1982-2006, Chronology of the South Atlantic War, day by day

[Eagle]

24 years after the South Atlantic War, I am opening this topic in order to post, day by day, what happened there. I'll try to be the more objective a can, and I expect that could be of interest. As I am late, I'll put today, what happened before of April the 2nd too.


March, 19th

The Argentine military government got prepared the plan to recover the South Atlantic’s archipelagos, and that recovering would start approximately in six months. One of the Six (modified to Intelligence and photograph recognizing) Learjet aircrafts from the Argentine Air Force simulated an emergency landing in the airport from the village called at this time as Port Stanley, the capital of the Malvinas islands. The crew said to the islanders authorities that they had problems with the landing trains in his flight over the Argentine south-eastern extreme.
In his real mission, the Air Force got a lot of important information, specially from the airport’s characteristics.
When the aircraft was inspected, the authorities had not found any failure in the Learjet, and that incident become one of the several suspects that the islanders had about an Argentine recovering.


http://www.saorbats.com.ar/articulos/LmaasaAgo04/__hr_T-21mod.jpg
An Argentine Air Force Learjet, similar than the one that simuled the emergency landing that March 19th.

[Eagle]

March 19th, to March 31th

The Argentine business man Constantino Davidoff, had signed a contract with the Whale-hunting enterprise Salvensen in order to pull down a group of sheds and minor buildings which that enterprise had in Port Leith, Georgias islands. The cheapest ship that Davidoff found was a transport vessel from the Argentine Navy. The Navy sent to the business man the ARA Bahía Buen Suceso.

http://www.histarmar.com.ar/Armada%20Argentina/TransportesNavales/Fotos/hist33MED.jpg
The transport vessel ARA Bahia Buen Suceso

When the “Bahia Buen Suceso” arrived to Leith, not only the workers landed. The military crew of the ship did it too. That was seen by the Georgias’ authorities as a belligerant act, so they asked to the Malvinas authorities to expel the Argentines.

http://www.histarmar.com.ar/Armada%20Argentina/TransportesNavales/Fotos/guerra6l.JPG
The transport at the dock of Port Leith

The Malvinas government sent the Royal Navy’s polar ship HMS Endurance with a group of Royal Marines to expel the argentine sailors and workers, using the force if that was necessary.
When the Argentine government found out the Endurance’s mobilization, took the fact as an hostile and unacceptable offensive, and decided to mobilize a polar ship similar than the Endurance, the ARA Bahía Paraíso, with a squad of Argentine marines to defend Argentine workers by a foreign military force, in an area recognized by Argentina as own.

http://www.hrvatski-vojnik.hr/hrvatski-vojnik/0062004/bpictures/kndurance%201982.jpg
The polar ship HMS Endurance, in 1982
http://www.histarmar.com.ar/Armada%20Argentina/Buques1900a1970/BPolares/BahiaParaiso/00123CL%20BAHIA%20PARAISO%20B1.jpg
The polar ship ARA Bahía Paraiso

The “Bahía Paraiso” arrives first to the zone, but does not land his Marines.
As the mission of expelling the argentine workers and sailors wouldn’t been possible with a battle against the Argentine Marines, the HMS Endurance landed his Royal Marines in Port Grytviken, near the Argentine position, in order to watch and follow the maneuvers from the Argentine workers and marines.

The British government saw the act as a possibly new scaling of the conflict between the United Kingdom and Argentina, and made official the mobilization of a nuclear submarine to the zone.
The Argentine government took the mobilization of a nuclear submarine as unacceptable to the near future mission of recovering by the military forces the islands, so decides to move forward the landing and the recovering of the south atlantic archipelagos.

[Eagle]

April the 1st

A fleet of 14 ships (between them the aircraft carrier ARA 25 de Mayo, the submarine ARA Santa Fe, the icebreaker ARA Almirante Irizar and the Armoured Vehicles Landing Ship ARA Cabo San Antonio, the transport ARA Isla de los Estados) stopped its march, in front of the Stanley Harbour, East of the Soledad Island, the major of the Malvinas islands. From that place, the Navy special forces landed from the destroyer “Santísima Trinidad” and the submarine “Santa Fe”. They were the first troops who landed, advancing to the Moody Brook military base, and the governor house.
Minutes later, amphibious armoured vehicles, carrying more than 500 mairnes departed from the Landing Ship “Cabo San Antonio”. A couple of helicopters from the Icebreaker “Almirante Irizar” started their movements in order to assault strategic points from the islands. The aircraft carrier “25 de Mayo” (with a fleet of 8 A-4B+ Skyhawk, 4 S-2 Tracker antisubmarine planes and several helicopters) had the mission of providing aerial support if the situation required that.

On the islands, the authorities were expecting an invasion, so, prepared the defence of the island with the 80 Royal Marines in the permanent base, and a handful of volunteer islanders. The defence planted mines and mobilized the main group to the capital.


http://www.esgn.edu.ar/cee/Ima/V-2.JPG
The Aircraft Carrier ARA 25 de Mayo

http://www.submarinopirata.com/submundo/argentina/fotos/aras21.jpg
The submarine ARA Santa Fe

http://www.histarmar.com.ar/Armada%20Argentina/Buques1900a1970/Destructores/SantisimaTrinidad/STRINIDAD.jpg
The headquarter ship, destroyer ARA Santisima Trinidad

http://www.ara.mil.ar/informacion/Rompehielos_Irizar/imagenes/w_irizar1.jpg
The icebreaker ARA Almirante Irizar

http://www.bichosverdes.org/CaboSanAntonio.jpg
The Armoured vehicles' Landing Ship ARA Cabo San Antonio

[Eagle]

April the 2nd

A group of the Argentine Navy Special Forces started a march to blockade the military barracks. When they arrived to the place, they found that nobody were there. According to the British version, the attackers destroyed with brutality all the place, trying to kill the more people they could. According to the Argentine version, the Special Forces started to shoot to the empty barracks expecting to receive British fire from the Royal Marines, who were possibly hided on a near place, trying to make an ambush.

http://www.onceamarinealwaysamarine.co.uk/images/moodyb.jpg
The military barracks on Moody Brook, in 1982

Another group of Special Forces blockaded the Governor House, and asked the governor to surrender in order to finish the recovering without casualties from any band. Although somebody inside the house shouted that the governor was going to get out, the minutes passed and he stayed inside.
A group of Argentine soldiers, leaded by the chief of the Section Captain Giacchino, entered into the house, and a Royal Marine who was at the end of the main corridor opened fire, shooting down three member of the Special Forces, between them the Chief Giacchino, one of his partners, and the medic who was trying to help them.
From that fact, all the Argentine forces are asked to blockade completely the house.

http://www.air-and-space.com/200101%20Antarctica/20%203%2030%20Governors%20House%20Port%20Stanley%2 0m.jpg
Governor's House, Argentine Port (or Stanley Port)

Two hours later the Royal Marines kept firing, and more Argentine Marines were landing, and the three Argentine down had not the possibility of being retired, because they were at the main door of the house. Approximately at 8 o’clock the Governor asked to the Argentine Forces to start the dialogue with the Commander of all the forces. The Rear Admiral Carlos Busser, Chief Commander of the landing maneuvers of the Rosario Operation departed from his headquarter ship, the destroyer “Santísima Trinidad”, and landed minutes later.

