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Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-08-20T23:02:18Z

Zimmerman: /* Argentinian surrender */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment (Regimiento de Infantería 12 or RI 12) left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando sniper (Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos) seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the Regimental Commander, the Operations Officer (Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore) and the Personnel Officer (Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse) flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

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

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

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

The British claim that a downed Gazelle helicopter pilot (Sergeant Andy Evans) was mortally wounded while struggling in the water first spread like wildfire with the publication of Martin Middlebrook’s first book on the Falklands War ('Operation Corporate', Viking, 1985), who believed the mistaken claims from the locals (Thora Alazia, Suzanne McCormick and others) that Evans had been shot and killed after his helicopter ditched into San Carlos Water.

However, more recent British accounts clearly show that Sergeant Evans was already mortally wounded but alive before his Gazelle helicopter crashed into San Carlos Water. And Evans was not hit while struggling in the icy cold waters. The co-pilot, Sergeant Edgard Candlish, was also not shot and was able to swim to safety after cutting Evan’s free from the wreckage and dragging the pilot halfway to the shoreline.<ref>‘Flying Marines: A History of Royal Marines Aviation’ (available online)</ref>

In 1992, the widow of Sergeant Evans called for a war crime investigation surrounding his death but the case foundered due to evidence showing his fatal injury having been caused while still flying his helicopter, rather than after the crash as mistakenly reported at the time.<ref>''"Sergeant Andy Evans from Landrake in Cornwall, had been married to his wife Julie for 12 years. They had two little children, Samantha and Mark. Ten years after the war, his widow called for an investigation of his death but the case foundered due, it appears to his fatal injury having been caused before his crash, rather than after as inferred by his co-pilot's statement."''
The Falklands War: Then and Now, Gordon Ramsey, pg, 194, After The Battle, 2009</ref>

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the beachhead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused 'A' Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650-700 British Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/06/02/british-attackers-said-to-dominate-hills-near-stanley/3b28eb06-e3b9-47ae-acff-252d89f190de/ British Attackers Said to Dominate Hills Near Stanley]</ref><ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British rear from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Regiment. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

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

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

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

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

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 AM.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon (C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment) to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal into cover, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>'The Battle of Goose Green', Secret History: Season 4, Channel 4, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the BBC journalists and British veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García from RI 8 and others from RI 12, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Güemes' (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for Combat Team 'Güemes' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, Combat Team 'Güemes' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over one-thousand 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies from 2 PARA managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to slowly but steadily clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 PM the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping, along with his platoon commander, cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors of his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked Major Philip Neame's D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm.<ref>"1636 hs – Un Pucará reitera su suicida pasada de ataque a la infantería enemiga. Estalla en el aire en el límite Oeste de Ganso Verde y se pierde en el mar. Saludo militarmente, rindiendo honores al piloto, en dirección al punto de impacto." Defensa y Caída De Darwin y Pradera Del Ganso</ref>The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time 2 PARA's D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him.<ref>Major Philip Neame: "One (35mm) round landed quite some way on the track and the shrapnel splinter hit one of my soldiers (Steve Dixon) a few yards in front of me. This lad took several minutes, many minutes to die in front of us." Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>It was here that the British advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 PM when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>from Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill.

Major Chris Keeble took stock of the situation and estimated that one in six of the British Paratroopers had been killed, wounded or injured in the fighting so far: ''"In that dusk, I then took stock of our position. It was bitterly cold, it was snowing, one in six of us had either been killed or injured and they were lying around us. Our logistic supply had not really reinforced all our ammunition. We were very short on ammunition, and we were exhausted. We had been fighting for something like sixteen hours and we still had not achieved the mission."''<ref>Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>

A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in among some sheep shearing sheds in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques and his men.<ref>Entrevista Nº 7: Soldado Conscripto Clase 63 VGM Carlos Landaida - RI 12 (available on YouTube)</ref>There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Wessex helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden (et al), Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Camp), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda. It was all down to their basic fitness, plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref><ref>"Throughout the afternoon, helicopters arrive and unload wounded human cargo. Later, we tot up the numbers; nearly 80 casualties have been processed through the dressing station with 47 actually operated on under general anaesthetic." The Red and Green Life Machine: A Diary of the Falklands Field Hospital, Rick Jolly, p. 75, Century Publishing, 1983</ref>The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript force could fight so determinedly for several hours against highly professional British Paratroopers.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on Argentinian Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley, Goose Green and elsewhere during the Argentinian occupation.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University who received him with much courtesy. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-08-20T23:01:26Z

Zimmerman: /* Argentinian surrender */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment (Regimiento de Infantería 12 or RI 12) left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando sniper (Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos) seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the Regimental Commander, the Operations Officer (Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore) and the Personnel Officer (Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse) flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

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

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

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

The British claim that a downed Gazelle helicopter pilot (Sergeant Andy Evans) was mortally wounded while struggling in the water first spread like wildfire with the publication of Martin Middlebrook’s first book on the Falklands War ('Operation Corporate', Viking, 1985), who believed the mistaken claims from the locals (Thora Alazia, Suzanne McCormick and others) that Evans had been shot and killed after his helicopter ditched into San Carlos Water.

However, more recent British accounts clearly show that Sergeant Evans was already mortally wounded but alive before his Gazelle helicopter crashed into San Carlos Water. And Evans was not hit while struggling in the icy cold waters. The co-pilot, Sergeant Edgard Candlish, was also not shot and was able to swim to safety after cutting Evan’s free from the wreckage and dragging the pilot halfway to the shoreline.<ref>‘Flying Marines: A History of Royal Marines Aviation’ (available online)</ref>

In 1992, the widow of Sergeant Evans called for a war crime investigation surrounding his death but the case foundered due to evidence showing his fatal injury having been caused while still flying his helicopter, rather than after the crash as mistakenly reported at the time.<ref>''"Sergeant Andy Evans from Landrake in Cornwall, had been married to his wife Julie for 12 years. They had two little children, Samantha and Mark. Ten years after the war, his widow called for an investigation of his death but the case foundered due, it appears to his fatal injury having been caused before his crash, rather than after as inferred by his co-pilot's statement."''
The Falklands War: Then and Now, Gordon Ramsey, pg, 194, After The Battle, 2009</ref>

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the beachhead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused 'A' Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650-700 British Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/06/02/british-attackers-said-to-dominate-hills-near-stanley/3b28eb06-e3b9-47ae-acff-252d89f190de/ British Attackers Said to Dominate Hills Near Stanley]</ref><ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British rear from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Regiment. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

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

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

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

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

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 AM.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon (C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment) to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal into cover, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>'The Battle of Goose Green', Secret History: Season 4, Channel 4, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the BBC journalists and British veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García from RI 8 and others from RI 12, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Güemes' (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for Combat Team 'Güemes' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, Combat Team 'Güemes' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over one-thousand 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies from 2 PARA managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to slowly but steadily clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 PM the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping, along with his platoon commander, cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors of his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked Major Philip Neame's D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm.<ref>"1636 hs – Un Pucará reitera su suicida pasada de ataque a la infantería enemiga. Estalla en el aire en el límite Oeste de Ganso Verde y se pierde en el mar. Saludo militarmente, rindiendo honores al piloto, en dirección al punto de impacto." Defensa y Caída De Darwin y Pradera Del Ganso</ref>The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time 2 PARA's D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him.<ref>Major Philip Neame: "One (35mm) round landed quite some way on the track and the shrapnel splinter hit one of my soldiers (Steve Dixon) a few yards in front of me. This lad took several minutes, many minutes to die in front of us." Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>It was here that the British advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 PM when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>from Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill.

Major Chris Keeble took stock of the situation and estimated that one in six of the British Paratroopers had been killed, wounded or injured in the fighting so far: "In that dusk, I then took stock of our position. It was bitterly cold, it was snowing, one in six of us had either been killed or injured and they were lying around us. Our logistic supply had not really reinforced all our ammunition. We were very short on ammunition, and we were exhausted. We had been fighting for something like sixteen hours and we still had not achieved the mission."<ref>Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>

A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in among some sheep shearing sheds in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques and his men.<ref>Entrevista Nº 7: Soldado Conscripto Clase 63 VGM Carlos Landaida - RI 12 (available on YouTube)</ref>There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Wessex helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden (et al), Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Camp), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda. It was all down to their basic fitness, plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref><ref>"Throughout the afternoon, helicopters arrive and unload wounded human cargo. Later, we tot up the numbers; nearly 80 casualties have been processed through the dressing station with 47 actually operated on under general anaesthetic." The Red and Green Life Machine: A Diary of the Falklands Field Hospital, Rick Jolly, p. 75, Century Publishing, 1983</ref>The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript force could fight so determinedly for several hours against highly professional British Paratroopers.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on Argentinian Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley, Goose Green and elsewhere during the Argentinian occupation.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University who received him with much courtesy. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-08-20T22:59:49Z

Zimmerman: /* Argentinian surrender */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment (Regimiento de Infantería 12 or RI 12) left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando sniper (Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos) seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the Regimental Commander, the Operations Officer (Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore) and the Personnel Officer (Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse) flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

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

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

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

The British claim that a downed Gazelle helicopter pilot (Sergeant Andy Evans) was mortally wounded while struggling in the water first spread like wildfire with the publication of Martin Middlebrook’s first book on the Falklands War ('Operation Corporate', Viking, 1985), who believed the mistaken claims from the locals (Thora Alazia, Suzanne McCormick and others) that Evans had been shot and killed after his helicopter ditched into San Carlos Water.

However, more recent British accounts clearly show that Sergeant Evans was already mortally wounded but alive before his Gazelle helicopter crashed into San Carlos Water. And Evans was not hit while struggling in the icy cold waters. The co-pilot, Sergeant Edgard Candlish, was also not shot and was able to swim to safety after cutting Evan’s free from the wreckage and dragging the pilot halfway to the shoreline.<ref>‘Flying Marines: A History of Royal Marines Aviation’ (available online)</ref>

In 1992, the widow of Sergeant Evans called for a war crime investigation surrounding his death but the case foundered due to evidence showing his fatal injury having been caused while still flying his helicopter, rather than after the crash as mistakenly reported at the time.<ref>''"Sergeant Andy Evans from Landrake in Cornwall, had been married to his wife Julie for 12 years. They had two little children, Samantha and Mark. Ten years after the war, his widow called for an investigation of his death but the case foundered due, it appears to his fatal injury having been caused before his crash, rather than after as inferred by his co-pilot's statement."''
The Falklands War: Then and Now, Gordon Ramsey, pg, 194, After The Battle, 2009</ref>

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the beachhead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused 'A' Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650-700 British Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/06/02/british-attackers-said-to-dominate-hills-near-stanley/3b28eb06-e3b9-47ae-acff-252d89f190de/ British Attackers Said to Dominate Hills Near Stanley]</ref><ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British rear from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Regiment. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

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

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

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

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

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 AM.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon (C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment) to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal into cover, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>'The Battle of Goose Green', Secret History: Season 4, Channel 4, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the BBC journalists and British veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García from RI 8 and others from RI 12, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Güemes' (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for Combat Team 'Güemes' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, Combat Team 'Güemes' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over one-thousand 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies from 2 PARA managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to slowly but steadily clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 PM the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping, along with his platoon commander, cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors of his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked Major Philip Neame's D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm.<ref>"1636 hs – Un Pucará reitera su suicida pasada de ataque a la infantería enemiga. Estalla en el aire en el límite Oeste de Ganso Verde y se pierde en el mar. Saludo militarmente, rindiendo honores al piloto, en dirección al punto de impacto." Defensa y Caída De Darwin y Pradera Del Ganso</ref>The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time 2 PARA's D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him.<ref>Major Philip Neame: "One (35mm) round landed quite some way on the track and the shrapnel splinter hit one of my soldiers (Steve Dixon) a few yards in front of me. This lad took several minutes, many minutes to die in front of us." Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>It was here that the British advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 PM when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>from Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. Major Chris Keeble

Major Chris Keeble took stock of the situation and estimated that one in six of the British Paratroopers had been killed, wounded or injured in the fighting so far: "In that dusk, I then took stock of our position. It was bitterly cold, it was snowing, one in six of us had either been killed or injured and they were lying around us. Our logistic supply had not really reinforced all our ammunition. We were very short on ammunition, and we were exhausted. We had been fighting for something like sixteen hours and we still had not achieved the mission."<ref>Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>

A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in among some sheep shearing sheds in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques and his men.<ref>Entrevista Nº 7: Soldado Conscripto Clase 63 VGM Carlos Landaida - RI 12 (available on YouTube)</ref>There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Wessex helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden (et al), Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Camp), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda. It was all down to their basic fitness, plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref><ref>"Throughout the afternoon, helicopters arrive and unload wounded human cargo. Later, we tot up the numbers; nearly 80 casualties have been processed through the dressing station with 47 actually operated on under general anaesthetic." The Red and Green Life Machine: A Diary of the Falklands Field Hospital, Rick Jolly, p. 75, Century Publishing, 1983</ref>The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript force could fight so determinedly for several hours against highly professional British Paratroopers.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on Argentinian Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley, Goose Green and elsewhere during the Argentinian occupation.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University who received him with much courtesy. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-08-20T22:58:37Z

Zimmerman: /* Argentinian surrender */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment (Regimiento de Infantería 12 or RI 12) left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando sniper (Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos) seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the Regimental Commander, the Operations Officer (Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore) and the Personnel Officer (Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse) flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

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

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

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

The British claim that a downed Gazelle helicopter pilot (Sergeant Andy Evans) was mortally wounded while struggling in the water first spread like wildfire with the publication of Martin Middlebrook’s first book on the Falklands War ('Operation Corporate', Viking, 1985), who believed the mistaken claims from the locals (Thora Alazia, Suzanne McCormick and others) that Evans had been shot and killed after his helicopter ditched into San Carlos Water.

However, more recent British accounts clearly show that Sergeant Evans was already mortally wounded but alive before his Gazelle helicopter crashed into San Carlos Water. And Evans was not hit while struggling in the icy cold waters. The co-pilot, Sergeant Edgard Candlish, was also not shot and was able to swim to safety after cutting Evan’s free from the wreckage and dragging the pilot halfway to the shoreline.<ref>‘Flying Marines: A History of Royal Marines Aviation’ (available online)</ref>

In 1992, the widow of Sergeant Evans called for a war crime investigation surrounding his death but the case foundered due to evidence showing his fatal injury having been caused while still flying his helicopter, rather than after the crash as mistakenly reported at the time.<ref>''"Sergeant Andy Evans from Landrake in Cornwall, had been married to his wife Julie for 12 years. They had two little children, Samantha and Mark. Ten years after the war, his widow called for an investigation of his death but the case foundered due, it appears to his fatal injury having been caused before his crash, rather than after as inferred by his co-pilot's statement."''
The Falklands War: Then and Now, Gordon Ramsey, pg, 194, After The Battle, 2009</ref>

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the beachhead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused 'A' Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650-700 British Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/06/02/british-attackers-said-to-dominate-hills-near-stanley/3b28eb06-e3b9-47ae-acff-252d89f190de/ British Attackers Said to Dominate Hills Near Stanley]</ref><ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British rear from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Regiment. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

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

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

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

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

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 AM.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon (C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment) to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal into cover, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>'The Battle of Goose Green', Secret History: Season 4, Channel 4, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the BBC journalists and British veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García from RI 8 and others from RI 12, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Güemes' (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for Combat Team 'Güemes' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, Combat Team 'Güemes' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over one-thousand 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies from 2 PARA managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to slowly but steadily clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 PM the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping, along with his platoon commander, cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors of his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked Major Philip Neame's D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm.<ref>"1636 hs – Un Pucará reitera su suicida pasada de ataque a la infantería enemiga. Estalla en el aire en el límite Oeste de Ganso Verde y se pierde en el mar. Saludo militarmente, rindiendo honores al piloto, en dirección al punto de impacto." Defensa y Caída De Darwin y Pradera Del Ganso</ref>The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time 2 PARA's D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him.<ref>Major Philip Neame: "One (35mm) round landed quite some way on the track and the shrapnel splinter hit one of my soldiers (Steve Dixon) a few yards in front of me. This lad took several minutes, many minutes to die in front of us." Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>It was here that the British advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 PM when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>from Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. Major Chris Keeble

<ref>Major Chris Keeble took stock of the situation and estimated that one in six of the British Paratroopers had been killed, wounded or injured in the fighting so far: "In that dusk, I then took stock of our position. It was bitterly cold, it was snowing, one in six of us had either been killed or injured and they were lying around us. Our logistic supply had not really reinforced all our ammunition. We were very short on ammunition, and we were exhausted. We had been fighting for something like sixteen hours and we still had not achieved the mission." Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>

A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in among some sheep shearing sheds in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques and his men.<ref>Entrevista Nº 7: Soldado Conscripto Clase 63 VGM Carlos Landaida - RI 12 (available on YouTube)</ref>There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Wessex helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden (et al), Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Camp), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda. It was all down to their basic fitness, plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref><ref>"Throughout the afternoon, helicopters arrive and unload wounded human cargo. Later, we tot up the numbers; nearly 80 casualties have been processed through the dressing station with 47 actually operated on under general anaesthetic." The Red and Green Life Machine: A Diary of the Falklands Field Hospital, Rick Jolly, p. 75, Century Publishing, 1983</ref>The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript force could fight so determinedly for several hours against highly professional British Paratroopers.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on Argentinian Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley, Goose Green and elsewhere during the Argentinian occupation.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University who received him with much courtesy. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-08-20T22:52:53Z

Zimmerman: /* Argentinian surrender */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment (Regimiento de Infantería 12 or RI 12) left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando sniper (Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos) seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the Regimental Commander, the Operations Officer (Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore) and the Personnel Officer (Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse) flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

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

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

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

The British claim that a downed Gazelle helicopter pilot (Sergeant Andy Evans) was mortally wounded while struggling in the water first spread like wildfire with the publication of Martin Middlebrook’s first book on the Falklands War ('Operation Corporate', Viking, 1985), who believed the mistaken claims from the locals (Thora Alazia, Suzanne McCormick and others) that Evans had been shot and killed after his helicopter ditched into San Carlos Water.

