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Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T05:30:07Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Bluff Cove Peak */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial SAS retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Vercesi's men, however, the 45-minute fight had tied down a significant part of the available British Mountain Commandos, leaving only a handful of Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up part of the bridge unmolested on 2 June<ref>[http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Ten British M&AWC and SAS special forces were wounded/injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T05:28:29Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Bluff Cove Peak */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters).<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and took up ambush positions. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and was ready to open fire. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial retreat. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us...you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain.<ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, however, exacted rapid revenge and one of the Royal Air Force Harriers involved, XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Vercesi's men, however, the 45-minute fight had tied down a significant part of the available British Mountain Commandos, leaving only a handful of Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up part of the bridge unmolested on 2 June<ref>[http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Ten British M&AWC and SAS special forces were wounded/injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T05:13:29Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Vercesi's men, however, the 45-minute fight had tied down a significant part of the available British Mountain Commandos, leaving only a handful of Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up part of the bridge unmolested on 2 June<ref>[http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/voladura-del-puente-fitz-roy-en-la-campana-de-malvinas/ Voladura del Puente Fitz Roy en la Campaña de Malvinas]</ref>, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded<ref>The Royal Navy in the Falklands Conflict and the Gulf War, Alistair Finlan, p. 78, Routledge, 2004</ref>during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Ten British M&AWC and SAS special forces were wounded/injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T05:07:27Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Vercesi's men, however, the 45-minute fight had tied down a significant part of the available British Mountain Commandos, leaving only a handful of Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up part of the bridge unmolested on 2 June, resulting in 50 British killed and 200 wounded during the [[Bluff Cove/Fitzroy Air Attacks]] on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards and attached units aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived overnight only to discover their advance route by land severed forcing them to remain aboard ships the following day.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Ten British M&AWC and SAS special forces were wounded/injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T05:01:31Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian remote outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Vercesi's men, however, the 45-minute fight had tied down a significant part of the available British Mountain Commandos, leaving only a handful of Boswell's men on Mount Smoko to keep watch of the Argentinian outpost guarding the bridge connecting Bluff Cove and Fitzroy Settlements.<ref>By Sea, By Land The Royal Marines, 1919-1997, James D. Ladd, p. 385, HarperCollins, 1998</ref>As a result of the British delay, Senior Lieutenant Darío Horacio Blanco and his platoon of engineers from the 601st Combat Engineer Battalion were able to blow up part of the bridge on 2 June unmolested, resulting in the costly Bluff Cove/Fitzroy bombings on 8 June when the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards aboard the troopships 'Sir Galahad' and 'Sir Tristram' arrived only to discover their advance route by land severed.<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-identificaron-mateo-sbert-sargento-murio-historica-nid2186555/ Malvinas: identificaron a Mateo Sbert, el sargento que murió en la histórica batalla de "Top Malo House"]</ref>

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Ten British M&AWC and SAS special forces were wounded/injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T03:50:26Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Bluff Cove Peak */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two badly wounded in the Mount Kent action. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''<ref>[https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/that-time-two-countries-special-forces-squared-off-in-combat/ That time two countries’ Special Forces squared off in combat]</ref>

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Ten British M&AWC and SAS special forces were wounded/injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T03:39:37Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Bluff Cove Peak */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero ―armed with a 7.62 mm machinegun― from Captain Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ-963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.<ref>''En medio de lo que parecia un corredor de aviones, aparecieron dos Harrier. El Perro, ni corto ni perezoso, volvio a dispararles. -¡Perro, dejáte de boludear y no les tires más porque van a saber dónde estamos y nos van a hacer pelota!, le pidieron sus compañeros a los gritos.'' Malvinas: 20 Años, 20 Héroes, p. 204, Fundación Soldados, 2002</ref>

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Ten British M&AWC and SAS special forces were wounded/injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T03:35:50Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Mount Kent */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers (Carl Rhodes and Richard Palmer). Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>See ''Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986''</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Ten British M&AWC and SAS special forces were wounded/injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T03:29:46Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Aftermath */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Ten British M&AWC and SAS special forces were wounded/injured, but five British Commandos were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]] on the lower slopes of Mount Kent.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T03:23:13Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainder of the patrol. In the confusion of surrender, a number of British Commandos kept firing and Medina was badly wounded in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentinians stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T03:18:42Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainders. In the confusion of surrender, the British attackers wounded Medina in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentines stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the bravery and skill of the Argentinian Commandos. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T03:15:30Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the initial attack, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], had an enemy Mountain Commando fixed in his sights when he lost consciousness through loss of blood before Senior Sergeants Miguel Ángel Castillo and Omar Medina reluctantly threw down their weapons and surrendered with the remainders. In the confusion of surrender, the British attackers wounded Medina in the left leg and Corporal Raúl Valdivieso was also shot.

