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Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T06:12:51Z

Ortigas: /* Urban combat */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view.

Two of the Royal Marines involved Mark Gibbs and George Brown, claim to have destroyed one Amtrack with 66mm and 84mm anti-tank rockets in this action. However, British tanks expert Andrew Hills has examined all the evidence presented on the part of the British and has concluded that in reality one Argentinian Amtrak was peppered by machine-gun fire and another lost one of its tracks to a near-miss from the shoulder-launched rockets fired by Marines Gibbs and Brown.<ref>[https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/1982-argentinian-invasion-of-the-falkland-islands/#index9 Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands]</ref>

Trollope's men were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were, several years later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby trapped the beds of Stanley Hospital<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10300593/Argentine-army-lashed-rocket-launcher-slide-futile-bid-defeat-British-troops.html No wonder we won the Falklands: How the Argentine army lashed rocket launcher to a SLIDE in futile bid to defeat British troops]</ref>, the dining area of civilian homes, children bikes at Goose Green and even the play doll of the five-year old daughter of Mike Summers, a future Falklands politician.<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>

There is, however, only one documented case that was reported in [[The New York Times]] in July 1982 of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British troops like the booby-traps found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the former operating base of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The British also accused the Argentinian engineers of not keeping proper records on the location of the minefields, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention with Major Guv Lukas from the British bomb-disposal unit reporting. ''"A number of formal mine fields were laid out. But these were then thickened up by indiscriminate helicopter scattering."''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The Port Stanley Army Grouping (Agrupación de Ejército Puerto Argentino) commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Jofre who oversaw the transfer of the control of Port Stanley to the British authorities has contested the British claim that the Argentinian Army and Marines engineers had conducted themselves unprofessionally and has asserted that ''"although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter"'' and that ''"records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war"''.<ref>''The British later made the accusation that some of the mines were scattered haphazardly by helicopter and again, that incomplete records were kept. Jofre stresses that, although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter. Also, he says, records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 225, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T05:55:48Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were, several years later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby trapped the beds of Stanley Hospital<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10300593/Argentine-army-lashed-rocket-launcher-slide-futile-bid-defeat-British-troops.html No wonder we won the Falklands: How the Argentine army lashed rocket launcher to a SLIDE in futile bid to defeat British troops]</ref>, the dining area of civilian homes, children bikes at Goose Green and even the play doll of the five-year old daughter of Mike Summers, a future Falklands politician.<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>

There is, however, only one documented case that was reported in [[The New York Times]] in July 1982 of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British troops like the booby-traps found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the former operating base of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The British also accused the Argentinian engineers of not keeping proper records on the location of the minefields, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention with Major Guv Lukas from the British bomb-disposal unit reporting. ''"A number of formal mine fields were laid out. But these were then thickened up by indiscriminate helicopter scattering."''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The Port Stanley Army Grouping (Agrupación de Ejército Puerto Argentino) commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Jofre who oversaw the transfer of the control of Port Stanley to the British authorities has contested the British claim that the Argentinian Army and Marines engineers had conducted themselves unprofessionally and has asserted that ''"although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter"'' and that ''"records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war"''.<ref>''The British later made the accusation that some of the mines were scattered haphazardly by helicopter and again, that incomplete records were kept. Jofre stresses that, although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter. Also, he says, records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 225, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T05:49:49Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were, several years later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby trapped the beds of Stanley Hospital<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10300593/Argentine-army-lashed-rocket-launcher-slide-futile-bid-defeat-British-troops.html No wonder we won the Falklands: How the Argentine army lashed rocket launcher to a SLIDE in futile bid to defeat British troops]</ref>, the dining area of civilian homes, children bikes at Goose Green and even the play doll of the five-year old daughter of Mike Summers, a future Falklands politician.<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>

There is, however, only one documented case that was reported in [[The New York Times]] in July 1982 of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British troops like the booby-traps found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the former operating base of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The British also accused the Argentinian engineers of not keeping proper records on the location of the minefields, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention with Major Guv Lukas from the British bomb-disposal unit reporting. ''"A number of formal mine fields were laid out. But these were then thickened up by indiscriminate helicopter scattering."''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The Port Stanley Army Grouping commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre who oversaw the transfer of the control of Port Stanley to the British authorities has contested the British claim that the Argentinian Army and Marines engineers had conducted themselves unprofessionally and has asserted that ''"although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter"'' and that ''"records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war"''.<ref>''The British later made the accusation that some of the mines were scattered haphazardly by helicopter and again, that incomplete records were kept. Jofre stresses that, although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter. Also, he says, records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 225, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T04:30:00Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were, several years later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby trapped the beds of Stanley Hospital<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10300593/Argentine-army-lashed-rocket-launcher-slide-futile-bid-defeat-British-troops.html No wonder we won the Falklands: How the Argentine army lashed rocket launcher to a SLIDE in futile bid to defeat British troops]</ref>, the dining area of civilian homes, children bikes at Goose Green and even the play doll of the five-year old daughter of Mike Summers, a future Falklands politician.<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>

There is, however, only one documented case that was reported in [[The New York Times]] in July 1982 of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British troops like the booby-traps found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the former operating base of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The British also accused the Argentinian engineers of not keeping proper records on the location of the minefields, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention with Major Guv Lukas from the British bomb-disposal unit reporting. ''"A number of formal mine fields were laid out. But these were then thickened up by indiscriminate helicopter scattering."''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The Port Stanley Army Grouping commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre who oversaw the transfer of Port Stanley to the British authorities has contested the British claim that the Argentinian Army and Marines engineers had conducted themselves unprofessionally and has asserted that ''"although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter"'' and that ''"records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war"''.<ref>''The British later made the accusation that some of the mines were scattered haphazardly by helicopter and again, that incomplete records were kept. Jofre stresses that, although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter. Also, he says, records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 225, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T04:24:44Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were several years later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby trapped the beds of Stanley Hospital<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10300593/Argentine-army-lashed-rocket-launcher-slide-futile-bid-defeat-British-troops.html No wonder we won the Falklands: How the Argentine army lashed rocket launcher to a SLIDE in futile bid to defeat British troops]</ref>, the dining area of civilian homes, children bikes at Goose Green and even the play doll of the five-year old daughter (Sarah Clement) of Mike Summers, a future Falklands politician.<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>

There is, however, only one documented case that reported in [[The New York Times]] of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British troops like the booby-traps found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the former operating base of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The British also accused the Argentinian engineers of not keeping proper records on the location of the minefields, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention with Major Guv Lukas from the British bomb-disposal unit reporting. ''"A number of formal mine fields were laid out. But these were then thickened up by indiscriminate helicopter scattering."''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The Port Stanley Army Grouping commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre who oversaw the transfer of Port Stanley to the British authorities has contested the British claim that the Argentinian Army and Marines engineers had conducted themselves unprofessionally and has asserted that ''"although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter"'' and that ''"records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war"''.<ref>''The British later made the accusation that some of the mines were scattered haphazardly by helicopter and again, that incomplete records were kept. Jofre stresses that, although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter. Also, he says, records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 225, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T04:13:55Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby trapped King Edward Memorial Hospital, the dining area of civilian homes and even toys in order to harm the local children<ref>[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10300593/Argentine-army-lashed-rocket-launcher-slide-futile-bid-defeat-British-troops.html No wonder we won the Falklands: How the Argentine army lashed rocket launcher to a SLIDE in futile bid to defeat British troops]</ref>, but there is only one documented case that reported in [[The New York Times]] of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British troops like the booby-traps found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the former operating base of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The British also accused the Argentinian engineers of not keeping proper records on the location of the minefields, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention with Major Guv Lukas from the British bomb-disposal unit reporting. ''"A number of formal mine fields were laid out. But these were then thickened up by indiscriminate helicopter scattering."''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The Port Stanley Army Grouping commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre who oversaw the transfer of Port Stanley to the British authorities has contested the British claim that the Argentinian Army and Marines engineers had conducted themselves unprofessionally and has asserted that ''"although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter"'' and that ''"records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war"''.<ref>''The British later made the accusation that some of the mines were scattered haphazardly by helicopter and again, that incomplete records were kept. Jofre stresses that, although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter. Also, he says, records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 225, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T03:59:24Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped children playgrounds and even toys in order to harm the local children, with only one documented case actually emerging of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British troops like the booby-traps found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the former operating base of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The British also accused the Argentinian engineers of not keeping proper records on the location of the minefields, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention with Major Guv Lukas from the British bomb-disposal unit reporting. ''"A number of formal mine fields were laid out. But these were then thickened up by indiscriminate helicopter scattering."''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The Port Stanley Army Grouping commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre who oversaw the transfer of Port Stanley to the British authorities has contested the British claim that the Argentinian Army and Marines engineers had conducted themselves unprofessionally and has asserted that ''"although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter"'' and that ''"records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war"''.<ref>''The British later made the accusation that some of the mines were scattered haphazardly by helicopter and again, that incomplete records were kept. Jofre stresses that, although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter. Also, he says, records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 225, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T03:53:17Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped children playgrounds and even toys in order to harm the local children, with only one documented case actually emerging of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British troops like the booby-traps found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the former operating base of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The British also accused the Argentinian engineers of not keeping proper records on the location of the minefields, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention with Major Guv Lukas from the British bomb-disposal unit reporting. '''A number of formal mine fields were laid out. But these were then thickened up by indiscriminate helicopter scattering."''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The Port Stanley Army Grouping commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre who oversaw the transfer of Port Stanley to the British authorities has contested the British claim that the Argentinian Army and Marines engineers had conducted themselves unprofessionally and has asserted that ''"although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter"''"and that "records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war"''.<ref>The British later made the accusation that some of the mines were scattered haphazardly by helicopter and again, that incomplete records were kept. Jofre stresses that, although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter. Also, he says, records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war. Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 225, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T03:50:58Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped children playgrounds and even toys in order to harm the local children, with only one documented case actually emerging of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British troops like the booby-traps found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the former operating base of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The British also accused the Argentinian engineers of not keeping accurate records on the location of the minefields, a clear violation of the Geneva Convention with Major Guv Lukas from the British bomb-disposal unit reporting. '''A number of formal mine fields were laid out. But these were then thickened up by indiscriminate helicopter scattering."''<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

The Port Stanley Army Grouping commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre who oversaw the transfer of Port Stanley to the British authorities has contested the British claim that the Argentinian Army and Marines engineers had conducted themselves unprofessionally and has asserted that ''"although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter"''"and that "records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war"''.<ref>The British later made the accusation that some of the mines were scattered haphazardly by helicopter and again, that incomplete records were kept. Jofre stresses that, although mines were brought forward by helicopter, they were never scattered by helicopter. Also, he says, records were properly handed over by his engineer commander after the war. Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 225, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T03:23:18Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

There were later claims that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped children playgrounds and even toys in order to harm the local children, with only one documented case emerging of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers but that was aimed at causing casualties among the British troops taking over the building.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-07-13T02:59:29Z

Ortigas: /* Liberation */Source that proves toilets were no longer working

On April 2, 1982, with an armed confrontation in the making between a platoon of British Royal Marines (under Lieutenant Keith Mills and Sergeant Peter Leach) sent to reinforce the British Antartic Survey (BAS) under base commander Steve Martin<ref>"The 23 Marines, only one of whom was wounded in the Battle of Grytviken, and 13 civilians – the BAS base commander Steve Martin had been with the military contingent at the time – were taken on board the Bahia Paraiso without incident." [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1549893/How-South-Georgia-was-recaptured.html]</ref> and apprehend Argentine scrap-metal workers on South Georgia and their protecting Special Forces from the [[Argentinian Navy]] survey ship ARA "Bahía Buen Suceso",<ref>[https://www.spink.com ot-description.aspx?id=12002445 Orders, Decorations, Campaign Medals & Militaria]</ref> Argentina invaded the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, a remote British colony in the South Atlantic. The Argentinian amphibious landings, '''Operation Rosario''' (under Rear-Admiral [[Carlos César Büsser]], Argentinian Marine Corps Commandant), led to a brief, but costly war.

==Background==
Argentinian invasion plans accelerated when Britain protested about the presence of scrap-metal workers on South Georgia. With talks on the future of the Falklands stalled, the Argentinian Military Junta reacted strongly and by March 26, 1982, two frigates were on their way south, and more ships had put to sea ostensibly for exercises with the Uruguayan Navy. But it seemed that only now was the final decision taken to invade and they headed for Stanley although bad weather delayed their arrival. By March 31, British intelligence had to assume landings were imminent, Governor [[Rex Hunt]] was warned, and next evening he announced over the radio that invasion was expected early on April 2.

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 and 45 Commandos), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers. Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS "John Biscoe". Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship "Forrest" was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian workers from Gas del Estado.