However, more recent British accounts clearly show that Sergeant Evans was already mortally wounded but alive before his Gazelle helicopter crashed into San Carlos Water. And Evans was not hit while struggling in the icy cold waters. The co-pilot, Sergeant Edgard Candlish, was also not shot and was able to swim to safety after cutting Evan’s free from the wreckage and dragging the pilot halfway to the shoreline.<ref>‘Flying Marines: A History of Royal Marines Aviation’ (available online)</ref>

In 1992, the widow of Sergeant Evans called for a war crime investigation surrounding his death but the case foundered due to evidence showing his fatal injury having been caused while still flying his helicopter, rather than after the crash as mistakenly reported at the time.<ref>''"Sergeant Andy Evans from Landrake in Cornwall, had been married to his wife Julie for 12 years. They had two little children, Samantha and Mark. Ten years after the war, his widow called for an investigation of his death but the case foundered due, it appears to his fatal injury having been caused before his crash, rather than after as inferred by his co-pilot's statement."''
The Falklands War: Then and Now, Gordon Ramsey, pg, 194, After The Battle, 2009</ref>

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the beachhead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused 'A' Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650-700 British Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/06/02/british-attackers-said-to-dominate-hills-near-stanley/3b28eb06-e3b9-47ae-acff-252d89f190de/ British Attackers Said to Dominate Hills Near Stanley]</ref><ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British rear from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Regiment. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

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

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

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

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

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 AM.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon (C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment) to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal into cover, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>'The Battle of Goose Green', Secret History: Season 4, Channel 4, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the BBC journalists and British veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García from RI 8 and others from RI 12, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Güemes' (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for Combat Team 'Güemes' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, Combat Team 'Güemes' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over one-thousand 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies from 2 PARA managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to slowly but steadily clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 PM the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping, along with his platoon commander, cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors of his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked Major Philip Neame's D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm.<ref>"1636 hs – Un Pucará reitera su suicida pasada de ataque a la infantería enemiga. Estalla en el aire en el límite Oeste de Ganso Verde y se pierde en el mar. Saludo militarmente, rindiendo honores al piloto, en dirección al punto de impacto." Defensa y Caída De Darwin y Pradera Del Ganso</ref>The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time 2 PARA's D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him.<ref>Major Philip Neame: "One (35mm) round landed quite some way on the track and the shrapnel splinter hit one of my soldiers (Steve Dixon) a few yards in front of me. This lad took several minutes, many minutes to die in front of us." Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>It was here that the British advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 PM when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>from Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in among some sheep shearing sheds in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques and his men.<ref>Entrevista Nº 7: Soldado Conscripto Clase 63 VGM Carlos Landaida - RI 12 (available on YouTube)</ref>There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Wessex helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden (et al), Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Camp), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda. It was all down to their basic fitness, plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref><ref>"Throughout the afternoon, helicopters arrive and unload wounded human cargo. Later, we tot up the numbers; nearly 80 casualties have been processed through the dressing station with 47 actually operated on under general anaesthetic." The Red and Green Life Machine: A Diary of the Falklands Field Hospital, Rick Jolly, p. 75, Century Publishing, 1983</ref>The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript force could fight so determinedly for several hours against highly professional British Paratroopers.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on Argentinian Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley, Goose Green and elsewhere during the Argentinian occupation.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University who received him with much courtesy. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

2022-08-20T22:47:05Z

Zimmerman: /* Argentinian surrender */

Following [[Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)]], the Argentinian occupation of the Falkland/Malvinas Islands in early April 1982, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions (2 and 3 PARA) from the British 1st Parachute Regiment were deployed as part of Brigadier Julian Thompson's 3 Commando Brigade to retake the islands in [[Operation Corporate]].

2 PARA attacked the Argentinian garrison at Goose Green in a protracted battle that started on the night of May 27/28 and continued throughout the daylight hours. The Argentinians eventually surrendered to 2 PARA.

==Task Force 'Mercedes'==

The story of 'Task Force Mercedes' began on April 12 1982, when the 12th 'General Arenales' Infantry Regiment (Regimiento de Infantería 12 or RI 12) left its peacetime location in Mercedes, Corrientes Province to move to Comodoro Rivadavia, 1,200 miles on the South Atlantic coast from which they could provide a deterrent to any Chilean intervention. After an incredible journey across Entre Ríos Province and the Colorado River they reached Chubut Province replacing units from the 9th Infantry Brigade (under Brigadier-General Américo Daher).

This deployment did not eventuate because by April 18 there was evidence that a force of British ships had sailed south from Ascension Island and on April 24, the 12th Regiment as part of the 3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General Omar Edgardo Parada, redeployed to the Falklands―known in Argentina as 'Las Islas Malvinas'.

Most of the regiment with almost 800 dependants, embarked on civil aircraft on April 24 and the last elements flew out of Comodoro Rivadavia on the following day. Reaching the 'Malvinas' was like a dream to most regulars in the 12th Regiment. ''"There was no need for speeches,"'' said Senior Lieutenant Ignacio Benjamín Goritti, the commander of B Company, as he recalled the regiment's departure from Comodoro Rivadavia. ''"From the begining we knew how important the Malvinas were. It was a kind of love; we were going to defend something that was ours."'' Moving into a bivouac area on the road outside Port Stanley, the capital of the Falklands, the 12th Regiment was ordered to Mount Kent, some 12 miles west of the capital, detaching 'B' Company to Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré's 10th 'Lieutenant-General Nicolás Levalle' Mechanized Infantry Brigade as part of the Port Stanley garrison's helicopter-borne reserve.

On April 29, the 12th Regiment began deploying to the second largest settlement in the Falklands, Goose Green, and joined the first garrison, C Company from the 25th Regiment now re-designated 'Task Force Mercedes'. A small garrison consisting of Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban's C Company 25th 'Special' (Ranger-type) Regiment and 'Alpha' Platoon (Sección 'Alfa') from the 8th 'General O'Higgins' Infantry Regiment had already been established at Goose Green to protect a dozen FMA IA-58 Pucara ground attack aircraft there. There were also 202 Air Force personnel present at Goose Green.

Goose Green, about 44 miles west of Port Stanley, lies at a neck of land a mile wide and five miles long that prevents East Falkland being sliced in two. Halfway down the isthmus lies a long series of low hills, Darwin Ridge. It was here that Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones (Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment or 2 PARA) was killed when, followed by his bodyguard, Sergeant Barry Norman, he went off to outflank the Argentinian and was hit by automatic rifle fire from an Argentinian Army Commando sniper (Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos) seconded to the 25th Regiment.

It was on April 30 that the Regimental Commander, the Operations Officer (Major Adolfo Ernesto Moore) and the Personnel Officer (Captain Pedro Horacio Lavaysse) flew in a helicopter across Wickham Heights to await the arrival of the 12th Regiment. The regimental commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi was almost six feet tall and bore a striking resemblance to American actor Telly Savalas. At age 45, he was energetic and it was mighty hard to wear him out as was demonstrated in the battle which was to come.

Soon after their arrival Piaggi ordered Senior Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa's 'A' Company to a blocking position near Port Darwin and Darwin Bay, on Darwin Ridge, and Senior Lieuteanant Ramón Duaso Fernández's 'C' Company to a similar position at Ramsground, about 2 miles south of Goose Green Settlement.

The 125 troops of the 25th 'Special' Regiment's 'C' Company waited in reserve in and around Darwin School where they regularly practiced counterattacks. Led by Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín, the Argentinian Army Special Forces founder and first commanding officer, the 25th Regiment conscripts wore a shoulder patch depicting the 'Malvinas'. They were well armed, well trained and cadred by Commandos and Paratroopers.

Private Esteban Roberto Avalos fought in the Falklands as a sniper in RI 12's B Company. In all, some fifty hand-picked 12th Regiment conscripts and NCOs had also received Ranger-type training from visiting 'Halcón 8' (Falcon 8) Argentinian Army Special Forces in 1981, and then returned to their respective companies:

<blockquote>In my particular case, I ended up being a sharpshooter for which I had been preparing since the time we were out in the field, where I had the opportunity to shoot with a [[FN FAL|FAL]]. During the 45 days we spent there, we had to practice shooting three or four times a week, and those moments were taken advantage of to learn the shooting positions and familiarize ourselves with the weapon. The dealings with the superiors, in general, were excellent, although if somebody screwed up, we all paid the price. The most common punishments were taking us to the showers at night, forcing us to do push-ups or demand from us heaps of frog leaps and crawling. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was reasonable to be pulled out of training, and they would make you 'dance' a little with push-ups on the thistles or the mud. Now, going back to the subject of instruction, I would say that it was generally satisfactory, at least as far as our group was concerned, since we had basic training in the use of explosives and we were even given some classes in self-defense."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20201021104225/http://laperlaaustral.com.ar/guerra-malvinas/esteban-roberto-avalos-clase-1962/ Esteban Roberto Avalos, clase 1962]</ref>
</blockquote>

The newly arrived 12th Regiment soldiers dug positions in the freezing wind. The Argentinian winter parkas were excellent, but the danger of frostbite was always present, and the uncovered portions of their faces suffered from the biting wind. This was the start of winter, in the 'Malvinas', and the temperatures dropped well below freezing every night. The trenches were like ice chambers. The days were short, the nights endless.

Preparing clothes and equipment for battle kept the men busy. Each soldier wore a quilted Israeli-made parka. Most had woolen underclothes, sweaters, scarves, mittens and balaclavas. Each morning the Argentinian troops had green Guarani tea. It contains the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee; it is stimulating and helps stem the pangs of hunger. The men had the same tea in the evening. Cigarettes and chocolate bars were rationed, but each soldier had a plate of mutton soup at 3 pm.

Although straitlaced, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi showed more thought for his young conscript soldiers than many of his contemporaries and allowed them 'R&R' (Rest and Recreation) whenever possible.<ref>''"Decidimos hacer una especie de centro de recuperación, donde por grupos los soldados llegaban, descansaban un par de días, secaban su ropa y se los alimentaba bien para que estuvieran en mejores condiciones."'' Partes de Guerra: Malvinas 1982, Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, p. 62, Edhasa, 2005</ref>''"I can clearly remember it as if it was yesterday walking my platoon down from Darwin Heights to have a hot bath and a good sleep to recover,"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>said 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo, a young platoon commander who had been a cadet only a few weeks previously.

==First losses==

It was not until May 1 that three Royal Navy Sea Harriers screamed in to attack Goose Green airbase at dawn. All diplomatic efforts to produce a peaceful solution to the crisis had failed, the Argentinian refusing to withdraw from the 'Malvinas'. Minutes before nine Sea Harriers had delivered twenty-seven bombs to the Stanley runway and surrounding area. Second Lieutenant Claudio Oscar Braghini, the commander of the Army 35 mm radar-guided gun detachment at Goose Green with its Skyguard fire-control radar, was taken by surprise as the fighter-bombers appeared in the horizon. One of the bombs detonated on a Pucara. The pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Antonio Jukic) was killed, together with seven Air Force mechanics who were nearby. The Argentinian anti-aircraft gunners were not to be caught dozing a second time.

Britain's military confidence suffered a knock with the downing of a Sea Harrier on May 4. At 1.45 PM Sea Harrier XZ-450 was shot down over Goose Green, caught in a stream of 35 mm fire from 3rd Troop B Battery 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. It went up in a ball of fire as it neared the ground. The British pilot ― Lieutenant Nicholas Taylor ― was the first British serviceman to die for Goose Green. The operator of the Skyguard, Corporal Luis Bernardo Ferreira detected the raid coming in and warned Braghini and the fire control radar picked up the three Sea Harriers twelve kilometres out at sea. Buenos Aires television which showed the mangled Sea Harrier over and over, described how a second Sea Harrier departed trailing smoke.

As a result of the British air strike, 114 inhabitants of Goose Green were kept under armed guard in the Social Hall until liberated by the British following the Battle for Goose Green. Piaggi explainied that the lockdown was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War ]</ref>

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

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

On May 15, 'Combat Team Güemes', 62 men strong, moved out by helicopter for the high ground around San Carlos Bay, about 12 miles to the north of Goose Green. It was comprised of 2nd Platoon C Company of the 25th Regiment, under the command of 2d Lieutenant Oscar Roberto Reyes and Sergeant Martín René Colque. They were backed by a heavy weapons platoon (under Second Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques) from A Company, 12th Regiment; it inflicted considerable losses on the British landing force on May 21, shooting down two 3 Commando Brigade helicopters fitted with machine-guns and 68mm SNEB ('Societe Nouvelle des Etablissements Edgar Brandt') rockets as they withdrew to Port Douglas Settlement.

The British claim that a downed Gazelle helicopter pilot (Sergeant Andy Evans) was mortally wounded while struggling in the water first spread like wildfire with the publication of Martin Middlebrook’s first book on the Falklands War ('Operation Corporate', Viking, 1985), who believed the mistaken claims from the locals (Thora Alazia, Suzanne McCormick and others) that Evans had been shot and killed after his helicopter ditched into San Carlos Water.

However, more recent British accounts clearly show that Sergeant Evans was already mortally wounded but alive before his Gazelle helicopter crashed into San Carlos Water. And Evans was not hit while struggling in the icy cold waters. The co-pilot, Sergeant Edgard Candlish, was also not shot and was able to swim to safety after cutting Evan’s free from the wreckage and dragging the pilot halfway to the shoreline.<ref>‘Flying Marines: A History of Royal Marines Aviation’ (available online)</ref>

In 1992, the widow of Sergeant Evans called for a war crime investigation surrounding his death but the case foundered due to evidence showing his fatal injury having been caused while still flying his helicopter, rather than after the crash as mistakenly reported at the time.<ref>''"Sergeant Andy Evans from Landrake in Cornwall, had been married to his wife Julie for 12 years. They had two little children, Samantha and Mark. Ten years after the war, his widow called for an investigation of his death but the case foundered due, it appears to his fatal injury having been caused before his crash, rather than after as inferred by his co-pilot's statement."''
The Falklands War: Then and Now, Gordon Ramsey, pg, 194, After The Battle, 2009</ref>

==San Carlos==

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the beachhead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 Argentinians (under 2d Lieutenant José Vázquez), but not before shooting down 2 British Gazelle helicopter gunships.

On May 24, faced with the British beachhead at San Carlos, Brigadier-General Parada at Stanley, who had 'Task Force Mercedes' under his orders, ordered Piaggi to extend his defence perimeter to the north. Manresa's men, who had constructed a strong defence line on Darwin Ridge protected by anti-personnel mines and 250 pound aerial bombs out in front, now had to move beyond the minefields and booby-traps. In retrospect, Major Carlos Alberto Frontera, second-in-command of the 12th Regiment, said ''"These orders we should never have carried out."'' A confused 'A' Company and the Reconnaissance Platoon (under Lieutenant Carlos Marcelo Morales) now dug positions about a mile and a half north of Darwin Ridge, near Burntside Pond.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment and 'Condor' Military Airbase on the Darwin Isthmus.

The Argentinians became aware of British patrolling on May 27. As Manresa's A Company dug in at new positions on Burntside Hill and Coronation Ridge, a lookout spotted three British soldiers on the forward slope of Cerritos Arroyo. ''"I took up position on one machinegun and with a corporal we engaged them,"'' said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo, ''"It was successful, I think. If not our target got a fright."''<ref> Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Unknown to Peluffo, an estimated 650-700 British Paratroopers<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1982/06/02/british-attackers-said-to-dominate-hills-near-stanley/3b28eb06-e3b9-47ae-acff-252d89f190de/ British Attackers Said to Dominate Hills Near Stanley]</ref><ref>[https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/helen-carr-our-boys-review-lara-feigel The pity of war: what a paratrooper’s tale can teach us about humanity]</ref>from the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were poised to attack 'Task Force Mercedes'. Goose Green on the right flank of the approach to Stanley was a thorn on the side of 3rd Commando Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Julian Thompson. The 601st and 602nd Commando Companies along with the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and Special Operations Group at Stanley could have been flown forward by helicopter and attacked the British rear from Goose Green.

Throughout May 27, Royal Air Force Harriers were active over Goose Green. One of them in responding to a call for softening up fire from Major Roger Jenner's 'C' (Patrol) Company of 2 PARA attacked Darwin Ridge and that led to its loss. As the intruding aircraft disintegrated in a stream of 20 mm fire (No. 1 Gun under Air Force Private First Class Ramón Garcés)<ref>[https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/malvinas-la-historia-del-excombatiente-dado-por-muerto-y-que-rechazo-una-invitacion-de-la-tv-inglesa-nid26032021/ Malvinas: la historia del excombatiente dado por muerto y que rechazó una invitación de la TV inglesa]</ref>a parachute blossomed, and its pilot ― Squadron Leader Bob Iveson ― landed several miles away, near Paragon House. The shooting down of Harrier XZ-988 greatly boosted Argentinian morale.

On the eve of the first battle of the ground war there were 684 Argentinian Army personnel at Goose Green, including half a 105 mm howitzer battery (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Alberto Chanampa) of the 4th Airborne Artillery Regiment. Air defence was provided by a battery of 20 mm Rheinmetall pieces manned by the Air Force (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) and two radar-guided 35 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns from the 601st Air Defence Artillery Regiment. In overall command was Wing Commander Wilson Rosier Pedrozo, but it would by Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi's responsability to handle the coming battle. Contrary to British reports all of the airworthy Pucaras had been withdrawn to Stanley.

==Darwin Parks==

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

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

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

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

The British march became confused as companies lost touch with each other. Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones' Tactical Headquarters headed for Port Darwin, but came under heavy fire from the Argentinians entrenched on Coronation Ridge. Advancing towards Darwin Settlement, three Paras in Major Philip Neame's 'D' Company were shot dead by Argentinians hunkered along Coronation Ridge. Much valuable time was lost clearing this position, but Neame's company took Coronation Ridge at about 6 AM.

The 12th Regiment's 'A' Company delayed the Paras for six hours, but with tragic loss. Twelve members of 'A' Company were killed during the night action.

