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Battle of Mount Harriet

Coordinates: 51°42′31.8″S 58°0′56.2″W / 51.708833°S 58.015611°W / -51.708833; -58.015611
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Battle of Mount Harriet
Part of Falklands War

Selected mountains in East Falkland
Date11–12 June 1982
Location
Mount Harriet, Falkland Islands
Result British victory
Belligerents
 United Kingdom  Argentina
Commanders and leaders
United Kingdom Nick Vaux Argentina Diego Soria
Units involved

3 Commando Brigade

5th Infantry Brigade

4th Monte Caseros Regiment
12th Infantry Regiment
Strength
400 Royal Marines 170 welsh guards 400 troops
Casualties and losses
7 killed
30 wounded[1]		 18 killed
300 captured

The Battle of Mount Harriet was an engagement of the Falklands War, which took place on the night of 11/12 June 1982 between British and Argentine forces. It was one of three battles in a Brigade-size operation all on the same night, the other two being the Battle of Mount Longdon and the Battle of Two Sisters.

One of a number of night battles that took place during the British advance towards Stanley, the battle led to British troops capturing all the heights above the town, allowing its capture and the surrender of the Argentine forces on the islands.

Background

The British force consisted of 42 Commando (42 CDO), Royal Marines under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Nick Vaux, Royal Marines (he later became a general), with artillery support from a battery of 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery. Engineer support from 2Tp, 59 Independent Commando Squadron (59 Ind CDO Sqn), Royal Engineers. The 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards (1WG) and two companies from 40 Commando (40 CDO) were in reserve. HMS Yarmouth provided naval gunfire support.

The Argentine defenders consisted of ex-Army Green Beret Captain Carlos Alberto Arroyo's B Company from Lieutenant Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria's 4th Monte Caseros Infantry Regiment (RI 4). On 1 June, the Argentine defenders on Harriet and Two Sisters, after having abandoned their field kitchens in their original positions on Mount Challenger, were given permission by their officers to consume their cold-weather ration packs, which helped raise the morale of the conscripts.[2]

On the night of 30 May, elements of K Company of 42 CDO boarded three Sea King helicopters and moved forward of San Carlos to secure the commanding heights of Mount Kent at 1,093 ft (333 m),[3] one of the tallest of the peaks surrounding Stanley where Major Cedric Delves' D Squadron from the Special Air Service (SAS) had established a strong presence. When the Royal Marines reinforcements in the Sea Kings, and 7 'Sphinx' Battery of the 29th Commando Regiment Royal Artillery aboard a Chinook helicopter arrived at the landing zone, 3 kilometres (2 miles) behind the ridge of the mountain, they were met by gun-flashes, mortar detonations and tracer rounds as another clash involving D Squadron was taking place. Captain Gavin Hamilton's Mountain Troop had this time spotted enemy movement in the form of Captain Tomás Fernández' 2nd Assault Section, 602 Commando Company trying to exit the area after having taking cover among the boulders and caves on Bluff Cove Peak the day before.

By the end of May, D Squadron had secured Mount Kent at the cost of two wounded in Air Troop (Dick Palmer and Carl Rhodes[4]) from small-arms fire,[5] and Boat Troop with Tactical HQ started patrolling Bluff Cove Peak, which they took with the loss of another two SAS wounded (Ewen Pearcy and Don Masters) hit by hand grenades fragments,[6][7][8][9]including a Spanish-speaking Warrant officer attached from 23 Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve) who had joined Delves to interrogate any captured Argentines. At the same time, Captain Matthew Selfridge's D Company scouting ahead of 3 PARA took Teal Inlet Settlement, at the cost of one wounded through an accidental discharge. The SAS soldiers claim coming under mortar bombardment while evacuating their wounded and the Royal Marines from 7 'Sphinx' Battery of the 29th Commando Regiment Royal Artillery reported the loss of one gunner (Van Rooyen), who suffered a broken arm while taking cover among the rocks during the bombardment.[10]

The rest of 42 Commando made a march across the hills north of Mount Simon to reinforce Mounts Kent and Challenger overlooking Port Stanley. The weather conditions were atrocious, with the Marines advancing through steep slippery hillocks and stone-runs to their objectives. Lou Armour was a corporal in J Company under Major Mike Norman:

Because of the weather and lack of equipment, we just had to carry all our heavy equipment back to Mount Kent, instead of being flown there. That was psychologically the toughest thing I'd ever done. You're walking and falling, walking and falling—some of the lads carrying up to a hundred pounds—and if you fell over, it took two guys to lift you back up. Then there was the lack of sleep, the wet, the cold, the diarrhea.[11]

The final attack was preceded by several days of observation and nights of patrolling. Some night-fighting patrols were part of a deception to convince the Argentines that the attack would come from a westerly direction. Other, more covert patrols were to find a route through a minefield around the south of Mount Harriet. Sniping and naval artillery were used to harass the defenders and deny them sleep.