Both authorities met each other in front of the Catholic church. There, the Governor Sir Rex Hunt asked to the Rear Admiral to retire their forces immediately because he was invading a territory from the British Empire. The Rear Admiral answered that the Argentine Navy forces had landing as the British did in 1833, and his orders were remove the Illegal occupation of the British Empire over the islands.
After hearing that, Hunt doubted a couple of seconds, and the ordered the surrender.

http://www.psywar.org/psywar/images/thumbnails/1982FI00301.jpg
Governor Rex Hunt
http://www.fullaventura.com.ar/eqmilitar/fotos/eqmilitar104157_1.jpg
Rear Admiral Busser

The three Argentine wounded were transferred immediately to the local hospital, but the chief Giacchino didn’t make it, and died in the ambulance. He was the first Argentine dead and one of the maximum heroes from the Argentine side.

http://img154.exs.cx/img154/1860/55yu.jpg
A member of the Argentine Navy Special Forces with surrended Royal Marines

The airport, which was blockaded by the defence, was opened again and the Argentine Air Force aircraft started to connect the continent with the capital, which had the new name of Puerto Rivero (remembering to Rivero, an Argentine who was living in Port Soledad when the British landed in 1833 and he refused at all the possibility of being part of the Empire, making several mobilizations and facts to expel the colony).

http://www.redargentina.com/comun/galeria/argentina/lasmalvinas/sonargentinas/baseaerea.jpg
Argentine Port Airport, named as "Malvinas Air Base" by the Argentine Air Force

The British authorities and militaries were embarked to the Argentine Navy vessels, and then were moved to Montevideo City, in Uruguay. The Army’s officer General Benjamín Menéndez was elected by the President Galtieri as the governor of the islands.

At the late hours from that day, the name of the capital was changed again to Argentine Port. The corvette ARA Guerrico was sent to the Georgias archipelago in order to remove the British authority.

In Britain, the recovering of the Malvinas was seen as a high beligerant act, and the military forces started the movements to possible attacks. The polar ship Endurance stirred to a Northern position, but staying at the South Atlantic.

[Panzerknacker]

Buena info Eagle, keep posting .

[Eagle]

April, 3rd


The Argentine corvette ARA Guerrico arrived to the Georgias islands, and met itself with the polar ship “Bahía Paraíso”, which was standing by orders on the coast of the island. The mission of the Argentinians was to remove the military forces and authorities on the islands, with a joint military forces of two ships, two helicopters (an attack helicopter Alouette III, from the Navy, on the corvette, and a utilitarian helicopter Puma, from the Army, on the polar ship), forty Marines and a group of mortars.


http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/sgleith.jpg
Both Argentine ships, photographed by the Allouette III in the Georgias islands, that April the third

A group of Royal Marines were based on Port Grytviken, one of the two villages from the Georgias archipelago, and their mission was to supervise all the Argentine worker’s movements on the other village, Port Leith, that was a few miles from distance.
The group of twenty-three Royal Marines were on the Georgias since the authorities from the Malvinas/Falkland islands decided to mobilize troops with the polar ship HMS Endurance, after an Argentine ship disembarked workers and military personal on Leith.

http://oconnor.gs/grytviken.jpg
Port Grytviken, the major village of the Georgias islands, nowadays abandoned, the British forces were based on that point to defend the island that April the 3 rd


Before the starting of the movements, the Allouette III took off and inspected the village, making warnings by loud speakers systems, trying to persuade the British to surrender without presenting battle. The Allouette crew not only hadn’t received any answer, they could see movement of military troops into the village.

http://www.ara.mil.ar/actualidad/imagenes/galeria/unitas/DSC09.jpg
Attack helicopter SA-316 Allouette III, Argentine Navy

The offensive started with a landing of fifteen marines from the polar ship Bahía Paraíso by helicopter, from the Puma. When the Puma was completing its second wave, a joint fire from the British defenders reached at least 80 times. The pilot couldn’t keep the helicopter on the air, and crashed on the outsides of the village. Two Argentine marines died in the crash, and a lot of them showed several injuries.
The other helicopter, the Allouette, left its mission as assault and attack helicopter, and took the charge of CSAR (Combat Search And Rescue), transporting to the death and wounded of the Puma to the Bahía Paraíso, and reinforcing the positions in its back trip with more Marines that were on the polar ship.

http://www.histarmar.com.ar/Antartida/07%20Aeronaves/Super%20Puma%20EA/SP10.JPG
Utilitarian helicopter SA-330 Puma with his high-visibility paint scheme, Argentine Army

The Argentinians decided to start the attack with the first wave of fifteen soldiers and the survivors of the Puma, including the crew, that offered as volunteers when they saw how little was the attacking group. The battle was hard, the Royal Marines formed a defensive line inside and outside the buildings, and the Argentinians received support from the corvette Guerrico. It opened fire with her major cannons and machine guns, but as well as she opened fire, she received a lot too. The Royal Marines reached the corvette at least 200 times with minor weapons.

When the mortars section was landing to support the Marines’ advancing, the Royal Marines surprisingly ceased fire, and showed white flags. The battle finished, and the British forces delivered their weapons.

The orders or the British were to present battle until suffer a significant lose, to force the Argentinians to act with belligerency, as the commander of the defence said to the Argentine forces. A Royal Marine was hit in his right leg, possibly by firing from the ARA Guerrico’s machine guns.

The Argentine Flag was hoisted, and the Royal Marines were translated to Montevideo, Uruguay. After the offensive, a reduced group of Argentine Marines were sent to the Georgias in order to defend them from any British attack in the near future.

http://www.histarmar.com.ar/Armada%20Argentina/Buques1900a1970/Corbetas/GuerricoA69/georgias05.jpg
The ARA Guerrico, after the British surrender, in front of Port Grytviken

With the expelling of the British forces from Georgias, the HMS Endurance started a retreat to the North, possibly to the Ascension island.

[Eagle]

April 5 th

After the Argentine recovering of the South Atlantic archipelagos, the United Kingdom broke the relationships with this country, and started diplomatic and military actions to retake the British Empire’s positions on the South Atlantic.

Although the plans to send to the South Atlantic a considerable fleet thought in the lates days of March, with the conflict by Georgias islands, The military Task Force was officially created on April the 3 rd.