Leaving No. 3 Platoon (under Second Lieutenant Guy Wallis) of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder in the company started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Perceiving an urgent need to stabilize the precarious defence line on Darwin Ridge, Piaggi ordered 24-year-old Lieutenant Roberto Nestor Estévez's 1st Rifle Platoon (C Company 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment) to take Middle Hill, the hillock south of Coronation Ridge. As Estévez's platoon moved away from Goose Green Settlement, the green-bereted conscripts sang the 'Malvinas March' and that certainly raised their spirits. Reaching Darwin Ridge around 7 AM local time, the first British soldiers suddenly appeared out of the mist on the shoreline that was Darwin Bay.

The Argentinians mistook the British as Argentinians and greetings were exchanged at times. ''"It was a very confusing situation when we saw troops approaching"'', said 2d Lieutenant Peluffo. ''"At first we were not sure whether it was the enemy or part of our 12th Regiment that was withdrawing towards our line. We thought they could be our troops".''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, David Aldea & Don Darnell, Military History, April 2002</ref>

Eventually shots were exchanged and the fight for Darwin Ridge really got underway. With daylight the nature of the battle changed. The British companies who had had the initiative under cover of darkness, were now caught in the open, holed up in small hollows in the ground or behind tufts of heather. The situation provided the Argentinians a brief session of revenge as they cut them down as the Paras scurried from cover in search of more suitable protection.

Supporting British mortarmen were, however, stuffing bombs down their barrels as fast they could, plastering any group large enough to engage while the machine-guns, manned by Number 3 Platoon from 'A' Company, were now engaging the Argentinian platoons from Coronation Ridge.

Lieutenant Estévez, although hit and bleeding heavily, kept his platoon organized and under control. Estévez was hit in the right leg and left arm as he moved about in the confusion encouraging his men and finally a British sniper marked him down and put a bullet into his right eye. Finding their advance route blocked by Major Farrar-Hockley's 'A' Company, Corporal Mario Rodolfo Castro took the radio from his dying lieutenant and was shot dead shortly afterwards. Private Fabricio Carrascull took over the radio and he too met the same fate.<ref>" El Tte. Estévez murió en la acción. El Cabo Castro se hizo cargo del equipo de comunicaciones y continuó trasmitiendo, pero al ser alcanzado por proyectiles rasantes que incendiaron su cuerpo, moría poco después." Malvinas: Relatos de Soldados, Martín Antonio Balza, p. 31, Círculo Militar, 1986</ref>But the sacrifice of Estévez's soldiers proved not to have been in vain. At 09.30 local time, 2 PARA's A and B Companies disengaged and started to withdraw.<ref>"These British reverses occurred between 9.00 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. It took two hours for 2 Para's second-in-command to reorganize the attack." The Falklands War, D. George Boyce, p. 131, Macmillan International Higher Education, 2005</ref><ref>"The Argentine platoon, commanded by Lieutenant Estevez, which had fewer men than its British counterpart, entered the fray. Ahead of them was British Company B, advancing from the west. The lieutenant reached the first line and was able to block the enemy by penetrating to Boca Hill, from which, although wounded, he started calling his artillery's range. He thus succeeded in holding up the advance of the British paratroops, inflicting heavy casualties, as he covered the withdrawal of the 12th Infantry Regiment. Estevez fell, mortally wounded by enemy fire, but not before he had proved himself in combat. His dying order was to his squad leader, who continued to call the artillery's range. The position was being riddled by British fire, and the squad leader soon succumed to the withering hail. A private took up the position and soon joined his companions. But the sacrifice of these brave Argentinians proved not to have been in vain. At 0930 hours, the enemy broke off the attack and began to withdraw." The History of the South Atlantic Conflict, Rubén Oscar Moro, pp. 259-260, Praeger, 1989</ref><ref>"They found it impossible to move down the forward slope facing Boca House under intense mortar and machine-gun fire and were driven back over the crest." VC Heroes - The True Stories Behind Every VC Winner Since World War Two, Nigel Cawthorne, p. ?, Kings Road Publishing, 2012</ref>

Before the British withdrawal into cover, 'H' Jones, armed with a Sterling sub-machine-gun, went up to examine the situation and ordered Major Farrar-Hockly to try outflanking to the left of the defenders. It was a fatal move. While he was leading from the front, an Argentinian Army Green Beret sniper in the form of Corporal Osvaldo Faustino Olmos found his mark, dropping Lieutenant-Colonel Jones into the Goose Green mud at about 10.30 am local time. Corporal Olmos shot the British battalion commander again within 50 metres of his position, as 'H' Jones tried to take out his trench with hand grenades.<ref>Goose Green carnage "served no purpose", The Guardian, Thursday, July 11, 1996</ref><ref>'The Battle of Goose Green', Secret History: Season 4, Channel 4, 1996</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140407061227/http://edant.clarin.com/diario/96/06/18/malvin.html La muerte de un coronel británico en Malvinas]</ref><ref>According to Dan Snow and Peter Snow, ''"The Argentine corporal in that trench, Osvaldo Olmos, remembers seeing Jones charge past him alone, leaving his followers in the gully below. Olmos said he was astonished at Jones's reckless bravery: his shots, fired from behind, may have been the ones that brought Jones down."'' 20th Century Battlefields, Dan Snow, Peter Snow, p. 282, Random House, 2012</ref>

According to Corporal Osvaldo Olmos{{cquote|Later in a British Broadcasting Corporation interview they conducted in 1996 ... they wanted to know ... how Lieutenant-Colonel Jones had been killed ... They came to Argentina and began to call in those who had manned those positions ... they called me in too ... Then I began to tell them how my battle had been ... how this guy bravely ran to me and how I shot him ... how he fell, and how he maintained an aggressive stance ... how he screamed again and finally stopped moving ... and then they (the BBC journalists and British veterans involved) took turns asking me what weapon he had, his military insignia, things about him ... Then they reveal to me at the end of the interview ... they had shown me a battlefield sketch, they had shown me photographs ... 'Do you know why we asked you so many questions about the soldier that fell near your trench and had been charging alone?' ... 'Where you mark the spot he fell ... that is the place where we found Lieutenant-Colonel Jones dead.'
<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1I_YhOx2fY ENTREVISTAMOS AL SM VGM DE INF (R) OSBALDO FAUSTINO OLMOS]</ref>}}

==Darwin Ridge==

By daylight, the British attack was clearly held up by 2d Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill and 2d Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 'Alpha' Platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company from the 8th Regiment) on Boca Hill. The Paras were suffering heavy casualties, but continued to press home their attack.

An ammunition resupply by Land Rover and artillery and aggressive small arms fire stopped the many British assaults. Private Stephen Illingsworth was just 20 years old when he died during the fighting for Boca Hill. Illinsgworth, a member of 2 PARA's 'B' Company, rescued a wounded Para but was then shot dead as he strove to retrieve abandoned machine-gun ammunition to help the company, running desperately low after fierce fighting. He was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal, although he had in fact been recommended for the Victoria Cross.<ref>[https://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/day-1982-20-year-old-doncaster-soldier-becomes-second-town-victim-falklands-war-62435 Doncaster soldier becomes second town victim of Falklands War]</ref>

The 12th Regiment platoon under Peluffo, responsible for holding the central hillock, was typical. Half of the platoon were of Guarani stock. On Darwin Ridge Peluffo and his platoon uttered cries of 'Sapukay!'. This war-cry shouted by these young soldiers with their blood up and automatic rifle in hand no doubt sounded both strange and savage to British ears. Afterwards Captain Rod Bell, a Spanish-speaking Royal Marine Commando attached to 2 PARA, had an interesting conversation with Brigadier-General Omar Parada and expressed his admiration for Peluffo. Peluffo had been a tireless platoon commander throughout the action, taking a hand in the sniping and shouting encouragement to his men. Volunteering for parachute training after the war, he served with the Argentinian Army 4th Airborne Infantry Brigade.

During a lull in the fighting the Regimental Medical Officer, Senior Lieutenant Juan Carlos Adjigogovich summoned over the radio, was up with Manresa on Darwin Ridge, organizing Private Claudio Cesar García from RI 8 and others from RI 12, to act as stretcher bearers. The respite in the action also gave Second Lieutenant Aliaga and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Geronimo Maldonado the opportunity to send one jeep loaded with 'Alpha Platoon' wounded down the track linking Goose Green and Darwin.

At this point 44 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>of Combat Team 'Güemes' (under Senior Lieutenant Carlos Daniel Esteban) were flown by helicopter to Goose Green. It took sixty minutes for Combat Team 'Güemes' to spread over the schoolhouse position to face an attack coming from Darwin Ridge. It is an interesting speculation that if, Combat Team 'Güemes' occupied Darwin Ridge, the British battalion would probably have been forced to withdraw and the battle might have taken a different course.

In the meantime, 'Malvinas Military Air Base' near Port Stanley, flew in support missions. The first air strike took place in the morning when a 'Grupo 3' Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley airbase. The next sortie by two more Pucaras caught two Royal Marine Scouts on their way in to evacuate Lieutenant-Colonel Jones. Captain Jeff Niblett managed to evade them, but Lieutenant Richard Nunn was killed by cannon fire and crashed down near Camilla Creek House. One of the Pucaras was later found to have crashed into high ground returning to Stanley after chasing Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Not until 1.15 PM local time where the British Paratroopers able to climb Darwin Ridge and winkle the Argentinians out. Now Major Neame moved to the assistance of Major Crosland who had taken casualties in their attempt to take Boca Hill. The new plan called for D Company to outflank the stubborn defenders on Boca Hill along the seashore, which they did.

No less than 18 Argentinians were killed on Darwin Ridge, and many more wounded, including 2d Lieutenants Ernesto Peluffo and Guillermo Aliaga and Company Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho (A Company, 12th Regiment) and Platoon Sergeant Carlos Maldonado ('Alpha' Platoon). Lance-Corporal Framingham and Private O' Rourke moved among the Argentinians and began to treat the wounded. The place smelt of cordite. During the fighting, the British fired over one-thousand 81mm mortar rounds to suppress Argentinian defenders, otherwise British casualties would have been horrendous.<ref>"Nevertheless, the section's two mortar crews had fired over 1,000 bombs in the two hours of the A Company action, the mortars themselves sinking further and further into the soft peat until eventually only their muzzles were visible." Para!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, Peter Harclerode, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1992</ref>. The 25th Regiment platoon lost 5 men killed on Darwin Ridge. For their contribution to the defence, Lieutenant Estévez was posthumously awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, Corporal Castro was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal, and Private Carrascull received the same posthumous award for bravery. So far the British battalion had suffered 12 killed and 30 wounded.<ref>''"So ... after nearly six hours, the battle for Darwin Hill was over, but not without grievous loss: the Commanding Officer, the Adjutant, A Company Second-in-Command and nine junior non-commisssioned officers and soldiers were killed and thirty wounded."'' No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic, Julian Thompson, p. 91,Leo Cooper, 1985</ref>

The Argentinian defenders had courageously held the ridge for over six hours against a numerically superior British force.<ref>"First B Company, then D Company, then Support Company were eventually involved in the battle for Boca House. It was a complicated engagement, the great bulk of it conducted at long range. It started at the same time as A Company made its rush for the gorse gully, just as it got light, and finished with the surrender of the Argentines south of Boca House some six hours later." The Battle for Goose Green: A Battle is Fought to be Won, Mark Adkin, p. ?, Casemate Publishers, 2017</ref>Gradually as the British companies from 2 PARA managed in early April to obtain fifty-four 7.62 mm machine-guns, they started to slowly but steadily clear the Argentinian strong-points.

Company Sergeant-Major Colin Price of A Company, who was interviewed by BBC war correspondent Robert Fox soon after the fall of Darwin Ridge, is reported to have said he ''"admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought"''.<ref>"Price of 'A' Company, who had come down from Darwin Hill to fetch ammunition. He confirmed that the colonel had been killed and I taped a short interview with him. He said he admired the way the enemy machine-gunners had fought." Eyewitness Falklands, Robert Fox, p. 180, Methuen, 1982</ref>

For exemplary leadership in the fight for Darwin Ridge, Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross. The Paras completed the job under Major Chris Keeble, second in command of 2 PARA. Keeble ordered 'D' Company to seize the airfield from Boca Hill, while 'C' Company moved through Darwin School to Goose Green and 'B' Company, which had reorganized, were brought forward to capture the ground south of Goose Green Settlement.

=='Condor' Military Air Base ( the 'White Flag' incident)==

At 2.15 PM the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti-Aircraft Regiment (under Lieutenant Darío Del Valle Valazza) of the Argentinian Air Force tried to defend 'Condor' Military Airbase, but withdrew under intense British mortar fire. However, as Major Hugh Jenner's C Company moved down the forward slope of Darwin Ridge, 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper (Private Stephen Dixon), wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202548/http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/David/Goosegreen.htm Goose Green The Argentinian Story]</ref>

Still under fire, D and C Companies headed towards the Goose Green air base while B Company circled east to cut off Goose Green Settlement. During the attack, three Paratroopers were killed in an ambush involving 'Romeo' platoon under 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

Piaggi reasoned that the British would go for the airbase and neutralize the 20 mm anti-aircraft guns there so that reinforcement could be landed there. Accordingly he had organized 2d Lieutenant Juan José Gómez-Centurión's rifle platoon there. Gómez-Centurión had all the usual Special Forces skills. He was a trained parachutist,frogman, skilled climber and abseiler. With only 37 men, however, the platoon commander knew he had an impossible job. The task he set himself, therefore, was to hold out as long as possible. He ordered his conscripts on a rise overlooking Goose Green airbase to await the Paras. They did so, their hands tensely gripping their weapons.

Gómez-Centurión gave out the orders: only one round at a time. Lying down in the cover of trenches the Argentinians began shooting into the air in order to make the British believe that the Argentinians obstructing their advance were weak in numbers, badly trained, inexperienced and not ready for an all-out assault. It was a ruse. Gómez-Centurión was waiting for the British to swarm forward in one human wave and then wipe them out with grenades and automatic fire. He kept his 3rd Section back in reserve. To assist Gómez-Centurión the Pucaras from Stanley were to provide a napalm strike on those Paras that had survived.

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA:{{cquote|We found the first enemy position when one of the lads actually fell into a trench. There were weapons and ammo all covered in mud, just left there. They'd all bugged out, so we never saw anybody. After an hour or so, we began getting effective fire on us. We started taking cover when we heard rounds whistling around us ... we saw who was firing at us and fired back .... the section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) who was behind me, was hit in the knee and screamed out, and then took two more straight through the head and was killed. I got on the radio to bring up some reserves into the dead ground to the left - to go through the enemy position. When they arrived back, the sergeant sent me back to see if Paul could be helped. It was no use. He'd gone.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

What happened is well known is well known among members of the Argentinian platoon. The Argentinian fire eventually slackened and died. Then 2d Lieutenant James Barry, 29, came out to urge the Argentinians to surrender, promising good treatment. Gómez-Centurión had wondered for a moment, ''"Are the English in such a bad state that surrender is their only option? Well best for us."'' The 25th Regiment platoon commander answered Barry succinctly, in perfect American English: ''"Son of a bitch! You've got two minutes to return to your lines before I give the order to open fire: Get out of here!"''<ref>Blood and Mud at Goose Green, Military History, David Aldea & Don Darnell, April 2002</ref>

Barry started walking back and was just climbing over a barbed wire cattle fence when the rattle of machine-gun fire came from the British machine-gun platoon on Darwin Ridge. The 25th Regiment platoon was hit by machine-gun fire and Corporal Héctor Rubén Oviedo was killed. The enraged Argentinians opened fire and Barry was killed. Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith then tried to fire a 66mm anti-tank rocket using his left shoulder as the cattle fence was obstructing his aim. Although the British NCO managed to fire the projectile, its "back blast" hit him the face and chest and Smith soon succumbed to his injuries.<ref>"Our 2ic Smudge (Lance Corporal Nigel Smith) then tried to fire a 66 using his left shoulder as the fence was in the way. Although he got the rocket off, its backlash took him in the face and chest, so he was in a bad way. I tried to go back to give him first aid, but was hit in the helmet, so I scurried back into my little hollow. Up front the medic and signaller were flapping, and we had a bit of mucking about ... Brummy (Private Brummie Mountford) and I tried again to use the GPMG. A sniper was doing all the damage, from a dip in the ground about 200 metres away. He moved and we saw him. I put half a magazine into him and he curled up like a cat. I knew I'd hit him, so I finished him off with the rest." The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 177, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>

Private John Graham from No. 11 Platoon (under Lieutenant Chris Waddington) D Company, told a different account of the incident: ''"I saw the white flag incident; I was in 11 Platoon. We were going up the hill and the flag went up. The officer called the sergeant, and the got halfway up the hill. Bang! They let rip into them. Killed them. One guy was hit in the knee and one of the bastards (Ricardo Andrés Austin or Jose Luis Allende) came forward and shot him in the head. He moved forward out of his position and shot him."''<ref>The World's Elite Forces, Bruce Quarrie, p. 18, Berkley Books, 1988</ref>

During that fight the British Paratroopers watched transfixed for a moment, while two conscripts, Ricardo Andrés Austin and Jose Luis Allende, crawled towards them, one trying to draw their rifle fire, while the other clutched hand grenades. Then they were shot. Both Argentinians received posthumously the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>[https://www.lagazeta.com.ar/praderadelganso.htm Honrando el valor de los bravos del 25]</ref>

The fighting for Goose Green airbase was cold, hard and brutal. 'Romeo' Platoon ambushed Number 12 Platoon, killing three men. Captain Hugh McManners in 'The Scars of War' (HarperCollins, 1993) noted that:{{cquote|He (Private Graham Carter) had been involved in a savage ambush which, as the Paras regained their initiative and fought back, turned into a vicious gun battle. His platoon commander had been killed, and his section effectively put out of action, with section commander (Corporal Paul Sullivan) killed and 2 ic (Lance-Corporal Nigel Smith) seriously wounded. Despite being the most inexperienced man in the platoon, Private Carter had fought off the enemy, attended to the wounded, then got control of the section and called up the rest of the platoon to make a counterattack- all under continuous fire.<ref>The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 125, HarperCollins, 1993</ref>}}

Only at about 5.45 pm did Gómez-Centurión realize that his ambush had gone seriously wrong and that he was being trapped. Unfortunately for the Argentinians, the platoon's radio was damaged and the 120 mm mortars at Goose Green Settlement couldn't be used. Gómez-Centurión yelled to his platoon to get out and his men hurried away in good order, dragging their wounded. Sergeant García continued to hold his position with his machine-gun against repeated British attempts to cut their withdrawal route. But the Argentinian platoon sergeant was eventually shot dead through the head, shoulder and spine. His bravery was later recognized by the award of the Gallantry In Combat Medal.<ref>"'C' Company sustained heavy losses and 'D' Company also saw some extremely fierce fighting, particularly No. 12 Platoon of 'D' Company, who managed to fight off an ambush before Private Graham Carter led the men forward at bayonet point to take the airfield. The RI 25 Platoon fled, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape." Paratroopers, RW Press</ref><ref>"Desempeñándose como Encargado de Sección en un contraataque y al quedar fuera de servicio una ametralladora, se hizo cargo de ella, abriendo el fuego con eficacia, provocando la detención del avance enemigo en su sector. Posteriormente, al efectuar una maniobra para silenciar las armas pesadas enemigas que lo batían y próximo a alcanzar el objetivo, ofrendó su vida." Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino, p. 56, Ejército Argentino, 1983</ref>while Álamo won the Argentinian Military Commendation Medal (Medalla al Merito Militar) for helping, along with his platoon commander, cover the Argentinian withdrawal.