The battle of Top Malo House had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentines stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the professionalism and skill of Britain's Special Forces. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T02:40:19Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and were flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], lost consciousness through loss of blood before the remainder threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The battle of Top Malo House, a few miles from Teal Inlet, on May 31 had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Taff Doyle, Steve Groves, Mac McLean and Corporal Chris Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentines stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the professionalism and skill of Britain's Special Forces. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T02:27:16Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and was flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering along with Captain José Arnobio Vercesi and Senior Lieutenant Juan José Gatti, the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]], lost consciousness through loss of blood before the remainder threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The battle of Top Malo House, a few miles from Teal Inlet, on May 31 had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Doyle, Groves, McLean and Corporal Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentines stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the professionalism and skill of Britain's Special Forces. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T02:22:05Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplying 42 Commando's 'Kilo' Company on Mount Kent.

The Argentinian outpost was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AWC commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and was flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before shooting in the hand Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullow Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat in the confusion, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]] lost consciousness through loss of blood before the remainder threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The battle of Top Malo House, a few miles from Teal Inlet, on May 31 had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Doyle, Groves, McLean and Corporal Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentines stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the professionalism and skill of Britain's Special Forces. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T02:12:12Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

On May 27th, a four-man patrol of the Mountain & Arctic Warfare Cadre (M&AWC) under Sergeant Chris Stone were manning an Observation Post (OP) on Bull Hill. They heard two UH-1 Huey helicopters approach their position and fearing that they would be attacked radioed that this might be their last transmission and that they would try to fight their way out. Fortunately after circling their position the Hueys set off towards Mount Simon (which was covered in mist) and deposited on the lower slopes what the British Mountain Commandos estimated to be a 17-man Special Forces patrol. This was worrying news for the British as the strong enemy patrol flanked 3 Commando Brigade Headquarters at Teal Inlet and the British helicopters supplyingj forward forces on Mount Kent.

This was reported to Captain Rod Boswell, the M&AW Cadre's commander at San Carlos. Top Malo House was beyond the range of British Artillery and no Royal Air Force Harriers were available for an air strike, so Brigadier Julian Thompson agreed that Boswell's unit should eliminate the Argentinian patrol. Captain Boswell gathered together nineteen Mountain Commandos and was flown forward by a Sea King helicopter piloted by Lieutenant John Miller the next morning.

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before wounding Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group in the hand.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullows Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]] lost consciousness through loss of blood before the remainder threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The battle of Top Malo House, a few miles from Teal Inlet, on May 31 had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Doyle, Groves, McLean and Corporal Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentines stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the professionalism and skill of Britain's Special Forces. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T01:34:46Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man fire support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before wounding Sergeant Mac Mclean from the support group in the hand.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullows Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]] lost consciousness through loss of blood before the remainder threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The battle of Top Malo House, a few miles from Teal Inlet, on May 31 had lasted about forty-five minutes and cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Doyle, Groves, McLean and Corporal Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentines stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the professionalism and skill of Britain's Special Forces. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T01:26:18Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man support group (under Lieutenant Callum Murray) on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote farmhouse.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before wounding Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullows Stream 200 metres away. The ammunition stacked in the farmhouse exploded as the British Mountain Commandos ran forward, forcing them to retreat, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the Argentinian Green Berets lying in the stream firing at them.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them.'' No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering the Argentinian retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]] lost consciousness through loss of blood before the remainder threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The battle of Top Malo House, a few miles from Teal Inlet, on May 31 cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Doyle, Groves, McLean and Corporal Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentines stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the professionalism and skill of Britain's Special Forces. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battle of Mount Kent and Top Malo House

2021-05-09T01:17:17Z

Raymondzeeman: /* Top Malo House */

On May 27, 1982, the 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) and 45 Commando (45 CDO), Royal Marines had left the British beachhead at San Carlos for Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak. The 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were ordered to attack the Argentinian Task Force ''Mercedes'' on May 28 located on Darwin Isthmus during the [[Battle of Darwin and Goose Green]], eliminating any future threat from the Argentinian garrison. Major [[Cedric Delves]]' D Squadron, [[22nd Special Air Service Regiment]], embarked in Sea King helicopters would seize Mount Kent, while 19 Royal Marine Commandos from the [[Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre]] (M&AWC) under Major [[Rod Boswell]], embarked in a Wessex helicopter, would capture and clear the forward Argentinian Special Forces patrol located at Top Malo House, allowing the 600 Paratroopers from 3 PARA to capture Estancia Mountain and Estancia House. Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 Commando (42 CDO) was expected to land on Mount Kent on the night of May 29. Delays and snow blizzards meant these helicopter-borne reinforcements would only arrive on the night May 31, perilously close to a firefight.

==Key ground==

Mount Kent with its surrounding hills is an area of high ground on East Falkland, approximately five miles west of Port Stanley. It rises to just under 1,100 feet and it dominated the central axis of advance from San Carlos to Stanley. Given its dominance and proximity to the capital of the Falkland Islands, the mountain was an area of special interest to both British and Argentinian Special Forces.