Two days later, on April the 5 th, the fleet departed from Southampton to the South Atlantic. The first group on depart were the aircraft carriers (HMS Hermes and HMS Invincible), their respective escort ships (approximately fifteen or twenty combat frigates and destroyers), a group of submarines, and the logistic civilian and military vessels as the Canberra, the Norland, the Europic Ferry, the Elk, between others.

http://www.twogreens.com/navy/IMAGES/007.jpg
The aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, the older of the carriers. He was the HQ ship in the conflict

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/images/canbera.jpg
The civilian vessel SS Canberra, used as a troop-transport, departing from Southampton

With them, other ships, from other places as Belize and Gibraltar, started their trip to join themselves to the Task Force, which was being prepared.

http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/1781/wardtagarna5rx.jpg
The Aircraft Carrier HMS Invincible and his escorts, sailing to the South Atlantic

Different kinds of vessels (as hospital ships, tankers, cargos, assault units, minesweepers, etc) were enlisted in order to be used if the conflict would become higher and the British forces would need them.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/66/Hms-intrepid-l11.jpg/300px-Hms-intrepid-l11.jpg
The Assault ship HMS Intrepid, one of the ships which were reenlisted in order to be used if the conflict would not back down

The fleet of the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary at that period was formed by:

-2 Aircraft Carriers
-16 Destroyers
-44 Frigates
-31 Submarines
-2 Assault Ships
-6 Landing and transport Ships
-60 Landing boats

As well as the naval movements had been started, the Royal Air Force and several requisitioned aircraft started to connect the British isles with Widewake Air Base, on Ascension island.

http://www.naval-history.net/FpRAFHercules.JPG
A British Hercules

[Eagle]

April 25 th.


A group of six combat ships from the Royal Navy (HMS Antrim, HMS Plymouth, HMS Endurance, HMS Tidespring, HMS Conqueror and HMS Brilliant) had arrived to the Georgias islands in order to complete de Paraquat Operation.
In Port Grytviken and Port Leith, a group of forty Argentinians had known that the offensive over them were starting, and communicated to the Argentine forces in the continent to get support. The United Kingdom needed a lot the invasion of the island in order to elevate the British morale.

http://www.hmsplymouth.co.uk/images/HMS%20Plymouth.jpg
Frigate HMS Plymouth, the HQ ship for the British Operation Paraquat

Near the islands, the Argentine submarine ARA Santa Fe, which was providing material support to the Marines, was detected by the Royal Navy.
The first act of violence after the Argentine capture of the Georgias 22 days before started. Three helicopters and a frigate started the hunting. The forces met each other and the battle started. The submarine crew defended themselves with a portable missile (which failed in its attempt of reaching a helicopter) and with minor weapons.
The Santa Fe was reached with a Sea Skua missile, and a crew man suffered the amputation of a leg in the explosion.

http://www.chantryfineart.co.uk/images/0140.jpg
An illustration of the launching of Profundity Charges over the submarine Santa Fe

The captain of the Santa Fe surrendered the highly damaged ship after three attacks with Profundity Charges, Missiles and Torpedoes. Surprisingly, the “Santa Fe” arrived to Grytviken by its own mediums, escorted by the British forces.

At the same time, the special forces of the SAS and the SBS were really complicated with the landing. After three helicopters crashed, and a patrol of 16 men lost in a glacier, the British landed successfully, and supported by mortars, Milan missiles, armed helicopters and naval artillery, started their offensive firing with all their weapons, and advanced to Grytviken, where a force of Marines commanded by the Lieutenant Lagos surrended their positions.
In the other village, the Argentine Diver Special Forces commanded by Alfredo Astiz were not interested in following the surrender, prepared themselves to defend the village, but the attackers surpassed them in quantity and supports. In only a minute the village was surrounded.

http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/barracks/3380/geor/grupoalfa.jpg
The group of Special Divers, on Port Leith, 1982

By the time that two bombers Canberra from the Argentine Air Force were taking off to support the Georgias’ defence, the Marine Commander Astiz surrendered the position on Leith, because the possibility of repelling the offensive was null.

http://www.wildisland.demon.co.uk/sgcems/graphics/lview02m.jpg
Aerial view of the village of Port Leith

http://www.yendor.com/vanished/junta/astiz-surrender.jpg
Surrender of the Commander Astiz, on board of the HMS Plymouth

http://www.bywat.co.uk/b-112c.jpg
An Argentine Air Force bomber Canberra, removed from the active servicein 1998

All the prisoners (the Marines of Grytviken, the Special Divers on Leith, and the sailors of the “Santa Fe”) were detained when an incident happened on the submarine Santa Fe. In order to sink the ship and not deliver it to the enemy, an Argentine sailor, endorsed by the Captain of the submarine, started to flood the chambers. That was detected by a British guard, and with the tension of the situation, he killed to the Argentine with his automatic weapon. He was buried with all the honours by the Argentine and British forces in the local cemetery.

http://www.wildisland.demon.co.uk/refurb98/images/ltccem2.jpg
”Between the others tombs, there’s an Argentine sailor who will be remembered by all the Argentine Nation”

[Eagle]

May, 1 st


BLACKBURN OPERATION

With Georgias on British power, the Task Force blockaded totally the Malvinas or Falkland islands.

On the afternoon of April the 30 th, from Ascension island (more than 6250km or 3885 miles from distance of the Malvinas islands) a Vulcan, armed with 21 1000 lb-bombs, took off, escorted by eleven aircraft-tankers Victors.

http://web.telia.com/~u13206896/images/avro_vulcan_XH558.jpg
Bomber aircraft Avro Vulcan, Royal Air Force

The last fuel supply was at 650km or 400 miles away from Argentine Port, and the bomber descended to 300ft, advancing directly to the “Malvinas Air Base”, as the Argentine Air Force had renamed to the airport from Argentine Port, or Stanley.
At 45 miles the British crew ascended to 500ft and recognized that they had been detected by the Argentine radars. In max power descended again and started the final approach.
A couple of minutes later, when the Vulcan was at only 19km or 11 miles, the shooting guides “Skyguard” from the Argentine forces grabbed the aircraft. At that time started a mini-battle between the RWR system and the Argentine radars.
In seconds, and out of the Argentine weapons range, the pilot dropped the bombs. Only one reached the runway, but was not sufficient to let it out of operation.
The Vulcan landed four hours later on the same air base that started the mission, completing, by that time, the largest bombing mission from the history.

http://www.ascension-island.gov.ac/images/ascension-sml.jpg
Ascension Island, the nearest air base of the British forces


BRITISH OFFENSIVE

The Royal Navy moved its ships, including the aircraft carriers, in order to attack the “Malvinas Air Base”. Two Sea Harriers started the attack in the morning, dropping bombs over the Air Base, and the Anti Aerial Artillery, which was the worst enemy to the Royal Air Force, repelled them.

http://www.malvinasmdp.org.ar/Images/Fotos/M057.jpg
A double Anti-Aerial-Artillery weapon, a 20mm Reinmhental unit. It was the secondary weapon from the Argentine Anti-Aerial-Artillery forces. The main weapon was the 35mm Oerlikon

http://www.exequielmartinez.com.ar/malvinas/artilleriaerea.jpg
An illustration of the Reinmhental in action


In other Sea Harrier attack the British machines launched bombs and destroyed three aircraft, and 15 Argentinians died in that attack.

http://www.malvinasmdp.org.ar/Images/Fotos/M058.jpg
View from Argentine Port -Stanley-, of the British attack to the airport

Different kinds of ships started a naval bombing over the airport too. The Argentine eyewitnesses could appreciate at least five combat vessels attacking it.

http://www.malvinasmdp.org.ar/Images/Fotos/M059.jpg
Malvinas Air Base in Argentine Port, or Stanley Port, during the war. There were a lot of broken glasses because of the continuing bombings from the British forces


ARGENTINE AIR FORCE ANSWER

When the Harriers completed their missions, all the south-east bases from the Argentine territory where ordered to attack to the British forces. More than 30 machines (between Mirages III, Mirages V, Skyhawks and Canberras).