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward in a counter-ambush to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the [[Military Medal]] in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez-Centurión disengaged, and covered by Private Domingo Víctor Álamo<ref>[https://www.lv16.com.ar/sg/nota/96681/a-35-anos-de-malvinas-hay-que-transmitirle-a-los-jovenes-que-la-guerra-no-es-el-camino-correcto-sino-el-dialogo A 35 años de Malvinas: "Hay que transmitirle a los jóvenes que la guerra no es el camino correcto, sino el diálogo" ]</ref>, managed to join the survivors of his platoon.

Sergeant John Meredith, armed with a machine-gun, saw gobsmacked 2d Lieutenant Barry and Corporals Sullivan and Smith shot dead in the ambush. The British platoon sergeant showed ''“outstanding gallantry and leadership”'' by taking command of several men in No. 12 Platoon and joining Corporal Carter in the counter-attack to take the disputed airbase, and in so doing saved the lives of five of his pinned down Paratroopers.<ref>[https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/falklands-war-hero-john-meredith-white-flag-incident-auction-medals-769725 Falklands War hero who witnessed notorious ‘white flag’ incident to sell his nine medals]</ref>

During the action at Goose Green airbase two naval Aeromacchis from Stanley attacked Major Philip Neame's D Company and one of them was shot down by a Blowpipe missile at 4.36 pm.<ref>"1636 hs – Un Pucará reitera su suicida pasada de ataque a la infantería enemiga. Estalla en el aire en el límite Oeste de Ganso Verde y se pierde en el mar. Saludo militarmente, rindiendo honores al piloto, en dirección al punto de impacto." Defensa y Caída De Darwin y Pradera Del Ganso</ref>The jet crashed, and its pilot (Lieutenant Daniel Enrique Miguel) was killed. Shortly after 5 pm two Pucaras attacked British troops near the airbase. The second Pucara was caught in a blizzard of small arms fire, which caused the Argentinian pilot (Lieutenant Miguel Antonio Cruzado) to eject among British troops and was taken prisoner.

==Argentinian surrender==

As night fell some Paras in Darwin School began to snipe at Goose Green Settlement and in response 2d Lieutenant Claudio Braghini concentrated his 35 mm guns on the schoolhouse, and the building was destroyed. During this time 2 PARA's D Company came under heavy fire from the 35 mm guns, and a splinter hit Private Steve Dixon in the chest and killed him.<ref>Major Philip Neame: "One (35mm) round landed quite some way on the track and the shrapnel splinter hit one of my soldiers (Steve Dixon) a few yards in front of me. This lad took several minutes, many minutes to die in front of us." Channel 4: The Battle of Goose Green (1996)</ref>It was here that the British advance stalled again. Under heavy mortar fire 2 PARA's C Company had no choice but to withdraw into the safety of the shoreline of Carcass Bay. Just as their position seemed quite hopeless, three Royal Air Force Harrier jets swept overhead, almost at ground level, and their cluster bombs and rockets rained down on where the two Army 35 mm guns were gathered, knocking out the generator for the radar-guided guns. <ref>[https://www.infobae.com/def/defensa-y-seguridad/2020/05/30/al-pie-del-canon-las-grandes-hazanas-de-los-artilleros-argentinos-en-malvinas/ Al pie del cañón: las grandes hazañas de los artilleros argentinos en Malvinas]</ref>

It was 5.30 PM when 62 men<ref>"Calvi gives slightly contradictory timings for them, but it is clear that on 28 May 44 reinforcements arrived from Regiment 25, and 62 from Regiment 12." Not Mentioned in Despatches: The History and Mythology of the Battle of Goose Green, Spencer Fitz-Gibbon, p. 10, James Clarke & Co., 2006</ref>from Combat Team 'Solari' (B Company 12th Regiment) landed by helicopters at Ramsground. Mindful of the possibility of being counterattacked, Major John Crosland decided to pull back B Company and go firm on high ground near Boca Hill. A fierce sniper battle ensued with 2d Lieutenant Orlando Lucero's 12th Regiment platoon, now dug in among some sheep shearing sheds in Goose Green Settlement's outskirt along with 2d Lieutenant José Alberto Vázques and his men.<ref>Entrevista Nº 7: Soldado Conscripto Clase 63 VGM Carlos Landaida - RI 12 (available on YouTube)</ref>There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Wessex helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from this mixed force and forced to seek shelter in San Carlos.<ref>Falklands: The Air War, Rodney A. Burden (et al), Arms & Armour Press, 1986</ref>

Time was running out for 'Task Force Mercedes'. The settlement was encircled, artillery shells and mortar rounds were pounding the outskirts. The situation at Goose Green was such that Major Oscar Ramón Jaimet's B Company from the 6th 'General Viamontes' Regiment at Stanley Common (Camp), was ordered to concentrate near Murrell River and given a warning order to be prepared to move by helicopter to Mount Simon in a spoiler move. By then, however, Piaggi, surrounded and threatened with aerial attack, offered to surrender his force to the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment and the helicopter-borne operation was cancelled. Piaggi had received orders from Parada to resist as long as his troops were physically capable of doing so, but allowing Piaggi to be the judge.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. The Argentinian troops had a short parade, burned their regimental flag and lay down their weapons. Around 50 Argentinians were killed and 140 wounded<ref> Malvinas: Otras Historias, Rubén Oscar Palazzi, p. 202, Claridad, 2006</ref>, with the 'The Official History of the Falklands Campaign' reporting that 961 Argentinians were captured. The British Paratroopers at the time reported a much larger count of 250 Argentinians killed and 1,600 prisoners. British losses in 2 PARA were 15 killed and 64 wounded.<ref>"All the 64 wounded in the fight for Goose Green had survived and were now in the hospital ship Uganda . It was all down to their basic fitness , plus the wonderful work done by the Regimental Medical Officer of 2 Para, Captain Steve Hughes and his battlefield medic teams." Memories of the Falklands, Iain Dale, p. 73, Politico's, 2002</ref> The men of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were completely exhausted with only 190 men left standing and able to continue fighting on May 29, according to Private David Brown from C Company 2 PARA.<ref>''"An average battalion strength is about 650 ... There were echelons and signals and various other units ... and that morning we had only 190 men left to fight."'' Ordinary Heroes: Untold Stories from the Falklands Campaign, Cristopher Hilton, The History Press, 2011</ref>A Sea Harrier pilot (Lieutenant Nick Taylor on May 4), a Royal Engineer (Corporal Michael Melia on May 28), a Scout pilot (Lieutenant Richard Nunn on May 28) and a Gurkha (Lance-Corporal Budhaprasad Limbu on June 24) were also reported killed taking and clearing Goose Green.

==Aftermath==

The Battle of Darwin and Goose Green was a resounding British military victory against a resolute and well dug-in enemy. But many within the Task Force and 2 PARA itself, questioned the need to fight a strong enemy force, which could have been isolated and bypassed.

It also came as a profound shock that a largely conscript force could fight so determinedly for several hours against highly professional British Paratroopers.<ref>"Despite their defeat, the conscripts at Goose Green had shown themselves willing and able to resist fiercely from fortified positions. In this, the Argentinians, so many of whom were of Italian stock, were fighting in the Italian way, so reminiscent of World War II." Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, p. 143, Chivers Press, 1982</ref>The skill and bravery of the Argentinian Air Force had already been proven and recognized, but the Argentinian defense of Darwin and Goose Green was a salutary experience.<ref>"His men had fought a battle with insufficient combat support and had forced 2 Para to fight a long battle by night and day, longer than any other Argentine commander would do ... Piaggi confounded Jones's theory 'Hit them really hard and they will fold', but he was forced to resign his commission. For the second time during the week Argentine troops had stood their ground and it was only when resistance was seen to be futile that withdrawal and surrender were contemplated." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2018</ref>

The fighting showed that "H" Jones was a strict CO who had to have complete control over every aspect and demanded his company commanders to not stray from the battle plan. Major Neame was the only officer who commanded his company with flexibility and allowed initiative among his officers and NCOs, something which benefited his platoons greatly.<ref>To what extent does the Battle for Goose Green reveal command problems in the British army of the period?, James Wallis, University of Kent</ref>

History was not kind to Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi. Because he surrendered on Argentinian Army Day he was forced to resign from the Argentinian Army. And his military competence was called into question.

The performance of Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi, was better than British and Argentinian assessments would indicate. During the battle, Piaggi did not panic when he was out of touch with what was happening and took up the reins as soon as it became possible. At no time did he completely surrender the initiative―his artillery, mortars and anti-aircraft guns and infantry were used to counter every move made by the British. At the critical point his rifle platoons plugged the gaps. On a personal level, his calm and determination inspired his men in the line of fire. During the evening fighting, Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi and Major Moore were observed rallying the troops and Piaggi had stood exposed while cursing and firing several 9 mm rounds from his side-arm at one of the 3 low-flying GR-3 Harriers sent to obliterate his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns.<ref>''"1810 hs - Dos ataques aéreos enemigos sobre los puestos de comando y posiciones de la 601 antiaérea a tan baja altura que no vacilo en vaciar furiosamente mi pistola 9mm sobre uno de ellos." Ganso Verde, Italo Angel Piaggi, p. 82, Sudamericana/Planeta, 1986</ref>

After a long fight in the military and civilian courts, Piaggi had his retired military rank and pension reinstated. He died in 2012.

In 2007, stories emerged that Argentinian soldiers had booby-trapped bicycles
and the doll of a 5-year-old girl (Sarah Clement, daughter of future Falklands politician Mike Summers) at Goose Green<ref>[https://www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/3214/25-years-on 25 years on]</ref>, but no mention is made of this in the 'Falklands - The Islanders' War' (2012) documentary in which the producers got the chance to interview the Goose Green residents that had been rounded up and locked up after the British air attack on May 1. Nor is there any mention of this in Graham Bound's book 'Falkland Islanders at War' (Pen & Sword, 2006) that details the experiences of the Falklanders in Port Stanley, Goose Green and elsewhere during the Argentinian occupation.

In 2016, retired Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Frontera traveled to Britain to meet his opposing number at Goose Green. On May 23, Frontera met with retired Lieutenant-Colonel Chris Keeble, then lecturing at Oxford University who received him with much courtesy. Both made a speech in honour of the fallen on both sides. During dinner that evening and accompanied by their wives, Keeble surprised all those present when he presented Frontera a token of friendship; the battle flag mast of the 12th Regiment his paratroopers had been able to recover from the seabed after the Argentinian surrender.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170313214230/https://www.gente.com.ar/actualidad/alberto-frontera-ha-roe-de-malvinas/23171.html Alberto Frontera, héroe de Malvinas]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Argentinian occupation of the Falklands

2022-08-20T21:49:37Z

Zimmerman:

The Argentinian occupation of the Falklands was the 74-day military occupation of the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic whose sovereignty has long been disputed by Argentina. The Argentinian seaborne landings on April 2 1982 and subsequent occupation signaled the start of the Falklands/Malvinas War, which finally resulted in the islands' returning to British rule on June 14.

==Occupation==

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

Shortly after being appointed Miltary Governor of the Malvinas, Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez had a meeting with around 40 locals that had formed part of the Fakland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) and that had been captured then released on April 2. He warned them against taking part in any future attacks on the Argentinian garrison:{{cquote|I met some of them [members of the FIDF] and explained that if they did some wrong to the occupying troops, I would apply the laws of war against them. I also told them that there was a group of two or three youngsters that continuously were gesticulating or showed an aggressive attitude against the Argentine officers and NCOs. For instance, they used to approach at an excessive speed and pass our troops very closely. I told them that if they ran into one of them or threw them to the floor and somebody fired at them, although I did not like martyrs, I was going to justify what my men did.<ref>[https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/74-days-under-the-Argentine-Flag%3A-The-Experiences-Corbacho/6b422ca0b75322965818a468fd2aff1d4185b6b4 74 days under the Argentine Flag: The Experiences of Occupation during the Falklands/Malvinas War]
</ref>}}

There were further deportations of authority figures and Falklanders suspected as being resistance leaders were exiled to Fox Bay Settlement along with their families. Major Patricio Douglas Dowling took control of Argentinian military intelligence and soon gathered a reputation for harshness and threatening behaviour. Most of the 181st Military Police Company under Major Roberto Eduardo Berazay strained to maintain good relations with the Falkland Islanders and tried to treat them well although cold and hungry conscript soldiers did take to stealing food and break-and-enters became more frequent as the conflict dragged on and as the weather worsened. Military discipline was rigidly enforced in Port Stanley on the part of Major Berazay's military police unit in order to prevent break-in’s, robberies, vandalism and sexual assault, from soldiers from the front-lines that dared go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) and those caught were returned to their units where they were beaten, humiliated and staked in the freezing ground for hours as part of field-punishment. A local, Les Harris remembers giving two young deserters that had taken refuge in his backyard and had killed five of his ducks, exactly five minutes to vacate his property before setting off to obtain the assistance of the Amphibious Engineer Company:{{cquote|I waited exactly five minutes and then went to the Argentinian marines (Amphibious Engineers) who were in the Social Club. The man in charge asked me whether they were army or marines. I said army. He told his men to get their weapons and then set off to catch them. Half-way up the street they cocked their weapons. They looked very efficient; their marines were always clean and smart ... The marines arrested the two soldiers without any trouble ... We all went down to the gymnasium where the military police (601st and 602nd Commando Companies) were based. An officer came out and said, 'What, you too! Not again!' and gave them quite a bollicking. He told me I would not be troubled by those two again.<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, 1982, Martin Middlebrook, p. 317, Viking, 1985</ref>}}

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

The population at Goose Green had initially a very hard time when they were confined en masse in the Social Club in the aftermath of the deadly British air attacks on Goose Green airfield on May 1. Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Angel Piaggi, the 45-year-old Commanding Officer of the Argentinian 12th (Jungle) Infantry Regiment, said that the lockdown in Goose Green was necessary in order to protect the locals from ''"the rage of the air force men, who had lost so many colleagues."''<ref>[https://www.academia.edu/9369182/Making_Their_Dispositions_Accordingly_Civilian_Experiences_of_the_1982_Falklands_War Making Their Dispositions Accordingly: Civilian Experiences of the 1982 Falklands War]</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

==Liberation==

The Argentinian occupation of the Falklands ended on June 14. After 74 days, the islands came under British rule again. Unlike the Goose Green residents the Port Stanley citizens had been allowed much freedom of movement. But there had been a 16-hour night curfew. The British units took over the buildings commandeered by the Argentinians. Local fireman Lewis Clifton describes how the infrastructures of Port Stanley broke under the extra strain of accommodating the British troops and processing thousands of Argentinian prisoners of war awaiting repatriation{{cquote|The place just couldn't take it. There was only sporadic electricity and water and the sanitation system collapsed. The streets were ankle-deep in human waste. The stench was awful, really awful, and we were all suffering from what we called Galtieri's revenge. He lost the war but left us ill.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135114/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/Britain_at_War_Readers__Memorie/9130824/The-Falklands-invasion-by-those-who-were-there.html The Falklands invasion, by those who were there]</ref>}}

Water was scarce, since Stanley's main pumping station had been damaged by British naval fire during the mountain battles, with many Argentinian soldiers suffering from diarrhea because of Liver Fluke Disease (found in contaminated water and under-cooked sheep meat) forced to relieve themselves in bathtubs and the back streets of Stanley in the face of sudden violent bowel movement and with toilets no longer working.<ref>''British naval gunfire had destroyed the roof of Port Stanley's water pumping station, causing the valves, filters and pipes to freeze up and split.'' The Scars of Wars, Hugh McManners, p. 315, HarperCollins, 1993</ref><ref>The Winter War: The Falklands, Patrick Joseph Bishop, John Witherow, p.143, Quartet Books, 1982</ref>

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

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

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

In 2016, there were allegations made that the Argentinians made no preparations for civil defence in Port Stanley.<ref>[https://medium.com/@justinkuntz_64388/war-crime-allegations-in-the-falklands-war-3f45798cc3e0 “War Crime” allegations in the Falklands War]</ref>A local resident, Michael Bleaney, however says he was chosen as the civilian representative and, after a meeting in which an Argentinian civilian liaison officer was present, the safe-house system was instituted. Six ‘section leaders’ identified the best stone or brick-built houses in Stanley and these were marked with a sign to identify them for the coming battles. The houses were then further strengthened with sandbags and stocked up with mattresses, first-aid supplies, food and water.<ref>Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, 1982, Martin Middlebrook, p. 317, Viking, 1985</ref>

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

Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre ('Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' or CECIM) tell of being tortured, tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours, or punched and kicked for stealing from the food depots or for shooting and killing sheep for food right in middle of minefields and booby-traps.