==Argentinian landings==
The plan was for the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping (APCA) under Lieutenant-Commander Guillermo Sánchez Sabarots to attack both the NP8901 Barracks at Moody Brook and Government House to force a surrender, supported if necessary by men of Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl's 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2) landed from ships of Task Group 40.1. Under the command of the 1st Marine Brigade commander, Captain Miguel Angel Pita, the Argentinian Marines had orders to cause no casualties "if at all possible".<ref>"Under Miguel Pita's robust personal leadership, and with orders to cause no casualties 'if at all possible', 800 men from his brigade, formed from the 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 2), a Comandos Anfibios team ... spearheaded the assault on the Falklands Islands." Exocet Falklands: The Untold Story of Special Forces Operations, Ewen Southby-Tailyour, p. 61, Pen and Sword, 2014</ref> Once Stanley Airfield was in Argentinian hands, the 25th "Special" Infantry Regiment (Army Rangers) and Special Operations Group (Air Force Commandos) would then fly in.

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA "Santisima Trinidad" to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a Buzo Tactico beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA "Santa Fe" to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen and Sword, 1987</ref> As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA "Cabo San Antonio" headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. The larger body of Amphibious Commandos cleared Moody Brook and then headed east for Government House which by then was under fire from the spearhead under Lieutenant-Commander Pedro Edgardo Giachino. Giachino, Second-in-Command of the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 1), was hit by small arms fire during the attack on Government House and died of his wounds, becoming the only Argentinian invasion force fatality that was treated at the local [[King Edward VII Memorial Hospital]]. Around 6:30 a.m., the first of some 20 LVTP-7 Amtraks with 20 or more Marines each inside were landing from "Cabo San Antonio" and by 6.45 am more Marines from the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion were coming into the airfield by Sea King helicopters. A 25th Regiment platoon under 2nd Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes, having disembarked from ''VAO 010'', cleared the Airfield buildings.

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead (''VAO''s 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref> The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of ''VAO 7'', forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of ''VAO 7'' were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view. But the Royal Marines were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's ''VAO 19'' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

Only one Royal Marine squad under Corporal Lou Armour' managed to fight its way to Government House, the others were gradually overrun by the increasing number of Amtracks and Marines landed by the white-painted Sea King and Lynx helicopters.

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded five invaders, including a military chaplain (Natalio Astolfo) and an Army NCO that stepped on a mine or booby-trap. According to one of Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''

That evening, the Governor, his family and most of the Royal Marines and captured sailors from "Endurance" were flown out. Major Norman and his men volunteered to fight again with Juliet Company, 42 Commando, suffering four wounded in the final mountain battles.

==South Georgia==
On April 3, the 1st Marine Infantry Battalion captured South Georgia, 1,350 kilometres to the east of the Falklands. In that action, the Argentinian corvette ARA ''Guerrico'' was lured too close to shore and hit by anti-tank missiles from the 23-man Royal Marines platoon under Lieutenant Keith Mill and one Argentinian sailor, Corporal Patricio Guanca was killed in the action. Soon after this Argentinian setback, another two Marines, Privates Mario Almonacid and Jorge Aguila were killed and seven wounded when the Puma helicopter transporting their platoon was hit by concentrated small-arms fire and forced to make a crash-landing. However, one British Royal Marine was wounded in an exchange of fire with the Argentinian Marines. The Marines platoon under Lieutenant Mills eventually surrendered when their position was bombarded by the ''Guerrico'''s main 100mm gun.

The 13-strong volunteer militia force under BAS commander Steve Martin at King Edward Point had taken refuge in the church at Grytviken; they were captured in the afternoon and were removed at gunpoint to an Argentine ship bound for Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego, and held for 15 days before being repatriated to Britain. Thirteen other BAS men in South Georgia and two females, scientist Cindy Buxton and journalist Annie Price, remained in hiding until liberated by the British Task Force in late April 1982. They would later confirm that Lieutenant Mills had given them a pistol and that both women had been trained how to shoot.<ref>[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/boston/doc/294188401.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=May%2015,%201982&author=London%20Daily%20Telegraph&pub=Boston%20Globe%20%28pre-1997%20Fulltext%29&edition=&startpage=&desc=2%20BRITONS%20DESCRIBE%20STAY%20ON%20S.%20GEORGIA 2 BRITONS DESCRIBE STAY ON S. GEORGIA]</ref>

Photographs of the Royal Marines outside Government House, facedown on the ground, soon appeared in the British press, smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony for Simon Winchester of the [[Sunday Times]] who had taken the pictures.<ref>"The humiliation was soon reinforced by images of the Argentine flag being raised and of the Royal Marines as prisoners. The photographs of the surrender of the Royal Marines had been taken by Simon Winchester of the Sunday Times and were smuggled out by out by Rex Hunt's son Tony." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, pp. 8-9, Routledge, 2004</ref> In response to calls for actions, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ordered that an armada of British warships be sent to the Falklands. Winchester went to Argentina to cover the war from the southern airbases, but he was arrested with two colleagues (Ian Mather and Tony Prime) for spying.<ref>"Winchester went to Argentina where he was later arrested with two colleagues for spying." The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 9, Routledge, 2004</ref>

Fierce battles erupted in May. In all, more than 900 soldiers and sailors from both side died in the fighting. But the British forces won. Winchester, Mather and Prime were freed on June 29.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/06/30/world/3-british-reporters-released-from-jail-by-argentine-junta.html 3 BRITISH REPORTERS RELEASED FROM JAIL BY ARGENTINE JUNTA]</ref>

==Occupation==
Life under Argentinian occupation was full of anxiety for many of the Falklanders. They had no desire to be ruled by the Argentinians and found that many of their essential goods and services were under threat from the British naval blockade and requisitioning by the Argentinian garrison. Most Land Rovers and many tractors were requisitioned by the military and high powered radios were supposed to be handed over, although not all were.

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on 2 April. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:
''“I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did."''<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3357032 74 Days Under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation During the Falklands/Malvinas War]</ref>

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the frontlines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground as part of field-punishment.

Argentinian Air Force Group Captain Carlos Bloomer-Reeve was given the job of acting as liaison officer between the local population and the military authorities. He had lived in the Falklands and was respected for the fair-mindedness and respect he showed to the locals.

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on 1 May 1982. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

The conditions improved when the Argentinians took pity on local women and children. According to local farm manager Eric Goss: ''"Sanitation in the hall was grim. We ran out of water on the third day, the toilets were blocked and there was some dysentery. We persuaded the Argentinians to bring sea water in barrels for the toilets; and old chap, Mike Robson, did sterling work keeping them going. Two young men, Bob McLeod and Ray Robson, both radio hams, found an old broken radio, part of the club equipment, in a junk cupboard. They made this work and we listened each evening to the B.B.C. World Service; the others made noise at the windows to cover the crackling of the broadcast and we were never discovered."''<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 169, Viking, 1985</ref>

One local female resident reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

The government authority did attempt to enforce a change in the road traffic code which had chaotic consequences. The authorities wanted everyone to drive on the right hand side of the road as in Argentina. It was thought that the Argentine military traffic would find this easier than remembering to drive on the left. Merely informing the local population was not enough to change the habits of a lifetime and the end result was chaos. Initial signs in Spanish did not help matters and in the end the authorities had to paint signs in English and write continued reminders in white paint on the roads themselves. It became a permanent reminder that the islands were occupied territory.

Other daily reminders of occupation included the numerous field artillery and anti-aircraft batteries in and around Port Stanley and large no-go areas to the civilian population like the gymnasium building that was commandeered by Argentinian Army Green Berets from Major Mario Luis Castagneto's 601st Commando Company. Children were taken out of school and sent to the interior for their safety. The local radio station was forced to play Argentinian official military communiques of the war. Fortunately, many islanders were able to pick up the BBC World Service and were encouraged by news of the British landings in San Carlos and the British victory at Goose Green.

There was some talk of evacuating the Falklands Islanders. The British government did not wish the Falklanders to abandon the islands as that would make their main argument of self-determination mute. It was only a small portion of the population who considered leaving but it was enough to concern the British government. They made it clear that the British would help anyone temporarily but that the expectation was that they would return once the fighting was over. As it transpired, few Falkland Islanders took this option and most remained in the Falklands. Tragically, three islanders would be killed when a stray naval shell hit their house.

==Liberation==
Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands became British administered again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there was a 16-hour night curfew.

The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentine prisoners of war awaiting repatriation: ''"The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea reported to have relieved themselves in bathtubs, chest of drawers and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden bowel movements and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

There was much Argentinian criticism of the behaviour of British Paratroopers after the Argentinian surrender. Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre, the commander of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in his book 'Malvinas: La Defensa de Puerto Argentino' (Editorial Sudamaricana, 1987) alleges that he complained to the British authorities and the Royal Marine Commandos took over and soon restored order in the Falklands capital. A staff officer of Commodore Michael Clapp wrote in his war diary:''"Utterly depressing. The troops are in a post war mood and very selfish. Grab, Grab - transport, houses, equipment, food, etc. - gone is the spirit of selflessness in the field. It will return but at present all is filth, squalor and (the) looting instinct prevails. Quite the worst aspect of the whole campaign."''<ref>The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 146, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref>

British SBS Commandos were helicoptered to Pebble Island on June 15 to accept the surrender of the local garrison and found that the two dozen local inhabitants had been confined to the farm manager's house. But the locals showed no hatred for the occupiers, and even insisted that one young English-speaking Argentinian conscript, Jorge Alberto Ortiz, from the 3rd Marine Battalion's 'H' Company whom they had befriended should have lunch with them before he was taken with the others to imprisonment in the sheep shearing sheds. Jorge in his perfect Californian accent told them he planned to come back in the near future as a civilian. Arina Bernstein, a cheerful read-headed woman in her mid-thirties told him he would be welcome, ''"But don't you come back planting you little flag here again, Jorge."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p.313, Pan, 1987</ref>

Claims that the Argentinian forces had behaved like savages throughout the occupation were investigated with British war correspondents Patrick Joseph Bishop and ‎John Witherow establishing they were mostly hearsay:''"They had certainly been responsible for smashing up the solid old post office, and the backstreets of the town were littered with excrement. But although fourteen local men were taken from their homes during the occupation and sent to West Falkland where they were put under house arrest, few inhabitants were ill-treated. It was an uncomfortable rather than brutal regime... There were stories of looting but on closer examination this tended to be troops stealing buns from the deep-freeze or sleeping in beds with muddy boots. Some valuables and souvenirs were stolen and houses vandalized but the details of the outrages were vague. Most of the serious damage was done by the British shelling. One islander said without rencour that the British had caused more of a mess in Stanley than the Argentinians."''<ref> The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Captain Jeremy Larken of HMS 'Fearless' confirms the view the Argentinian occupation foces had behaved appropriately:''"It was clear General Menendez had looked after things at Government House with almost loving care. Even the ornaments were still in their place. But once 3 Commando Brigade got in there and started using it as their headquarters, I think it suffered considerably. It's fair to say that the British were less careful with Port Stanley than had been the Argentine forces... In the early days, our control over our own people was not as good as it might have been. I won't say there was rape and pillage, but there was a great deal of acquisition of war materials."'' <ref>Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 433, Random House, 2008</ref>

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based 'Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' (Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre or CECIM) tell of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or shooting and killing sheep for food. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were absolutely necessary to keep the conscript soldiers in line.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:47:13Z

Ortigas: /* Aftermath */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles in repelling the Argentinian counterattacks. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Héctor Edgardo Gazzolo) from Delta Company 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Alfredo José Imboden) from Hotel Company 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed although 3 of the British attackers had been wounded.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Royal Marines<ref>''The other companies had skirted one minefield on their approach and Staff Sergeant Pete Thorpe of Condor Troop Royal Engineers was later to lose his foot on a mine while trying to extract a damaged vehicle with injured gunners, near Murrell Bridge.'' The Yompers: With 45 Commando in the Falklands War, Ian Gardiner, p. 161, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:42:01Z

Ortigas: /* Cortley Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles in repelling the Argentinian counterattacks. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Héctor Edgardo Gazzolo) from Delta Company 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Alfredo José Imboden) from Hotel Company 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed although 3 of the British attackers had been wounded.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:39:44Z

Ortigas: /* Cortley Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles in repelling the Argentinian counterattacks. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Héctor Edgardo Gazzolo) from Delta Company 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion and 3rd Rifle Platoon (Lieutenant Alfredo José Imboden) from Hotel Company 3rd Marine Infantry Battalion arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:34:45Z

Ortigas: /* Wireless Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles in repelling the Argentinian counterattacks. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:30:21Z

Ortigas: /* Wireless Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength wounded or injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:28:03Z

Ortigas: /* Wireless Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:25:32Z

Ortigas: /* Wireless Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{cquote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions..<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:23:33Z

Ortigas: /* Wireless Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:{{quote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:22:40Z

Ortigas: /* Wireless Ridge */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>with ex-Para Tony Banks later writing about the engagement:

{{quote|The word was given to advance and we scrambled through peat bogs and what we later learned was a minefield. We reached the first enemy trenches, but there was nobody there. They’d bolted. But as we started out along the ridge, a scene from Star Wars erupted with tracer rounds flying everywhere. We were up against well armed, well disciplined and highly motivated enemy soldiers in good positions.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2109429/A-dirty-war-British-soldiers-shot-dead-enemy-troops-waving-white-flag-Argentinian-prisoners-bayoneted-cold-blood-An-ex-Para-tells-horrors-Falklands.html An ex-Para tells of the horrors of the Falklands]</ref>}}

Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:10:22Z

Ortigas: /* Mount Longdon */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... They didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T02:07:43Z

Ortigas: /* Mount Longdon */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from Senior Sergeant Mario Ricardo Alcaide's Mortar Platoon from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</ref>with Private Mick Southall estimating that only 30 British Paratroopers in 'B' Company escaped death or some type of injury in the fierce night action:{{cquote|The enemy soldiers were resolute to say the least ... That's why my company suffered 60 or 70 percent casualties ... My company was down to 30 blokes ... They were as patriotic and keen on their cause as we were on ours. They firmly believed they were fighting for the right thing and so did we ... they didn't run off, I'm sure that some did but a lot of them didn't.<ref><ref>Private Southall, 3 Para - Memories of the Falklands War (available on YouTube)</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T01:42:11Z

Ortigas: /* Mount Longdon */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in perfect American English<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 100, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened fire on the summit.<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 102, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.<ref>''One three-man missile team was wiped out by a direct hit from a recoilless rifle.'' Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 298, The Battle for the Falklands, Joseph, 1983</ref><ref>The wounded Corporal Manuel Medina of Castañeda's platoon took over a Recoilless Rifle detachment and fired along the ridge at Support Company killing three paras. Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.177, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company (under Captain Jorge Ricardo Calvo) on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move.<ref>Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 236, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632<ref>''Men of 3 Parachute Regiment outside a captured Argentine command post after the Battle of Mount Longdon. The post had finally been abandoned by the second in command of the Argentine 7th Infantry Regiment, Major Carrizo-Salvadores, after fierce fighting and the deployment of the Regiment's Milan Anti Tank Missile Section at 6.32 am on 12 June.'' [https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205018244 THE FALKLANDS CONFLICT, APRIL - JUNE 1982]</ref>that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured.<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T01:15:39Z

Ortigas: /* Mount Longdon */ Information to do with medal won by Private Rondi

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator shot and killed in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.<ref>''"Participar de un contraataque nocturno en el Monte Longdon que ejecutó una sección de Infantería, en condiciones meteorológicas desfavorables, en terreno abrupto y bajo intenso fuego enemigo de armas automáticas y de artillería. En dichas circunstancias combatir durante casi 4 horas a las distancias próximas y cuerpo a cuerpo asumiendo el puesto de estafeta a pie ante la muerte del titular' que operaba una radio. En dicha situación desempeñarse con arrojo, a decisión y gran espíritu de combate, arriesgando su vida en repetidas oportunidades, al desplazarse entre los grupos y soldados, para transmitir las órdenes que impertía el Jefe de la Sección."'' Armas y Geoestrategia, p. 116, Editorial CLIO S.A., 1983</ref>

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in English with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened up on the summit.

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move. This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632 that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured.<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T01:09:49Z

Ortigas: /* Mount Longdon */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly outside his tent, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had him located and shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Senior Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator die in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in English with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened up on the summit.

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move. This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632 that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured.<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T01:07:44Z

Ortigas: /* Mount Longdon */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

At 2015 local time on Friday June 11, 1982, 3 PARA began to advance to Mount Longdon. At the same time, 42 COMMANDO was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte from the 2nd Rifle Platoon deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section in the darkness.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>

One Para nearly succeeded in bayoneting Marine Corporal Carlos Rafael Colemil, literally falling at the feet of the Argentinian NCO.<ref>3 Days in June: 3 PARA's Battle for Mt. Longdon, James O'Connell, Octopus Publishing Group, 2021 </ref>The fighting was that close. Lieutenant Jonathan Shaw's 6 Platoon, tasked with clearing the southern half of Mount Longdon where Senior 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Senior Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator die in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in English with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened up on the summit.

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move. This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632 that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured.<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T00:56:09Z

Ortigas: /* No Man's Land */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos', 'Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie that examined all the evidence.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols from 3 PARA's D Company (under Captain Matt Selfridge). The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a parachute patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the British patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line (Two Sisters Mountain and Mount Harriet), they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

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 was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section 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 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Senior Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator die in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in English with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened up on the summit.

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move. This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632 that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured.<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

2022-07-13T00:50:01Z

Ortigas: /* No Man's Land */ British intelligence officer confirms no Argie Special Forces fought on Longdon

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland Islands in April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions from the British Parachute Regiment (2 and 3 PARA) were deployed as part of [[3 Commando Brigade]] to retake the Islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

==No Man's Land==

Having landed at Port San Carlos on May 21, 3 PARA (under Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike) marched across the East Falkland via Teal Inlet to the sheep farm settlement of Estancia House from where they began to send out patrols to harass the defenders and map out the area around Mount Longdon situated to the north west of [[Port Stanley]], the capital of the Islands.

The 7th 'La Plata' Infantry Regiment under Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez, had been sent to dig in on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. More specifically, the regiment was supposed to counter a British force coming from Berkeley Sound. The garrison on Mount Longdon was made up of the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company. 34-year-old Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores (second-in-command of the 7th Regiment) had been selected to command all the Argentinian forces on Mount Longdon. He seemed an excellent choice when taking into account his aggressive nature as a parachute officer that had served as a company commander in the 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment and had seen action against the 'Ramón Rosa Jiménez Company' from the People's Revolutionary Army (Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo or ERP) operating in Catamarca Province.

Second Lieutenant Juan Domingo Baldini's 1st Platoon was positioned on the rocky outcrops running west of 'Fly Half', the western peak of Mount Longdon. To the south of 'Fly Half' Senior Lieutenant Enrique Eneas Neirotti's 3rd Platoon was placed. First Sergeant Raul Roberto Gonzalez's 2nd was placed to the north of Baldini and his platoon. The Argentinian command post and Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga's engineer platoon which was acting as the local reserve were on 'Full Back', the eastern summit of Longdon. There was also a platoon of Marine Captain Sergio Andrés Dachary's Machine-Gun Company of 136 Marines which took an important part in nearly every major engagement until the end of the campaign. This 24-man platoon used their six Browning 12.7 mm machineguns protected by Marine riflemen, very effectively on Longdon during the night of battle. Contrary to British reports, there were no 'Buzos Tacticos/Comandos Anfibios' or Army snipers from the 601st Commando Company present, according to 3 PARA's intelligence officer, Captain Giles Orpen-Smellie.<ref>“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'.” Jigsaw Puzzles: Tactical Intelligence in the Falklands Campaign, Giles Orpen-Smellie, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2022</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores would later be at special pains to explain that he did his best to arrange some measure of comfort for his men on Mount Longdon:{{cquote|We took good care of the personnel. We did what we could do to set an example. Captain Eduardo López-Astore was there with the platoons, with news-updates and nougat bars. The soldiers had everything you can imagine in their kitbags, including thermos flasks and transistor radios. Some of the soldiers heard that the British had disembarked at San Carlos and captured Goose Green by tuning radios on to the BBC. In the mornings the soldiers had a mug of the green Guarani herb 'mate' which contains around the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps register a feeling of fullness. Meals were served in the open and consumed in mugs. I remember that mutton and pasta figured largely on the menu. There was a strict ration of one ratpack per man per week, eaten slowly to make it last.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>}}

Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco also refutes the charge that he left the 1st Platoon conscript to fend for themselves: ''"I saw to it that they were not cheated of their ratpacks, that they had chocolate bars, balaclavas and the best possible warm-up tents."''<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120220160416/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Longdon.htm Mount Longdon: The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Brigadier Julian Thompson, who commanded 3 Commando Brigade and its supporting Parachute battalions, now had a firm footing on Mount Kent, an important position on the road to Stanley. For the 7th Regiment's 'B' Company, the initial contact came as a series of probing patrols. The Rasit ground surveillance radar operator, Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, on the night of June 4–5, spotted a 3 PARA patrol northwest of Longdon. The 3rd Artillery Group artillerymen on Stanley's outskirts took up position and with the forward artillery observation officer (Lieutenant Alberto Rolando Ramos) on Mount Longdon correcting the artillery fire, the Parachute patrol abandoned the beaten zone.

On the night of June 8–9, Sergeant Nista operating the Rasit ground surveillance radar on the western end of Longdon detected the presence of 100 Paras and Royal Marine Commandos near Murrell River. Machinegun, mortar and artillery fire dispersed the British force that had planned to surprise the defenders on Mount Longdon and Two Sisters Mountain.<ref>''El mayor Carlos Carrizo Salvadores en Longdon dice: «La noche del 8 al 9, nuevamente el Sargento Nista (operador del radar) me informó sobre la presencia del enemigo, quien estaba ubicado en el mismo lugar que la vez anterior, pero ahora, separados en grupos: a 1.500 m el primero, 2.000 m el segundo, 3.000 m el tercero y 4.000 m el cuarto, tomadas estas distancias desde la posición del radar''. Martín Antonio Balza, Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, p. 80, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref><ref>''It was unfortunate that the previous night's patrol carried out by two troops, one each from Z and Y Companies, had been forced back by a heavy artillery barrage.'' The Falklands War: The Day by Day Record from Invasion to Victory, p. 314, Marshall Cavendish Limited, 1983</ref><ref>''On the evening of 8 June 3 PARA dispatched three large fighting patrols to Mount Longdon. Each comprised a half-platoon; one was accompanied by a guide from D (Patrols) Company and the other two by Falklands islanders Terry Peck and Vernon Steen. The patrols' mission was to locate suitable approaches to the objective and to test enemy reactions to probing. Unfortunately, however, the combination of a fine night and bright moonlight prevented them from penetrating enemy positions." Task Force: The Illustrated History of the Falklands War, David Reynolds, p. 179, Sutton, 2002</ref><ref>''But perhaps his greatest single asset was the RASIT radar set, with which he could scan the countryside at night to reveal any hostile troop movement within several thousand metres. It proved extremely effective in pinpointing Para patrols as they probed the defences during the nights prior to the attack." The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 196, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

On June 9, Major Carrizo-Salvadores' men suffered their first loss when Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga's Engineer Platoon suffered an air attack that killed Private José Domingo Curima.<ref>''Esta fue la primera baja de combate en la posición Monte Longdon. Pasado el ataque pusimos al soldado Curima en una camilla , y antes de enviarlo a retaguardia , rezamos ante su cuerpo por el eterno descanso de su alma , rindiéndole así , con sencillez , los honores que dadas las circunstancias.'' Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 81, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>

The Mount Longdon defenders waited in a complex of bunkers. On the night of June 11, 3 PARA assaulted these bunkers and for the next 12 hours were involved in desperate close-quarter-combat and the Argentinians counterattacked them time and again. Instead of the hasty field fortifications that the Royal Marine Commandos faced on the 'Monte Caseros' Line, they came against a strongly entrenched company.

==Mount Longdon==

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 300 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th 'La Plata' Mechanized Infantry Regiment defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Antonio Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined. British sappers later counted 1,500 frozen anti-personnel mines on the western lower slopes of Mount Longdon. Miraculously all but two mines failed to detonate.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170415200614/http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/feature-sunderland-falklands-veterans-remember-the-battle-of-mount-longdon-1-4623600 Sunderland Falklands veterans remember the Battle of Mount Longdon]</ref>

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 was advancing towards Mount Harriet, whilst 45 COMMANDO 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 Osvaldo Pedemonte deployed one of the 7.62mm belt-fed machineguns higher up 'Fly Half', and his section 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 and overran his section 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 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-Astore, 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 Jofré, 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 field officer 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.

We were ready to move at about 3.00 a.m., but it was a very frosty morning, and a lot of the trucks we needed were soon in difficulties. Some found it hard to start; others were breaking down or had difficulty with the ground in the dark, and it took a long time to organize the convoy. We could hear the firing, away to the west, but could not see anything because it was too misty. The Colonel gave me his jeep, and we started to move out of Stanley on the road towards Moody Brook. But the road out of the town was steep, and the vehicles all started skidding. I told my driver to swing into the fence on the left, otherwise we would be in the sea. I heard the lorries behind us hitting each other. I ordered the men to get out of the lorries and be ready to march, but their boots were slipping as well, and that slowed us down. It was starting to get light by then, and as soon as we passed the last houses the British started shelling us. The men all took cover. That was the first time I had been under fire. After about five minutes the firing stopped, and we met the guide from the 5th Marines. I got the men moving again, and we got into
position just north and north-west of Tumbledown.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, pp. 244-245, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Despite moving in all-terrain lorries, Captain Zunino's company took about 5 hours to cover just four miles under sporadic naval fire. The 3rd Regiment had been conditioned to rely heavily on armoured personnel carriers to wage a war. Before long Sergeant Roque Antonio Nista, Corporal Óscar Oscar Carrizo and their ground-surveillance radar section were surrounded by more than 100 Paras and they asked for assistance and Major Carrizo-Salvadores soon despatched the 1st Engineer Platoon under Lieutenant Hugo Aníbal Quiroga.