By the afternoon a group of three IAI Mirage V “Daggers”, armed with three bombs each, attacked a squad of a destroyer and two frigates (the Glamorgan, the Alacrity and the Arrow). At least one ship was reached by a bomb, and the Daggers returned to the continent.

http://www.exequielmartinez.com.ar/malvinas/ataque_a_yarmouth.jpg
IAI Mirage V Daggers attacking to the Task Force, May the 1st 1982

Other twenty aircraft started patrolling missions in different times. In that patrols were counted three dogfights. Two of them between Mirage V “Daggers” and Sea Harriers, and the third, between two Mirage III and Sea Harriers. In the dogfights the British aircraft could shoot down two aircraft, one from each model. Another Mirage III was shoot down by the Argentine forces when its pilot was trying to land on the Malvinas Air Base, when the fuel tanks were in an extremely low level.

http://www.airpower.at/news02/0410_falklands/mai1a.jpg
Dogfight between two Argentine Mirage III and two British Sea Harriers

After that, four Argentine Canberras bombers, divided in two sections, attacked to the Royal Navy, but they were old machines with a different capability. One of them was shoot down. Although the other aircrafts couldn’t attack the British ships, they flied over the aircraft carrier Invincible, between heavy AAA firing.

At night the Argentine ship ARA Alferez Sobral was attacked by helicopters, using Sea Skua missiles. The ship, severely damaged, could return to Argentina days later, without any navigation system in function.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/lynxseaskua.jpg
Lynx helicopter, armed with Sea Skua missiles

http://www.geocities.com/pentagon/barracks/3380/aux/a9.jpg
The "Alferez Sobral"





Argentine loses:

-7 aircrafts (2 Mirage III, 1 Mirage V, 1 MB339, 1 IA-58 Pucará, 1 Canberra, 1 Skyvan)
-1 ship reached
-24 lives

British loses:

-Two ships reached, one severely damaged
-A British Sea Harrier

[Cuts]

April 5 th ...


The fleet of the Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary at that period was formed by:

-2 Aircraft Carriers
-16 Destroyers
-44 Frigates
-31 Submarines
-2 Assault Ships
-6 Landing and transport Ships
-60 Landing boats

...

Eagle, do you have a source for the info above please ?

[Eagle]

May 2 nd.

THE ARGENTINE PLAN OF AN AIRCRAFT CARRIERS BATTLE

At the first hours of the morning, the Argentine aircraft carrier 25 de Mayo started his mission of attacking the two british aircraft carriers, detected by an S-2 Tracker the day before.
The plan of the attack was arm to six A-4Q Skyhawk with retarded 250lbs bombs Snakeye, and two A-4Q with air-air missiles AIM-9B Sidewinder.

http://www.redargentina.com/malvinas-argentinas/snakeye.jpg
An A-4Q Skyhawk over the “25 de Mayo” being armed for the mission. In first plane there are a couple of Snakeye bombs, one of them with an ironic message

When the Skyhawks were stand by the take off, one of the S-2 Trackers of the carrier informed that the enemy fleet had been lost of its radars.
Immediately the chiefs ordered the attack in that moment in order to avoid the possibility of losing completely to the enemy, but at that time the weather was against them, and the wind ceased completely, and an A-4 cannot take off from an aircraft carrier loaded with the maximum weight that the aircraft allows.
The mission was suspended to the afternoon hours, by the time that two Trackers took off in order to detect again the British aircraft carriers.



THE BELGRANO SINKING

On the other side of the conflict at 4PM and at 250 miles away from the Malvinas or Falkland archipelago, the Argentine cruiser ARA “General Belgrano” and his group of two destroyers and an oil tanker ship were stopped waiting for orders.
At five miles of them a nuclear submarine of the United Kingdom, the HMS Conqueror, which was following the group by weeks, got the direct orders from London of attacking the “General Belgrano”.

http://www.naval-history.net/FpHMSConqueror.jpg
Nuclear submarine HMS Conqueror, Royal Navy

The submarine launched three torpedoes MK-8, impacting two of them in the cruiser, and the third in an escort destroyer, but it didn’t exploded.
The torpedoes reached the prow and the centre of the “General Belgrano”, dying instantaneously 270 Argentine sailors.
As the group of battle hadn’t efficient ASW weapons, the destroyers and the tanker ship returned to the continent immediately.
Twenty minutes later the commander Rear Admiral Bonzo, ordered the abandonment of the ship, which was completed when the last man on board (the same commander) abandoned at 4:35 PM.
Exactly an hour later of the hit of the torpedoes, the cruiser General Belgrano and its helicopter (an Allouette III) sunk in the waters of the South Atlantic.
The saving rafts were searched by the Argentine Navy with helicopters, aircrafts and vessels, and the last one was collected on May the 4 th. Aproximately 40 sailors more died as shipwrecked men in the rafts, because of the freezing cold.
From a crew of 1073 members, 323 died in the attack of the British forces to the cruiser ARA General Belgrano.
With the attack the Argentine Navy recognized itself as a force which wasn’t capable of bring an open battle against the second occidental fleet, supported by the first superpower state, United States, and folded over all the combat vessels to the coast, as a defensive force.
The Argentine government claimed and still claiming that the attack was a war crime, asking to the United Nations to judge the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher as a criminal of war. (I won’t extend the problem if it was or wasn’t a war crime, because we treated that topic a lot of times, and I am only showing the military actions of the mission of the british submarine).

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38894000/gif/_38894617_030228_belgrano_300.gif
The end of the cruiser

[Eagle]

Cuts, that information was taken by the official web page of the Argentine Air Force, www.faa.mil.ar

[2nd of foot]

I think the numbers are slightly misleading. They probably show all ships in RN not the ones committed to action.

56 RN ships go south. Of this 22 are RFA and 8 are mine hunters/survey ships leaving 26 large combat ships. Plus 5 subs.

This is my list.

· old carrier "Hermes" (28,700 tons full load),
· new but smaller "Invincible" (19.800 tons) and
· assault ships "Fearless" and "Intrepid" (12,100 tons).
Half the force of nuclear fleet submarines -
· Conqueror
· Courageous
· Spartan
· Splendid
· plus diesel-engined "Onyx".
DESTROYERS

Type 82

Bristol

County class

Antrim
Glamorgan

Type 42

Cardiff"
COVENTRY
Exeter
Glasgow
SHEFFIELD

FRIGATES

Type 22

Brilliant
Broadsword

Type 21

Active
Alacrity
Ambuscade
ANTELOPE
ARDENT
Arrow
Avenger

Leander class

Andromeda
Argonaut
Minerva
Penelope

Rothesay class

Plymouth

And another 40 merchant ships of assaulted types in support.

[2nd of foot]

A group of the Argentine Navy Special Forces started a march to blockade the military barracks. When they arrived to the place, they found that nobody were there. According to the British version, the attackers destroyed with brutality all the place, trying to kill the more people they could. According to the Argentine version, the Special Forces started to shoot to the empty barracks expecting to receive British fire from the Royal Marines, who were possibly hided on a near place, trying to make an ambush.


my bold

This is a myth that seems to have started from an assumption, not based on fact. The assumption would seem to come from Max Hastings book “Battle for the Falklands”. On page 73 he writes

“The Commandos indeed landed at Mullett Creek, about 4.30am, 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 phosphorous 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.”