In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were absolutely necessary to keep some of the less disciplined conscript soldiers in line.<ref>Gustavo Placente | Indagación a 18 militares por torturas en Malvinas (available on YouTube)</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-08-20T19:54:54Z

Zimmerman: /* Liberation */

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

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

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 COMMANDO 45 COMMANDO), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers and half a dozen policemen from the Royal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP). Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS 'John Biscoe'. Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men (including 42 FIDF soldiers<ref>"Meanwhile the Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) was preparing for the invasion quite independently of the Marines. Their OC, Major Phil Summers, had tasked the approximately forty parttime militiamen to guard such key points as the telephone exchange, the radio station and the power station." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders' Story, Graham Bound, p. 45, Casemate Publishers, 2007</ref>
) accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship 'Forrest' was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian men and women.<ref>"With his legal powers to justify his action, the Governor now ordered Chief Secretary Dick Baker to lead a small team of armed sailors rounding up several dozen Argentine citizens living in Stanley." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders Story, Graham Bound, p. 50, Casemite Publishers, 2007</ref>

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

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA 'Santisima Trinidad' to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a 'Buzo Tactico' (Tactical Frogmen) beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA 'Santa Fe' to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref>

The Amphibious Commandos split into two parties, the largest heading for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the defending Royal Marines asleep with Marine Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi suffering a twisted ankle in the rough going. The other group of sixteen was tasked with securing Government House.<ref>"At around 11 pm on the 1st of April, 1982, ninety-two Argentinian marines of the Amphibious Commando Grouping under Lieutenant-Commander Sabarots landed from small inflatable rubber boats, two miles south of Stanley. They split into two parties, the largest making for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the Royal Marine (RM) garrison asleep. The other group of sixteen was heading for Government House. The invasion had started. After six hours, during which they had seriously underestimated the difficulties of moving across country at night, the marines arrived to find the barracks empty. The eighty-two RMs, under Major Norman, were well aware of imminent invasion so were not spending the night in their beds. " The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 171, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA 'Cabo San Antonio' headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. Major Sánchez-Sabarots' plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they stumbled out of beds. Those bent on avoiding capture were to be flushed out with the careful use of machine-guns positioned south of Moody Brook, forcing them to take a route towards Cortley Ridge where they would be unable to intervene in the defence of Government House, and could be later rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided.<ref>"Sanchez-Sabarot's plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they broke out from the barracks. Those who managed to evade capture were to be channeled by the judicious use of MAGs positioned south of Moody Brook along an escape route towards Cortley Hill where they would be unable to reinforce the defence of Government House, and could be rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided". Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The Royal Marines seemed to be asleep, although a room still had a light on. No sentries were observed and Sánchez-Sabarots noticed that no fighting was taking place at Government House as expected with the main landings now taking place. Nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire for the British barracks were empty. <ref>'"The barracks were ominously quiet, although a light burned in a cabin. No sentries were seen and the night was silent apart from the occasional animal call. Sanchez-Sabarots had expected to hear firing from Government House as some evidence that the main landings had taken place; nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

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

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead ('Vehículos Anfibios a Orugas' 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref><ref>"Pedí novedades de personal y material : En el VAO 07 había un herido leve en la mano izquierda debido a un balazo que perforó la parte carnosa : Conscripto Clase 62 Horacio Tello." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 230, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of 'VAO' 07, forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of 'VAO' 07 were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view.

Trollope's men were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's 'VAO' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190328073538/https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

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

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded or injured six invaders, including a military chaplain (Angel Mafezzini) and Marine Major Hugo Jorge Santillán that commanded the vanguard of 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion who suffered a sprained ankle taking cover after coming under fire.<ref>[https://www.laprensa.com.ar/452562-La-Operacion-Rosario-en-primera-persona.note.aspx La Operación Rosario en primera persona]</ref>Disc Jockey (DJ) Patrick Watts from the [[Falkland Islands Broadcasting Service]] (FIBS) had kept Port Stanley residents informed about the progress of the fighting and informed them of the surrender and Argentinian casualties, ''"The governor has just told me that a truce has been called ... there is to be no more shooting and we know for sure there are three Argentinians very badly wounded in the Government House area ... and I believe there is one believed to be dying"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Before the British surrender, Major Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots had to divert a section of his men to release the Argentinian nationals that Vice-Commodore Héctor Ricardo Gilobert (the head of 'Líneas Aéreas del Estado' or LADE in Port Stanley) reported were being held under police guard in Town Hall. But, before they could arrive Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl and his adjutant (Lieutenant Juan Carlos Martinelli) and several marines from the 2nd Marine Battalion Headquarters had secured the Town Hall and Stanley Police Station buildings and liberated some 30 Argentinian civilians. <ref>"The town was silent. Arriving at the place we had chosen as the Battalion Command Post, we found abandoned weapons and packs. I ordered Lieutenant Martinelli to recce the building and within a short while he returned with about thirty men and women who came out of it smiling. They were Argentines who had been locked in that place the night before. Almost opposite was the Police Station. Inside were six or seven policemen with their Chief and a group of sailors from an oceanographic research ship. I ordered the Police Chief to send the constables home and to tell them not to come out until they were told." Victory in the Falklands, Nick Van Der Bijl, p. 23, Pen & Sword, 2007</ref>

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

The British Marines later called into question the Argentinian version of events regarding Operation 'Rosario'. According to one of Major Mike Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''<ref>Commando: The Illustrated History of Britain's Green Berets, David Reynolds, p. 125, Sutton, 2001</ref>Corporal Lou Armour who fought at Government House, says he counted only three Argentinian casualties outside the building.<ref>"There were three casualties lying in the garden of Government House. You think: What sort of mood are they going to be in when their oppos are shot up? When we were actually lying down I felt a bit humiliated but I also felt apprehensive about what was going to happen next. One of the Argentine officers came along and actually struck one of the guards and told us to stand up. We stood up and he shook my hand and a few other guys' hands and said that we shouldn't lie down, that we should be proud of what we'd done." Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 233, Speaking Out: Untold Stories From The Falklands War, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>Major Noott helped treat the three Argentinian wounded (Major Pedro Edgardo Giachino, Lieutenant Diego Garcia Quiroga and Corporal Ernesto Urbina) before they were transferred to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with the husband (Neville Bennet) of the acting matron (Valerie Bennett) on watch duty reporting ''"nothing of note"'' had happened in KEMH on April 2 apart from the death of the second-in-command of BIM 1 and other Argentinian wounded.<ref>"I found Valerie in good health if not in good temper. She kept on muttering about soldiers with great big boots and nasty guns wandering round in her hospital. On the previous day the medic from the ‘Brook’ had come back to help if necessary’ she said that he looked as if he needed a bath and set out to get it ready for him, but, however one of the other lot had different ideas about that and stopped the move to the bathroom with his gun, and said that the bloke was a prisoner of war, nothing of note had happened. Some Argy doctors had been in the Operating Theatre the day before, without success, and she would be happier when they all went home. And she was quite willing to help them on their way." A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict, Neville Bennett, Valerie Bennett, p. 18, Pen & Sword Military, 2021 </ref>DJ Patrick Watts had rang KEMH that morning and was able to confirm how many Argentinians had been wounded, ''"I have just been telephoning the hospital ... There are two seriously wounded people and they are both Argentinians ... and I understand from Doctor Mary Elphinstone that two Argentinians are seriously injured and they are going to be picked up from the hospital now"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>Doctor Alison Bleaney got to King Edward Memorial Hospital soon after this radio transmission and saw the Argentinians accommodating their wounded and injured (Major Hugo Jorge Santillán, Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi, Chaplain Angel Mafezzini and Private Horacio Tello) inside an Amtrack.<ref>"Lo busque al Padre Mafezzini que se encontraba en el hospital curandose una herida en un ojo y le pedi que fuera a la morgue para rogarle a Dios que lo recibiera en sus brazos." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 179, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>

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

Neville Bennet was reportedly the local fireman who along with a colleague put out the fire in the destroyed Amtrack, but no mention of this is made in the book 'A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict' (Pen & Sword Military, 2021) detailing his experiences during the Argentinian occupation.

British war correspondent Max Hastings in his book 'Battle for the Falklands' (Michael Joseph, 1983) claims that, ''"The commandos indeed landed at Mullett Creek, about 4.30 a.m., and reached Moody Brook ninety minutes later. But their subsequent tactics suggested no misgivings about causing casualties. In a noisy full-scale attack, they hurled phosphorus grenades into the barracks and raked the rooms with automatic fire. Only the fact that the British marines had already been deployed prevented heavy loss of life."''

The Argentinians maintain that the barracks were destroyed in an air attack by Harriers from No. 1 Squadron RAF on June 12—involving Flight Lieutenant Mark Hare and Wing Commander Peter Squire—that killed three conscripts and wounded their commander (Major José Rodolfo Banetta) from 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters.<ref>"El día anterior el fuego británico había alcanzado los cuarteles de Moody Brook, donde mató a tres soldados e hirió al mayor José Rodolfo Banetta, de la compañía comando de la Brigada X." Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, La Lucha Por La Capital (chapter), Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Emece, 1986</ref><ref>"El Jefe de Personal del Comando de las Fuerzas Terrestres que, hasta ese entonces, había permanecido con su Sección en el Cuartel de los Marines (Moody Brook), el Mayor del Ejército Don José R. Banetta, que debía replegarse de las instalaciones mencionadas hacia su Puesto de Comando Principal en la localidad, al incendiarse y destruirse los cuarteles, por un efectivo y preciso ataque de la aviación enemiga." Carlos H. Robacio, Jorge Hernández, p. 216, Desde el Frente: Batallón de Infantería de Marina No. 5, Centro Naval, 1996</ref><ref>"Los ataques aéreos continuaban pero en forma cada vez más esporádica, quizá el último bombardeo importante fue sobre el ex-cuartel de los Royal Marines en Moody Brooki donde funcionaba el PC Ret de la Agr Ej a órdenes del My Banetta. Produjo bajas y grandes daños en el cuartel." Horacio Rodríguez Mottino, p. 182, La Artillería Argentina en Malvinas, Clio, 1984</ref>
The Royal Marines were allowed to return to barracks to collect their personal belongings<ref>"The captured British servicemen were then allowed to collect personal items (but no uniform) from Moody Brook and were flown out to Comodoro Rivadavia that evening." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p.59, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref> with the Commanding Officer of the 25th Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín) claiming he was present and helped them find their misplaced pay envelopes.<ref>Mohamed Alí Seineldín, p. 125, Malvinas: Un Sentimiento, Editorial Sudamericana, 1999</ref>During the Argentinian occupation, Moody Brook Barracks first housed elements of C Company 25th Regiment prior to their departure to Goose Green and then 601st Combat Aviation Battalion and 10th Brigade Headquarters according to the authors of 'Partes de Guerra' (Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997).<ref>Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, Partes de Guerra, p. 38, Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997</ref>

On April 10, Argentinian war correspondent Eduardo Rotondo attended the gathering inside the bar room of the Moody Brook Barracks to celebrate the arrival of the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment (minus the Armoured Personnel Carriers) with the Argentinian Regimental Commander (Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini) in the presence of Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez giving a patriotic speech and everyone present (officers, NCOs and conscripts) getting a piece of a giant chocolate easter egg that was flown in from the Argentinian mainland and the chance to wash it down with a toast of fine French wine seized from the well-stocked wine cellar of the Royal Marine Moody Brook Barracks.<ref>"Esa noche, en el "casino" improvisado en Moody Brook, antiguo cuartel de los "marines" ingleses, junto a oficiales, suboficiales y soldados argentinos festejamos Pascua de Resurrección. Sencillas palabras de un Teniente Coronel, un trozo de un gigantesco huevo de pascua llegado desde el continente y un brindis con vino francés proveniente de las bodegas de los "marines" sellaron este festejo que coincidía con el inicio del bloque naval." Alerta Roja, Eduardo Rotondo, p. 3, Baipress, 1982</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Captain Miguel Ángel Romano, a reservist had been sent to Port Stanley to help lead the 181st Military Police Company during the Argentinian occupation. According to local resident Patrick Watts, ''"He took appropriate action against conscripts caught stealing from unoccupied dwellings and tried to help the civilian community as far as his rank would allow."''<ref>[https://en.mercopress.com/2022/06/13/timeline-14th-june-1982-democracy-restored-to-the-falkland-islands Democracy restored to the Falkland Islands]</ref>

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

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

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

Brook Hardcastle reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, pp. 257-258, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

The Port Stanley fire station was assisted by an Argentinian fire fighting team provided by Captain Miguel Ángel Romano (second-in-command of the 181st Military Police Company) who personally helped in cleaning up the town.<ref>[https://en.mercopress.com/2022/06/13/timeline-14th-june-1982-democracy-restored-to-the-falkland-islands Democracy restored to the Falkland Islands]</ref>

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

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

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

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

There is, however, only one substantiated case that was reported in the major world newspapers in July 1982, of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers, but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British garrison like the booby-traps the British Paras and Royal Marines found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the final Argentinian defence line on the morning of June 14 comprising a regimental-size grouping that was organized by Lieutenant-Colonel Eugenio Alfredo Dalton (10th Brigade's Operations Officer) and placed under the command of Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay (3rd Regiment's Operations Officer.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

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

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

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

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

The 181st Military Police Company, assisted in great part by the Amphibious Engineer Company, 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and 601st and 602nd Commando Companies, had kept a watchful eye in Stanley with Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre ('Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' or CECIM) complaining and telling of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for deserting their posts and stealing from the Moody Brook food depot and locals or for shooting and killing sheep for food in the middle of minefields and booby-traps. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep some of the lesser inclined conscript soldiers to fight in line.<ref>Gustavo Placente | Indagación a 18 militares por torturas en Malvinas (available on YouTube)</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-08-20T19:49:37Z

Zimmerman: /* Occupation */

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

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

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 COMMANDO 45 COMMANDO), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers and half a dozen policemen from the Royal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP). Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS 'John Biscoe'. Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men (including 42 FIDF soldiers<ref>"Meanwhile the Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) was preparing for the invasion quite independently of the Marines. Their OC, Major Phil Summers, had tasked the approximately forty parttime militiamen to guard such key points as the telephone exchange, the radio station and the power station." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders' Story, Graham Bound, p. 45, Casemate Publishers, 2007</ref>
) accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship 'Forrest' was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian men and women.<ref>"With his legal powers to justify his action, the Governor now ordered Chief Secretary Dick Baker to lead a small team of armed sailors rounding up several dozen Argentine citizens living in Stanley." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders Story, Graham Bound, p. 50, Casemite Publishers, 2007</ref>

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

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA 'Santisima Trinidad' to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a 'Buzo Tactico' (Tactical Frogmen) beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA 'Santa Fe' to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref>

The Amphibious Commandos split into two parties, the largest heading for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the defending Royal Marines asleep with Marine Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi suffering a twisted ankle in the rough going. The other group of sixteen was tasked with securing Government House.<ref>"At around 11 pm on the 1st of April, 1982, ninety-two Argentinian marines of the Amphibious Commando Grouping under Lieutenant-Commander Sabarots landed from small inflatable rubber boats, two miles south of Stanley. They split into two parties, the largest making for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the Royal Marine (RM) garrison asleep. The other group of sixteen was heading for Government House. The invasion had started. After six hours, during which they had seriously underestimated the difficulties of moving across country at night, the marines arrived to find the barracks empty. The eighty-two RMs, under Major Norman, were well aware of imminent invasion so were not spending the night in their beds. " The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 171, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA 'Cabo San Antonio' headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. Major Sánchez-Sabarots' plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they stumbled out of beds. Those bent on avoiding capture were to be flushed out with the careful use of machine-guns positioned south of Moody Brook, forcing them to take a route towards Cortley Ridge where they would be unable to intervene in the defence of Government House, and could be later rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided.<ref>"Sanchez-Sabarot's plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they broke out from the barracks. Those who managed to evade capture were to be channeled by the judicious use of MAGs positioned south of Moody Brook along an escape route towards Cortley Hill where they would be unable to reinforce the defence of Government House, and could be rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided". Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The Royal Marines seemed to be asleep, although a room still had a light on. No sentries were observed and Sánchez-Sabarots noticed that no fighting was taking place at Government House as expected with the main landings now taking place. Nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire for the British barracks were empty. <ref>'"The barracks were ominously quiet, although a light burned in a cabin. No sentries were seen and the night was silent apart from the occasional animal call. Sanchez-Sabarots had expected to hear firing from Government House as some evidence that the main landings had taken place; nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

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

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead ('Vehículos Anfibios a Orugas' 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref><ref>"Pedí novedades de personal y material : En el VAO 07 había un herido leve en la mano izquierda debido a un balazo que perforó la parte carnosa : Conscripto Clase 62 Horacio Tello." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 230, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of 'VAO' 07, forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of 'VAO' 07 were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view.

