Battle of Darwin and Goose Green

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

San Carlos

3 Commando Brigade went ashore at San Carlos on the night of May 21/22. 2 PARA (Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Jones) established itself on Sussex Mountain protecting the south of the Bridgehead without opposition. 3 PARA landed in the near Port San Carlos driving off a platoon of 40 enemy.

On May 26, 2 PARA was ordered to move south and engage the Argentinian 12th Juan Antonio Alvarez de Arenales Infantry Regiment (Lieutenant-Colonel Ítalo Ángel Piaggi) and Condor Military Airbase on the Darwin/Goose Green Peninsula.

Darwin Parks

The 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 1st Lieutenant Jorge Antonio Manresa and Sergeant-Major Juan Carlos Coelho). Leaving No. 13 Platoon of A Company to provide covering fire from the north side of Darwin Bay, the remainder started to circle round to take Darwin Settlement.

Darwin Ridge

By daylight, however, the British attack was held up by Second Lieutenant Ernesto Orlando Peluffo's 12th Regiment platoon on Darwin Hill, Second Lieutenant Guillermo Ricardo Aliaga's 8th Regiment platoon (3rd Platoon, C Company) on Boca Hill and the British Commanding Officer (CO), Lieutenant-Colonel "H" Jones, was killed trying to take out a machine-gun post on Darwin Ridge. Major Chris Keeble (2 ic) was called up from the rear, and leaving A Company to slowly wrestle control of Darwin Hill and pulling B Company back to Middle Hill, ordered D Company to move round Boca Hill, advancing from the nearby beach. Support Company used MILAN anti-tank missiles to destroy these trenches. Approximately, 6 hours after the start of the fighting on Darwin Ridge, the last Argentinian defenders on Boca Hill surrendered.

In the meantime, the Argentinians helicoptered in their first reinforcements and the Malvinas Military Air Base flew in support missions. The first attack took place earlier when a Grupo 3 Pucara was hit, probably by a Blowpipe shoulder-launched SAM, but the aircraft limped back to Stanley. 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 attacking Sea King Helicopters near San Carlos.

Condor Military Air Base

At 2.15 pm the final British attacks began. Elements of the 1st Anti Aircraft Group 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, Second Lieutenant Claudio Cesar Braghini brought his 35 mm anti-aircraft guns into action and they did some damage, killing one paratrooper, wounding eleven and destroying Darwin Schoolhouse.

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 Second Lieutenant Juan José Gómez Centurión (2nd Rifle Platoon, C Company, 25th Regiment).

According to Private Graham Carter from 12 Platoon, D Company, 2 PARA

“

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.

”

Private Carter led the dispersed paratroopers forward at bayonet point to clear the Argentinian positions, winning the Military Medal in the process. Second Lieutenant Gómez Centurión disengaged, and, single-handedly covered by Sergeant Sergio Ismael García, managed to escape.García was posthumously awarded the Gallantry In Combat Medal

In the late afternoon, combat aircraft from both sides intervened, starting with two Argentinian Navy MB.339's and two IA.58 Pucaras which attacked D Company. One of the Navy jets was brought down by a Royal Marine shoulder-launched Blowpipe, and minutes later the Pucaras dropped napalm with one shot down by small arms fire. Then three Royal Air Force (RAF) Harrier GR.3's brought much needed relief by silencing the radar-guided 35mm anti-aircraft guns at Goose Green Point with cluster bombs and rockets.

Argentinian surrender

The assault continued with some confused fighting and by last light the whole peninsula less the Goose Green Settlement was taken. With evening approaching and the Argentinians squeezed in towards Goose Green, Combat Team Solari (B Company, 12th Regiment) from Mount Kent arrived to the south by helicopter, while to the north, Juliet Company 42 Commando was flown in reinforce 2 PARA but too late to join in the fighting. 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 Goose Green Settlement's outskirt. There were some close calls, and Private John Burridge from 12 Platoon, D Company, was wounded and a Sea King helicopter was hit by machine-gun fire from Lucero's men.

Negotiations with the Argentinians produced their surrender the next day. Around 50 Argentinians were killed, and The Official History of the Falklands Campaign reports that 961 Argentinians were captured, with British paratroopers reporting a larger count of 1,400 prisoners. British losses were nineteen killed, 15 from 2 PARA, a Royal Engineer, a Sea Harrier pilot, a Scout pilot, a Gurkha and 64 wounded.

Aftermath

Forty two members of The Parachute Regiment and attached personnel were killed in the Falklands War, with a further 140 personnel from the two Battalions wounded in action. Two Victoria Croses were posthumously awarded to Lieutenant-Colonel 'H' Jones, 2 PARA, and Sergeant Ian McKay of 3 PARA. In total, some 71 gallantry awards for actions in the Falklands were made to parachute members and attached personnel.

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.