On 3 June, Lieutenant Chris Marwood's Reconnaissance Troop of 42 CDO on Mount Wall, accompanying the 3 Commando Brigade Forward Air Control team commanded by Flight Lieutenant Dennis Marshall-Hasdell, encountered two rifle sections from the 4th Monte Caseros Regiment (Second Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez Corbalán's 3rd Platoon of B Company from Mount Harriet).[12] The night before, the section under Corporal Elvio Alberto Balcaza had detected the presence of British troops on Wall, and the section under Corporal Nicolas Víctor Odorcic moved forward to assist under the cover of the early morning mist.[13] However, at around 11.00 hours (local time) the Recce Troop opened fire and two conscripts (Privates Celso Paez and Roberto Ledesma) were instantly killed, and their NCO (Odorcic) went down, concussed when shot in the helmet by one of the Marine snipers.[13]

This action drew attention to their exposed forward position, and Argentine reinforcements in the form of a rifle section under Corporal Walter Ariel Pintos from Second Lieutenant Marcelo Llambías Pravaz's 3rd Platoon on Two Sisters joined the action with a counterattack firing rifle-grenades.[12][14] The Primary Forward Air Controller, commando-trained Flight Lieutenant Dennis Marshal-Hasdell, remembers:

We were separated from our heavy bergens with the radios and all our gear. The patrol was spread over quite a large area, with lots of shouting, noise and firing going on. The Marines abandoned all their equipment, and although no one told us, it became clear that we were to withdraw. With no information and the likelihood of having to fight our way out, Dave Greedus and I decided to abandon our equipment, destroying as much as we could. The two radio sets (HF and UHF) were tough enough, but the HAZE unit of the laser target marker was designed to withstand the weight of a tank![15]

The Ferranti laser-target-designator retrieved in the contact showed that the Royal Marines were seeking to destroy the Argentine bunkers on Mount Harriet with 1,000-pound GBU-16 Paveway II dropped by RAF Harriers. The next day, Lieutenant Tony Hornby's 10 (Defence) Troop re-occupied the Mount Wall observation post against no opposition.[16] However, on the night of 5–6 June, Captain Andrés Ferrero's 3rd Assault Section attacked Lieutenant Hornby's men on Mount Wall and the Royal Marines were forced to withdraw.[17][18]

That same night (5-6 June), a British Gazelle helicopter, (no. XX377 of 656 Squadron) that was bringing forward communications equipment for the advance of the 5th Infantry Brigade was shot down in friendly fire incident by a Sea Dart missile launched by HMS Cardiff, all four men in the helicopter were killed.

Initial actions

On 8 June, the British troopships Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram were attacked by Argentine aircraft at Bluff Cove. Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria sought permission to attack the British beachhead with the 4th Regiment, but his request was denied.[19]

That day, reinforcements in the form of machine-gunners, mortarmen and protecting riflemen from the 1st 'Patricios' Infantry Regiment, Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers[20] and 17th Airborne Infantry Regiment[21] arrived from Comodoro Rivadavia to support the 4th Infantry Regiment. On the night of 8–9 June, action on the outer defence zone flared when Lieutenant Mark Townsend's 1 Troop (K Company, 42 CDO) probed Mount Harriet, killing two Argentines (Corporal Hipolito Gonzalez and Private Martiniano Gomez) from Second Lieutenant Jiménez Corbalán's 3rd Platoon.[22] At the same time, two platoon-sized fighting patrols from 45 Commando attempted the same on Two Sisters Mountain, but the Argentine RASIT ground surveillance radar on Mount Longdon was able to detect the 45 Commando platoons, and artillery fire dispersed the British force. In all, Second Lieutenant Lautaro Jiménez Corbalán would report the loss of 6 killed and 14 wounded fighting off Lieutenant Marwood's Recce Troop on Mount Wall and the raid of Lieutenant Towsend's 1 Troop, including losses suffered during the final British assault on Mount Harriet on the night of 11–12 June.[23]