Trollope's men were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's 'VAO' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190328073538/https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

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

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded or injured six invaders, including a military chaplain (Angel Mafezzini) and Marine Major Hugo Jorge Santillán that commanded the vanguard of 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion who suffered a sprained ankle taking cover after coming under fire.<ref>[https://www.laprensa.com.ar/452562-La-Operacion-Rosario-en-primera-persona.note.aspx La Operación Rosario en primera persona]</ref>Disc Jockey (DJ) Patrick Watts from the [[Falkland Islands Broadcasting Service]] (FIBS) had kept Port Stanley residents informed about the progress of the fighting and informed them of the surrender and Argentinian casualties, ''"The governor has just told me that a truce has been called ... there is to be no more shooting and we know for sure there are three Argentinians very badly wounded in the Government House area ... and I believe there is one believed to be dying"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Before the British surrender, Major Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots had to divert a section of his men to release the Argentinian nationals that Vice-Commodore Héctor Ricardo Gilobert (the head of 'Líneas Aéreas del Estado' or LADE in Port Stanley) reported were being held under police guard in Town Hall. But, before they could arrive Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl and his adjutant (Lieutenant Juan Carlos Martinelli) and several marines from the 2nd Marine Battalion Headquarters had secured the Town Hall and Stanley Police Station buildings and liberated some 30 Argentinian civilians. <ref>"The town was silent. Arriving at the place we had chosen as the Battalion Command Post, we found abandoned weapons and packs. I ordered Lieutenant Martinelli to recce the building and within a short while he returned with about thirty men and women who came out of it smiling. They were Argentines who had been locked in that place the night before. Almost opposite was the Police Station. Inside were six or seven policemen with their Chief and a group of sailors from an oceanographic research ship. I ordered the Police Chief to send the constables home and to tell them not to come out until they were told." Victory in the Falklands, Nick Van Der Bijl, p. 23, Pen & Sword, 2007</ref>

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

The British Marines later called into question the Argentinian version of events regarding Operation 'Rosario'. According to one of Major Mike Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''<ref>Commando: The Illustrated History of Britain's Green Berets, David Reynolds, p. 125, Sutton, 2001</ref>Corporal Lou Armour who fought at Government House, says he counted only three Argentinian casualties outside the building.<ref>"There were three casualties lying in the garden of Government House. You think: What sort of mood are they going to be in when their oppos are shot up? When we were actually lying down I felt a bit humiliated but I also felt apprehensive about what was going to happen next. One of the Argentine officers came along and actually struck one of the guards and told us to stand up. We stood up and he shook my hand and a few other guys' hands and said that we shouldn't lie down, that we should be proud of what we'd done." Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 233, Speaking Out: Untold Stories From The Falklands War, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>Major Noott helped treat the three Argentinian wounded (Major Pedro Edgardo Giachino, Lieutenant Diego Garcia Quiroga and Corporal Ernesto Urbina) before they were transferred to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with the husband (Neville Bennet) of the acting matron (Valerie Bennett) on watch duty reporting ''"nothing of note"'' had happened in KEMH on April 2 apart from the death of the second-in-command of BIM 1 and other Argentinian wounded.<ref>"I found Valerie in good health if not in good temper. She kept on muttering about soldiers with great big boots and nasty guns wandering round in her hospital. On the previous day the medic from the ‘Brook’ had come back to help if necessary’ she said that he looked as if he needed a bath and set out to get it ready for him, but, however one of the other lot had different ideas about that and stopped the move to the bathroom with his gun, and said that the bloke was a prisoner of war, nothing of note had happened. Some Argy doctors had been in the Operating Theatre the day before, without success, and she would be happier when they all went home. And she was quite willing to help them on their way." A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict, Neville Bennett, Valerie Bennett, p. 18, Pen & Sword Military, 2021 </ref>DJ Patrick Watts had rang KEMH that morning and was able to confirm how many Argentinians had been wounded, ''"I have just been telephoning the hospital ... There are two seriously wounded people and they are both Argentinians ... and I understand from Doctor Mary Elphinstone that two Argentinians are seriously injured and they are going to be picked up from the hospital now"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>Doctor Alison Bleaney got to King Edward Memorial Hospital soon after this radio transmission and saw the Argentinians accommodating their wounded and injured (Major Hugo Jorge Santillán, Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi, Chaplain Angel Mafezzini and Private Horacio Tello) inside an Amtrack.<ref>"Lo busque al Padre Mafezzini que se encontraba en el hospital curandose una herida en un ojo y le pedi que fuera a la morgue para rogarle a Dios que lo recibiera en sus brazos." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 179, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>

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

Neville Bennet was reportedly the local fireman who along with a colleague put out the fire in the destroyed Amtrack, but no mention of this is made in the book 'A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict' (Pen & Sword Military, 2021) detailing his experiences during the Argentinian occupation.

British war correspondent Max Hastings in his book 'Battle for the Falklands' (Michael Joseph, 1983) claims that, ''"The commandos indeed landed at Mullett Creek, about 4.30 a.m., and reached Moody Brook ninety minutes later. But their subsequent tactics suggested no misgivings about causing casualties. In a noisy full-scale attack, they hurled phosphorus grenades into the barracks and raked the rooms with automatic fire. Only the fact that the British marines had already been deployed prevented heavy loss of life."''

The Argentinians maintain that the barracks were destroyed in an air attack by Harriers from No. 1 Squadron RAF on June 12—involving Flight Lieutenant Mark Hare and Wing Commander Peter Squire—that killed three conscripts and wounded their commander (Major José Rodolfo Banetta) from 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters.<ref>"El día anterior el fuego británico había alcanzado los cuarteles de Moody Brook, donde mató a tres soldados e hirió al mayor José Rodolfo Banetta, de la compañía comando de la Brigada X." Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, La Lucha Por La Capital (chapter), Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Emece, 1986</ref><ref>"El Jefe de Personal del Comando de las Fuerzas Terrestres que, hasta ese entonces, había permanecido con su Sección en el Cuartel de los Marines (Moody Brook), el Mayor del Ejército Don José R. Banetta, que debía replegarse de las instalaciones mencionadas hacia su Puesto de Comando Principal en la localidad, al incendiarse y destruirse los cuarteles, por un efectivo y preciso ataque de la aviación enemiga." Carlos H. Robacio, Jorge Hernández, p. 216, Desde el Frente: Batallón de Infantería de Marina No. 5, Centro Naval, 1996</ref><ref>"Los ataques aéreos continuaban pero en forma cada vez más esporádica, quizá el último bombardeo importante fue sobre el ex-cuartel de los Royal Marines en Moody Brooki donde funcionaba el PC Ret de la Agr Ej a órdenes del My Banetta. Produjo bajas y grandes daños en el cuartel." Horacio Rodríguez Mottino, p. 182, La Artillería Argentina en Malvinas, Clio, 1984</ref>
The Royal Marines were allowed to return to barracks to collect their personal belongings<ref>"The captured British servicemen were then allowed to collect personal items (but no uniform) from Moody Brook and were flown out to Comodoro Rivadavia that evening." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p.59, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref> with the Commanding Officer of the 25th Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín) claiming he was present and helped them find their misplaced pay envelopes.<ref>Mohamed Alí Seineldín, p. 125, Malvinas: Un Sentimiento, Editorial Sudamericana, 1999</ref>During the Argentinian occupation, Moody Brook Barracks first housed elements of C Company 25th Regiment prior to their departure to Goose Green and then 601st Combat Aviation Battalion and 10th Brigade Headquarters according to the authors of 'Partes de Guerra' (Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997).<ref>Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, Partes de Guerra, p. 38, Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997</ref>

On April 10, Argentinian war correspondent Eduardo Rotondo attended the gathering inside the bar room of the Moody Brook Barracks to celebrate the arrival of the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment (minus the Armoured Personnel Carriers) with the Argentinian Regimental Commander (Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini) in the presence of Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez giving a patriotic speech and everyone present (officers, NCOs and conscripts) getting a piece of a giant chocolate easter egg that was flown in from the Argentinian mainland and the chance to wash it down with a toast of fine French wine seized from the well-stocked wine cellar of the Royal Marine Moody Brook Barracks.<ref>"Esa noche, en el "casino" improvisado en Moody Brook, antiguo cuartel de los "marines" ingleses, junto a oficiales, suboficiales y soldados argentinos festejamos Pascua de Resurrección. Sencillas palabras de un Teniente Coronel, un trozo de un gigantesco huevo de pascua llegado desde el continente y un brindis con vino francés proveniente de las bodegas de los "marines" sellaron este festejo que coincidía con el inicio del bloque naval." Alerta Roja, Eduardo Rotondo, p. 3, Baipress, 1982</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Captain Miguel Ángel Romano, a reservist had been sent to Port Stanley to help lead the 181st Military Police Company during the Argentinian occupation. According to local resident Patrick Watts, ''"He took appropriate action against conscripts caught stealing from unoccupied dwellings and tried to help the civilian community as far as his rank would allow."''<ref>[https://en.mercopress.com/2022/06/13/timeline-14th-june-1982-democracy-restored-to-the-falkland-islands Democracy restored to the Falkland Islands]</ref>

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

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

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

Brook Hardcastle reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, pp. 257-258, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

The Port Stanley fire station was assisted by a fire fighting team from the 181st Military Police Company provided by Captain Miguel Angel Romano who personally helped in cleaning up the town.<ref>[https://en.mercopress.com/2022/06/13/timeline-14th-june-1982-democracy-restored-to-the-falkland-islands Democracy restored to the Falkland Islands]</ref>

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

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

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

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

There is, however, only one substantiated case that was reported in the major world newspapers in July 1982, of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers, but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British garrison like the booby-traps the British Paras and Royal Marines found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the final Argentinian defence line on the morning of June 14 comprising a regimental-size grouping that was organized by Lieutenant-Colonel Eugenio Alfredo Dalton (10th Brigade's Operations Officer) and placed under the command of Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay (3rd Regiment's Operations Officer.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

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

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

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

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

The 181st Military Police Company, assisted in great part by the Amphibious Engineer Company, 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and 601st and 602nd Commando Companies, had kept a watchful eye in Stanley with Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre ('Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' or CECIM) complaining and telling of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for deserting their posts and stealing from the Moody Brook food depot and locals or for shooting and killing sheep for food in the middle of minefields and booby-traps. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep some of the lesser inclined conscript soldiers to fight in line.<ref>Gustavo Placente | Indagación a 18 militares por torturas en Malvinas (available on YouTube)</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-08-20T19:39:01Z

Zimmerman: /* Liberation */

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

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

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 COMMANDO 45 COMMANDO), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers and half a dozen policemen from the Royal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP). Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS 'John Biscoe'. Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men (including 42 FIDF soldiers<ref>"Meanwhile the Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) was preparing for the invasion quite independently of the Marines. Their OC, Major Phil Summers, had tasked the approximately forty parttime militiamen to guard such key points as the telephone exchange, the radio station and the power station." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders' Story, Graham Bound, p. 45, Casemate Publishers, 2007</ref>
) accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship 'Forrest' was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian men and women.<ref>"With his legal powers to justify his action, the Governor now ordered Chief Secretary Dick Baker to lead a small team of armed sailors rounding up several dozen Argentine citizens living in Stanley." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders Story, Graham Bound, p. 50, Casemite Publishers, 2007</ref>

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

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA 'Santisima Trinidad' to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a 'Buzo Tactico' (Tactical Frogmen) beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA 'Santa Fe' to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref>

The Amphibious Commandos split into two parties, the largest heading for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the defending Royal Marines asleep with Marine Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi suffering a twisted ankle in the rough going. The other group of sixteen was tasked with securing Government House.<ref>"At around 11 pm on the 1st of April, 1982, ninety-two Argentinian marines of the Amphibious Commando Grouping under Lieutenant-Commander Sabarots landed from small inflatable rubber boats, two miles south of Stanley. They split into two parties, the largest making for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the Royal Marine (RM) garrison asleep. The other group of sixteen was heading for Government House. The invasion had started. After six hours, during which they had seriously underestimated the difficulties of moving across country at night, the marines arrived to find the barracks empty. The eighty-two RMs, under Major Norman, were well aware of imminent invasion so were not spending the night in their beds. " The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 171, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA 'Cabo San Antonio' headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. Major Sánchez-Sabarots' plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they stumbled out of beds. Those bent on avoiding capture were to be flushed out with the careful use of machine-guns positioned south of Moody Brook, forcing them to take a route towards Cortley Ridge where they would be unable to intervene in the defence of Government House, and could be later rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided.<ref>"Sanchez-Sabarot's plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they broke out from the barracks. Those who managed to evade capture were to be channeled by the judicious use of MAGs positioned south of Moody Brook along an escape route towards Cortley Hill where they would be unable to reinforce the defence of Government House, and could be rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided". Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The Royal Marines seemed to be asleep, although a room still had a light on. No sentries were observed and Sánchez-Sabarots noticed that no fighting was taking place at Government House as expected with the main landings now taking place. Nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire for the British barracks were empty. <ref>'"The barracks were ominously quiet, although a light burned in a cabin. No sentries were seen and the night was silent apart from the occasional animal call. Sanchez-Sabarots had expected to hear firing from Government House as some evidence that the main landings had taken place; nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

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

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead ('Vehículos Anfibios a Orugas' 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref><ref>"Pedí novedades de personal y material : En el VAO 07 había un herido leve en la mano izquierda debido a un balazo que perforó la parte carnosa : Conscripto Clase 62 Horacio Tello." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 230, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of 'VAO' 07, forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of 'VAO' 07 were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view.

Trollope's men were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's 'VAO' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190328073538/https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

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

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded or injured six invaders, including a military chaplain (Angel Mafezzini) and Marine Major Hugo Jorge Santillán that commanded the vanguard of 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion who suffered a sprained ankle taking cover after coming under fire.<ref>[https://www.laprensa.com.ar/452562-La-Operacion-Rosario-en-primera-persona.note.aspx La Operación Rosario en primera persona]</ref>Disc Jockey (DJ) Patrick Watts from the [[Falkland Islands Broadcasting Service]] (FIBS) had kept Port Stanley residents informed about the progress of the fighting and informed them of the surrender and Argentinian casualties, ''"The governor has just told me that a truce has been called ... there is to be no more shooting and we know for sure there are three Argentinians very badly wounded in the Government House area ... and I believe there is one believed to be dying"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Before the British surrender, Major Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots had to divert a section of his men to release the Argentinian nationals that Vice-Commodore Héctor Ricardo Gilobert (the head of 'Líneas Aéreas del Estado' or LADE in Port Stanley) reported were being held under police guard in Town Hall. But, before they could arrive Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl and his adjutant (Lieutenant Juan Carlos Martinelli) and several marines from the 2nd Marine Battalion Headquarters had secured the Town Hall and Stanley Police Station buildings and liberated some 30 Argentinian civilians. <ref>"The town was silent. Arriving at the place we had chosen as the Battalion Command Post, we found abandoned weapons and packs. I ordered Lieutenant Martinelli to recce the building and within a short while he returned with about thirty men and women who came out of it smiling. They were Argentines who had been locked in that place the night before. Almost opposite was the Police Station. Inside were six or seven policemen with their Chief and a group of sailors from an oceanographic research ship. I ordered the Police Chief to send the constables home and to tell them not to come out until they were told." Victory in the Falklands, Nick Van Der Bijl, p. 23, Pen & Sword, 2007</ref>

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

The British Marines later called into question the Argentinian version of events regarding Operation 'Rosario'. According to one of Major Mike Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''<ref>Commando: The Illustrated History of Britain's Green Berets, David Reynolds, p. 125, Sutton, 2001</ref>Corporal Lou Armour who fought at Government House, says he counted only three Argentinian casualties outside the building.<ref>"There were three casualties lying in the garden of Government House. You think: What sort of mood are they going to be in when their oppos are shot up? When we were actually lying down I felt a bit humiliated but I also felt apprehensive about what was going to happen next. One of the Argentine officers came along and actually struck one of the guards and told us to stand up. We stood up and he shook my hand and a few other guys' hands and said that we shouldn't lie down, that we should be proud of what we'd done." Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 233, Speaking Out: Untold Stories From The Falklands War, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>Major Noott helped treat the three Argentinian wounded (Major Pedro Edgardo Giachino, Lieutenant Diego Garcia Quiroga and Corporal Ernesto Urbina) before they were transferred to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with the husband (Neville Bennet) of the acting matron (Valerie Bennett) on watch duty reporting ''"nothing of note"'' had happened in KEMH on April 2 apart from the death of the second-in-command of BIM 1 and other Argentinian wounded.<ref>"I found Valerie in good health if not in good temper. She kept on muttering about soldiers with great big boots and nasty guns wandering round in her hospital. On the previous day the medic from the ‘Brook’ had come back to help if necessary’ she said that he looked as if he needed a bath and set out to get it ready for him, but, however one of the other lot had different ideas about that and stopped the move to the bathroom with his gun, and said that the bloke was a prisoner of war, nothing of note had happened. Some Argy doctors had been in the Operating Theatre the day before, without success, and she would be happier when they all went home. And she was quite willing to help them on their way." A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict, Neville Bennett, Valerie Bennett, p. 18, Pen & Sword Military, 2021 </ref>DJ Patrick Watts had rang KEMH that morning and was able to confirm how many Argentinians had been wounded, ''"I have just been telephoning the hospital ... There are two seriously wounded people and they are both Argentinians ... and I understand from Doctor Mary Elphinstone that two Argentinians are seriously injured and they are going to be picked up from the hospital now"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>Doctor Alison Bleaney got to King Edward Memorial Hospital soon after this radio transmission and saw the Argentinians accommodating their wounded and injured (Major Hugo Jorge Santillán, Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi, Chaplain Angel Mafezzini and Private Horacio Tello) inside an Amtrack.<ref>"Lo busque al Padre Mafezzini que se encontraba en el hospital curandose una herida en un ojo y le pedi que fuera a la morgue para rogarle a Dios que lo recibiera en sus brazos." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 179, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>

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

Neville Bennet was reportedly the local fireman who along with a colleague put out the fire in the destroyed Amtrack, but no mention of this is made in the book 'A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict' (Pen & Sword Military, 2021) detailing his experiences during the Argentinian occupation.

British war correspondent Max Hastings in his book 'Battle for the Falklands' (Michael Joseph, 1983) claims that, ''"The commandos indeed landed at Mullett Creek, about 4.30 a.m., and reached Moody Brook ninety minutes later. But their subsequent tactics suggested no misgivings about causing casualties. In a noisy full-scale attack, they hurled phosphorus grenades into the barracks and raked the rooms with automatic fire. Only the fact that the British marines had already been deployed prevented heavy loss of life."''

