Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge

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

Mount Longdon

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

Before the British 3rd and 5th Brigades could retake Port Stanley, it was essential that the high ground around the capital was taken. This included Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge and Cortley Ridge.

Of these objectives, 3 PARA was tasked with taking Mount Longdon on the night of June 11/12, to coincide with attacks on Two Sisters Mountain by Lieutenant-Colonel Andrew Whitehead's 45 Commando and Mount Harriet by Lieutenant-Colonel Nick Vaux's 42 Commando.

On June 10, Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike gave his orders in the Regimental Headquarters at Estancia House for the attack on Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge. They were told to expect around 800 Argentinian soldiers from Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez's 7th Mechanized Infantry Regiment La Plata defending the positions who were well dug in and provided with artillery cover from 18 Argentine 105mm Oto Melara howitzers from Lieutenant-Colonel Martín Balza's 3rd Artillery Group and a further 18 Oto Melaras near Government House from Lieutenant-Colonel Alberto Quevedo's 4th Airborne Artillery Group. In addition, the area had been heavily mined.

Mount Longdon is a long narrow feature of rocky terrain, running from east to west with two summits. As a result of its geography only one company attacking could advance along it. The plan was that the rifle companies would be led to the start line at the stream, west of Mount Longdon by members of D (Patrol) Company. The start line would be known as ‘Free Kick’.

Major Mike Argue's B Company, on the right would take the two summits named ‘Fly Half’ and ‘Full Back’ following the ridge line. Meanwhile, Major David Collett's A Company would be on the left to take ‘Wing Forward’, a spur running from the western side of the summit. C Company would seize 'Rough Diamond' before clearing the rest of Wireless Ridge.

It was a silent approach until Corporal Brian Milne stepped on a land mine, which alerted 2nd Lieutenant Juan Baldini's 1st Rifle Platoon (B Company 7th Regiment La Plata) to the attack. At this point the Argentinian sentries opened fire and fierce fighting ensued. Lieutenant Ian Bickerdicke's No. 4 Platoon took the brunt of the enemy machine-gun fire, with several killed and wounded, including the Platoon Commander and Platoon Sergeant. Sergeant Des Fuller, therefore, took command of the remnants of 4 Platoon and moved forward to attack a Marine heavy machine gun position up a steep slope. It was whilst engaging this position that Sergeant McKay was killed in action. He would later receive a posthumous Victoria Cross for his actions.

Meanwhile, A Company was attacking from the northern side of Mount Longdon. They were coming under heavy, sustained and accurate fire from Staff Sergeant Raúl González's 2nd Rifle Platoon and so the decision was made by Pike to withdraw them from that position. Instead they were to move through B Company and take ‘Full Back’. With Major Argue having finally taken the western peak, Major Collett's A Company moved eastwards, under heavy from Argentinian reinforcements in the form of First Lieutenant Raúl Castañeda's 1st Rifle Platoon (C Company 7th Regiment), before taking the eastern peak.

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

19-year-old Private Grant Grinham, badly wounded in the action, in an interview with the Leicester Mercury in 2017, reported that the Argentinian conscripts had fought well:

“

Those Argentinian lads on Mount Longdon fought their hearts out. They were determined defenders. The battle was in the balance. We fought for every inch of ground. The Heavy Machine Gunners were regular Marines and their confidence was high. They were armed with .50-cal machine guns which would stop a car, and were well up for the fight. They're a big heavy weapon, mostly used in an anti-aircraft role. It was a formidable defensive weapon for us to engage. They also had snipers all along Mount Longdon who were very accurate. They had night sights and were far superior to anything we had - contrary to reports. It was a very difficult battle.

”

The night battle and retaliatory artillery bombardment cost the British Paras 23 killed and 70 wounded.

Wireless Ridge

Briefly under command of Brigadier Tony Wilon's 5 Infantry Brigade, elements of 2 PARA conducted a helicopter insertion deep behind forward Argentinian Army Special Forces patrols and Argentinian Air Force's Observation Posts (OPs) on 2 June. They liberated the settlements of Bluff Cove and Fitzroy, opening a southern flank of operations. On the night of June 13/14 2 PARA deployed 3 PARA and, supported by British lights and Royal Navy warships, attacked Wireless Ridge. Argentinian artillery responded vigorously and the Argentinian Land Forces Commander, Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofré sent Major Guillermo Rubén Berazay's A Company (3rd Mechanized Infantry Regiment La Tablada) west of Stanley Racecourse to counterattack Wireless Ridge. However, this stronghold again was secure by first light and shortly afterwards Argentinian resistance collapsed. Both British battalions followed up and were the first troops to enter Port Stanley.

Aftermath

The Battles of Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge cost the British 1st Parachute Regiment and supporting Special Air Service (SAS) and Special Boat Squadron (SBS) 26 dead, and 130 requiring CASEVAC (evacuation of casualties by air). Argentinean casualties were fifty-six killed, 245 wounded a 100 taken prisoner.