==First contact==

The first engagement during the Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House occurred during 27 May, when ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz, Sergeant Ramón Valdez, Corporal Walter Pintos and Private Daniel Castillo from the 4th Regiment's C Company, while patrolling the western slopes under the cover of darkness and heavy rain, were overflown by a British helicopter. After radioing this information to regimental headquarters, the small squad soon after detected a British hide and opened fire. The next day, they closely inspected the scene but only found empty British rations that had to be dug out of the ground.<ref>[http://www.malvinasenlaradio.com/desajoomla/test/category/118-mcp-2017 Marcelo Llambias Pravaz (Malvinas Corazón De Mi Patria)]</ref>

The next day, Lieutenant Guillermo Enrique Anaya from the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion visited Estancia House Farm and his Bell UH-1H helicopter landed twice on May 28th. Lieutenant Anaya thought there were British commandos hiding in a cow shed, so he machine-gunned it.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3JpnPMsuMA Entrevista a Guillermo Anaya, Top Gun de los helicopteristas]</ref>

In the days that followed there were a number of brief but extremely violent clashes between the Special Forces of both sides.

==Argentinian commando incursion==

About 40 men of 39-year-old Major [[Aldo Rico]]'s [[602nd Commando Company (Argentinian Army)]], were originally scheduled to make an assault landing in six Bell UH-1H helicopters of the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. A follow-up force, the 65-man 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major [[José Ricardo Spadaro]], would reinforce the Mount Kent position. Argentinian maps had confirmed the overland route was obstructed with minefields and booby-traps. This meant the National Gendarmerie Special Forces would have to arrive in a Puma helicopter the next day, exposed to Royal Air Force GR-3 Harriers in their morning bomb runs. There was additional delay when the Marine Special Forces from Major [[Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots]] 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping in the lead C-130 Hercules aircraft from [[Comodoro Rivadavia]] on the Argentinian mainland, had to abort landing on Stanley Airport. A snow blizzard added to the confusion as the Argentinian Special Forces hurriedly prepared their backpacks and gear for the insertions.

On Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak, Major Cedric Delves' thinly spread out D Squadron, received no warning of Operation ''Autoimpuesta'' and were momentarily caught off guard when they heard the sound of Argentinian Army helicopters approaching from Murrell River, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in 29 Argentinian Army Green Berets consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's 5-man HQ Section and Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd and Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both 12-man patrols.<ref>''On Mount Kent D Squadron, thinly spread out, received no warning of Operation Autoimpuesta and were unprepared for the sound, at about 6pm, of helicopters approaching from the east, in fact a Puma and four Huey helicopters bringing in twenty-nine commandos consisting of Captain Eduardo Villarruel's five-strong HQ Section and Captain Tomas Fernandez's 2nd and Captain Ferrero's 3rd Assault Sections, both twelve-strong.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

==Mount Kent==

On the night of May 29th 1982, Captain Andres Antonio Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company ran into Boat Troop from D Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service on the eastern slopes of the mountain.<ref>''Ferrero's section landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and were soon engaged in a confusing close-quarter night battle with Boat Troop of exploding grenades, sudden firefights at close rage and the abrupt scuttle of boots over rocks.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 147, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The British took control of the situation, but at the cost of two badly wounded SAS troopers. Captain Andres Ferrero remembers:{{cquote|The Malvinas War is all so long ago now that it is difficult to recall it, even more to sort out the details sufficiently to compare one's experience there with Comandos en Accion. However, reading Isidoro Ruiz-Moreno's official history, again and again, to refresh myflagging memory has proved a salutary experience. Our mission briefing told us little more than we were to get on the ground, deal with any opposition as best we could and wait for the National Gendarmerie Commandos. Our task was to block the advance of 3 Commando Brigade.

We'd been divided into two waves. I didn't like the idea of being split from the rest of the Commandos, but I could see why we had to do it. To fly in the turbulence between the peaks was a sure way to lose further helicopters. Bad weather had been forcast. Dark clouds on the horizon were blowing in Puerto Argentino's direction. To add to the problem, only four helicopters were available. Major Aldo Rico had agreed that the second wave should be postponed until the next day and since he and others in the company had failed to hitch a helicopter lift, to pass the time that night, he achieved his goal to learn to ride a motorbike. Rico had asked Major Mario Castagneto if he thought Mount Kent could be reached by foot but, because of the new minefields, he realized it would not be possible. In any case, it was too late to do anything by land that day.

We were issued grenades, bandoliers and ammunition, and two MAG machineguns, along with anti-tank rocket launchers and ratpacks. We were tired after a sleepless night. First Lieutenant Horacio Fernando Lauria, a charismatic engineer-commando in his early thirties, in an attempt to take his mind of what lay ahead had been studying Mount Kent zone maps and intelligence reports ... We boarded a Unimog, which Captain Fernando de la Serna told us would be taking us to our helicopter. We were dressed in reversible white camouflage suits. The helmets came off, the berets on, and the 602nd was driven to the Soccer Field. It was around 4 in the evening and darker than usual because the sky was overcast. Journalist Eduardo Rotondo was filming us and taking pictures. This was a unique period for the Army; to be in a war zone accompanied by journalists.