Uptill 2130 local time the night of June 11 had been like many other nights for the Argentinians on Mount Longdon. Major Carlos Eduardo Carrizo-Salvadores:{{cquote|I recall that, that evening, with a small reciever, we were listening to the Mass that his Holiness the Pope was saying from the Basilica of Lujan. Just as he was giving the blessing - night had already closed in - the Platoon Commanders telephoned me to let me know that, apart from the shelling, there was nothing to report.

Through all the vivid events that week we knew that even with the efforts that had been made to achieve peace, the enemy attack was imminent and it would happen at any time. I therefore ordered all personnel to get ready for action, foreseeing necessary rest periods by reason of our having had a week of permanent readiness because of the events already related, and of what happened during the 4th and 8th days respectively. At about 2030 hours I got in touch with the Commanding Officer to tell him the latest developments up to that time. An hour later Lieutenant-Colonel Gimenez called me, since a somewhat confused situation had arisen due to a message sent out by Lieutenant [Alberto Rolando] Ramos, who was my artillery forward observation officer - a message which never could be cleared up, because the officer was dying moments later occasioned by enemy fire [Lieutenant Alberto Ramos was the first to raise the alarm]. To obtain the greatest detail on what had happened I established telephone contact with Second Lieutenant Baldini, the 1st Platoon Commander and responsible for the western sector. It was 2200 hours. At that very moment an anti-personnel mine exploded to the northwest of the position and that in practice, marked the beginning of the action which would last until the following day.

When this latest event happened, Second Lieutenant Baldini told me that fighting was going on in his area of responsability, and furthermore, because fighting was also going on in his position, he informed me that he would call me later to transmit more details of what was happening there. Moments later he called me, telling me, that infiltration had occurred, and that it was very difficult to appreciate the real magnitude ... and at that point communication was broken off as a consequence of the impact of an enemy shell on the telephone wire.

On an alternative line belonging to the Marines, who came under my subsector, I re-established communication with Second Lieutenant Baldini who informed that the situation was grave, that the enemy was in great strength and that, in some sectors, hand-to-hand fighting was going on; that he intended to push them back to regain command of the situation. This was the last conversation I held with Second Lieutenant Baldini, as, when trying to carry out what he had told me, he fell mortally wounded. Through a later account when I was in the continent, I learned that the brave officer was killed when he was trying to take over a machinegun whose aimer had been put out of action. This weapon was important to the defence of the position. [Baldini was stripped off his boots by the Paras] Corporal Rios had the same luck when he tried to realise what the second lieutenant intended doing.Thus in a demonstration of fearlessness and courage, both offered up their lives to their country in the execution of their duty.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

Kneeling, Private Victor José Bruno from 1st Platoon fired a 7.62mm machinegun steadily but found the weapon jamming. Baldini took a knife to pry out the jammed belt, but seeing a group of Paras jump appear of the darkness, and charge him, he abandoned the machinegun and drew his sidearm. After several shots, aimed wildly, he needed to reload, but by then the Paras had shot him dead.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180329180901/http://www.pedrovivo.com.ar/Cuentos%20cortos%20Mingo.html "Mingo"]</ref>

Carrizo-Salvadores made an official submission to the commander-in-chief of the Argentinian Army, Lieutenant-General Cristino Nicolaides, when the war was over recommending Baldini for the highest military decoration. He was in fact put up for the Heroic Valour Cross, the Argentinian equivalent of the British Victoria Cross and the 7th Regiment's officers and NCOs to a man believed he deserved it. But he was awarded the lesser decoration of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The Gallantry in Combat Medal also went to Sergeant Rolando Mario Spizuocco who displayed great heroism by rescuing most of the 1st Platoon wounded conscripts in the forward tents and carrying them back through a nightmare of shot and shell to a place of safety.<ref>[https://diariohoy.net/interes-general/fallecio-por-coronavirus-un-excombatiente-de-malvinas-condecorado-146773 Falleció por coronavirus un excombatiente de Malvinas condecorado]</ref>

Major Carrizo-Salvadores could hear shots where 1st Platoon was fighting but around his command bunker it was quiet. But as dawn arrived his command platoon was firing like mad. The local Argentinian reserve in the form of a platoon of engineers under Lieutenant Hugo Quiroga had reinforced 3rd Platoon and were all the time shooting at any one that moved forward.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/ejercito/malvinas/defensa/montelongdon Hasta el último hombre – Combate de Monte Longdon]</ref>Lance-Corporal James Murdoch was mortally wounded, and Private Stewart Laing went forward to drag him into safety, he in turn also being mortally wounded by the engineers using head-mounted nightsights. Under increasing pressure from Quiroga, the British in the southern sector pulled back.

On the northern sector, a marine heavy machinegun position (comprising Marine Privates Jorge Inchauspe, Sergio Giuseppetti, Jorge Maciel and Luis Fernández<ref>[https://www.surenio.com.ar/ultimos-combates-el-heroismo-del-bim-5-en-malvinas/ Últimos combates: El heroísmo del BIM 5 en Malvinas])</ref>was causing considerable problems for Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon who took the brunt of the enemy fire, with several killed and wounded, including the platoon commander and platoon sergeant Ian McKay. It was whilst attempting to destroy this position with a hand grenade that McKay was killed in action. Sergeant-Major Sammy Dougherty, was first to reach Ian. In 2012, he revealed: ''"Ian’s right hand had practically gone. He must have had a grenade in his hand and been shot and killed before releasing it."''<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/the-falklands-untold-story-of-the-hero-para-795309 McKay VC: Untold story of the hero Para who sacrificed his life to help free the Falklands... and earned the last Victoria Cross of the 20th Century]</ref> For his act Sergeant McKay was awarded the [[Victoria Cross]]. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack the Marine heavy machine gun position on the northern slopes. Unfortunately the enemy heavy machine-gun wasn't knocked out.

A heavy bombardment now fell on 1st Platoon, and shortly before 0130 on June 12, 4 and 5 Platoons had forced their way between 2d Lieutenant Baldini's men and the Marine Corps machine-gunners and riflemen present.

As Major Mike Argue's 4 and 5 Platoons moved over the top of 'Fly Half' on to more open ground sloping away to 'Full Back', however, they were counterattacked by Senior Lieutenant Raúl Fernando Castañeda's 1st Platoon of 'C' Company 7th Regiment, which had just arrived to reinforce the positions there. Back in the main 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters, Brigadier Julian Thompson, could see it was going to be a very long night. Meanwhile, 'A' Company commanded by Major David Collett, was on 'Wing Forward', the subsidiary hill north of 'Fly Half', and came under accurate rifle and automatic fire as it advanced along a series of peat banks. One member of the company, Private Timothy Jenkins was killed and Corporal Stephen Hope was seriously wounded, and would die many hours later. It later transpired that Castañeda's platoon had had head-mounted night sights issued when ordered to move up Mount Longdon. Castañeda―later promoted to full colonel in the 1990s―found Private Leonardo Rondi a most inspiring soldier. Private Leonardo Hector Rondi seeing the radio operator die in the course of his duties, jumped into the middle of the fray and began organizing the defences of the platoon, running to the rifle sections, dodging enemy groups, to report to the section commanders on the fighting. Rondi seemed to be everywhere, using his rifle and hand grenades at close quarters and caring for the wounded. For his bravery he was awarded a Gallantry in Combat Medal.

The reservists in Castañeda's platoon all knew each other well. Having been conscripted from the Lanus and Bandfield suburbs of Buenos Aires, many of the conscripts indulged a taste for Hollywood action movies and American swearing. This 46-man platoon, came in at the critical moment and showed themselves to be willing to fight at close quarters. The platoon fought bitterly on the northern sector of Mount Longdon and not altogether without success. Castañeda's men made grenade and bayonet attacks on the advancing British Paratroopers, compelling them to eventually withdraw after 2 hours of brutal boulder-to-boulder fighting.<ref>"Under covering fire, Numbers 4 and 5 Platoons, withdrew, but another man was killed and others wounded in the process." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 354, Brian Trodd, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>

It was almost 0530 local time before the fighting resumed. Major Argue now dispatched the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons commanded by Lieutenant Mark Cox, to carry out a flanking attack from the north, but this proved unsuccessful as Castañeda's platoon in the form of the rifle sections under Corporals Jorge Daniel Arribas and Julio Nardielo Mamani had the approach well covered. As soon as Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque saw the remnants of 4 and 5 Platoons advancing towards Major Carrizo-Salvadores' command bunker he was out in a flash firing like mad and started to shout insults to the Paras in English with Private Anibal Javier Bemba from Castañeda's platoon standing and shouting ''"Hey Hombre"'' and firing like mad a 7.62mm belt-fed machine-gun from the hip at the startled Paras. The Argentinian fire was very accurate and Private John Crow was killed and others wounded or injured while forced to take cover among the rocks.

At that point Lieutenant-Colonel Pike, on learning of the situation ordered 'A' Company to take 'Full Back'. Major David Collett soon encountered strong opposition from the Argentinians, particularly at the command post of Carrizo-Salvadores where the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was asking for reinforcements.

The battle was now approaching its closing stages. Major Carrizo-Salvadores told Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre in Stanley House that he wished to arrange a truce with the British for the evacuation of all the wounded, but despite this the conscripts around him vowed that that they would rather shoot it out to the bitter end.

By now Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike had brought Sergeant Graham Colbeck, the man in charge of the Anti-Tank Platoon to the western summit of Longdon. It was here at the Argentinian command post that Private Horacio Alejandro Cañeque had a lucky escape. Suddenly there was a blast that sent him tumbling spreadeagled into the ground. ''"Best guess was that it was a Milan"'', said Cañeque, remembering. Private Fernando Gabriel Magno could see through his night sight 3 PARA's Machine-Gun Platoon in position. He began spotting targets and relaying the position to Private Mario Alejandro Rosas and Corporal Oscar Rafael Mussi and they grabbed a machinegun and opened up on the summit.

On the summit was Lance-Corporal Vincent Bramley, firing. The Paras' Milan teams on 'Fly Half' were bringing down fire on the Argentinian command post and Castañeda called up Corporal Manuel Adan Medina to deal with the Milan platoon. Medina of Castañeda's platoon, who was later awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal, personally hunted down an anti-tank gun operated by Marine Corporal José Ramón Roldán and he and Roldán knocked out one Milan team with a direct hit at approximately 0600 local time.

At the time another rifle platoon from the 7th Regiment's 'A' Company on 'Apple Pie' was on standby in reserve. There was no evidence of hesitancy or lack of aggression when they were called into the fight. But Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré, in a decision that has been argued ever since, cancelled the move. This fresh platoon could have made such a difference, and even turned the battle. It later emerged that this reinforced rifle platoon bravely moved forward through the thick morning mist despite confusing orders from Regimental Headquarters only to find Major Carrizo-Salvadores and his men had already abandoned 'Fly Half'.<ref>According to Private Domingo Morel: ''"We then moved to the positions of B Company of the 7th Regiment to reinforce a sector that had been taken by the English but we couldn't recover it. When we arrived, B Company had gone. We couldn't reinforce anything because we were groups of fourteen blokes, you see. B Company had withdrawn, leaving us practically nothing, and no back-up. The sub-officer had no idea what to do because he was going under the orders of the second chief of the regiment who also knew nothing."'' Forgotten Voices of the Falklands, Hugh McManners, p. 399, Random House, 2008</ref>

In the first glimmer of dawn Major Collett's company resumed its advance. The Paras got very close to the Argentine command post and the second-in-command of the 7th Regiment was ordered to conduct a fighting withdrawal, but despite this Major Carrizo-Salvadores refused to give in, and it was not until 0632 that morning that he abandoned his command post and the surviving defenders escaped under cover of mist.

As A Company was clearing the final positions, Corporal Stewart McLaughlin was wounded by a Czekalski recoilless rifle round fired from the 7th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon under 2d Lt Francisco Ramón Galíndez-Matienzo on 'Rough Diamond', McLaughlin was subsequently killed by a mortar bomb fired from the 7th Regiment's Company on Wireless Ridge as he made his way to the British aid post.

Mount Longdon was secure by 09.30 am on June 12. By this time, 3 PARA had been fighting for 12 hours and they would remain under heavy fire for a further 48 hours from Marine Artillery Observation Officers and Mortar Fire Controllers (MFCs) on Mount Tumbledown. During this period an additional four British Paratroopers were killed in action and several more wounded or injured.