This is an assumption made by the RM who heard the gunfire out at Moody Brook and related it to Max. The RM never saw the barracks again till after the war, so could not comment on the damage caused or what weapons used only the noise they made.

On page 306 he contradicts himself a little by;

“in the first glimmerings of dawn, 2 Para’s D company found themselves looking down on the old Royal Marines barracks at Moody Brook, ruined by shellfire and bombing.”

It would seem that Brit forces not Argentinian destroyed the barracks. But as you say the Commandos did put in a deliberate attack (this is a military term for planned attack) on the barracks intending to inflict casualties. The number of casualties they planned to commit is open for debate. But they opened fire on what they thought was sleeping troops, not empty buildings. They must have been surprised to find the place empty as they assumed they had surprise.

[Eagle]

They probably show all ships in RN not the ones committed to action.

That's right. As I've said in that post, I showed the list of all the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships. I was not talking about the ships moved, I was talking about all of them.

Ships moved? they were:

ROYAL NAVY

*Aircraft Carriers (2): Invincible and Hermes

*Destroyers (7): Sheffield, Antrim, Glamorgan, Coventry, Glasgow, Exeter and Cardiff

*Frigates (14): Broadsword, Brilliant, Antelope, Ambuscade, Active, Avenger, Arrow, Penelope, Minerva, Andromeda, Yarmouth, Plymouth, Alacrity and Ardent

*Assault ships (2): Intrepid and Fearless

*Submarines (6): Conqueror, Corageous, Spartan, Splendid, Valiant and Onyx

*Minesweepers (2): Brecon and Ledbury

*Patrols (4): Endurance, Leeds Castle, Dumbarton, Castle


*Hospital ships (3): Herald, Hydra and Hecla

Totally, 40 ships of the Royal Navy


ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY

*Landing ships (6): Sir Galahad, Sir Tristram, Sir Bedivere, Sir Percivale, Sir Lancelot, Sir Geraint

*Tankers (10): Olmeda, Olna, Tydespring, Tydespool, Appleleaf, Byleaf, Pearleaf, Plumleaf and Blue Rover

*Suppliers (4): Fort Austin, Fort Grange, Resource and Regent

*Refrigerator ships (1): Stromness

SAR ships (1): Engadine

Maintenance Ship (1): Goosander

Tugs (1): Typhoon

Totally, 24 ships from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary were sent to the South Atlantic

Furthermore, there were a huge nomber of non millitary ships that were confiscated by the British Forces... they were:

*2 Passenger ships
*3 Transatlantics
*3 Ferries
*3 Support Ships
*3 Container Ships
*3 Tugs
*5 Fishing ships
*11 Cargo Ships
*11 Tankers

Totally, 44 ships confiscated moved to the South Atlantic

[Eagle]

May 4th


BLACK BUCK II

At the first hours from the early morning, a Vulcan, which had took off from Wideawake, dropped 17 bombs over the Argentine Port or Stanley airport, but they failed. Only two Army soldiers were damaged. That was the second Black Buck mission.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/images/vulcan5.jpg
Vulcan bombers in Ascension island, May 1982


HARRIER ATTACK REPELLED

Hours later, three RAF Harriers were detected by the AAA from the Darwin/Goose Green forces, and they are repelled with an absolutely successful defence. One shoot down, and the others were reached and severely damaged, and disappeared fuming. By the British side, the mission was a failure, because the bombs were not dropped and no Argentine troops were attacked, suffering the lost of a man (Lt. Nick Taylor) and two Harriers.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/may04.jpg
The destroyed Harrier which was piloted by Lt Nick Taylor, photographed by the Argentine forces in Darwin


THE ATTACK AGAINST THE HMS SHEFFIELD

At the afternoon a patrol aircraft Lockheed P-2 Neptune from the Argentine Navy had detected two ships, and two Super Etendards, with an AM-39 Exocet anti-ship missile each aircraft, took off from the Big Island Tierra del Fuego.

http://www.europa1939.com/aviones/antisubmarino/neptune4.jpg
An Argentine Navy P-2H Neptune

After an aerial refuel from a KC-130 Hercules from the Air Force, the naval aircrafts, descended and started it final approximation.
At 30 miles, they ascended and found in their radars two marks. The chief of the section ordered to shoot both missiles against the bigger echo, and then returned at max speed.

http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/5249/etendardfiringexocet1hl.jpg
An Argentine Dassault Super Etendard launching an AM-39 Exocet antiship missile

The Super Etendards had not the possibility of knowing which ship they had attacked. When the pilots landed their machines, the hole personal of the Air Base were expecting them with happiness.
According to the BBC, the destroyer HMS Sheffield had been reached by an Argentine anti-ship AM-39 missile, and the ship was out of control. It sunk a week later when it was being tugged.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/sheff1.jpg
The Sheffield, burning in the South Atlantic

The incident was so important that the United Kingdom almost blockaded it relationships with France, because France had ensured the UK that all the French personal in Argentina that was calibrating the Super Etendards and Exocets had been retired. And that was right… the Exocets were activated by Argentine Navy technicians and engineers without the French help.
The French ambassador in the United Kingdom said… “The United Kingdom thinks that Argentina is inhabited by ordinary monkeys. Perhaps the Junta personal are monkeys, but their technicians and officers are excellent”
With the attack, Argentina had sunk a British vessel, returning the attack against the General Belgrano, two days before.

[Eagle]

May 12 th

SKYHAWK ATTACK AGAINST THE HMS GLASGOW AND THE HMS BRILLIANT

Two combat ships from the Royal Navy started an artillery attack against Argentine Port. They were the destroyer HMS Glasgow and the frigate HMS Brilliant.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/images/38171000/jpg/_38171817_frigate300.jpg
HMS Brilliant frigate, Royal Navy

The islands’ command asked an immediately aerial support in order to repel the thread. From Rio Gallegos (the biggest city in the Tierra del Fuego island) eight A-4B Skyhawk departed, armed with 250kg bombs.
The first squad of them arrived to the position earlier than the others 4, and started their attack, but it was a real disaster to the Argentine forces, and a won battle to the Royal Navy, because two of the A-4 were shoot down by Sea Wolf missiles, and a third crashed against the sea while the pilot was desperately trying to avoid another SAM. The only pilot that survived with his Skyhawk launched it bombs but, in the middle of AAA fire and his partners dead, the bombs missed by an important range the objective.

http://www.caleuche.cl/informaciones/sea_wolf.jpg
A launching of a SAM Sea Wolf

Minutes later the other Skyhawk were ready to attack, and after four launchings, the SAM system of the HMS Brilliant failed. That was a tragic situation to the British ships, because their main anti-aircraft weapon wasn’t able, only using the AAA as defence.
Only one Skyhawk attacked the Brilliant, and the bombs missed the objective because of the bounce of them in the water.
The other three Skyhawks attacked the destroyer HMS Glasgow, and at least two bombs reached it, but the fuses failed, and the bombs didn’t explode. Although the failure of the explosion systems, the holes opened by the bombs at the float line were considered unacceptable, and the Glasgow was retired from the combats.

http://primahost3.prima.com.ar/faa/conflicto/images/skyhawkb.jpg
A-4B Skyhawk, Argentine Air Force

On the return, a pilot of the A-4 s missed the group and interned itself into the forbidden-flights zone of Darwin and Goose Green, and the Argentine AAA shoot him down.