It was Argentinian Army Day. A day to be proud of our Army. It was even more important for Major Rico as it was his son's birthday. The helicopter we boarded - Huey AE 418 - was stripped bare inside and we sat on the floor ... At last, at about 5 in the evening came the order to go. Captains Eduardo Villarruel and Jorge Duran were coming too. The pilot lifted his helicopter into a low hover, about 3 feet off the ground. The whine of the engines was deafening. We were in the air, and this time it wasn't a training exercise. The pilot, lowered the helicopter's nose and picked up airspeed. It was a 6 or 7 minute flight - something like that. As we started to approach the noise was incredible. When we landed, I could not get off fast enough. As soon as we got off clear of the blades we began to off-load the weapons and equipment. The helicopter was loaded to the roof with spareammunition, Instalaza missiles and medical packs. We watched the ascent of the helicopter until it disappeared.

Not surprisingly, some insertions were badly scattered: Captain Eduardo Villarruel's headquarters group was so thoroughly lost that they did not rejoin the 602nd until the next day. We had landed 500 metres off course - northeast of Mount Kent. The night had fallen like ice into a glass, sharp and cold. With First Lieutenant Francisco Maqueda, an experienced mountaineer, leading, we moved higher up the mountain. It was awful terrain, with rocky outcrops all over the place. It was extremely difficult going for, while the sides of the mountain were not sheer, they were very steep and made up of boulders. One thing all of us had in common was that we were in reasonable shape.

The average age in the 602nd was between 28 and 33. Otherwise my combat patrol couldn't have undertaken the six grueling patrol missions that lay ahead. The thought of bumping into a British patrol, or even worse, walking into an ambush, was uppermost in my mind. This was the Lion's den. We'd gone 500 metres when, I signaled a stop. 'I can hear water, ' I said. I got edgy. I turned to Lauria who caught up with me when I stopped and he asked, 'Why not let Mucked and me go on a reconnaissance, to see what's around?' I thought for a moment, then said, 'Okay, but that I along with Maqueda would be going, with Oviedo.' The rest were to stay behind some boulders and wait for us to signal with the torch ... When we had gone about 50 metres all hell broke out. The rest of the patrol under Lauria, came under accurate machine-gun and mortar fire.

Only one man was wounded though - First Sergeant Raimundo Maximiliano Viltes. He received a bullet through a heel. For a few seconds, pandemonium reigned. Only a few managed to get rounds off. Lauria thought they were part of Combat Team Solari that was known to have been dug in the area. When he explained to me what happened, it was obvious he was very shocked. Returning fire with his FAL rifle, Lauria managed to hit some Special Air Service Commandos ... By now it was about 7 in the evening and I heard two helicopters flying over head, returning with the 601st's 2nd Assault Section from Big Mountain, but saw nothing because of the low clouds. I had to make myself calm down. I had already experienced combat, being under fire from People's Revolutionary Army guerrillas. I had been a Commando since 1975 and had served in Tucuman Province. I tried to work out how to hit back. We crawled towards them, heard they were British and decided to take them ourselves. The problem was that we had to sprint over the top, World War One style. I had little hope that anyone could have survived that ambush. I was filled with confusion as well as desperate with anxiety. By this time mortar flares were up, illuminating portions of the area. Later I learned that at the first sound of mortar fire most had run away. It wasn't exactly the reaction Lauria had wanted. Lauria and Viltes, who were last away, had a grim withdrawal under mortar fire all the way. First Sergeant Jose Nunez helped Viltes.

That night Lauria lay listening to the storm of fire as the Kent ridgeline blazed under the fire of 'D' Squadron of the Special Air Service Regiment. I started to pray. I put myself in God's hands and I know this is going to sound corny, but it started snowing very hard. We didn't dare wait too long. The signal we'd agreed on was one, two, then go. When finally we were calm enough, I put up one finger, then two, and we made our move. We were now scrambling downhill. It was slippery, dangerous. We slid down the mountainside on our backs and bottoms, sending small avalanches of grey stone, cascading down the mountain. During the getaway we lost Oviedo. The British Commandos did not follow up. There were about 20 of them with two machineguns but they also fled. This is not uncommon in war. It was later learned that the British Commandos, thinking that they were on the point of being outflanked by Maqueda, Oviedo and me, decided to retire. Realizing their mistake, they returned to the Kent ridgeline just as Captain Tomas Fernandez's patrol closed on Bluff Cove Peak.<ref>Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, Emecé, 1986</ref>}}

Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel had also landed on the eastern slopes of Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the northern rocks. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of holding Mount Kent and the option of retreating to Estancia House Farm, Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, instructed Major Cedric Delves that it was critical to maintain the position and instructed him to gather the lead elements of 3 PARA until 42 Commando arrived.<ref>''Meanwhile, according to his patrol report, Villarruel had also landed on Mount Kent and, avoiding contact, withdrew to the high ground north of the hill. After discussing with Brigadier Thompson the importance of seizing Mount Kent and disadvantage of regrouping at Estancia, Lieutenant Colonel Mike Rose, who commanded the SAS, instructed Major Delves that it was critical to hold it and put him in command of all forces in the area until 42 Commando arrived.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 148, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

3 PARA had captured Teal Inlet Settlement on May 29 in their march to Estancia House, one of the British paratroopers in Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company had been evacuated suffering from a self-inflicted wound.<ref>Unfortunately, this was a 'negligent discharge' originating from one of the most dangerous weapons in the British military inventory, the 9 mm sub-machine gun. He was rather unwell as Nick Morgan, John Williams and Malcolm Jowitt got to work. Later, this patient would complain about the three tubes inserted into his chest, but those drainage routes did a vital job in carrying away the blood leaking from the bullet's long track. He was a rather lucky boy – another survivor, and very much against the odds. Doctor for Friend and Foe: Britain's Frontline Medic in the Fight for the Falklands, Rick Jolly, p. 89, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012</ref>

==Bluff Cove Peak==

In the meantime, the 602nd Commando Company's 2nd Assault Section, commanded by ''Capitán'' Tomás Victor Fernández, after a brief pause, continued its advance up [[Bluff Cove Peak]]. It was here that ''Teniente 1º'' Rubén Eduardo Márquez and ''Sargento 1º'' Oscar Humberto Blas won posthumously the ''Medalla Heroico Valor en Combate'' (Gallantry in Combat Medal) in a patrol clash in which they wounded two Special Air Service Commandos with hand grenades.<ref>''Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May.'' Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, pg 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997</ref><ref>''Fernandez's section spent the night extricating themselves from the ambush and although two more SAS were wounded, he lost Sergeant Alfredo Flores, who was knocked out when he fell and was taken prisoner.''Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>
There was nothing for it but to squeeze as many as possible into caves near the top of Bluff Cove Peak," admits Captain Fernández.

That same morning, before dawn, as Captain Eduardo Marcelo Villarruel led his headquarters group back to Argentinian lines, he ran into a heavily armed British patrol on the foggy slopes of Mount Kent heading to Estancia House. The Argentinian Special Forces went to ground and deployed into a skirmish line ready to open up. Sergeant Mario Antonio Cisnero, had the 7.62 millimetre belt-fed machine-gun and got very excited. Villarruel, for some reason told Cisnero to hold his fire. It was a serious misjudgment and probably cost the Argentinians the battle for Mount Kent. It later transpired that the British patrol were members of 'D' Squadron, 22nd Special Air Service Regiment retreating with their two wounded. Unfortunately because of the blizzard, communications were lost on both sides. But for the first time Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Rose's 22nd Special Air Service Regiment was in control of the situation after the initial confusion. By 1700 local time on May 30 when Captain Tomás Fernández's radio operator, Senior Sergeant Alfredo Flores, at last came on air, he passed the dramatic message, ''"We are in trouble" and 40 minutes later, "there are English all around us.. you had better hurry up."''

The Argentinian helicopter-borne offensive had been checked, with the Special Air Service successfully maintaining their positions on Mount Kent and Bluff Cove Peak. Major Aldo Rico was placed in charge of all further Special Forces operations. He reluctantly cancelled the deployment of Major Mario Castagneto's 601st Commando Company and instructed Castagneto to rescue the 602nd Commando Company, who were to assemble on Estancia Mountain. <ref>''Operation Autoimpuesta, so far, was not going well and with the British now occupying Mount Kent, Major Rico was given command of Special Forces operations. He cancelled the deployment of 601 Commando Company and instructed Major Castagneto to rescue 602 Commando, who were to assemble on Mount Estancia.'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, pg. 149, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

Captain Andres Ferrero regrouped his men on Estancia Mountain and awaited reinforcements. Around 1100 local time on May 30th, the Argentinian patrol commander watched in horror as two Royal Air Force Harriers (XZ963 and XZ789) made a pass over the Puma carrying reinforcements from the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron, firing as they went. The Puma crashed in the ground and started a fire in which six Gendarmerie Commandos from Captain Jorge San Emeterio's combat patrol were killed: Lieutenant Ricardo Julio Sánchez, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Nasif, Corporals Marciano Veron, Víctor Samuel Guerrero, Carlos Ismael Pereyra and Lance-Corporal Juan Carlos Treppo. Those Gendarmerie Commandos who could jumped out, some of them braving the fire and exploding ammunition to rescue eight injured colleagues.

The Argentinian 3rd Rifle Platoon under ''Subteniente'' Marcelo Llambías Pravaz on Mount Challenger, however, exacted rapid revenge and Royal Air Force Harrier XZ 963 flown by Squadron-Leader Jerry Pook was shot down.