The Argentinians lost thirty-one dead, 120 wounded and fifty prisoners. The night battle, previous patrol actions and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost 3 PARA 23 killed and about 70 wounded or injured.<ref>''"We'd lost something like twenty-two guys up to that point, dead, but three times more than that were wounded."'' Bloody Hell: The Price Soldiers Pay, Daniel Hallock, pg. 60, Plough Publishing House, 1999</ref><ref>''"Our battalion had lost twenty-three men there, with more than sixty wounded."'' Forward Into Hell, Vincent Bramley, John Blake Publishing</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>}}

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>}}

In a fine soldier's tribute to the men he commanded in the Falklands, Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores wrote:{{cquote|I can say that I have seen young men of 20 carry out their duty beyond the call of duty, exposing their lives regardless of the cold, the rain or the gunfire. And that was general among those who occupied the frontlines, just as it was among the stretcher bearers, medics and medical orderlies who ran into the middle of the explosions in order to save the life of a wounded comrade, and among the soldiers of the Command Platoon [Private Horacio Cañeque, Private Carlos Mario Connell, Private Fernando Gabriel Magno, Private Luis Alberto Cunningham, Private Gabriel Crespo, Private Daniel Cesar Maltagliatti and Private Mario Alejandro Rosas] who in the middle of the bombardment, went out to repair the telephone lines so that my Command Post could keep in touch with the frontline troops whenever an artillery shell cut those wires.<ref>The Other Side of the Hill, Hew Pike, p. 141, Pegasus: Journal of the Parachute Regiment, April 1988 Issue</ref>}}

==Wireless Ridge==

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward [[Argentinian Army]] Special Forces patrols and [[Argentinian Air Force]]'s Observation Posts (OPs) on June 2. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations.

On the morning of June 12, it became clear that the attacks on Mount Longdon had been successful. 2 PARA marched around the back of Longdon to take up their positions for the assault on Wireless Ridge. As the action was expected to be concluded quickly, they took only their weapons and as much ammunition as possible, leaving most other gear behind in the camp. On Bluff Cove Peak, the 2 PARA's mortars and heavy machine guns were attacked by Argentinian A-4 Skyhawks, which delayed their planned move forward, although the British paratroopers suffered no casualties.

On the night of June 13/14, 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British light tanks and [[Royal Navy warships]], attacked Wireless Ridge. During the attack British artillery fired 6,000 rounds with their 105 mm guns and as the British Paratroopers began their final push, they were further backed by naval fire and the 76mm and 30mm guns mounted on the light tanks.<ref>«During the course of the battle British field artillery pumped 6,000 105mm shells onto Wireless Ridge, while two frigates lobbed about 600 4.5in shells on to the eastern slopes.» The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014</ref>After their heavy losses at Goose Green, the Paras were taking no chances.

By the time 2 PARA reached their first objective, 'Rough Diamond', the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's C Company survivors under Company Sergeant-Major Raúl Esteban Ibáñez ('El Urco')<ref>[http://www.lavoz.com.ar/malvinas/intimidades-batalla-final Intimidades de la batalla final]</ref> had withdrawn. As a result, A and B Companies were convinced the Argentinian 7th Infantry Regiment's A Company on the 'Apple Pie' objective had been defeated, and began to advance confidently, but they encountered heavy fire when they left their trenches. It later emerged that Private Roberto Arturo Sañisky had been instrumental in rousing the exhausted conscripts sheltering from the British bombardment.<ref>Malvinas: La guerra íntima (2005 TV Documentary directed by Ricardo Kon)</ref> With the Argentinian conscripts manning the defences on 'Apple Pie', the British Paratroopers retreated back to their positions in Furze Bush Pass and ordered massive retaliation from the British machine-gunners and the guns of the 'Blues and Royals' light tanks. As a result, 'A' and 'B' Companies were able to advance again and this time take 'Apple Pie'.

Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company then began the final assault from the western end of Wireless Ridge, under the cover of heavy fire from the British warship HMS 'Ambuscade', the light tanks, twelve 105 mm artillery pieces, several mortars and anti-tank rockets.

In spite of the British Artillery's sustained barrage the remaining Argentinians put up resistance. Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez had now barely 100 men left, including a signals platoon under the wounded Senior Lieutenant Jorge Alberto Guidobono. The signallers were ordered to prepare for hand-to-hand combat. Guidobono shouted encouragement to his men. The signallers fought in little groups from boulders, shooting at enemy flashes.

'D' Company took the first half of the objective after a hard fight with Guidobono's signallers and 30 Argentinian paratroopers (armed with ten 7.62 mm belt-fed machine-guns) under 2d Lieutenant Gustavo Alberto Aimar (wounded in action) from the Córdoba-based 2nd 'General Balcarce' Airborne Infantry Regiment<ref>«...habian llegado la noche anterior. Una sección de ametralladoras no es un elemento que figure en las organizaciones comunes, fue constituido a propósito para esta oportunidad: eran 30 hombres con diez ametralladoras. La puse a disposición de Jofre para reforzar el 7.» Malvinas: Testimonio de Su Gobernador, Mario Benjamín Menéndez, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 278, Editorial Sudamericana, 1983 </ref>that had arrived in a Hercules C-130 transport on the night of June 11-12th.<ref>«In believing that Menendez could hold out for at least ten days and since the Air Bridge was still open, the Joint Operations Group authorized the continued piecemeal reinforcement of Army Group Falklands with the despatch of 2nd Airborne Infantry Regiment. The weather and the speed of the British advance prevented its full deployment and only a platoon arrived in time to join 7th Infantry Regiment on Wireless Ridge.» Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick van der Bijl, p. 224, Leo Cooper, 1999</ref>Private Guillermo Alberto Vélez recalls:{{cquote|They were guys from Córdoba, they had just arrived in the islands from Comodoro Rivadavia ... they had never heard a bomb, and they had been put there, in the middle of hell. We, theoretically, were going to receive, by radio, the orders. There were two signals, one to attack, and another to retreat, but in the middle of that mess we never received any order. We could not hear anything other than the bombs ... The A, B and C companies of the 7th had already retreated and we, as a result, ended up being the front line ... We were doing what we could; We could barely protect ourselves and occasionally answer the fire. We joined together in groups, and in front of us placed a defence line of MAG machine guns."<ref>Crónica Documental de las Malvinas: Testimonios y Documentos de la Guerra, Hugo Gambini, P. 885, Biblioteca de Redacción, 1982</ref>}}

At about 06.00 local time on June 14, Guidobono's signallers and Aimar's paratroopers were hit by a company-sized attack. The Argentinian paratroopers communicated to he signallers that the British were about to get up and charge. Then with a hallow roar of a football crowd they were on the Argentinian defenders. The rest was confusion. The British Paras were moving as close as possible to the Argentinians to avoid the Argentinian Artillery fire. Preceded by a field artillery and naval bombardment, Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company, after suffering its ninth and last dead (Private Francis Slough) in the Falklands War, broke the ring of steel around Lieutenant-Colonel Giménez's command bunker. The Argentinian platoon of paratroopers, although nearly having lost half its strength captured or wounded/injured, moved back grudgingly.

Soon there was a lot of action going above and around Moody Brook. Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's 'B' Company, from the 6th 'Mercedes' Mechanized Infantry Regiment, on the northern slopes of Tumbledown Mountain, were busy shooting at Major Philip Neame's men, and them too, shooting back at the Argentinians.

Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General [[Oscar Luis Jofré]] sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack. Private Horacio Javier Benítez:{{cquote| I was behind a rock. They were shooting at me. Under the light of the star-shell I saw this guy and I shot at him. He must have been hit because I poured a whole magazine into him and he fell. But others were coming at me. I kept on shooting but they kept coming. Some who fell got up again and kept charging on, shooting at us. By this time they were all around me ... A sergeant was wounded. He shouted that he had been hit in the stomach. Another soldier was crying out for help but you couldn't help him. A grenade fell near him and it lifted him up in the air and he fell down again. He stood up and shouted: I'm hit, and he was swearing but he was still walking. He went round several soldiers and to one he said: I'm leaving you my rifle and to another: I'm leaving you my magazine, and then he started shouting: I'm leaving, I'm leaving, I'm leaving as if it was all over. As he was walking away he was hit by a phosphorus grenade; his clothes caught fire and he started screaming. But he was also lighting up our positions because he was like a human torch and we were waving him away so that he wouldn't show up our positions in the dark. At that moment we were not really interested whether he died or not. I had eight magazines with me but I had just run out of ammunition and had used all my grenades. I wasn't thinking straight any longer. The only thought in my head was to grab more ammunition and continue fighting. Something was forcing me to do it. Perhaps deep down I was even enjoying it because that's a primal instinct. I found more ammunition but as I was reloading I saw an English soldier in front of me. As I lifted my rifle I was shot in the head. I seemed to fall in slow motion. I was left there. The shot had been deflected by the helmet and had hit me in the neck. I couldn't move my head but I could still think. I can remember wondering whether I still had my arms. I tried to move my legs and I realised I had all my limbs. I thought: I'm alive. I tried to crawl back. I couldn't stand ... Finally I passed out because I had lost so much blood. I couldn't move but I could still think. When we reached the command post they told the captain: Here's Benitez - he's dead. They wrapped me up in a blanket and put me on top of a pile of corpses. A sergeant came along, he was writing down the names of the dead. He was crying. I must have blinked or moved or something because he realised I was still alive. He pulled me out, they gave me some morphine and took me to hospital.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 189, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

According to Private Patricio Gustavo Pérez:{{cquote| I was carrying two rifles and I noticed that there was a sniper who was pinning me down. I wanted to come out of the rock and kill him but I couldn't because the firing was so intense. At that moment I heard somebody shout that he had seen the sniper. I came out, saw that he was leaning over the rock and shot at him and his gun fell silent. I saw him fall but I don't know whether he was wounded or dead. That kind of combat among the rocks is like a Western, but it all happens so fast that you don't quite realise what is going on ... What I felt at that moment was mostly hatred. I wanted revenge. I had forgotten fear by then, what sort of risk I was taking; the only thing I wanted to do, my obsession, was to avenge my fallen comrades. Whenever I saw one of my friends hit it was worse, it just made me want to continue fighting, it didn't matter for how long or at what cost. I didn't care about death at that time, the main thing was revenge ... We sent the wounded down and returned to the battle and fought on for four hours. Luckily after the surrender I found out that Horacio had survived. People greeted the surrender with relief. They were all crying. That wasn't how I reacted. I had been fighting for many hours and I was not prepared to give up my rifle until forced to do so. It's different for those who had been in actual combat. I couldn't give my rifle back until they took it away from me, and when I did give it back I made sure it was completely unusable.<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 192, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>}}

During the close-quarter fighting, some British paratroopers reported hearing the Argentinian conscripts use the 'wise-guy' talk adopted from 1930s Hollywood gangster movies.<ref>"During the Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge, some paras reported the enemy using the language of 1930s Hollywood gangster movies." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

Private Graham Carter of 'D' Company, 2 PARA, came within a whisker of death in this close-quarter battle:{{cquote|I had a bullet bounce off my helmet, then when our artillery shells came in on us, one landed 15 feet away-but thankfully was a dud. It could have killed at least three of us.<ref>The scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 325, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Major Neame's officers and NCOs rallied the exhausted Paras to capture the final part of their objective and in the face of heavy fire, the rifle platoons of 2d Lieutenant Carlos Javier Aristegui (wounded in action) and Lieutenant Víctor Hugo Rodriguez-Pérez (wounded in action) having run out of ammunition, broke and retreated, covered by supporting machine gun fire from the rifle platoon of Lieutenant Horacio Alejandro Mones-Ruiz.

At dawn, another platoon of Argentinian conscripts under Major Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores attacked 2 PARA's 'D' Company, but were driven off with the help of mortars and British Artillery. Private Gabriel Ricardo Sagastume from the 7th Regiment's A Company recalls:{{cquote|Coming down from Moody Brook we found Carrizo, who wanted to recover that position. We had walked through the ruins of the barracks, bombarded by the English, and we knew that it was impossible to take it again. In those circumstances, Carrizo grouped us, asked what weapons we had and in what conditions they were in and ordered us to follow him to climb the hill. A few meters from the start-line projectiles of all caliber were raining all around us. We fell back, almost in complete disorder.<ref>[https://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/elpais/1-230881-2013-10-09.html El cobarde Carrizo]</ref>}}

2 PARA had suffered three dead and 11 wounded. Four of the paratroopers on the mortar line also required CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air), having broken their ankles. The Argentinians suffered approximately 25 dead and about 125 wounded, about 50 were taken prisoner. In the final stages of the battle, the Argentinian commander, Brigadier-General Jofré had been offered the use of Skyhawks to bomb Wireless Ridge with napalm but he declined, believing that the British response would be equally violent and the chances of a surrender being accepted, non-existent.