Hours later, a lonely Harrier dropped two bombs over the airport peninsula, without success. It possibly could had been a reprisal for the Skyhawk attack to the Royal Navy.

In the day the Argentine Air Force lost 4 A-4 Skyhawk aircrafts and its four pilots (after the first day of combat, the day when more Argentine pilots died). The Royal Navy had to retire from the combats the destroyer attacked, the HMS Glasgow.

[1000ydstare]

This is taking ever such a long time.

Skip to the end where we win.

[Eagle]

Ted I am trying to make a topic with all the information that I can find, in order to show to all the forum members who are interested in the story of the conflict could know what happened there. I have to say that it's strange from you an answer like you made, coming from someone who always respected all the opinions and discussed seriously.

But that's ok, if you are not interested in my posts, so I simply suggest you don't read it.

[Eagle]

May 15th


BRITISH COMMANDO ATTACK ON BORBON/PEBBLE ISLAND


The British forces had knowledge about an airbase that Argentina was using on a little island, at North of the archipelago.
The airbase would be a real disadvantage to the United Kingdom if their forces would land on San Carlos, because the Argentine airplanes could reach San Carlos in only 5 minutes from Borbon, or Pebble.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/pirecon.jpg
Aerial photograph taken by an Argentine aircraft from the primitive air base, based on Borbon or Pebble island


A group of 50 SAS units armed with explosives were moved by Sea King helicopters. They were separated in two groups, one of them specialized in explosives, and his mission was to destroy the major number of aircraft they could, and a radar.

The surprise was total, the SAS, supported by mortars and the HMS Glamorgan attacked, and the Argentine forces moved back, only using a telecommanded mine as support fire, and of course their light weapons.

http://www.directart.co.uk/mall/images/dhm864.jpg
An illustration of the British attack

The British forces destroyed eleven aircraft, four Mentors, six Pucarás and a Skyvan, with the cost of 2 wounded soldiers. The group returned to the helicopters and were moved to the Task Force ships.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/pit34s.jpg
Four T-34C Mentor from the Argentine Navy. They were the lightest aircraft moved by the Argentine forces, and then destroyed by the SAS

[Cuts]

Any report on a 'headless sentry' ?

[Eagle]

I am sorry Cuts... I do not understand, sorry! could you explain me what do you want?

Thank you and sorry again.

[Eagle]

May 21 st


Days before the Argentine intelligence ensured to the Argentine government that the so waited British landing would be in the San Carlos Channel, between the to main islands, in order to put a massive group of troops in the Soledad island, or East Falkland island, so that an Argentine group of 50 soldiers were moved from Darwin, the nearest Argentine garrison.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/ddblue.jpg
Port San Carlos

At the early morning the group detected into the channel ten British ships, with a huge vessel as the mother ship. She was the Canberra. With her, at least six combat vessels, a couple of landing ships and both assault ships were in position.
The landing mission had started. The group communicated the situation immediately to Argentine Port, but the information was so alarming that the authorities at first thought that was a joke from Chilean radio-enthusiast in order to confuse the Argentine forces.

http://www.cggcanada.org/CANBERRA.GIF
The civilian transport SS Canberra in the waters of San Carlos channel (for the Argentines), or Falkland Sound (for the British)

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/ddfearless.jpg
Landing boats advancing from the assault ship HMS Fearless

To confirm the possible landing, a mission of the only combat jets in the archipelagos, the Navy MB-339 Aermacchi was prepared. When two aircraft were ready to depart, one of them showed failures and only one could take off.
The Argentine pilot reached San Carlos and confirmed the enemy movements, and then prepared an attack with his weapons (his light cannon and rockets), reaching and damaging the frigate HMS Argonaut, and then at max power in his engine, the pilot succeeded miraculously in his escape, between heavy AAA and SAM fire.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/aermacchi339.jpg
An Argentine Navy MB-339 Aermacchi

http://www.aviationart.com.ar/galerias/militar/mini/MacchiCrippa1024.jpg
The attack, illustrated by the Argentine painter Carlos Garcia

After the first Aerial attack the British forces started the massive landing, but the British command didn’t have knowledge about the advanced group of the Argentine Army, which was hide at the San Carlos hills. Two Sea King helicopters were sent to mark the beaches, but they passed over the defence, and after a heavy fire, both machines were shoot down. As the landing was in risk, two attack helicopters Gazelle were sent to suppress de Argentine forces, but they only found more resistance, and one of them was shoot down, and the other returned to the fleet fuming.
It was the hour and the massive landing started. A lot of landing boats reached the cost, and PARAs and Royal Marines landed, and immediately tried to locate the enemy forces, but they arranged themselves to escape divided in two groups, one of them to Darwin and the other to the capital.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/ddgazelle.jpg
A British Gazelle

In the continent the information of a massive landing was confirmed, and the only force that could stop or retain the beach head was the combat Aviation, the Air Force and the Naval Aviation Command.
The authorities decided to make four main missions, with 12 to 16 aircraft each one. The Command thought that so many machines would be a problem to the British defences.

That four missions reached San Carlos, the first at 1330Z (09:30hs local), the second at 1600Z (12:00hs local), the third at 1700Z (13:00hs local) and the last at 1815Z (14:15hs local). Aircrafts A-4B Skyhawk, A-4C Skyhawk and Mirage V “Dagger” from the Air Force, and A-4Q Skyhawk from the Navy were used in those missions.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/daggerbedivere.jpg
IAI Mirage V “Dagger” over the fleet in San Carlos, the Israeli version of the Dassault Mirage V. In 1982 the Argentine Air Force had a park of 34 of these machines

During the attack the Royal Navy was reached in six of her ships, one of them (the frigate Ardent) was sunk, another was put out of service (the frigate Argonaut), and four more were damaged (the frigate Broadsword, the frigate Yarmouth, the destroyer Antrim, and an NN landing ship). But the Argentine Aviations effort didn’t succeed, because the mother ships (the Canberra, the landing ships and the assault ships) weren’t put out of service, and the landing continued.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/ddbroadswordsight.jpg
An image taken by the automatic camera of a Mirage V Dagger attacking the Task Force that May 21st

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/ddardentd1.jpg
The Ardent burning

http://www.aviationart.com.ar/galerias/militar/mini/Ardent1.jpg
The attack of the Navy Skyhawks against the HMS Ardent

The British defences shoot down at ten combat aircrafts, and nine of them were victims of the modern (by that ages) missile AIM-9L Sidewinder launched by the Sea Harriers. Five Mirage V Daggers, two A-4C Skyhawk and three A-4Q Skyhawk aircraft were shoot down, and six of the ten pilots could escape ejecting themselves from the aircraft.

http://members.libreopinion.com/elmalvinense/a4c.jpg
An Argentine A-4 Skyhawk, from the Air Force. Five Skyhawks and Five Daggers were lost that 21st May


That was the first day of a bloody battle, the biggest aerial-naval battle on the history (excluding all the battles from the II World War), which would go on for five more days.

http://primahost3.prima.com.ar/faa/conflicto/dias/images/atqsncar.jpg
A typical view of San Carlos in the middle of the battle, between May 21 st and 25 th

In other activities of the war, a RAF Harrier was shoot down by a ManPAD missile, and the pilot was taken as prisoner.
Argentine aircrafts Pucará were destroyed by British fire, and Darwin and Goose Green villages were bombed.