Around dusk on 9 June, Lieutenant-Colonel Soria's men detected the presence of British troops who had taken up positions in Port Harriet House on the southern approaches to Mount Harriet. The 4th Regiment's Reconnaissance Platoon, under Sub-Lieutenant Jorge Pasolli, received orders to move forward and clear the British from the House and the Scots Guards Reconnaissance Platoon that had moved into the area was forced to withdraw when the Argentines radioed fire support from the 120-mm Mortar Platoon dug in on Mount Harriet. Sub-Lieutenant Pasolli's men attacked and the Scots Guards returned fire with two Bren machine guns but were forced to abandon their rucksacks and radios.[24][25] As the Guardsmen retreated, under small arms and mortar fire, they sustained three wounded, including Sergeant Ian Allum.

On the night of 9-10 June, a rifle company from the 1st Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles moved forward to conduct a raid against Mount William defenders. However, this strong night incursion was aborted and the planned fire support missions cancelled.[26][27]

Over a period of a week, the 4th Regiment defended the Harriet-Two Sisters sector from five Royal Marine platoon-sized patrols. Every time the Royal Marine Commandos probed into the forward platoon positions, the officers, NCOs and conscripts, counterattacked forcing the British to withdraw.

On the morning of 11 June, the orders for the attack were given to 42 CDO by Lieutenant Colonel Vaux. K Company was ordered to attack the eastern end of the mountain, while L Company would attack the southern side an hour later, where if the mountain was secured, would move North to occupy Goat Ridge. J Company would launch a diversionary attack (code-named Vesuvius) on the western end of Mount Harriet. If these objectives fell quickly, 42 CDO would proceed to capture Mount William.[28]

In the closing hours of 11 June, K and L Companies moved from their assembly area on Mount Challenger (which lay to the west of Mount Harriet) and made their way south, around their objective, across the minefield, to their respective start lines. As they moved around the feature in the dark, J Company with supporting Welsh Guards launched a loud diversionary "attack" from the west.

Battle

A map of the Battle of Mount Harriet.

The battle for Mount Harriet began on the evening of 11 June with a naval bombardment that killed two Argentinians and wounded twenty-five.[29] John Witheroe, one of the British war correspondents, later recalled the bombardment:

We were involved with one night attack on Mount Harriet when the Welsh Guards were coming up as a back-up. This involved marching for several hours on a very dark night, through a minefield. Sporadic shellfire slowed our progress tremendously. Eventually, we made the base of Mount Harriet, which was coming under incredible fire from a frigate offshore. The whole mountain seemed to erupt in flame. It seemed impossible that anybody could survive an attack like that. This went on for well over an hour, shell after shell whistling over our heads and hitting the mountain. Eventually, this was lifted and the Marines went in. To our amazement, there seemed to be an incredible amount of fighting going on. There was a lot of tracer fire. The whole night was being lit up by flares, which cast a dead, unrealistic, pall over the whole scene.

[30]

The Argentines retaliated and Captain Tomás Fox, the Artillery Observation Officer on Mount Kent, directed 155mm artillery rounds that fell among the men of 'B' Company, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles in the area of Bluff Cove, seriously wounding four Gurkhas,[31] including Lance Corporal Gyanendra Rai who nearly bled to death.[32]

During the patrolling period, the Royal Marines had discovered a path through a minefield that Lieutenant Roberto Francisco Eito's platoon of sappers from the 601st Combat Engineers Company had laid around Mount Harriet, allowing the 42 Commando rifle companies to attack the two Argentine 4th Regiment companies on Harriet from the rear.[33]

Captain Peter Babbington's K Company crossed their start line first and proceeded up the mountain undetected, knifing two sentries on the way.[34] They remained undetected until they approached Sub-Lieutenant Mario Juarez' 120 mm mortar platoon positions and decided to engage them. They were assisted in the advance by HMS Yarmouth's, artillery, and their own battalions mortars. During the engagement, Second Lieutenant Juarez was badly wounded firing his handgun in the dark and Corporal Laurence G Watts from K Company was killed clearing the occupants of a tent. The supporting British artillery batteries and mortar crews fired over 1,000 rounds to keep the Argentines pinned down, and helped stop the defenders getting a proper aim at the Royal Marines from K and L Companies.[35]

