406200039/http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/the-falklands-war-paratrooper-lost-a-leg-and-saw-friends-killed-but-would-do-it-all-again/story-30241617-detail/story.html The Falklands War: Paratrooper 'lost a leg and saw friends killed but would do it all again']</ref>}}

Kenneth M. Pollack, former CIA intelligence officer and expert on military affairs, in his research of the Falklands War concluded:{{cquote|Despite the unfavorable force ratio, the Argentine defenders were clever and active and had fortified their positions well. They forced the British to advance through a narrow killing zone, ambushing and counterattacking the Paras repeatedly, and inflicting heavy casualties on them. Eventually, the British took the position only by employing Milans, LAWs, artillery and mortars.<ref>Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness, By Kenneth M. Pollack, p. 212, Oxford University Press, 2019</ref>}}

Kenneth M. Pollack, former CIA intelligence officer and expert on military affairs, in his research of the Falklands War concluded:{{cquote|Despite the unfavorable force ratio, the Argentine defenders were clever and active and had fortified their positions well. They forced the British to advance through a narrow killing zone, ambushing and counterattacking the Paras repeatedly, and inflicting heavy casualties on them. Eventually, the British took the position only by employing Milans, LAWs, artillery and mortars.<ref>Armies of Sand: The Past, Present, and Future of Arab Military Effectiveness, By Kenneth M. Pollack, p. 212, Oxford University Press, 2019</ref>}}