==Royal Marine reinforcements==

The job of seizing the 1,300ft mountain fell to Captain Peter Babbington's ''Kilo'' Company of 42 CDO, who would be flown in by helicopters. Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron was told to locate and secure a suitable landing zone below the Mount Kent summit, but the lack of helicopters, coupled with blizzard conditions, meant it took five nights to airlift in the 120 Royal Marines of Babbington.

The British High Command 8,000 miles away in Northwood, impatient for victories, questioned the need to use up valuable time on reconnaissance. Fortunately the British commander in the Falklands ignored their orders, because when the Royal Marines did land on the lower slopes of Mount Kent they discovered that strong enemy special forces patrols were still trying to penetrate the British lines.

Brigadier [[Julian Thompson]], who commanded 3 Commando Brigade, wrote later that without the SAS presence on Mount Kent, the Argentine patrols ''"would have had a turkey shoot on the vulnerable helicopters and the troops as they jumped out, temporarily disorientated in the darkness; the operation would have been a disaster."''<ref>[http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/heritage/key-battles-at-top-malo-and-mount-kent-1-1272106 Key battles at Top Malo and Mount Kent]</ref>

When the 42 CDO spearhead flew in on the night of May 30/31 they witnessed the SAS ambush Captain Tomás Fernández's 2nd Assault Section near the landing site. Fortunately for the Royal Marine reinforcements, though, the Argentinian patrol withdrew after having earlier lost two killed on Bluff Cove Peak.

Also heavily involved in this action was the Task Force’s only surviving Chinook helicopter, ''Bravo November''. Flight-Lieutenant Andy Lawless, co-pilot of the Chinook took part in the mission to deliver artillery guns and ammunition to the SAS and describes the crash of the helicopter (possibly as a result of small-arms fire) soon after:{{cquote|We knew the SAS were outgunned. Our job was to land 105-mm howitzers] of 29 Regiment Royal Artillery. Rose (Loadmaster) told me the landing site was flat and secure. The mission was to be flown all at night with night-vision goggles. We had three 105—mm guns inside and ammunition pallets under-slung. Then the fog of war intervened. The ground was not flat and covered in boulders. We could not find anywhere to land and we spent time manoeuvring to drop off the under-slung loads. We had to put them exactly where the gunners wanted because they could not roll the guns very far across the terrible terrain. I can distinctly remember troops moving under the rotor disking firing their guns – this was not part of the plan. There were incoming artillery rounds. Once we dropped off the guns we went straight back to San Carlos to bring in more guns and ammo. Then we hit water. We were lucky because if we had hit solid ground we would have been dead. We hit at 100 knots. The bow wave came over the cockpit window as we settled and the engines partially flamed out. I knew we had ditched but I was not sure if we had been hit. Dick (Pilot) said he thought we had been hit by ground fire. As the helicopter settled the bow wave reduced. We had the collective still up and the engine wound up as we came out of the water like a cork out of a bottle. We were climbing.<ref>16 Air Assault Brigade: The History of Britain's Rapid Reaction Force, Tim Ripley, pp. 45-46, Casemate Publishers, 2008</ref>}}

==Top Malo House==

Having surrounded Top Malo House, Captain Rod Boswell ordered his 12-man assault group patrol to fix bayonets and fire a green flare, the signal for the 7-man support group on a nearby hillock to unleash a volley of six anti-tank rockets at the remote shepherd's house.

Senior Lieutenant [[Ernesto Emilio Espinosa]] on sentry duty on the top stairs window raised the alarm and was shot and killed by Corporal Steve Groves armed with a sniper rifle, but not before wounding Sergeant Mac Mclean in the hand.

As Boswell and his assault group charged forward, two more 66mm rockets smashed into the house and the Argentinian Army Special Forces who had taken cover there overnight fled to Mullows Stream 200 metres away.<ref>''The enemy ran out of the house into a small stream bed about 50 metres away, firing as they ran. Sergeant Doyle fell, hit through the shoulder and then Corporal Groves also fell, hit in the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward, causing them to recoil for a moment, while smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them." No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008</ref>

In the fierce firefight that followed, Senior Sergeant [[Mateo Domingo Sbert]] was killed while covering their retreat to the stream and the Argentinian second-in-command, Senior Lieutenant [[Horacio Losito]] lost consciousness through loss of blood before the remainder threw down their weapons and surrendered.

The battle of Top Malo House, a few miles from Teal Inlet, on May 31 cost the lives of two members of Captain [[José Arnobio Vercesi]]'s 1st Assault Section of the 602nd Commando Company. The 10 Argentinian survivors, six of them wounded, were taken prisoner.