About 150 metres from Soria's HQ, Corporal Steve Newland circled behind a group of Argentines (under First Lieutenant Jorge Alejandro Echeverria, the 4th Regiment's intelligence officer) who were setting up an ambush. Newland pulled back into cover and warned the lead elements in K Company. Each time a Royal Marine moved, Corporal Roberto Baruzzo would open fire with the help of his night vision rifle scope, to make it appear there was only one enemy sniper holding up K Company. Lieutenant Echeverria's men were holding their fire in order to encourage the British to break cover and rush their position only to run into the concentrated fire of the machine-gun and protecting riflemen.[36]With half a platoon of disciplined RI4 and RI12 riflemen and a 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun team threatening the British advance, Newland darted out from cover and charged the enemy. He neutralized the machine gun with grenades but on reaching the rear of the position, Corporal Baruzzo shot Newland in both legs.

With the enemy machine gun out of action, Corporals Steve Newland, Mick Eccles and Chrystie 'Sharky' Ward were able to clear the remaining Argentine troops and captured 17 Argentines, including Baruzzo and Echeverria who was shot five times. The three British corporals were each awarded the Military Medal.

Increasing numbers of Argentine soldiers, mainly shocked and dazed conscripts from RI 4's Recce Platoon, Reserve Platoon and 120-mm Mortar Platoon began to surrender but several experienced officers (First Lieutenants Francisco Pablo D'Aloia, Esteban Guillermo Carlucci, Luis Oscar García) and senior NCOs fought on, in accordance to their orders. The RI 4 Commanding Officer and First Lieutenant Rubén Cichiara, despite heavy British fire, linked up with B Company and ordered Arroyo's men to counterattack. The heavy machine gun teams and protecting riflemen, in general, remained at their positions continuing the fight.[37]

Captain David Wheen's L Company crossed their start line shortly after K Company and were almost immediately engaged by machine-gun fire from Sub-Lieutenant Pablo Oliva's platoon of conscripts defending the lower southern slopes. There were several casualties from this fire, including Lieutenant Ian Stafford the only Argyll and Sutherland Highlander in the campaign who was on exchange as L Company's second -in-command and was shot in the leg.[38] Kim Sabido, the IRN reporter with L Company, reported stiff Argentine resistance:

For a couple of hours it seemed as if it might all go wrong. Pinned down on the slopes by heavy machine gun and sniper fire, progress was painfully slow. I saw several men fall with bullet wounds, others were hit by flying fragments from the constant barrage of long-distance high-explosive shelling. The men in front of us were not giving up without a bitter fight.

[39]

The weapons in Oliva's platoon would not be silenced until being hit by several MILAN anti-tank missiles and the supporting 105mm artillery guns from Mount Challenger,[40][41] with Oliva reporting the loss of 4 men in his platoon. L Company Marines took 5 hours to advance 600 metres in the face of reinforcements in the form of Sub-Lieutenant Eugenio César Bruny's RI 4 Platoon[42][43][44] and contend they took fire from at least seven machine guns and protecting rifle teams that wounded five men, including the company's second-in-command and his signaller. British military historian Hugh Bicheno reports that the 4th Regiment's passive night goggles were all with Arroyo's B Company.[45] Another 11 Marines in Wheen's Company were wounded by Argentine shellfire that Lieutenant-Colonel Soria personally brought down attempting to halt the British advance.[46]

Before first light, Lieutenant Jerry Burnell's 5 Troop of L Company proceeded to an outcrop of rocks towards Goat Ridge. As they advanced, the Royal Marine platoon came under fire from Second Lieutenant Jiménez Corbalán 3rd Platoon, covering the Argentine retreat and were forced to withdraw under cover of the machine guns pre-positioned behind and further up the hill.[47] The Troop took one casualty in this action. L Company requested mortar fire onto the Argentines; a mixture of High explosive (HE) and White phosphorus (WP); then 5 Troop moved forward supported by the 15 machine-guns positioned on the ridge.[48] They took 3 prisoners although most of Jiménez-Corbalán men had withdrawn after losing two killed in the night fighting (Privates Juan José Acuña and Carlos Epifanio Casco). The platoon of Oscar Augusto Silva continued to resist from Goat Ridge in the early morning light and a determined conscript (Orlando Aylan), in a position just below the summit of Mount Harriet held up L Company with accurate shooting until killed by an 84mm anti-tank grenade fired at short range.[49][50] 5 Troop continued their advance across open ground towards Goat Ridge but came under fire and withdrew into the cover of rocks. British artillery bombarded Silva's platoon and Lima Company was able to resume the advance in the form of 4 Troop and captured Goat Ridge after Silva's men had withdrawn.[51]