The Argentinians maintain that the barracks were destroyed in an air attack by Harriers from No. 1 Squadron RAF on June 12—involving Flight Lieutenant Mark Hare and Wing Commander Peter Squire—that killed three conscripts and wounded their commander (Major José Rodolfo Banetta) from 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters.<ref>"El día anterior el fuego británico había alcanzado los cuarteles de Moody Brook, donde mató a tres soldados e hirió al mayor José Rodolfo Banetta, de la compañía comando de la Brigada X." Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, La Lucha Por La Capital (chapter), Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Emece, 1986</ref><ref>"El Jefe de Personal del Comando de las Fuerzas Terrestres que, hasta ese entonces, había permanecido con su Sección en el Cuartel de los Marines (Moody Brook), el Mayor del Ejército Don José R. Banetta, que debía replegarse de las instalaciones mencionadas hacia su Puesto de Comando Principal en la localidad, al incendiarse y destruirse los cuarteles, por un efectivo y preciso ataque de la aviación enemiga." Carlos H. Robacio, Jorge Hernández, p. 216, Desde el Frente: Batallón de Infantería de Marina No. 5, Centro Naval, 1996</ref><ref>"Los ataques aéreos continuaban pero en forma cada vez más esporádica, quizá el último bombardeo importante fue sobre el ex-cuartel de los Royal Marines en Moody Brooki donde funcionaba el PC Ret de la Agr Ej a órdenes del My Banetta. Produjo bajas y grandes daños en el cuartel." Horacio Rodríguez Mottino, p. 182, La Artillería Argentina en Malvinas, Clio, 1984</ref>
The Royal Marines were allowed to return to barracks to collect their personal belongings<ref>"The captured British servicemen were then allowed to collect personal items (but no uniform) from Moody Brook and were flown out to Comodoro Rivadavia that evening." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p.59, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref> with the Commanding Officer of the 25th Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín) claiming he was present and helped them find their misplaced pay envelopes.<ref>Mohamed Alí Seineldín, p. 125, Malvinas: Un Sentimiento, Editorial Sudamericana, 1999</ref>During the Argentinian occupation, Moody Brook Barracks first housed elements of C Company 25th Regiment prior to their departure to Goose Green and then 601st Combat Aviation Battalion and 10th Brigade Headquarters according to the authors of 'Partes de Guerra' (Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997).<ref>Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, Partes de Guerra, p. 38, Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997</ref>

On April 10, Argentinian war correspondent Eduardo Rotondo attended the gathering inside the bar room of the Moody Brook Barracks to celebrate the arrival of the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment (minus the Armoured Personnel Carriers) with the Argentinian Regimental Commander (Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini) in the presence of Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez giving a patriotic speech and everyone present (officers, NCOs and conscripts) getting a piece of a giant chocolate easter egg that was flown in from the Argentinian mainland and the chance to wash it down with a toast of fine French wine seized from the well-stocked wine cellar of the Royal Marine Moody Brook Barracks.<ref>"Esa noche, en el "casino" improvisado en Moody Brook, antiguo cuartel de los "marines" ingleses, junto a oficiales, suboficiales y soldados argentinos festejamos Pascua de Resurrección. Sencillas palabras de un Teniente Coronel, un trozo de un gigantesco huevo de pascua llegado desde el continente y un brindis con vino francés proveniente de las bodegas de los "marines" sellaron este festejo que coincidía con el inicio del bloque naval." Alerta Roja, Eduardo Rotondo, p. 3, Baipress, 1982</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brook Hardcastle reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, pp. 257-258, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

The Port Stanley fire station was assisted by a fire fighting team from the 181st Military Police Company provided by Captain Miguel Angel Romano who personally helped in cleaning up the town.<ref>[https://en.mercopress.com/2022/06/13/timeline-14th-june-1982-democracy-restored-to-the-falkland-islands Democracy restored to the Falkland Islands]</ref>

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

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

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

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

There is, however, only one substantiated case that was reported in the major world newspapers in July 1982, of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers, but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British garrison like the booby-traps the British Paras and Royal Marines found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the final Argentinian defence line on the morning of June 14 comprising a regimental-size grouping that was organized by Lieutenant-Colonel Eugenio Alfredo Dalton (10th Brigade's Operations Officer) and placed under the command of Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay (3rd Regiment's Operations Officer.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

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

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

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

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

The 181st Military Police Company, assisted in great part by the Amphibious Engineer Company, 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and 601st and 602nd Commando Companies, had kept a watchful eye in Stanley with Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre ('Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' or CECIM) complaining and telling of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for deserting their posts and stealing from the Moody Brook food depot and locals or for shooting and killing sheep for food in the middle of minefields and booby-traps. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep some of the lesser inclined conscript soldiers to fight in line.<ref>Gustavo Placente | Indagación a 18 militares por torturas en Malvinas (available on YouTube)</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-08-20T19:30:45Z

Zimmerman: /* Liberation */

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

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

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 COMMANDO 45 COMMANDO), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers and half a dozen policemen from the Royal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP). Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS 'John Biscoe'. Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men (including 42 FIDF soldiers<ref>"Meanwhile the Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) was preparing for the invasion quite independently of the Marines. Their OC, Major Phil Summers, had tasked the approximately forty parttime militiamen to guard such key points as the telephone exchange, the radio station and the power station." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders' Story, Graham Bound, p. 45, Casemate Publishers, 2007</ref>
) accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship 'Forrest' was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian men and women.<ref>"With his legal powers to justify his action, the Governor now ordered Chief Secretary Dick Baker to lead a small team of armed sailors rounding up several dozen Argentine citizens living in Stanley." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders Story, Graham Bound, p. 50, Casemite Publishers, 2007</ref>

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

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA 'Santisima Trinidad' to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a 'Buzo Tactico' (Tactical Frogmen) beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA 'Santa Fe' to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref>

The Amphibious Commandos split into two parties, the largest heading for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the defending Royal Marines asleep with Marine Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi suffering a twisted ankle in the rough going. The other group of sixteen was tasked with securing Government House.<ref>"At around 11 pm on the 1st of April, 1982, ninety-two Argentinian marines of the Amphibious Commando Grouping under Lieutenant-Commander Sabarots landed from small inflatable rubber boats, two miles south of Stanley. They split into two parties, the largest making for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the Royal Marine (RM) garrison asleep. The other group of sixteen was heading for Government House. The invasion had started. After six hours, during which they had seriously underestimated the difficulties of moving across country at night, the marines arrived to find the barracks empty. The eighty-two RMs, under Major Norman, were well aware of imminent invasion so were not spending the night in their beds. " The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 171, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA 'Cabo San Antonio' headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. Major Sánchez-Sabarots' plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they stumbled out of beds. Those bent on avoiding capture were to be flushed out with the careful use of machine-guns positioned south of Moody Brook, forcing them to take a route towards Cortley Ridge where they would be unable to intervene in the defence of Government House, and could be later rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided.<ref>"Sanchez-Sabarot's plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they broke out from the barracks. Those who managed to evade capture were to be channeled by the judicious use of MAGs positioned south of Moody Brook along an escape route towards Cortley Hill where they would be unable to reinforce the defence of Government House, and could be rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided". Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The Royal Marines seemed to be asleep, although a room still had a light on. No sentries were observed and Sánchez-Sabarots noticed that no fighting was taking place at Government House as expected with the main landings now taking place. Nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire for the British barracks were empty. <ref>'"The barracks were ominously quiet, although a light burned in a cabin. No sentries were seen and the night was silent apart from the occasional animal call. Sanchez-Sabarots had expected to hear firing from Government House as some evidence that the main landings had taken place; nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

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

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead ('Vehículos Anfibios a Orugas' 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref><ref>"Pedí novedades de personal y material : En el VAO 07 había un herido leve en la mano izquierda debido a un balazo que perforó la parte carnosa : Conscripto Clase 62 Horacio Tello." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 230, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of 'VAO' 07, forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of 'VAO' 07 were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view.

Trollope's men were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's 'VAO' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190328073538/https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

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

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded or injured six invaders, including a military chaplain (Angel Mafezzini) and Marine Major Hugo Jorge Santillán that commanded the vanguard of 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion who suffered a sprained ankle taking cover after coming under fire.<ref>[https://www.laprensa.com.ar/452562-La-Operacion-Rosario-en-primera-persona.note.aspx La Operación Rosario en primera persona]</ref>Disc Jockey (DJ) Patrick Watts from the [[Falkland Islands Broadcasting Service]] (FIBS) had kept Port Stanley residents informed about the progress of the fighting and informed them of the surrender and Argentinian casualties, ''"The governor has just told me that a truce has been called ... there is to be no more shooting and we know for sure there are three Argentinians very badly wounded in the Government House area ... and I believe there is one believed to be dying"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Before the British surrender, Major Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots had to divert a section of his men to release the Argentinian nationals that Vice-Commodore Héctor Ricardo Gilobert (the head of 'Líneas Aéreas del Estado' or LADE in Port Stanley) reported were being held under police guard in Town Hall. But, before they could arrive Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl and his adjutant (Lieutenant Juan Carlos Martinelli) and several marines from the 2nd Marine Battalion Headquarters had secured the Town Hall and Stanley Police Station buildings and liberated some 30 Argentinian civilians. <ref>"The town was silent. Arriving at the place we had chosen as the Battalion Command Post, we found abandoned weapons and packs. I ordered Lieutenant Martinelli to recce the building and within a short while he returned with about thirty men and women who came out of it smiling. They were Argentines who had been locked in that place the night before. Almost opposite was the Police Station. Inside were six or seven policemen with their Chief and a group of sailors from an oceanographic research ship. I ordered the Police Chief to send the constables home and to tell them not to come out until they were told." Victory in the Falklands, Nick Van Der Bijl, p. 23, Pen & Sword, 2007</ref>

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

The British Marines later called into question the Argentinian version of events regarding Operation 'Rosario'. According to one of Major Mike Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''<ref>Commando: The Illustrated History of Britain's Green Berets, David Reynolds, p. 125, Sutton, 2001</ref>Corporal Lou Armour who fought at Government House, says he counted only three Argentinian casualties outside the building.<ref>"There were three casualties lying in the garden of Government House. You think: What sort of mood are they going to be in when their oppos are shot up? When we were actually lying down I felt a bit humiliated but I also felt apprehensive about what was going to happen next. One of the Argentine officers came along and actually struck one of the guards and told us to stand up. We stood up and he shook my hand and a few other guys' hands and said that we shouldn't lie down, that we should be proud of what we'd done." Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 233, Speaking Out: Untold Stories From The Falklands War, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>Major Noott helped treat the three Argentinian wounded (Major Pedro Edgardo Giachino, Lieutenant Diego Garcia Quiroga and Corporal Ernesto Urbina) before they were transferred to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with the husband (Neville Bennet) of the acting matron (Valerie Bennett) on watch duty reporting ''"nothing of note"'' had happened in KEMH on April 2 apart from the death of the second-in-command of BIM 1 and other Argentinian wounded.<ref>"I found Valerie in good health if not in good temper. She kept on muttering about soldiers with great big boots and nasty guns wandering round in her hospital. On the previous day the medic from the ‘Brook’ had come back to help if necessary’ she said that he looked as if he needed a bath and set out to get it ready for him, but, however one of the other lot had different ideas about that and stopped the move to the bathroom with his gun, and said that the bloke was a prisoner of war, nothing of note had happened. Some Argy doctors had been in the Operating Theatre the day before, without success, and she would be happier when they all went home. And she was quite willing to help them on their way." A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict, Neville Bennett, Valerie Bennett, p. 18, Pen & Sword Military, 2021 </ref>DJ Patrick Watts had rang KEMH that morning and was able to confirm how many Argentinians had been wounded, ''"I have just been telephoning the hospital ... There are two seriously wounded people and they are both Argentinians ... and I understand from Doctor Mary Elphinstone that two Argentinians are seriously injured and they are going to be picked up from the hospital now"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>Doctor Alison Bleaney got to King Edward Memorial Hospital soon after this radio transmission and saw the Argentinians accommodating their wounded and injured (Major Hugo Jorge Santillán, Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi, Chaplain Angel Mafezzini and Private Horacio Tello) inside an Amtrack.<ref>"Lo busque al Padre Mafezzini que se encontraba en el hospital curandose una herida en un ojo y le pedi que fuera a la morgue para rogarle a Dios que lo recibiera en sus brazos." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 179, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>

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

Neville Bennet was reportedly the local fireman who along with a colleague put out the fire in the destroyed Amtrack, but no mention of this is made in the book 'A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict' (Pen & Sword Military, 2021) detailing his experiences during the Argentinian occupation.

British war correspondent Max Hastings in his book 'Battle for the Falklands' (Michael Joseph, 1983) claims that, ''"The commandos indeed landed at Mullett Creek, about 4.30 a.m., and reached Moody Brook ninety minutes later. But their subsequent tactics suggested no misgivings about causing casualties. In a noisy full-scale attack, they hurled phosphorus grenades into the barracks and raked the rooms with automatic fire. Only the fact that the British marines had already been deployed prevented heavy loss of life."''

The Argentinians maintain that the barracks were destroyed in an air attack by Harriers from No. 1 Squadron RAF on June 12—involving Flight Lieutenant Mark Hare and Wing Commander Peter Squire—that killed three conscripts and wounded their commander (Major José Rodolfo Banetta) from 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters.<ref>"El día anterior el fuego británico había alcanzado los cuarteles de Moody Brook, donde mató a tres soldados e hirió al mayor José Rodolfo Banetta, de la compañía comando de la Brigada X." Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, La Lucha Por La Capital (chapter), Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Emece, 1986</ref><ref>"El Jefe de Personal del Comando de las Fuerzas Terrestres que, hasta ese entonces, había permanecido con su Sección en el Cuartel de los Marines (Moody Brook), el Mayor del Ejército Don José R. Banetta, que debía replegarse de las instalaciones mencionadas hacia su Puesto de Comando Principal en la localidad, al incendiarse y destruirse los cuarteles, por un efectivo y preciso ataque de la aviación enemiga." Carlos H. Robacio, Jorge Hernández, p. 216, Desde el Frente: Batallón de Infantería de Marina No. 5, Centro Naval, 1996</ref><ref>"Los ataques aéreos continuaban pero en forma cada vez más esporádica, quizá el último bombardeo importante fue sobre el ex-cuartel de los Royal Marines en Moody Brooki donde funcionaba el PC Ret de la Agr Ej a órdenes del My Banetta. Produjo bajas y grandes daños en el cuartel." Horacio Rodríguez Mottino, p. 182, La Artillería Argentina en Malvinas, Clio, 1984</ref>
The Royal Marines were allowed to return to barracks to collect their personal belongings<ref>"The captured British servicemen were then allowed to collect personal items (but no uniform) from Moody Brook and were flown out to Comodoro Rivadavia that evening." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p.59, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref> with the Commanding Officer of the 25th Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín) claiming he was present and helped them find their misplaced pay envelopes.<ref>Mohamed Alí Seineldín, p. 125, Malvinas: Un Sentimiento, Editorial Sudamericana, 1999</ref>During the Argentinian occupation, Moody Brook Barracks first housed elements of C Company 25th Regiment prior to their departure to Goose Green and then 601st Combat Aviation Battalion and 10th Brigade Headquarters according to the authors of 'Partes de Guerra' (Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997).<ref>Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, Partes de Guerra, p. 38, Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997</ref>

On April 10, Argentinian war correspondent Eduardo Rotondo attended the gathering inside the bar room of the Moody Brook Barracks to celebrate the arrival of the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment (minus the Armoured Personnel Carriers) with the Argentinian Regimental Commander (Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini) in the presence of Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez giving a patriotic speech and everyone present (officers, NCOs and conscripts) getting a piece of a giant chocolate easter egg that was flown in from the Argentinian mainland and the chance to wash it down with a toast of fine French wine seized from the well-stocked wine cellar of the Royal Marine Moody Brook Barracks.<ref>"Esa noche, en el "casino" improvisado en Moody Brook, antiguo cuartel de los "marines" ingleses, junto a oficiales, suboficiales y soldados argentinos festejamos Pascua de Resurrección. Sencillas palabras de un Teniente Coronel, un trozo de un gigantesco huevo de pascua llegado desde el continente y un brindis con vino francés proveniente de las bodegas de los "marines" sellaron este festejo que coincidía con el inicio del bloque naval." Alerta Roja, Eduardo Rotondo, p. 3, Baipress, 1982</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brook Hardcastle reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, pp. 257-258, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

The Port Stanley fire station was assisted by some Argentinian Military Police provided by Captain Miguel Angel Romano who helped in the clean up of the town.<ref>[https://en.mercopress.com/2022/06/13/timeline-14th-june-1982-democracy-restored-to-the-falkland-islands Democracy restored to the Falkland Islands]</ref>

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

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

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

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

There is, however, only one substantiated case that was reported in the major world newspapers in July 1982, of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers, but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British garrison like the booby-traps the British Paras and Royal Marines found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the final Argentinian defence line on the morning of June 14 comprising a regimental-size grouping that was organized by Lieutenant-Colonel Eugenio Alfredo Dalton (10th Brigade's Operations Officer) and placed under the command of Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay (3rd Regiment's Operations Officer.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

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

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

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

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

The 181st Military Police Company, assisted in great part by the Amphibious Engineer Company, 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and 601st and 602nd Commando Companies, had kept a watchful eye in Stanley with Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre ('Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' or CECIM) complaining and telling of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for deserting their posts and stealing from the Moody Brook food depot and locals or for shooting and killing sheep for food in the middle of minefields and booby-traps. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep some of the lesser inclined conscript soldiers to fight in line.<ref>Gustavo Placente | Indagación a 18 militares por torturas en Malvinas (available on YouTube)</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

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

Operation Rosario (Falklands/Malvinas War)

2022-08-20T19:15:14Z

Zimmerman: /* Occupation */ Full name of Goose Green and pages of book included

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

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

==British defenders==
Before the broadcast took place, the defence of Port Stanley was already being organized by the company-sized garrison of Naval Party 8901 (NP8901, all volunteers from 42 COMMANDO 45 COMMANDO), under Major Gary Noote and Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF, Royal Marines-trained), under Major Phil Sommers and half a dozen policemen from the Royal Falkland Islands Police (RFIP). Usually consisting of 160 defenders, Majors Noote and Sommers, had been reinforced by Major Mike Norman and his platoon-sized garrison replacement that had disembarked from the RRS 'John Biscoe'. Assuming the main landing would be near Stanley Airfield followed by an advance on Port Stanley, Noote, Sommers and Norman deployed their 120 men (including 42 FIDF soldiers<ref>"Meanwhile the Falkland Islands Defence Force (FIDF) was preparing for the invasion quite independently of the Marines. Their OC, Major Phil Summers, had tasked the approximately forty parttime militiamen to guard such key points as the telephone exchange, the radio station and the power station." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders' Story, Graham Bound, p. 45, Casemate Publishers, 2007</ref>
) accordingly, and positioned four sniper/anti-tanks squads on the Airport Road ready to fall back on the main 40-man position at Government House. By the early hours of April 2, they were mostly in position and the small patrol ship 'Forrest' was out in Port William on radar watch. Governor Hunt also ordered the arrest of 30 Argentinian men and women.<ref>"With his legal powers to justify his action, the Governor now ordered Chief Secretary Dick Baker to lead a small team of armed sailors rounding up several dozen Argentine citizens living in Stanley." Invasion 1982: The Falkland Islanders Story, Graham Bound, p. 50, Casemite Publishers, 2007</ref>

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

The first landings were before midnight with the 1st Amphibious Commando Grouping spearhead under Lieutenant Bernardo Schweitzer going ashore from the destroyer ARA 'Santisima Trinidad' to secure Mullet Creek, followed early on Friday morning by a 'Buzo Tactico' (Tactical Frogmen) beach reconnaissance party from the submarine ARA 'Santa Fe' to check out the main landing beach north of Stanley.<ref>"The next Argentinians ashore were the frogmen from the Santa Fe, to secure the beach at Yorke Bay, to the north of the airfield, at 3:30 a.m." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p. 57, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref>

The Amphibious Commandos split into two parties, the largest heading for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the defending Royal Marines asleep with Marine Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi suffering a twisted ankle in the rough going. The other group of sixteen was tasked with securing Government House.<ref>"At around 11 pm on the 1st of April, 1982, ninety-two Argentinian marines of the Amphibious Commando Grouping under Lieutenant-Commander Sabarots landed from small inflatable rubber boats, two miles south of Stanley. They split into two parties, the largest making for Moody Brook barracks, some six miles away, where they hoped to catch the bulk of the Royal Marine (RM) garrison asleep. The other group of sixteen was heading for Government House. The invasion had started. After six hours, during which they had seriously underestimated the difficulties of moving across country at night, the marines arrived to find the barracks empty. The eighty-two RMs, under Major Norman, were well aware of imminent invasion so were not spending the night in their beds. " The Last Eleven: Winners of the Victoria Cross since the Second World War, Mark Adkin, p. 171, Pen & Sword, 1991</ref>

As the Amphibious Commandos secured their objectives the destroyers and frigates of Task Force 40 took up support and escort positions and the Tank Landing Ship ARA 'Cabo San Antonio' headed in for the unguarded beach at York Bay.