Four Royal Marine Commandos (Sergeants Doyle, Groves, McLean and Corporal Stone) were wounded<ref>[http://www.forces.net/news/remembering-falklands-day-day Remembering The Falklands Day By Day]</ref><ref>''"Sergeant McLean was wounded in the hand when a round hit the 66mm LAW he was about to fire."'' Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref><ref>''"The fire group quickly destroyed the target house, but the Argentines stormed out, firing back and very quickly two Marines, Sergeant Terry Doyle in the assault group and Sergeant Rocky Stone of the fire group, had been shot and injured. Then Corporal Steve Groves was shot in the chest. The assault group had almost charged down on to Top Malo, blazing firepower from the hip and with Boswell leading."'' Commando, David Reynolds, p. 146, Sutton, 2001</ref>, a testament to the professionalism and skill of Britain's Special Forces. Unknown to Boswell's men, however, the 45-minute fight had been watched by Argentinian Air Force Observation Posts (OPs) manning OPs on nearby hills. So awestruck were they by the textbook assault, that 14 of them surrendered to the Paratroopers and Royal Marines making their way to Estancia Mountain and Bluff Cove Peak.

Captain José Arnobio Vercesi's 1st Assault Section from the 602nd Commando Company and Captain [[José Ramón Negretti]]'s 2nd Assault Section from Major [[Mario Luis Castagneto]]'s 601st Commando Company had been using Mount Simon and Big Mountain to report on and harry the British advance towards Mount Kent, the first of several peaks guarding the approach to Port Stanley.

==Aftermath==

The Battles of Mount Kent and Top Malo House in late May 1982 cost the lives of eleven members of Argentina's Special Forces. Just 10 British special forces were wounded, but five were soon killed as a result of [[Friendly fire]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:1980s]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Argentina]]

Battles of Mount Harriet and Two Sisters Mountain

2021-05-09T00:53:05Z

Raymondzeeman: /* 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 Ramón Orlando Palavecino and Luis Orlando Aguilera on Two Sisters in the first two days of June 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 reinforcements in the form of a 10-man hand-picked section (under Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano) from 'B' Company Headquarters 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 the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) 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 night 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>

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> 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 Battle 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 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, 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 3-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 Dunning and Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British 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 Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps been reinforced in time by the 6th 'Mercedes' Regiment's 'B' Company which was currently preparing. Commando-trained Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet was naturally anxious to help Major Cordón. This would have changed the picture of the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain completely.

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 fire and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company. Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed, suffering two near-misses from anti-tanks rockets. Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest 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 3rd 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 on Murray Heights, 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 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, off Seal Point, 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 'Yankee' Company in the form of Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two 6th Regiment machine-gun teams, killing or wounding the crews, somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso and Private Mario Javier Romero, 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 was contemplated but rejected. 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' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambias-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail'. 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. His conscripts 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 gung-ho 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 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>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams protecting on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine marines all fought to the end and were killed with bullets and bayonets. We had to fight through lots of positions, clearing the enemy."''<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/9164691/Falklands-War-hero-explains-why-he-entered-the-church-after-being-awarded-the-Military-Cross.html Falklands War hero explains why he entered the church after being awarded the Military Cross]</ref>

==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 Royal Marine Commando Battalion (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 Royal Marine Commando Battalion'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 formidable 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 Royal Marine Commando Battalion'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 Royal Marine Commando Battalion'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 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 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, 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 Carlos Montellano
was killed.

In 2012, in an interview with the British newspaper ''Chester Chronicle'', Lieutenant Chris Caroe, a 21-year-old platoon commander in the fighting for the southern peak, reported that:{{cquote|Despite being a conscript army... the Argentinians were a force to be reckoned with because they were led by skilled regulars.
<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141019061950/http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/ex-marine-chris-caroe-chester-recalls-5179719 Ex-marine Chris Caroe from Chester recalls the Falklands War ]</ref>}}

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Towsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Towsend reporting that Jiménez-Corbalán was ''"A well trained officer that fought with bravery alongside his men."''<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-tras-enfrentarse-combate-se-hicieron-amigos-nid2234223 Malvinas. Tras enfrentarse en combate, se hicieron amigos y ahora volvieron juntos a las islas]</ref>

== 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

2021-05-09T00:28:26Z

Raymondzeeman:

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 Ramón Orlando Palavecino and Luis Orlando Aguilera on Two Sisters in the first two days of June 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 reinforcements in the form of a 10-man hand-picked section (under Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano) from 'B' Company Headquarters 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 the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) 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 night 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>

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> 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 Battle 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 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, 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 3-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 Dunning and Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British 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 Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps been reinforced in time by the 6th 'Mercedes' Regiment's 'B' Company which was currently preparing. Commando-trained Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet was naturally anxious to help Major Cordón. This would have changed the picture of the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain completely.