At some time in the early morning darkness, Second Lieutenant Jiménez Corbalán's 3rd platoon were making their way to new positions on Mount William, the officer was concussed and temporarily blinded when he set off an Argentine booby-trap while leading his men through a minefield. At great risk to themselves, Privates Teodoro Flores and Carlos Salvatierra rescued their platoon commander and were decorated for their bravery.[52]

Aftermath

The battle was an example of good planning, use of deception and surprise and was a further step towards the main objective of Stanley. Two Royal Marines, Corporal Laurence G Watts and Acting Corporal Jeremy Smith were killed, and thirty were wounded, including fourteen in L Company.[53] Another six Scots Guards and Gurkhas were wounded by Argentine artillery and mortar fire controllers on Mount Harriet. A supporting British Gazelle helicopter had also been lost in a friendly-fire incident early on 6 June, killing both pilots and two signallers.[54]

Eighteen Argentines were killed defending Mount Harriet, including those killed in earlier patrol battles and shelling. The night battle had lasted longer than expected, leaving no time for 42 Commando to capture Mount William under the cover of darkness as had been planned.[55] Lance Corporal Tony Koleszar had the surprising experience of finding that two 'dead' Argentine soldiers, whose boots he was trying to remove, were very much alive and jumped up to surrender.

Some British reporters were thus misled into depicting the Argentineans as hapless teenage conscripts who caved in after the first shots were fired, but Royal Marine Warrant Officer 2 John Cartledge, who served with L Company during the battle, corrected them, saying the Argentines were good soldiers who had fought properly:

They used the tactics which they had been taught along the way very well, they were quite prepared for an attack. They put up a strong fight from start to finish. They were also better equipped than we were. We had first-generation night sights, which were large cumbersome pieces of equipment, while the Argentines had second-generation American night sights that were compact and so much better than what we had. The one deficiency which we exposed was that they had planned for a western end of the mountain attack and therefore had not bothered to extend their defensive positions to the eastern end, where we ultimately attacked.[56]

One British general put their success down to his Marines' skill and professionalism:

What was needed was speed but not being bloody stupid. The Israelis would have done it much faster but with many more casualties.[57]

42 Commando captured 300 prisoners on Mount Harriet, and for the bravery shown in the attack, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Vaux was awarded a Distinguished Service Order, Captain Babbington of K Coy a Military Cross, Sargent Collins, Corporals; Eccles, Newland and Ward, also of K Coy were each awarded Military Medals. Eight men were Mentioned in dispatches.[58]

In 2017, David Wheen travelled to Argentina to meet Lautaro Jiménez-Corbalán, in an act of reconciliation, Wheen presented Jiménez-Corbalán with a British military essay and painting of the battle and received a copy of his book Malvinas en Primera Línea (Falklands on the Front Line), recounting the experiences of the 4th Regiment in the Falklands.[59]