==Cortley Ridge==

The Special Air Service, along with men from the Special Boat Squadron, attempted to carry out a diversionary amphibious raid on Cortley Ridge on the night of June 13. The plan was, as 2 PARA attacked Wireless Ridge, 4 rigid raiders, piloted by Royal Marines and carrying SAS soldiers (15 men from D Squadron) and 6 SBS men (No. 3 Section) would speed across Stanley Harbour and attack the oil storage facilities. The assault force was illuminated by a spotlight on the Argentinian hospital ship 'Almirante Irizar' before it could reach its objective. A massive volley of fire from the 101st Anti Aircraft Artillery Regiment's B Company (under Major Jorge Alberto Monge) arced down onto the SAS/SBS force from positions along the shore, causing the raiding party to withdraw. The Rigid Raiders were badly shot up and abandoned, but miraculously none of the men involved had been killed.

The wisdom of this attack was later questioned as it was seen by some as a reckless operation with little strategic benefit.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead and 85 wounded. Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.

On the night of June 16, a riot broke out involving the 7th Regiment when British paratroopers and local civilians sent a Panhard armoured car careering into a group of 7th Regiment prisoners awaiting repatriation<ref>"The Fligh-Sergeant told me that some civilians and soldiers, apparently 3 Para, drinking in the Globe Hotel had decided to sort out Argentinians waiting to be screened, but the prisoners they chose were mainly from the 7th Infantry Regiment, which was largely recruited from tough working class neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires ... A tense situation escalted when several smoke grenades were thrown and the handbrake of a Panhard armoured car was released and directed at the prisoners." My Friends, The Enemy: Life in Military Intelligence During the Falklands War, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020 </ref>which ended with the Argentinians setting fire to the Globe Store. However a company from 2 PARA soon rushed to the area and order was restored.<ref>"On the night of 16 June , with too few servicemen to guard too many prisoners, a riot broke out which ended in the prisoners setting fire to the Globe Store where, ironically, all their clothing, cigarettes and other goodies were stored. However a company group from 2 PARA were soon deployed to the area and order was restored." The British Army in the Falklands, John W. Stanier, H.M. Stationery Office, 1983</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:War]]
[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:British History]]
[[Category:1980s]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-13T00:02:50Z

Ortigas: /* Two Sisters */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

In 2022, Corporal Marty Wilkin from 45 CDO's Recce Troop who had taken part in the raid, revealed that Lieutenant Stewart's men having regrouped on the opposite side of Murrell River had been ordered back to finish the job and destroy the remaining Argentinian machinegun nests but that he objected and convinced Stewart to disobey the suicidal orders from the X-Ray Company commander for which Wilkin got a severe dressing down from the Commanding Officer of 45 CDO later that morning.

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez from the 3rd Rifle Platoon stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail' to Tumbledown Mountain where Private Orlando Aylan was killed fighting the Scots Guards on the night of June 13-14.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

Then to the astonishment of the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Rifle Platoons 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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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.<ref>''45 Commando faced another four hours of vicious fighting before Two Sisters was finally taken, overcoming many bunkers and foxholes at the point of bayonet.'' Commando: The Inside Story of Britain’s Royal Marines, Monty Halls, Random House, 2022</ref>
The defenders brought down heavy machine-gun and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

Corporal Marty Wilkin echoed pretty much the same sentiment. ''"If it had been the other way around and we had been in defence, we would still be there today. They were not making the best use of the cover and everything else they had and they had not done enough work there. "'' <ref>Falklands Conflict - Marty Wilkin (available on YouTube)</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Clive Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in reality Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti) had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos in 'Kilo' Company to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T23:25:08Z

Ortigas: /* Two Sisters */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

In 2022, Corporal Marty Wilkin from 45 CDO's Recce Troop who had taken part in the raid, revealed that Lieutenant Stewart's men having regrouped on the opposite side of Murrell River had been ordered back to finish the job and destroy the remaining Argentinian machinegun nests but that he objected and convinced Stewart to disobey the suicidal orders from the X-Ray Company commander for which Wilkin got a severe dressing down from the Commanding Officer of 45 CDO later that morning.

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez from the 3rd Rifle Platoon stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

Then to the astonishment of the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Rifle Platoons 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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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.<ref>''45 Commando faced another four hours of vicious fighting before Two Sisters was finally taken, overcoming many bunkers and foxholes at the point of bayonet.'' Commando: The Inside Story of Britain’s Royal Marines, Monty Halls, Random House, 2022</ref>
The defenders brought down heavy machine-gun and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

Corporal Marty Wilkin echoed pretty much the same sentiment. ''"If it had been the other way around and we had been in defence, we would still be there today. They were not making the best use of the cover and everything else they had and they had not done enough work there. "'' <ref>Falklands Conflict - Marty Wilkin (available on YouTube)</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Clive Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in reality Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti) had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos in 'Kilo' Company to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T23:09:19Z

Ortigas: /* Two Sisters */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

In 2022, Corporal Marty Wilkin from 45 CDO's Recce Troop who had taken part in the raid, revealed that Lieutenant Stewart's men having regrouped on the opposite side of Murrell River had been ordered back to finish the job and destroy the remaining Argentinian machinegun nests but that he objected and convinced Stewart to disobey the suicidal orders from the X-Ray Company commander for which Wilkin got a severe dressing down from the Commanding Officer of 45 CDO later that morning.

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez from the 3rd Rifle Platoon stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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.<ref>''45 Commando faced another four hours of vicious fighting before Two Sisters was finally taken, overcoming many bunkers and foxholes at the point of bayonet.'' Commando: The Inside Story of Britain’s Royal Marines, Monty Halls, Random House, 2022</ref>
The defenders brought down heavy machine-gun and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

Corporal Marty Wilkin echoed pretty much the same sentiment. ''"If it had been the other way around and we had been in defence, we would still be there today. They were not making the best use of the cover and everything else they had and they had not done enough work there. "'' <ref>Falklands Conflict - Marty Wilkin (available on YouTube)</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Clive Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in reality Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti) had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos in 'Kilo' Company to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T22:08:42Z

Ortigas:

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

In 2022, Corporal Marty Wilkin from 45 CDO's Recce Troop who had taken part in the raid, revealed that Lieutenant Stewart's men having regrouped on the opposite side of Murrell River had been ordered back to finish the job and destroy the remaining Argentinian machinegun nests but that he objected and convinced Stewart to disobey the suicidal orders from the X-Ray Company commander for which Wilkin got a severe dressing down from the Commanding Officer of 45 CDO later that morning.

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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.<ref>''45 Commando faced another four hours of vicious fighting before Two Sisters was finally taken, overcoming many bunkers and foxholes at the point of bayonet.'' Commando: The Inside Story of Britain’s Royal Marines, Monty Halls, Random House, 2022</ref>
The defenders brought down heavy machine-gun and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

Corporal Marty Wilkin echoed pretty much the same sentiment. ''"If it had been the other way around and we had been in defence, we would still be there today. They were not making the best use of the cover and everything else they had and they had not done enough work there. "'' <ref>Falklands Conflict - Marty Wilkin (available on YouTube)</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Clive Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in reality Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti) had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos in 'Kilo' Company to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T22:03:30Z

Ortigas: /* Two Sisters */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

In 2022, Corporal Marty Wilkin from 45 CDO's Recce Troop who had taken part in the raid, revealed that Lieutenant Stewart's men having regrouped on the opposite side of Murrell River had been ordered back to finish the job and destroy the remaining Argentinian machinegun nests but that he objected and convinced Stewart to disobey the suicidal orders from the X-Ray Company commander for which Wilkin got a severe dressing down from the Commanding Officer of 45 CDO later that morning.

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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.<ref>''45 Commando faced another four hours of vicious fighting before Two Sisters was finally taken, overcoming many bunkers and foxholes at the point of bayonet.'' Commando: The Inside Story of Britain’s Royal Marines, Monty Halls, Random House, 2022</ref>
The defenders brought down heavy machine-gun and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

Corporal Marty Wilkin echoed the same sentiment. ''"If it had been the other way around and we had been in defence, we would still be there today. They were not making the best use of the cover and everything else they had and they had not done enough work there. "'' <ref>Falklands Conflict - Marty Wilkin (available on YouTube)</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti) had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos in 'Kilo' Company to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T21:52:26Z

Ortigas: /* No-Man's-Land */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

In 2022, Corporal Marty Wilkin from 45 CDO's Recce Troop who had taken part in the raid, revealed that Lieutenant Stewart's men having regrouped on the opposite side of Murrell River had been ordered back to finish the job and destroy the remaining Argentinian machinegun nests but that he objected and convinced Stewart to disobey the suicidal orders from the X-Ray Company commander for which Wilkin got a severe dressing down from the Commanding Officer of 45 CDO later that morning.

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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.<ref>''45 Commando faced another four hours of vicious fighting before Two Sisters was finally taken, overcoming many bunkers and foxholes at the point of bayonet.'' Commando: The Inside Story of Britain’s Royal Marines, Monty Halls, Random House, 2022</ref>
The defenders brought down heavy machine-gun and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti) had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos in 'Kilo' Company to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T21:34:12Z

Ortigas: /* Two Sisters */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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.<ref>''45 Commando faced another four hours of vicious fighting before Two Sisters was finally taken, overcoming many bunkers and foxholes at the point of bayonet.'' Commando: The Inside Story of Britain’s Royal Marines, Monty Halls, Random House, 2022</ref>
The defenders brought down heavy machine-gun and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti) had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos in 'Kilo' Company to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T21:17:55Z

Ortigas: /* Harriet */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti) had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos in 'Kilo' Company to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T21:13:52Z

Ortigas: /* Harriet */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T21:01:04Z

Ortigas: /* Aftermath */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through First Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

The remnants of the 4th Regiment's 'B' Company were virtually surrounded and Senior Lieutenant 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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted six company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T20:58:35Z

Ortigas: /* Harriet */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through First Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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' 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' Platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

The remnants of the 4th Regiment's 'B' Company were virtually surrounded and Senior Lieutenant 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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted five company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T20:42:32Z

Ortigas: /* Harriet */ British book that proves it was a very dangerous moment for 'Lima' Company

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through First Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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 3rd Infantry Brigade's Security Platoon, commanded by 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 platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

The remnants of the 4th Regiment's 'B' Company were virtually surrounded and Senior Lieutenant 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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted five company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T20:26:15Z

Ortigas:

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 COMMANDO arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 COMMANDO attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 COMMANDO's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 COMMANDO's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through First Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 COMMANDO was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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 3rd Infantry Brigade's Security Platoon, commanded by 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.

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 platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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>

The remnants of the 4th Regiment's 'B' Company were virtually surrounded and Senior Lieutenant 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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted five company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T20:20:49Z

Ortigas: /* No-Man's-Land */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 Commando arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) discovered them and dispersed them at dusk, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 Commando attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

British war correspondent Robert Fox interviewed two of the British survivors, one suffering loss of hearing from the numerous rocket and grenade blasts and another who had twisted his leg during the British retreat from the ensuing Argentinian counterattack.<ref>''"One of the marines said he had damaged eardrums from the discharge of a 66 mm rocket close to him ... The other casualty had twisted his leg."'' Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 247, Methuen, 1982</ref>
<ref>''"A fighting patrol crossing the open ground between Mount Kent and Mount Challenger forded the Murrell River; however, the defence of the enemy sector had been reinforced by 602 Commando Company and the National Gendarmerie and the patrol became involved in a tough battle. At risk of being cut off, it withdrew under accurate artillery fire."'' My Friends: The Enemy, Nick Van Der Bijl, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2020</ref>

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 Commando's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 Commando's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through First Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 Royal Marine Commando Battalion was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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 3rd Infantry Brigade's Security Platoon, commanded by 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.

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 platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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 Battalion 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 Senior Lieutenant 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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted five company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T20:09:37Z

Ortigas: /* No-Man's-Land */ Important event included that was missing from page

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 COMMANDO and 45 COMMANDO (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 Commando arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 CDO's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 CDO patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

On the morning of June 3, while the 10th Brigade commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre was visiting the 4th Regiment's Commanding Officer on Mount Harriet, reports were received that a British force had been forced to abandon Wall Mountain. Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Recce Troop from 42 COMMANDO had been manning the outpost on Wall when it came under heavy small arms fire and was then hit by mortars and anti-tank guns from 2d Lieutenant Daniel Alberto Monetti Heavy Weapons Platoon on Harriet. The situation became so difficult that the Royal Marines abandoned much of their gear before withdrawing. Within 24 hours, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 Troop from Juliet Company (42 CDO) had recaptured the position but were themselves knocked off the feature when attacked by a dozen Green Berets from the 602nd Commando Company on the night of 5/6 June.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 COMMANDO raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) dispersed them in a bayonet charge, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 Commando attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 Commando's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 Commando's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through First Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 Royal Marine Commando Battalion was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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 3rd Infantry Brigade's Security Platoon, commanded by 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.