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 fire and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company. Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed. Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest 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 3rd 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 on Murray Heights, 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 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, off Seal Point, 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 'Yankee' Company in the form of Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop reportedly destroyed two 6th Regiment machine-gun teams, killing or wounding the crews, somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso and Private Mario Javier Romero, 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 was contemplated but rejected. 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' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambias-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail'. 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. His conscripts 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 gung-ho 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 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>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams protecting on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine marines all fought to the end and were killed with bullets and bayonets. We had to fight through lots of positions, clearing the enemy."''<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/9164691/Falklands-War-hero-explains-why-he-entered-the-church-after-being-awarded-the-Military-Cross.html Falklands War hero explains why he entered the church after being awarded the Military Cross]</ref>

==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 Royal Marine Commando Battalion (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 Royal Marine Commando Battalion'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 formidable 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 Royal Marine Commando Battalion'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 Royal Marine Commando Battalion'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 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 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, 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 Carlos Montellano
was killed.

In 2012, in an interview with the British newspaper ''Chester Chronicle'', Lieutenant Chris Caroe, a 21-year-old platoon commander in the fighting for the southern peak, reported that:{{cquote|Despite being a conscript army... the Argentinians were a force to be reckoned with because they were led by skilled regulars.
<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141019061950/http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/ex-marine-chris-caroe-chester-recalls-5179719 Ex-marine Chris Caroe from Chester recalls the Falklands War ]</ref>}}

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Towsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Towsend reporting that Jiménez-Corbalán was ''"A well trained officer that fought with bravery alongside his men."''<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-tras-enfrentarse-combate-se-hicieron-amigos-nid2234223 Malvinas. Tras enfrentarse en combate, se hicieron amigos y ahora volvieron juntos a las islas]</ref>

== 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

2021-05-09T00:19:19Z

Raymondzeeman: /* 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 Ramón Orlando Palavecino and Luis Orlando Aguilera on Two Sisters in the first two days of June 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 reinforcements in the form of a 10-man hand-picked section (under Sergeant Héctor Carlos Montellano) from 'B' Company Headquarters 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 the 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon (under 2d Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli) 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 night 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>

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> 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 Battle 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 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, 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 3-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 Dunning and Davies) and the naval gunfire liaison officer of the British 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 Perez-Grandi's 2nd Platoon, 'Summer Days' would have perhaps been reinforced in time by the 6th 'Mercedes' Regiment's 'B' Company which was currently preparing. Commando-trained Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet was naturally anxious to help Major Cordón. This would have changed the picture of the Battle for Two Sisters Mountain completely.

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 fire and mortar fire on 'Yankee' Company. Private Oscar Ismael Poltronieri, as a machine-gunner found himself very busy indeed. Part of his citation for the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest 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 3rd 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 on Murray Heights, 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 'Yankee' Company and had been hit while taking a short cut close to the shoreline, off Seal Point, 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 'Yankee' Company in the form of Lieutenant Andy Shaw's 5 Troop destroyed a 6th Regiment machine-gun post, killing the crew, somehow avoiding the mortar bombs exploding all around them coming from the 120mm mortar section under Corporal Juan Antonio Barroso and Private Mario Javier Romero, 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 was contemplated but rejected. 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' Company came under heavy fire from 2d Lt Llambias-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on 'Long Toenail'. 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. His conscripts 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 revenge.<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 gung-ho 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 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>

For Lieutenant Cliver Dytor, who had joined the Royal Marines in 1980, the Argentinian heavy machine-gunners and protecting rifle teams protecting on the northern peak had fought to the bitter end, ''"The Argentine marines all fought to the end and were killed with bullets and bayonets. We had to fight through lots of positions, clearing the enemy."''<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/falklandislands/9164691/Falklands-War-hero-explains-why-he-entered-the-church-after-being-awarded-the-Military-Cross.html Falklands War hero explains why he entered the church after being awarded the Military Cross]</ref>

==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 Royal Marine Commando Battalion (under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux).

Under the cover of darkness of June 12, 42 Royal Marine Commando Battalion'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 formidable 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 Royal Marine Commando Battalion'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 Royal Marine Commando Battalion'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 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 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, 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 Carlos Montellano
was killed.

In 2012, in an interview with the British newspaper ''Chester Chronicle'', Lieutenant Chris Caroe, a 21-year-old platoon commander in the fighting for the southern peak, reported that:{{cquote|Despite being a conscript army... the Argentinians were a force to be reckoned with because they were led by skilled regulars.
<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20141019061950/http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/ex-marine-chris-caroe-chester-recalls-5179719 Ex-marine Chris Caroe from Chester recalls the Falklands War ]</ref>}}

In 2019, former platoon commanders Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán and Mark Towsend returned to the Falklands/Malvinas to inspect the battlefield and in a token of friendship exchanged berets on the summit of Harriet with Towsend reporting that Jiménez-Corbalán was ''"A well trained officer that fought with bravery alongside his men."''<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-tras-enfrentarse-combate-se-hicieron-amigos-nid2234223 Malvinas. Tras enfrentarse en combate, se hicieron amigos y ahora volvieron juntos a las islas]</ref>

== 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]]