References

  1. ^ "Two Companies of 42 CDO had taken a regimental position for 2 killed and 30 wounded ... We had been ordered to be prepared to press forward the attack onto Mount Tumbledown and Mount William if the enemy fled our initial attack, and time allowed. By dawn, it was obvious that we were in no position to attack. We were exhausted, out of ammo and suffering significant casualties. My 2IC, a radio operator, my tac HQ machine gunner and one of my troop commanders had all been shot and a further 10 wounded. Another troop Commander was suffering from shellshock.". A Rifle Company Commander's Perspective, Major David G. Wheen, Royal Marines
  2. ^ "From 1 June, 4th Infantry Regiment, on Two Sisters and Mount Harriet, was given permission by their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Soria, to use their US "C" ration packs, which helped to raise morale and keep the soldiers fit." 9 Battles To Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, p. 155, Pen & Sword, 2014
  3. ^ Mount Kent - Falkland Islands at Peakery.com
  4. ^ "It was about fully dark when the flanking team took casualties, Dick Palmer a round in the buttocks, Carl Rhodes high-velocity splinters in a knee." Cedric Delves, Across an Angry Sea: The SAS in the Falklands War, p. 253, Oxford University Press, 2019
  5. ^ "Two SAS men had been flown in with gunshot wounds that were quite obviously more than 24 hours old. We knew better than to ask them about the circumstances of their injuries, and instead simply operated on them. The anaesthetist, Malcolm Jowitt, used Ketalar, in injectable and steroid-based general anaesthetic that had some occasional and highly interesting side effects. One of the SAS men, a big ex-Sapper, came from round his op and started singing bawdy rugby songs, quite tunefully, at the top of his voice!" The Red and Green Life Machine: A Diary of the Falklands Field Hospital, Rick Jolly, pp. 87-88, Century Publishing, 1983
  6. ^ "Suddenly there was a burst of firing, and the distinct crack of at least one grenade going off ... One of the blokes took splinter wounds from the grenade in his back and was brought up to our position to be looked after ... The other casualty's shrapnel wounds were unpleasant but not serious." SAS: Sea King Down, Mark Aston & Stuart Tootal, Penguin Books, 2021
  7. ^ "Two more men were wounded, but the SAS remained in control of its main positions by the morning of 30 May." Twilight Warriors: Inside the World's Special Forces, Martin C. Arostegui, p. 181, St. Martin's Press, 1997
  8. ^ "Among prisoners captured by the Commando Brigade were five 602 Commando Company at Top Malo House and an Argentine Special forces Group sergeant knocked unconscious during a clash with the Special Air Service on Mount Kent. During this engagement, a member of the Intelligence Corps badged as Special Air Service was wounded." Sharing the Secret: The History of the Intelligence Corps 1940-2010, Nick Van Der Bijl, p. 293, Pen and Sword, 2013
  9. ^ "Also involved from the start was an Intelligence Corps NCO serving at the time with 22 Special Air Service Regiment, who was later wounded. Following almost immediately were a detachment from Communications and Security Group (UK) who arrived aboard HMS Intrepid, an Imagery Analyst at work aboard HMS Hermes and the Intelligence Cell of 5 Infantry Brigade who arrived in style aboard Queen Elizabeth." Forearmed: A History of the Intelligence Corps, Anthony Clayton, p. 226, Brassey's, 1993
  10. ^ The National Archives
  11. ^ Soldiers Who Fought Each Other in the Falklands War Are Now Sharing a Stage
  12. ^ a b 5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands 1982. Nicholas Van der Bijl, David Aldea. p. 166. Leo Cooper, 2003
  13. ^ a b Volveremos!, Jorge R. Farinella, p. 110, Editorial Rosario, 1984
  14. ^ "Cuando los tuvimos a unos seiscientos metros, ordené cargar granadas de fusil y tirar con un angulo de 45º, buscando obtener el máximo alcance posible. Varias explosiones cayeron en proximidades de los británicos en el repliegue, pero no pudimos evaluar con detalle los efectos de nuestro fuego lejano. De lo que sí estábamos seguros, es que lo motivamos aún más para que abandonaran el lugar." Malvinas en Primera Línea, Lautaro Jiménez Corbalán ( Pages 268/269), Editorial Edivérn, 2012
  15. ^ The Scars of War, Hugh McManners, p. 238, HarperCollins, 21/01/1993
  16. ^ 5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands 1982. Nicholas Van der Bijl, David Aldea. p. 167. Leo Cooper, 2003
  17. ^ That time two countries' Special Forces squared off in combat
  18. ^ Compañías de Comandos del Ejército Argentino en acción
  19. ^ Only Lieutenant Colonel Diego Soria, who commanded 4th Infantry Regiment on Mount Harriet, sought permission to attack but it had been rejected. Nine Battles To Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword Books, 2004