==Urban combat==
From 6:00 a.m. the main Special Forces attacks and supporting infantry landings got underway. Major Sánchez-Sabarots' plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they stumbled out of beds. Those bent on avoiding capture were to be flushed out with the careful use of machine-guns positioned south of Moody Brook, forcing them to take a route towards Cortley Ridge where they would be unable to intervene in the defence of Government House, and could be later rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided.<ref>"Sanchez-Sabarot's plan was to capture the Royal Marines as they broke out from the barracks. Those who managed to evade capture were to be channeled by the judicious use of MAGs positioned south of Moody Brook along an escape route towards Cortley Hill where they would be unable to reinforce the defence of Government House, and could be rounded up. Casualties were to be avoided". Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>The Royal Marines seemed to be asleep, although a room still had a light on. No sentries were observed and Sánchez-Sabarots noticed that no fighting was taking place at Government House as expected with the main landings now taking place. Nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire for the British barracks were empty. <ref>'"The barracks were ominously quiet, although a light burned in a cabin. No sentries were seen and the night was silent apart from the occasional animal call. Sanchez-Sabarots had expected to hear firing from Government House as some evidence that the main landings had taken place; nevertheless he ordered the attack to begin. Stun and tear gas grenades were hurled into the buildings, but no coughing Royal Marines stumbled out and there was no return fire." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van Der Bijl, p. 20, Pen & Sword, 2014</ref>

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

As the outnumbered NP 8901 and FIDF defenders fell back on Government House, one of the squads under Lieutenant Bill Trollope defending the Ionospheric Research Station on the Airport Road, stopped the Amtrack spearhead ('Vehículos Anfibios a Orugas' 05, 07 and 019) with anti-armour weapons, machine-guns and sniper fire that wounded one Argentinian Marine, Private Horacio Tello.<ref>"The fact that no one was observed to emerge from the first Amtrac to be engaged encouraged the Royal Marines to think that one of their rocket rounds had punched a hole in it and that some of the machine-gun fire had penetrated the hole and caused severe casualties among the men inside. Local civilians who observed the action optimistically supported this view later. There was no rocket hit, just the scars of ninety-seven machine-gun bullets. Only one Argentine marine was slightly wounded by a sliver of metal cutting his hand." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 37, Pen & Sword, 2003</ref><ref>"Pedí novedades de personal y material : En el VAO 07 había un herido leve en la mano izquierda debido a un balazo que perforó la parte carnosa : Conscripto Clase 62 Horacio Tello." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 230, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>The spearhead was brought to a halt by machine-gun fire hitting the driver compartment of 2nd Sub-Officer Anibal Edgardo Esposito and turret of 'VAO' 07, forcing the machine-gunner, Corporal Osvaldo César Arce to take cover.<ref>[https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref> None of the occupants of 'VAO' 07 were seen to emerge for 2nd Sub-Officer Víctor Quiroga under the guidance of Arce, manoeuvred the Amtrack off the road into a hollow in the ground and disembarked the Marines now hidden from view.

Trollope's men were obliged to fall back as the Argentinian Marines emerged from the other Amtracks and 2nd Sub-Officer Mario Di Filippo's 'VAO' opened fire with a 72mm recoilles rifle, scoring a direct hit on the building.<ref>"Commander Weinstabl and I decided it was time to force the British to withdraw. I ordered the crew with the recoilles rifle to fire one round of hollow charge at ... the roof of the house where the machine-gun was, to cause a bang but not an explosion. We were still following our orders not to inflict casualties. The first round was about a hundred metres short, but the second hit the roof ... They had stopped firing, so Commander started the movement of the two companies around the position.." Argentine Fight for the Falklands, Martin Middlebrook, p. 36, Pen and Sword, 2003</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190328073538/https://interesestrategicoarg.com/2014/07/05/2-de-abril-de-1982-malvinas-vehiculos-anfibios/ Vehículos Anfibios]</ref>

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

==British surrender==
With daybreak and Government House surrounded, under sniper fire and the Amtracks approaching, Governor Hunt attempted to negotiate. Faced with the overwhelming forces at Rear-Admiral Büsser's disposal, he ordered the defenders to lay down their arms, which they did at 9:30 a.m. without having suffered any casualties. The Royal Marines had held out against two Argentinian Marine battalions and Special Forces for three hours, firing 6,450 small-arms rounds and 12 anti-tank rockets<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9582471/Rear-Admiral-Carlos-Busser.html Rear-Admiral Carlos Büsser ]</ref>in a firefight that cost the life of the 2ic of BIM 1 and wounded or injured six invaders, including a military chaplain (Angel Mafezzini) and Marine Major Hugo Jorge Santillán that commanded the vanguard of 2nd Marine Infantry Battalion who suffered a sprained ankle taking cover after coming under fire.<ref>[https://www.laprensa.com.ar/452562-La-Operacion-Rosario-en-primera-persona.note.aspx La Operación Rosario en primera persona]</ref>Disc Jockey (DJ) Patrick Watts from the [[Falkland Islands Broadcasting Service]] (FIBS) had kept Port Stanley residents informed about the progress of the fighting and informed them of the surrender and Argentinian casualties, ''"The governor has just told me that a truce has been called ... there is to be no more shooting and we know for sure there are three Argentinians very badly wounded in the Government House area ... and I believe there is one believed to be dying"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>

Before the British surrender, Major Guillermo Sánchez-Sabarots had to divert a section of his men to release the Argentinian nationals that Vice-Commodore Héctor Ricardo Gilobert (the head of 'Líneas Aéreas del Estado' or LADE in Port Stanley) reported were being held under police guard in Town Hall. But, before they could arrive Commander Alfredo Raúl Weinstabl and his adjutant (Lieutenant Juan Carlos Martinelli) and several marines from the 2nd Marine Battalion Headquarters had secured the Town Hall and Stanley Police Station buildings and liberated some 30 Argentinian civilians. <ref>"The town was silent. Arriving at the place we had chosen as the Battalion Command Post, we found abandoned weapons and packs. I ordered Lieutenant Martinelli to recce the building and within a short while he returned with about thirty men and women who came out of it smiling. They were Argentines who had been locked in that place the night before. Almost opposite was the Police Station. Inside were six or seven policemen with their Chief and a group of sailors from an oceanographic research ship. I ordered the Police Chief to send the constables home and to tell them not to come out until they were told." Victory in the Falklands, Nick Van Der Bijl, p. 23, Pen & Sword, 2007</ref>

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

The British Marines later called into question the Argentinian version of events regarding Operation 'Rosario'. According to one of Major Mike Norman's men, Colour-Sergeant Bill Muir, ''"It was initially estimated that we had killed five and injured seventeen, but we only counted the bodies that we saw drop in front of us."''<ref>Commando: The Illustrated History of Britain's Green Berets, David Reynolds, p. 125, Sutton, 2001</ref>Corporal Lou Armour who fought at Government House, says he counted only three Argentinian casualties outside the building.<ref>"There were three casualties lying in the garden of Government House. You think: What sort of mood are they going to be in when their oppos are shot up? When we were actually lying down I felt a bit humiliated but I also felt apprehensive about what was going to happen next. One of the Argentine officers came along and actually struck one of the guards and told us to stand up. We stood up and he shook my hand and a few other guys' hands and said that we shouldn't lie down, that we should be proud of what we'd done." Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, p. 233, Speaking Out: Untold Stories From The Falklands War, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>Major Noott helped treat the three Argentinian wounded (Major Pedro Edgardo Giachino, Lieutenant Diego Garcia Quiroga and Corporal Ernesto Urbina) before they were transferred to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital with the husband (Neville Bennet) of the acting matron (Valerie Bennett) on watch duty reporting ''"nothing of note"'' had happened in KEMH on April 2 apart from the death of the second-in-command of BIM 1 and other Argentinian wounded.<ref>"I found Valerie in good health if not in good temper. She kept on muttering about soldiers with great big boots and nasty guns wandering round in her hospital. On the previous day the medic from the ‘Brook’ had come back to help if necessary’ she said that he looked as if he needed a bath and set out to get it ready for him, but, however one of the other lot had different ideas about that and stopped the move to the bathroom with his gun, and said that the bloke was a prisoner of war, nothing of note had happened. Some Argy doctors had been in the Operating Theatre the day before, without success, and she would be happier when they all went home. And she was quite willing to help them on their way." A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict, Neville Bennett, Valerie Bennett, p. 18, Pen & Sword Military, 2021 </ref>DJ Patrick Watts had rang KEMH that morning and was able to confirm how many Argentinians had been wounded, ''"I have just been telephoning the hospital ... There are two seriously wounded people and they are both Argentinians ... and I understand from Doctor Mary Elphinstone that two Argentinians are seriously injured and they are going to be picked up from the hospital now"''.<ref>Falkland Islands Broadcasting Station. Live broadcast of Argentine Invasion 1982. Part 2 of 2 (available on YouTube)</ref>Doctor Alison Bleaney got to King Edward Memorial Hospital soon after this radio transmission and saw the Argentinians accommodating their wounded and injured (Major Hugo Jorge Santillán, Captain Jorge Horacio Bardi, Chaplain Angel Mafezzini and Private Horacio Tello) inside an Amtrack.<ref>"Lo busque al Padre Mafezzini que se encontraba en el hospital curandose una herida en un ojo y le pedi que fuera a la morgue para rogarle a Dios que lo recibiera en sus brazos." Operación Rosario, Carlos Büsser, p. 179, Editorial Atlántida, 1984</ref>

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

Neville Bennet was reportedly the local fireman who along with a colleague put out the fire in the destroyed Amtrack, but no mention of this is made in the book 'A Falklands Family at War: Diaries of the 1982 Conflict' (Pen & Sword Military, 2021) detailing his experiences during the Argentinian occupation.

British war correspondent Max Hastings in his book 'Battle for the Falklands' (Michael Joseph, 1983) claims that, ''"The commandos indeed landed at Mullett Creek, about 4.30 a.m., and reached Moody Brook ninety minutes later. But their subsequent tactics suggested no misgivings about causing casualties. In a noisy full-scale attack, they hurled phosphorus grenades into the barracks and raked the rooms with automatic fire. Only the fact that the British marines had already been deployed prevented heavy loss of life."''

The Argentinians maintain that the barracks were destroyed in an air attack by Harriers from No. 1 Squadron RAF on June 12—involving Flight Lieutenant Mark Hare and Wing Commander Peter Squire—that killed three conscripts and wounded their commander (Major José Rodolfo Banetta) from 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters.<ref>"El día anterior el fuego británico había alcanzado los cuarteles de Moody Brook, donde mató a tres soldados e hirió al mayor José Rodolfo Banetta, de la compañía comando de la Brigada X." Isidoro J. Ruiz Moreno, La Lucha Por La Capital (chapter), Comandos en Acción: El Ejercito en Malvinas, Emece, 1986</ref><ref>"El Jefe de Personal del Comando de las Fuerzas Terrestres que, hasta ese entonces, había permanecido con su Sección en el Cuartel de los Marines (Moody Brook), el Mayor del Ejército Don José R. Banetta, que debía replegarse de las instalaciones mencionadas hacia su Puesto de Comando Principal en la localidad, al incendiarse y destruirse los cuarteles, por un efectivo y preciso ataque de la aviación enemiga." Carlos H. Robacio, Jorge Hernández, p. 216, Desde el Frente: Batallón de Infantería de Marina No. 5, Centro Naval, 1996</ref><ref>"Los ataques aéreos continuaban pero en forma cada vez más esporádica, quizá el último bombardeo importante fue sobre el ex-cuartel de los Royal Marines en Moody Brooki donde funcionaba el PC Ret de la Agr Ej a órdenes del My Banetta. Produjo bajas y grandes daños en el cuartel." Horacio Rodríguez Mottino, p. 182, La Artillería Argentina en Malvinas, Clio, 1984</ref>
The Royal Marines were allowed to return to barracks to collect their personal belongings<ref>"The captured British servicemen were then allowed to collect personal items (but no uniform) from Moody Brook and were flown out to Comodoro Rivadavia that evening." The Royal Navy and Falklands War, David Brown, p.59, Pen & Sword, 1987</ref> with the Commanding Officer of the 25th Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín) claiming he was present and helped them find their misplaced pay envelopes.<ref>Mohamed Alí Seineldín, p. 125, Malvinas: Un Sentimiento, Editorial Sudamericana, 1999</ref>During the Argentinian occupation, Moody Brook Barracks first housed elements of C Company 25th Regiment prior to their departure to Goose Green and then 601st Combat Aviation Battalion and 10th Brigade Headquarters according to the authors of 'Partes de Guerra' (Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997).<ref>Graciela Speranza, Fernando Cittadini, Partes de Guerra, p. 38, Grupo Editorial Norma, 1997</ref>

On April 10, Argentinian war correspondent Eduardo Rotondo attended the gathering inside the bar room of the Moody Brook Barracks to celebrate the arrival of the 3rd 'La Tablada' Mechanized Infantry Regiment (minus the Armoured Personnel Carriers) with the Argentinian Regimental Commander (Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini) in the presence of Brigadier-General Mario Benjamin Menéndez giving a patriotic speech and everyone present (officers, NCOs and conscripts) getting a piece of a giant chocolate easter egg that was flown in from the Argentinian mainland and the chance to wash it down with a toast of fine French wine seized from the well-stocked wine cellar of the Royal Marine Moody Brook Barracks.<ref>"Esa noche, en el "casino" improvisado en Moody Brook, antiguo cuartel de los "marines" ingleses, junto a oficiales, suboficiales y soldados argentinos festejamos Pascua de Resurrección. Sencillas palabras de un Teniente Coronel, un trozo de un gigantesco huevo de pascua llegado desde el continente y un brindis con vino francés proveniente de las bodegas de los "marines" sellaron este festejo que coincidía con el inicio del bloque naval." Alerta Roja, Eduardo Rotondo, p. 3, Baipress, 1982</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Brook Hardcastle reported that life in the Social Club was far from grim:
''“After the first week the Argentines let two women go out each day to the galley in the cookhouse, where all the men would normally eat together. They were allowed to cook up a big meal, with bread and cakes, and bring it down to the hall. Considering we were all cramped together in a small place everybody got on very well. People were generally good-natured.”''<ref>Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, Michael Bilton, Peter Kosminsky, pp. 257-258, Andre Deutsch, 1989</ref>

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is, however, only one substantiated case that was reported in the major world newspapers in July 1982, of a hand grenade wedged under the floorboards of Stanley School that was found by Captain Brian Lloyd of the Royal Engineers, but that was clearly aimed at causing casualties among the British garrison like the booby-traps the British Paras and Royal Marines found in trenches and Stanley Racecourse that had been the final Argentinian defence line on the morning of June 14 comprising a regimental-size grouping that was organized by Lieutenant-Colonel Eugenio Alfredo Dalton (10th Brigade's Operations Officer) and placed under the command of Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay (3rd Regiment's Operations Officer.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/09/world/hills-around-falkland-capital-strewn-with-argentine-dead.html HILLS AROUND FALKLAND CAPITAL STREWN WITH ARGENTINE DEAD]</ref>

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

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

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

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

The 181st Military Police Company, assisted in great part by the Amphibious Engineer Company, 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron and 601st and 602nd Commando Companies, had kept a watchful eye in Stanley with Leftist anti-war veterans from the Buenos Aires-based Malvinas Islands Ex-Combatants Centre ('Centro Ex-Combatientes Islas Malvinas' or CECIM) complaining and telling of being tied and pinned to the frozen ground with tent pegs for hours or punched and kicked for deserting their posts and stealing from the Moody Brook food depot and locals or for shooting and killing sheep for food in the middle of minefields and booby-traps. In a 2019 interview with ‘Radio Noticias’, former Private Gustavo Alberto Placente from the 181st Military Police Company explained that field punishments were indeed carried out but were absolutely necessary to keep some of the lesser inclined conscript soldiers to fight in line.<ref>Gustavo Placente | Indagación a 18 militares por torturas en Malvinas (available on YouTube)</ref>

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