[Panzerknacker]

This is taking ever such a long time.

Skip to the end where we win.

And you try to skip the idiotic comments and let the other membes post good information in peace as Eagle did.

[Eagle]

Panzer is the first time that you defend me in the forum, certeanly thank you... I didn't expect that.

[Panzerknacker]

Viste...? siempre hay una primera vez, vos postea tranquilo y no hagas caso a los giles. :wink:

[Eagle]

Yeah, but it's strange from 1000ydstare, he always was interested in the topic, and treated all the members seriously and with respectable terms...

[Eagle]

May 23 rd


Again the main battles were based on the Falkland Sound (for the British maps), or San Carlos Strait (for the Argentine maps). The day before, the 22 nd, the bad weather was a luck to the British landing, because of the lack of Argentine combat aircrafts that could delay or retain the landing, facilitated the movement to the beach of a lot of supplies, ammunition, SAM batteries, AAA weapons, and troops without any resistance of the Argentine forces.

http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/images/ggscimitar.jpg
With the landing advancing, an armoured vehicle Scimitar is alert in Port San Carlos

During the day over the beach head the Argentine aviation launched two waves of attacks with aircrafts Mirage V “Dagger”, A-4B Skyhawk and A-4Q Skyhawk.
A group of A-4B Skyhawk detected and attacked the frigate HMS Antelope, depositing a thousand pounds MK-17 bomb in the ship. In the attack the AAA fire of the Antelope could reach an A-4, whose pilot lost the controls and crashed itself over the frigate.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/guada.jpg
An illustration of the attack of the pilot Guadagnini, damaged dropping his bomb

Six Mirage V Dagger reached San Carlos, but the Royal Navy had detected them with precedence, and the Sea Harriers were patrolling all the beach head. When the Dagger pilots detected that they decided to come back to the continent at max speed. But the Harriers were too close to the Argentinians. A Sidewinder was launched and a Mirage V was shoot down, killing the pilot.

An attack of four A-4Q Skyhawk from the Argentine Navy failed their bombs, and only limited the raid at a cannon firing attack over combat ships in San Carlos.
In the return a pitiful fact was made. One of the A-4Q hadn’t dropped the bombs in the attack, and in the landing a tire exploded because of the excessive weight (the Skyhawk couldn’t land with the maximum charge of supplementary fuel tanks and bombs, as the most of the combat aircrafts), and the aircraft started a non-controlled running from all over the airbase. With the knowledge of the danger that he was suffering, the pilot thought that if the landing train didn’t support the maneuver the bombs would hit the ground with all the weight of the Skyhawk, and they would explode, so that decided to eject, but he was so unlucky that the parachute-opening system failed, and he was ejected but crashed himself heavily against the floor, dying.
Surprisingly the aircraft didn’t show signs of damage, and with the replacement of the tire, the ejectable seat and the cockpit glass, the A-4 was able to be used again.
(As a black anecdote, that Skyhawk is the only aircraft in latin America and one of the few one-seat aircrafts in the world that killed two pilots who were in its commands in different situations. The Skyhawk crashed I 1986 in an exercise.)

http://primahost3.prima.com.ar/faa/conflicto/images/a-4qara.jpg
The A-4Q Skyhawk

Returning to the May 23 rd’s actions, three helicopters tried to attack the light ship Monsumen near the Bougainville island, but the Argentine crew could escape hiding the machine between kelps.

The Harriers launched a massive aerial attack against the three insular airbases that were in service, in Darwin, in Pebble or Borbon island, and the other in the capital, without serious damages to the defence.

At night the bomb that was deposited in the HMS Antelope was accidentally activated by British experts, and exploded sinking the frigate.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/ant1.jpg
The powerful MK-17 explodes in San Carlos. The HMS Antelope burned by hours.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/ant3.jpg
Twelve hours later, the view was tragic. The frigate was broken in two parts, sinking itself slowly, while helicopters and ships were trying to recover all that they could

In the day the British forces lost a frigate, and the Argentine forces two aircrafts (an A-4B and a Dagger) and three pilots. According to the victims over the Antelope, the number was really small because the frigate had been evacuated before the attempt of annulling the bombs.

[Eagle]

May, 24 th


According to the San Carlos battle, the British beach head was almost complete, and missiles Sea Cat, Sea Dart, Rapier and Blowpipe were alert the 24 hours.

http://www.11sphinxbtyweb.co.uk/mediac/400_0/media/sphinx~bty~rapier.jpg
A battery of SAM Rapiers

The fleet of A-4Q of the Navy was extremely reduced and preferred to leave the possibility of attack that day. Aircrafts from the Argentine Air Force would attack not only the ships, the troops and supplies in the beach head too. Six A-4B Skyhawk, eight A-4C Skyhawk and six Mirage V Dagger reached San Carlos.
A group of the Daggers attacked the beach head, damaging fuel stores. The A-4Bs attacked the landing ships, and the Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot were damaged. The A-4Cs attacked to the frigate HMS Arrow, damaging it seriously.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/scarlos1.jpg
An unbelievable photograph of a Mirage V Dagger flying extremely close to the waters and the British ships. That image was taken on May 24 th.

The AAA was really high shooting down an A-4, and taking the pilot as prisoner.
But the British reaction was high. The Harriers detected the Daggers and shoot down one of them.

http://www.oliversart.co.uk/acatalog/images/jpgs-lrg/aviation/0001%20Airstrike%20over%20West%20Falklands%20.jpg
A Sea Harrier attacking with an AIM-9L Sidewinder missile to a Dagger. The Sea Harriers, known by the Argentine pilots as the “Black Death”, were the worst enemy to the Argentine Air Force

In other actions on the conflict, six Harriers attacked heavily the airbase of Port Stanley or Argentine Port, touching the runway, but not destroying it. The Argentine AAA defence was surprised, and when it tried to answer, only one aircraft was in a range of shot, which was attacked and damaged.

http://www.exequielmartinez.com.ar/malvinas/artilleriaerea.jpg
A secondary Argentine AAA in action

[Eagle]

May, 25 th


As is known, the day May 25 th is one of the two most important patriotic date of Argentina (the other is the Independence Day, July the 9 th), and is remembered the May’s Revolution, when the Argentine people raised against the Spanish Viceroy and started all the Latin American movement to repel the Spanish Empire of all the American continent.
As a coincidence, that day in 1982 was the most successful to the Argentine Combat Aviation.