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 platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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 Battalion 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 Senior Lieutenant 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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted five company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T19:52:52Z

Ortigas: /* Aftermath */ A bit of tidying up page

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 Commando and 45 Commando (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 Commando arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 Commando's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 Commando patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 Commando raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion reinforcements and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' under Lieutenant Pablo Andrés Oliva on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) dispersed them in a bayonet charge, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 Commando attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 Commando's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 Commando's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through First Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 Royal Marine Commando Battalion was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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 3rd Infantry Brigade's Security Platoon, commanded by 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.

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 platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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 Battalion 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 Senior Lieutenant 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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line ('Línea de Defensa Monte Caseros'). These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 COMMANDO received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 COMMANDO were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on the 'Monte Caseros Line' (Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain) were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted five company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2022-07-12T19:45:27Z

Ortigas: /* Harriet */

During the 1982 [[Falklands/Malvinas War]] the battle for the high ground on Mount Harriet and neighbouring Two Sisters Mountain was pivotal to both British attackers and Argentinian defenders in the form of Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment as both sought to secure the approaches to Port Stanley. The battle began with British field artillery softening up bombardments that killed Privates Luis Orlando Aguilera and Ramón Orlando Palavecino on Two Sisters in the first two days of June<ref>Así lucharon, Carlos M. Turolo, p 48, Editorial Sudamericana, 1982</ref>and put out of action the Rasit ground-surveillance radar on Harriet on the night of June 2–3.<ref>''Durante el bombardeo del 2 de junio, particularmente intenso sobre el radar RASIT, el cual al recibir un impacto cercano terminó por destruir el cable y su conector ,pieza fundamental e irremplazable para el funcionamiento del radar. Desde entonces, el Cabo 1º Gacitua, su operador, y el Tte 1º D´Aloia ,que también pasaba horas frente a la consola, intentaron hacer todo lo posible para ponerlo a funcionar de nuevo, pero no lo consiguieron.'' Malvinas en Primera Línea , Lautaro Giménez Corbalán, pp. 256-257 Editorial Edivern, 2017</ref> The fighting didn't reach its conclusion until the final infantry assaults on the night of June 11–12 and, even then, only after several naval bombardments as well as Royal Air Force Harrier attacks and Royal Marine Commando raids.

==No-Man's-Land==

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands, 42 Commando and 45 Commando (40 and 45 CDO) of the British Royal Marines were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in Operation 'Corporate'.

Following 'Kilo' Company's helicopter flight forward on the night of May 31 to reinforce D Squadron 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment defending Mount Kent from Argentinian Special Forces attacks, the rest of 42 Commando arrived in helicopters, and were eventually ordered to secure Mount Challenger.

45 Commando's march to Bluff Cove Peak from San Carlos Water via Teal Inlet ended on June 4, and the next week was spent with 42 Commando patrolling No-Man's-Land, leading to a number of bloody clashes with the Argentinians.

Lieutenant Chris Fox's Recce Troop reached the western end of Two Sisters on the night of June 5/6. The next day, they killed five of the Argentinians, including three Marine Sappers: Corporal Jorge Sisterna and Privates Ramón Olavarría, Víctor Ordóñez and Vicente Díaz that were part of a mine-laying team. The Argentinians in the form of the platoon sergeant (Ramón Valdez) and several soldiers from 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Rifle Platoon (C Company, 4th Infantry Regiment) counterattacked and Fox's patrol having regrouped near Murrell River had to call in artillery fire and a smoke screen so that they could make good their escape<ref>''The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that their patrol had to call on artillery shelling and smoke so that they could withdraw.'' Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, pg 228, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref>

Lieutenant Mark Townsends's 1 Troop from 'Kilo' Company, 42 Commando raided the forward Argentinian positions on Mount Harriet from Goat Ridge on the night of June 8/9 killing two defenders (Corporal Hipólito González y Private Martiniano Gómez) in 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán's 3rd Rifle Platoon (B Company, 4th Regiment) and wounding the platoon sergeant (Raúl Donato Solis) and Private Antonio Funes.<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> 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán along with Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano from from the 3rd Logistic (Truck) Battalion reinforcements and a 10-man section from the 'Ghost/Lost Platoon' under Lieutenant Pablo Andrés Oliva on the southern slopes counterattacked forcing Towsend's men to retreat.

On June 9, Sergeant Ian Allum's Recce Platoon from the 2nd Scots Guards Battalion attempted to pinpoint the heavy weapons emplacements on Harriet from their hide in Port Harriet House but elements of the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) and 120mm Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juárez) dispersed them in a bayonet charge, causing 3 wounded during the supporting Argentinian mortar bombardment.<ref>[https://www.argentina.gob.ar/noticias/entrega-de-las-estatuillas-malvinas-argentinas Entrega de las Estatuillas “Malvinas Argentinas” ]</ref>

That night, as a result of the spirited resistance encountered on Harriet, Lieutenant David Morgan's 1st Battalion 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles was forced to call off a company-sized raid on the Argentinian strongpoint.<ref>''At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet.'' Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref><ref>''Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew.'' The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004</ref>

On the night of June 9/10, Lieutenant David Stewart 3 Troop of 'X-Ray' Company, 45 Commando attempted to raid the forward positions of 2d Lieutenant Llambías-Pravaz's platoon. Stewart's platoon, reinforced by a dozen sappers, mortarmen and recce troops, clashed with 50 Argentinian Special Forces spread in ambush positions near Murrell River. The Argentinians lost 2 special forces (Sergeants Mario Antonio Cisnero and Ramón Gumersindo Acosta) killed and 2 wounded (Senior Lieutenant Jorge Vizoso-Posse and Sergeant Pablo Daniel Parada) battling Stewart's men, seizing much equipment, while the British report losing 4 Royal Marines killed and 3 wounded on this night.<ref>[http://gallery.commandoveterans.org/cdoGallery/main.php?g2_view=keyalbum.KeywordAlbum&g2_keyword=killed+in+action&g2_itemId=7711&g2_fromNavId=xf7a6e6e3 Commando Veteran's Archive]</ref><ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wPs9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=M0kMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4053,288159&dq= Marines shot comrades in Falklands conflict]</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160813090450/http://www.commandogunner.co.uk/page19.html Commando Gunner Regroup]</ref>According to British military historian Bruce Quarrie, it was a hard-fought and costly action for both sides:{{cquote|A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus [[M72 LAW|66 mm rocket launchers]] and [[2-inch mortar|2-inch]] [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]]s, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 [1 am local time] were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their mortar, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out [They knew they were cut off with what looked a poor chance of escape. In these circumstances any panic or break in morale and the game was up]. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argentine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties.<ref>Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985</ref>}}

==Two Sisters==

As the [[Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge]] commenced, 45 COMMANDO, under Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead, in the centre, moved off towards their start-lines ('Pub Garden') for the attack on Two Sisters Mountain. Captain Ian Gardiner's 'X-Ray' Company spearheaded the attack. The Royal Marines preferred to attack under the cover of night. Such was the importance attached to lives.

'X-Ray' Company would assault the lower ridges of the southern peak ('Long Toenail') of Two Sisters from the west, 'Zulu' Company would attack the northern peak, known in 45 COMMANDO as 'Summer Days', and 'Yankee' Company would then assault the eastern ridge. The local commander on the Two Sisters ridge was Major Ricardo Mario Cordón, second-in-command of the 4th 'Monte Caseros' Infantry Regiment.

The first attack against 'Long Toenail' came in around 11.00 PM<ref>''Ten minutes later the 150 men of X Company were as good as new and began their assault at 11 p.m.'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic 1982, Julian Thompson, p. 131, Leo Cooper in association with Secker & Warburg, 1985</ref>Falklands time and Lieutenant David Stewart's 3 Troop – a Royal Marine Troop is like an Army Platoon – managed to get very close to 2d Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon, 'C' Company, 4th Regiment. But the attack was beaten off by rifle and machine-gun fire. Second Lieutenant Llambias-Pravaz rallied his men with the old Guarani Indian war-cry of 'Sapukay!' The Royal Marine Commandos in 'X-Ray' Company pushed hard when prudent, but avoided rash moves.

The Argentine conscripts on 'Long Toenail' under Corporals Raúl Héctor Peña, Raúl Ramos, Walter Ariel Pintos and Jorge Omar Valdez stood to their machineguns and Instalaza anti-tank rocket launchers and defied the attackers with fixed bayonets. Lieutenant Stewart's men flung themselves again at the Argentinians but, were driven off much to the frustration of Captain Gardiner. Despite this, some Argentinians had to pull in a bit or be overrun. The combat was extremely rough being fought in cold wind over a bare rocky ridge and around huge boulders.

Eventually, at 2.45 AM, the sections under Corporals Peña, Ramos, Pintos and Valdez had to retreat. After nearly 4 hours of chaotic night fighting the men of 3rd Platoon fell back from 'Long Toenail'.

The great fight in and around the southern peak had cost Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon 5 killed and 16 wounded<ref>Así Peleamos: Malvinas, Martín Antonio Balza, p 205, Fundación Soldados, 1999</ref>, including his platoon sergeant. The assault on the southern peak was supported by 40 Commando's Anti-Tank Troop and innumerable 66mm LAW anti-tank rockets. 'X Ray' Company found the Milan missiles to be a very effective way of dislodging Llambías-Pravaz's defiant 3rd Platoon, but expensive at 35,000 US dollars each. 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz was one of the recent April 1982 graduates from the Army Academy. His outstanding courage was recognized by the award of the Gallantry in Combat Medal.

Soon after midnight as 'X-Ray' Company continued its fight for 'Long Toenail', 'Zulu' Company followed by 'Yankee' Company to their right, moved off from 'Pub Garden' on their silent uphill approach. As the Argentinian 1st and 2nd Platoons were still distracted by 'X-Ray' Company's attack, the other two companies closed in until an Argentinian flare illuminated 'Zulu' Company and 8 Troop opened fire in response.

'Yankee' and 'Zulu' Companies attacked the northern peak of Two Sisters at 1230 local time and engaged in a two-hour firefight, during which the Argentinian mortar platoon commander (Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella, son of an Argentinian Army 2-Star General) was killed.

The 3rd Artillery Group's pack howitzers and Major Oscar Jaimet's heavy mortars were brought into play, giving the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company effective support. In this way 45 COMMANDO began to suffer serious losses, including the loss of two platoon commanders (Lieutenants Paul Denning and John Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British light cruiser 'Glamorgan'. The whole operation was proving to be a disaster.

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 Mosquera-Gutiérrez's 1st Platoon and Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps most probably 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, July/August 1982) soon after the Falklands War, Second Lieutenant Paul Mansell, a rifle platoon commander in 'Zulu' Company, recalled the heavy exchange of fire in the fight for the northern Two Sisters stronghold:{{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 now 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>

Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets from Shaw's platoon.<ref>''"Just prior to Yankee Company moving forward, a .50 Browning machine gun at the western end continued to fire. Major Davis told one of his Carl Gustav 84mm anti-tank teams to move out to his right to improve their angle of fire and engage the .50, which they did, silencing the gun successfully ... Andy Shaw and 5 Troop were now the foremost troop ... A machine gun opened up close by from the left flank and they dived for cover. Corporal Bell shouted to Marine Jock Shaw to deal with it. Shaw carefully put his fag down on a rock, extended his 66mm launcher and fired. The gun fell silent and they moved on. It now began to snow; they also started to come under mortar fire ... the rounds very quickly started to arrive closer and closer until 5 Troop were engulfed in a barrage of hell."'' The Yompers, Ian R. Gardiner, p. 182, Pen & Sword, 2012</ref>

Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentinian decoration for bravery, reads:{{cquote|Always volunteering for dangerous missions, manning a machine-gun, holding up attacks, always the last man to withdraw, sometimes overrun by the English, twice given up for dead but always returning to his platoon.<ref>The Fight for the Malvinas: The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War, Martin Middlebrook, p. 239, Viking, 1989</ref>}}

Ahead of 'Yankee' Company was a ridgeline and there Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco's 2nd Platoon, 'B' Company, 6th Regiment, lay in wait. Franco had harrangued his young soldiers and had gained their confidence. While the fight for the eastern ridge was in progress, an Exocet anti-ship missile was launched from a Marine trailer near Hooker's Point, causing serious damage to the light cruiser 'Glamorgan', and killing 14 and wounding/injuring over 30 British sailors.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-12472079 HMS Glamorgan: memorial for Falklands War ship ]</ref>The British warship had been forced to remain in position longer than expected in support of 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, in an attempt to reach the safety of San Carlos with dawn fast approaching.