  20. ^ "In the second week of June we received a platoon of the 12th Infantry Regiment, which had been unable to link up with the bulk of its unit and we recovered two rifle platoons from A Company, which were added to the supporting Two Sisters defences. We also got reinforcements in the form of MAG machineguns from the Horsed Grenadiers Regiment along with their crews." (EL RI 4 EN MALVINAS, Diego Alejandro Soria, http://www.aveguema.org.ar/
  21. ^ "Muchachos, pónganse contentos, ustedes van a Malvinas"
  22. ^ 5th Infantry Brigade in the Falklands 1982. Nicholas Van der Bijl, David Aldea. p. 174. Leo Cooper, 2003
  23. ^ Malvinas en Primera Línea, Lautaro J. Jiménez Corbalán, Edivern, 2015
  24. ^ "We dashed out and began running chased by mortar rounds. Luckily the soft ground reduced their effect but all the same, we felt very vulnerable. Our bergens were slowing us down and so we ditched them. Then we saw thirty to forty Argentinians coming down off Mount Harriet. They were obviously doing a follow-up, although they were out of effective range, we harassed them with our two light machine guns." Among Friends: The Scots Guards 1956-1993, Murray Naylor, p. 146, Pen and Sword, 1995
  25. ^ "He decided to fly back the OC of the Recce Platoon from Port Harriet House. Shortly after the OC left the house the Argentinians attacked it. Several of the Recce Platoon were wounded. They had to make a run for it and left their radios and codes." The Vital Link: The Story of Royal Signals 1945-1985, Philip Warner, p. 195, Pen and Sword, 1989
  26. ^ Early on 10 June, one Gurkha company moved forward to Bluff Cove close to Mount Challenger to establish a base from which to carry out aggressive patrolling against Mount William. This task was cancelled and the company withdrew. The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004
  27. ^ At 0200 woken to find the Defensive Fire list done and just waiting for the infantry to advance. Later on the advance was cancelled, so the early hours were very quiet. Falklands Gunner, Tom Martin, Casemate Publishers, 2017
  28. ^ " The fighting had lasted longer than anticipated, leaving no time with which to proceed to their next objective: Mt William." The Falklands 1982: Ground operations in the South Atlantic, Gregory Fremont-Barnes, p. 68, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012
  29. ^ Nine battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.183, Leo Cooper, 30/09/1999
  30. ^ Speaking Out: Untold Stories from the Falklands War, p. 271, Andre Deutsch, 1989
  31. ^ The Gurkhas spent 11 June consolidating their position. This was initially under enemy 155mm shell fire that wounded four men and only slackened after counter-battery fire was directed in return. The Official History of the Falklands Campaign, Volume 2: War and Diplomacy, Lawrence Freedman, p. 525, Routledge, 2004
  32. ^ Gurkha hurt in Falklands rejected in peacetime
  33. ^ Evidentemente fue una infiltración grandísima. Por los informes que tengo hasta ahora no puedo precisar exactamente el punto por donde entraron, pero sí sé que entraron por el flanco que teníamos totalmente cubierto, que era el de la costa que iba para Puerto Argentino. Lo teníamos- minado, ese campo minado costó mucho tiempo, costó sudor, costó bajas, y se pusieron esas minas que pesan veinte kilos. Lo que pasa es que es como todo. Aunque a uno le pongan campos minados, si tenemos que atacar, atacamos igual y ya veremos por dónde pasamos. Esa misma determinación —pienso— la tenían ellos. Así lucharon, Carlos M. Túrolo, p. 144, Editorial Subamericana, 1982
  34. ^ Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, Orion Publishing Group, 2007
  35. ^ "Over 1,000 shells or bombs would fall on 'Zoya' alone that night, all of them instantly, precisely laid to cover movement, suppress defensive fire, break up resistance. They gave us an overwhelming advantage." Nick Vaux, March to the South Atlantic: 42 Commando, Royal Marines in the Falklands War, p. 177, Buchan & Enright, 1986
  36. ^ Homenaje a héroes de Malvinas
  37. ^ Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, 1982, Martin Middlebrook, p.349, Viking, 1985
  38. ^ Nick, Vaux (1986). March to the South Atlantic. Buchan & Euright. p. 179.
  39. ^ War in the Falklands: The Full Story, p. 268, Harper & Row, 1982
  40. ^ Nine battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p.186, Leo Cooper, 30/09/1999
  41. ^ "L Company's task was to clear and secure the western end of the Mount Harriet feature. Starting after k company across the same start line, surprise had been lost and so l Company came under effective fire from heavy machine-guns within 200 metres of the start line taking three casualties almost at once. Captain Wheen, Commanding l Company, called for MILAN to fire at the machine-gun positions.". A Rifle Company Commander's Perspective, Major David G. Wheen, Royal Marines
  42. ^ Nine battles to Stanley, Nicholas Van der Bijl, p. 186, Leo Cooper, 30/09/1999
  43. ^ "Era un fuego disperso totalmente, la intensidad del combate había disminuido excepto al frente, donde estaba el teniente primero Carlos Alberto Arroyo con su compañía, desde donde se escuchaba un volumen de fuego mucho mayor. Se ve que pudieron cambiar de posición, porque estaban combatiendo muy fuerte." CARLOS TUROLO, Así Lucharon, p. 214, Editorial Sudamericana
  44. ^ "This involved a fighting advance of about 600 Metres and, as each position took a separate troop or section attack to deal with it, it took about five hours to cover the distance from the start line. The company found that it was best to keep skirmishing forward throughout this advance because going to ground for any length of time meant sitting in the middle of the enemy artillery fire, here artillery and small arms caused a further 4 gunshot and 7 shrapnel casualties.". A Rifle Company Commander's Perspective, Major David G. Wheen, Royal Marines
  45. ^ Razor's Edge (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2006)
  46. ^ "The Company found that it was best to keep skirmishing forward throughout this advance because going to ground for any length of time meant sitting in the middle of the enemy artillery defensive fire tasks that inflicted eleven casualties." No Picnic, Julian Thompson, Pen & Sword, 2008
  47. ^ "When reorganized his company, sent the prisoners to the rear and then ordered 5 troop to move forward to the company's next objective, an enemy position in the rocky outcrop about 500 Metres due North of the Western end of Harriet. Before they moved, Wheen concentrated all his available machine guns, fifteen guns in all, on the ridge. As 5 troop moved forward down the slope to the rocky outcrop, they came under heavy fire from their objective. Wheen pulled them back and then hit the enemy with mortar, artillery and machine-gun fire before ordering 5 troop forward again. They dashed forward with great determination and winkled or killed out the enemy." A Rifle Company Commander's Perspective, Major David G. Wheen, Royal Marines
  48. ^ Mount Harriet &Two Sisters The Argentinian Story
  49. ^ "One determined Argentinian sniper just below the highest part of the mountain held out long after other resistance in that area had ended. He hit 6 Troop's commander, Lieutenant Pusey, and the troop sergeant took over ... The sniper was eventually silenced by an 84-mm Carl Gustav grenade round fired at fifteen yards range." Operation Corporate: The Falklands War, 1982, Martin Middlebrook, p.349, Viking, 1985
  50. ^ Francotiradores en la Guerra de Malvinas
  51. ^ "After 10 Troop had occupied its objective, L Company advanced north across open ground towards Goat Ridge. When it came under fire from Silva's platoon in its western crags, 5 Troop withdrew to allow a fire mission to pound the rocks and then 4 Troop captured the objective." Nine Battles to Stanley, Nick Van Der Bijl, Pen & Sword, 2014
  52. ^ Historias Malvinas en primera línea: La historia de un Héroe
  53. ^ "Two Companies of 42 CDO had taken a regimental position for 2 killed and 30 wounded ... We had been ordered to be prepared to press forward the attack onto Mount Tumbledown and Mount William if the enemy fled our initial attack, and time allowed. By dawn, it was obvious that we were in no position to attack. We were exhausted, out of ammo and suffering significant casualties. My 2IC, a radio operator, my tac HQ machine gunner and one of my troop commanders had all been shot and a further 10 wounded. Another troop Commander was suffering from shellshock". A Rifle Company Commander's Perspective, Major David G. Wheen, Royal Marines
  54. ^ Razor's Edge, Hugh Bicheno, p. 207, Orion Publishing Group, 2007
  55. ^ "The fighting had lasted longer than anticipated, leaving no time with which to proceed to their next objective: Mt William." The Falklands 1982: Ground operations in the South Atlantic, Gregory Fremont-Barnes, p. 68, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012
  56. ^ British Royal Marine returns to Battlefield, Merco Press, South Atlantic News Agency, Monday, April 15th 2002
  57. ^ Robert Fox, Eyewitness Falklands, p. 296
  58. ^ Naval History.net
  59. ^ "La amistad en los tiempos de la guerra". Archived from the original on 8 August 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2017.

51°42′31.8″S 58°0′56.2″W / 51.708833°S 58.015611°W / -51.708833; -58.015611

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