Major Jaimet was confident of holding the British thrust, now coming from the northern peak. During the advance on the eastern ridge Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two Argentinian machine-guns (in fact Private Poltronieri manning a 7.62mm belt-fed machinegun from different positions, who survived both attacks), somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso, Private Mario Javier Romero and others, not to mention the numerous booby-traps, (including aerial bombs) laid by the 1st Amphibious Engineer Company platoon under Marine Lieutenant Héctor Omar Miño in the first week of June. A counterattack at the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Stanley House, using a number of Panhard armoured cars in support of Major Jaimet's company, was contemplated but rejected.<ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/2021/07/10/aldo-franco-el-veterano-de-malvinas-que-se-reinvento-y-hoy-tiene-un-proyecto-solidario/ Aldo Franco, el veterano de Malvinas que se reinventó y hoy tiene un proyecto solidario]</ref>Then Jaimet received orders at 0445 to abandon the ridge and retire to Tumbledown Mountain. With the breach on Two Sisters Mountain, where Major Cordón's company was supposed to be, the 6th Regiment company had no option but to withdraw with dawn fast approaching. Franco's platoon formed the rearguard and it filed off, leaving three killed. Time and time again 2d Lt. Franco―he became an Army commando after the war―reported his platoon could hold, but was ordered to abandon Two Sisters.

So ended the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain, six hours after 'X-Ray' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambías-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail' (as long and costly as the fighting for Darwin Ridge had been for both sides, according to the authors of '5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands'). 45 Commando's losses were 8 dead and 17 wounded. The Argentine losses were put at 20 dead and 50 wounded. 2d Lieutenant Miguel Mosquera-Gutiérrez was wounded during the fighting on the northern peak. Lieutenant Luis Carlos Martella on 'Long Toenail' was killed. Second Lieutenant Jorge Daniel Perez-Grandi was also down. Corporal Nicolás Urbieta along with Privates Andres Avelino Barosso and Aldo Adolfo Leiva carried him away, severely wounded. Perez-Grandi had spent a year in 1978 in the 4th Airborne Artillery Group as a conscript before entering the Buenos Aires Army Academy.

Naturally the Army needed a scapegoat and Major Ricardo Cordón was court-martialed and sacked. Bad luck played at least a malignant part as the loss of his reserve platoon and communications in the 4th Regiment's 'C' Company.

Lieutenant Andy Shaw's platoon, seeking revenge for comrades lost two nights before, gathered a group of Argentinian prisoners and were preparing to execute them when all of a sudden the British battalion commander, accompanied by British war correspondent Robert Fox, appeared out of the early morning mist to inspect the captured positions, scuttling their plans for vengeance.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170802042111/https://www.originalandunrestored.com/heroes-the-mountain-way Meet Andy Shaw]</ref>

The Royal Marines now chose to demonstrate that as aggresssive as they could be, they also had a human side. When the remnants of 1st Platoon, 'A' Company, 4th Regiment were withdrawn, their wounded platoon commander was overlooked in the dark and taken by the Royal Marines. When it became apparent that the Argentinian Artillery was about to bombard Two Sisters, the Royal Marines moved the wounded officer to a place of safety where he could be shielded from the incoming fire.

British war correspondent Robert Fox recalls that:{{cquote|A second lieutenant with a smashed lower leg said he couldn't walk. I hoisted him so that he could put his arm on my shoulder. He was about 6 foot 4 inches tall and felt almost one and a half times my weight. I asked him how badly he was hurt. 'Agua, agua', (water, water) was all he could whimper in reply. We laid him on the ground and managed to get a helicopter to take him away.<ref>Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, pp. 255-256</ref>}}

The reserve platoon under Second Lieutenant Juan Nazer had been heavily mortared and had given up ground almost immediately. Nazer's platoon had failed to prepare a firm platoon defence line facing Murrell River, possibly as a result of exhaustion following their long debilitating period on Beagle Ridge.

Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead reportedly looked in wonderment at the strength of the positions the enemy had abandoned. ''"With 120 men I could have died of old age holding these hills."''<ref>The Battle for the Falklands, Max Hastings, Simon Jenkins, p. 296, Michael Joseph, 1983</ref>

However according to British war correspondents Patrick Bishop and John Witherow that accompanied the Paras and Royal Marines in the fighting, ''"The feature was too long for the Argentinians to defend seriously without committing a couple of battalions"''.<ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p. 125, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

Lieutenant Andy Shaw would later condemn the Argentinian defenders for defecating in their positions, forgetting that the Afrika Korps had done the same thing in the North African Campaign when pinned down for days by Allied bombardments, except the German soldiers had brought with them pigs to eat the mess and to butcher and eat the pigs when supplies failed to arrive.<ref>The Conquest of North Africa, 1940-1943, Alexander Clifford, p.197, Little, Brown, 1943</ref>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine Marines (in fact Army infantry) 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, confirmed that the Argentinian defenders had been resolute fighters: ''"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==

To the south, Mount Harriet proved to be more formidable, being surrounded to the west and south by minefields. 3 Commando Brigade's last target for the night was alloted to 42 COMMANDO (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 COMMANDO's 'Kilo' Company (under Captain Peter Babbington) "secretly crept" through First Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Arroyo's lines in the form of a frozen minefield and arrived at the eastern end of Mount Harriet by 2215 local time. The 4th Regiment sentries; despite all preparations were caught by surprise. The Royal Marine Commandos were magnificently trained at silent approach.

The advance of 'K' Company, 42 Royal Marine Commando Battalion was made with dazzling rapidity. In vain Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria called down on the eastern slopes the fire of the Argentinian Artillery knowing very well that the Heavy Mortar Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Mario Héctor Juaréz) was positioned there.

So large were the column of dejected prisoners that it was obvious the strength on the eastern ridge had been greatly underestimated. Nevertheless, it was not all a pushover. Some Argentinian conscripts had fought with great tenacity. Private Daniel Jose Sanchez (wounded in action) from the Heavy Weapons Platoon had proved particularly courageous, causing the Royal Marine Commandos to dive for cover as he liberally sprayed them with fire with his Browning 12.7 millimetre heavy machinegun. Sanchez ''"loved being in Malvinas"''.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria hurriedly sent a 12th Regiment officer, Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Gorriti, for reinforcements, to the 12th Regiment Reserve Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Celestino Mosteirin) on the southern slopes of Mount Harriet. To Soria's credit, Senior Lieutenant Jorge Agustín Echeverria (the 4th Regiment's Intelligence officer) was able to move forward and establish a new defence line.

It was while storming the Argentinian Reserve Platoon lying in wait to ambush 'Kilo' Company that Corporal Steven Newland had a brush with death when he was wounded in both legs. Despite his wounds, he still managed to stagger away and gain 42 COMMANDO's aid post.

The close quarter combat is here described first-hand by Corporal Steven Newland:{{cquote|All the time we were lying there rounds were ricocheting off the rocks at us and the cold was freezing our bollocks off. On the radio I heard Sharkie talking to his boss. He said 'we're pinned down by a sniper and we can't move.' I thought 'Right, someone's got to go for this bastard.' So I took off my 66 [millimetre bazooka] shells, got on the radio to our boss and said 'Wait there and I'll see what I can do'. I crawled around this mega-size boulder, climbed up a little steep bit, went over the top on my stomach, rolled into cover, crawled a bit further and looked around the corner of this rock, thinking that the sniper had to be there somewhere. There was more than a sniper - there was half a platoon! About ten of them were lying on a nice, flat, table-top rock overlooking our positions. It was perfect for them. They had a machinegun on the left and the rest of them were lined out with rifles. Everytime one of ours tried to move forward, one of them would shoot at him, so to us it looked as if there was only one sniper who was keeping on the move. They were waiting for us to break cover and try and clear this one sniper - then they would just waste us with their machinegun. I sat back behind this rock and whispered down my throat-microphone to Sharkie about what I'd found. I told him to keep the lads there and I'd see what we could do. Then having made my mind up I picked up my SLR rifle, changed the magazine and put a fresh one on and slipped the safety catch off. I then looped the pin of one grenade onto one finger of my left hand and did the same with another. I was ready. So I thought 'Well, you've got to do something.' I pulled one grenade, whack - straight onto the machinegun. Pulled the other, whack - straight at the Spics. I dodged back around the rock and heard the two bangs. As soon as they'd gone off I went in and anything that moved got three rounds. I don't know how many I shot, but they got a whole magazine. I went back round the corner of the rock, changed the magazine and I was about to go back and sort out anyone who was left, when Sharkie called on the net: 'Get out. We're putting two 66s in' So I ran back down the hill, dived into this little hollow I'd seen on the way up. Over the net I told him to 'Let it go!'. The 66s exploded and the next thing I heard was Sharkie on the radio again. He said 'It's clear. They've given up. Go back to where you were and make sure they don't get out the back.' I went up by a different route and as I rounded this rock, I saw one of the guys that I'd hit. I'd only got him in the shoulder but he'd gone down like the rest of them and in the dark, I'd automatically thought he was dead. But he was far from that, because as I came back round the corner, he just squeezed off a burst from his automatic rifle. He must've realised he was going to die unless he got me first. I felt the bullets go into both my legs. I thought 'Shit, the fucker's got me'. I was so angry, I fired 15 rounds into his head.<ref>War in Peace, Volume 10 Issue 112, Orbis Publishing Limited 1985</ref>}}

Newland shot several, one fatally.

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

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 3rd Infantry Brigade's Security Platoon, commanded by 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.

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 platoon that suffered four killed during their time on Harriet, could not halt the British onslaught.

Savage fighting ensued as 'Lima' Company encountered some of the stiffest opposition of the night in the form of 2d Lieutenant Eugenio Cesar Bruny's 2nd Platoon (now under the command of platoon sergeant Mario José Valdez after Bruny had been wounded) and Argentinian artillery fire. According to Brigadier Julian Thompson's book 'No Picnic', eleven Royal Marine Commandos fell wounded to the canisters spewed out by the Argentinian Artillery.

Throughout the night most of the 4th Regiment B Company positions held, a young 12th Regiment NCO near the summit, Corporal Roberto Bacilio Baruzzo, continued to harass 'Lima' Company, wounding Lieutenant Julian Pusey and others, until he was blasted out by an 84 millimetre Carl Gustav anti-tank rocket and taken prisoner.

The flickering flames from a burning Mercedes jeep cast a glow over the facade. Visibility was poor owing to a heavy mist. Naval shelling which had been continuous added to the confusion. The Argentinian defence was unraveling.

Nevertheless, from their positions on the northern slopes the 3rd Platoon under 2d Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán continued to contest the British advance and so fifteen GPMG machine-guns were moved into position to hammer the Argentinian rifle platoon and 5 Troop (under Lieutenant Jerry Burnell) moved into close quarters. As they closed in the Argentinians withdrew.

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 Battalion 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 Senior Lieutenant 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>}}

==Aftermath==

Accurate casualty figures, as always, are impossible to obtain, but the Argentinian Army admits around 40 Argentinians died defending the Harriet―Two Sisters defence line. These losses occurred in patrol battles, bombardments and the final British attack on the night of June 11–12. It was not a cheap victory for the British either. Ten Royal Marine Commandos were killed, if casualties during the night of June 9–10 June are included, and over 50 wounded, including Marine Mark Curtis who lost a leg in a minefield in early June and had to be carried for 7 hours before he could be evacuated.

A grateful Argentinian Army awarded 12th 'General Arenales' Regiment Private Luciano Oscar Pintos a Gallantry in Combat Medal for his rescue of several wounded on Mount Harriet. 42 Commando received one DSO, an MC and 4 MM's for Mount Harriet. 45 Commando were awarded a DSO, 3 MC's, a DCM and 4 MM's for Two Sisters.

The British fired over one-thousand shells and mortar bombs onto Mount Harriet that night, which was one of the main reasons why they won. The accuracy of the British gunners enabled the British Commandos to call down fire only 100 metres ahead of their advance. ''"If it wasn't for the British Artillery there would have been a lot more British casualties"'' said Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria after the war.<ref>Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007</ref>

The Argentinian defensive works on Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain were far less elaborate than claimed by Brigadier-General Julian Thompson in the book 'No Picnic'. 3 Commando Brigade had conducted five company-sized attacks against ''Fuerza de Tareas Monte Caceros'' (Task Force Monte Caseros), killing around 20 Argentinians and capturing 300 on the night of June 11–12. Despite popular myth the soldiers of the 4th Regiment from Corrientes Province did not lack bravery, what he lacked was night-sights and manpack radios necessary for modern warfare.

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 Ricardo Montellano, who had helped 2d Lieutenant Jiménez-Corbalán fight-off a Royal Marine Commando incursion on the night of June 8-9, was also killed.

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Townsend 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>

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
*[http://www.britlink.org/overseas-territories/falkland-islands/falklands-war-1982/ Falkland’s War 1982]

*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9X3kGKhwPQ "Defensa del Monte Harriet y Dos Hermanas"]

[[Category:Argentina]]
[[Category:Wars]]