The Head Beach in San Carlos was completed, and all the anti-aircraft systems were ready to eliminate any Argentine aircraft that would try to attack them.
In order to have a new alert system, the Royal Navy moved the destroyer HMS Coventry and the frigate HMS Broadsword at the North of Pebble or Borbon island, where the ships could track and attack any Argentine aircraft trying to get in the San Carlos Strait, or Falkland Sound.
The Argentine intelligence detected the presence of the radar-picket, and suggested to destroy it in order to have more freedom to introduce aircraft to San Carlos.

http://www.armedforces.co.uk/navy/listings/navycumberlanda.jpg
frigate HMS Broadsword

Again the battles were between the Argentine Aviation and the British ships. The Air Force prepared to big attacks, both with Skyhawks. The first, with six A-4C Skyhawk would attack the San Carlos Channel, entering from the South, and the second, with four A-4Bs would attack the radar-picket of the Broadsword and the Coventry.
By her own, the Argentine Navy ordered to use two of the three AM-39 Exocet from stock in a new mission, with Super Etendards.

In the attack of the A-4C the attack was concreted against the assault ship HMS Fearless and the frigate HMS Avenger, both slightly damaged. But the British defence reached all the A-4s, shooting down two of them, and damaging seriously the others. One of the pilot died, and the other was took as prisoner by the crew of the Fearless, the same ship that he had attacked.

The A-4Bs were advancing to the radar-picket, when they were detected.
A group of Sea Harrier CAPs offered to the ships aerial support, but the ships were so advantaged with his modern defence systems that simply rejected them.
That wasn’t so crazy, because the ships were at open sea, with the systems Sea Wolf, that was one of the best SAM in the world by 1982, capable of shoot down any aircraft or missile in a range of 5 miles without problem, and the capability of maneuver of this missile is so high that it would be almost impossible to any aircraft without anti-missile systems to avoid it. Furthermore, although the medium-range Sea Dart wasn’t so spectacular as the other missile system, it would a fatal combination for any pilot joint with the AAA from the Broadsword and the Coventry. Concluding, when the radar-picket rejected the help of the Sea Harriers, they sentenced their own luck.
The Skyhawks started the last stretch without the safety of the terrain, only with the sea under them. When the A-4s were in shot position, a terrible error happened and the Sea Wolf system, on board of the Broadsword failed.
In second term the Coventry started the defence, launching a Sea Dart against the raid, but the position of the pilots, with the sun on their back, they made evasive maneuvers and the missile failed his objective.
Surprisingly the Sea Wolf system was restored before the Argentine attack, but the raid was so close that the Coventry advanced a few yards in order to have a better shot position with her AAA weapons. That was a tragedy to the radar-picket, because the destroyer blocked the direction of the Sea Wolf missiles launch.
Only with the AAA against them, the attackers divided the squad in two sections, one per ship. The Broadsword received the impact of a bomb, that didn’t exploded but destroyed a lot of important systems in her way, including the Lynx of the frigate.
The Coventry was more unlucky. Two bombs exploded into the destroyer. The damage was so high that the ship only stayed in the surface an hour. After that she overturned by larboard and sunk minutes later. Nineteen sailors died on the Coventry.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/broasat2.jpg
Dramatic photograph taken on board of the HMS Broadsword of two A-4B advancing in order to drop their bombs over the frigate. The marks in the sea are the AAA trying to defend the picket

http://www.hmscoventry.co.uk/explosion.jpg
The Coventry exploding

In the last attack of the day, the Argentine Navy ordered to two Super Etendards to attack a group of great vessels, possibly the aircraft carriers, sailing at the North of the Soledad island, or East Falkland island.
With a missile AM-39 Exocet each aircraft, they refuelled from a KC-130H and continued their mission. When they were reaching the shot range, the fleet detected them, and put in service all the counter-missile systems.
In the radar of the Super Etendards appeared a group of big and small ships, between them, the HMS Invincible, the HMS Hermes, several frigates, and the SS Atlantic Conveyor, which was advancing to San Carlos in order to land a very valuable charge of helicopters, blood to the wounded soldiers, ammunition and a lot of several supplies.
The Exocets were launched and the Etendards came back, with some SAM missiles following them.
An AM-39 was repelled, but the other catched the Atlantic Conveyor, exploding in his pope. The giant vessel with all his charge burned by a couple of days, and then sank in the South Atlantic.

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/ac.gif
Atlantic Conveyor sailing

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/conve1.jpg
Atlantic Conveyor burning

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/25may.gif
All the combat missions of the Argentine Aviation. TORO and MARTE, Skyhawks attacking San Carlos. VULCANO and ZEUS, Skyhawks attacking the radar-picket. SUE/EXOCET Super Etendards attacking the Atlantic Conveyor. BERLIN and PARIS two refuellers KC-130H

In other facts, three Harriers were repelled by the AAA in Soledad island, or East Falkland island in a British aerial attack against the Argentine positions.


On May 25 th Argentina got real success against the United Kingdom, sinking two ships, and reaching three more and three aircraft. If that situation had been obtained on May 21 th, the British possibilities of making a Beach Head weren’t a lot. But by that day, May 25 th although the success, the battle for San Carlos had finished, won by the Great Britain forces. With that attacks the San Carlos battle finished after five bloody days of combats.

British loses:

*Destroyer HMS Coventry sunk
*Giant cargo ship SS Atlantic Conveyor sunk
*Frigate HMS Broadsword out of combat, severely damaged
*Frigate HMS Avenger damaged
*Assault ship HMS Fearless damaged
*Helicopter Lynx destroyed
*Three Harriers touched
*30 lives

Argentine loses:

*1 A-4B Skyhawk
*2 A-4C Skyhawk
*Two pilots dead
*A pilot took as prisoner

[Eagle]

May 26th


As was predicted, the United Kingdom after the heavy loses that the Argentine Aviation made the day before, it started a massive reprisal attacks against the Argentine Forces. Moreover, with the landing finished the order of advance was given to the Royal Marines and the Paras, while the 5th Brigade with the Scot guards, Welsh guards and Ghurkas were arriving on board of the Queen Elizabeth II.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c2/Troops_Falklands.jpg/180px-Troops_Falklands.jpg
British soldiers in the Falkland/Malvinas islands

The reprisals started at night with naval artillery against the Fox Bay, in the Gran Malvina, or West Falkland. There were several dead soldiers and wounded.
The Naval Artillery was present in the airport of Argentine Port too. A group of ships bombed the establishment.
Hours later the Harriers launched their attacks, against Howard (in Gran Malvina / West Falkland), and Argentine Port, or Stanley. There were a lot of victims again.

http://www.falkland-malvinas.com/ImgNoticias/Banco_bomba.jpg
Argentine soldiers removing wreckages of the British attacks

The Argentine attacks were limited, only a group of Mirage V Daggers dropped bombs over the British Forces in the ground, at night hours, and two IA-58 Pucará, from Darwin, advanced against the Beach Head launching rockets.

http://primahost3.prima.com.ar/faa/conflicto/images/dagger.jpg
Illustration of the IAI Mirage V Dagger in 1982. The aircraft was used as an air-air fighter, an anti-ship aircraft and an attack bomber against the British troops

Argentine loses:

*An IA-58 Pucara destroyed in ground by enemy bombing.
*Two artillery pieces damaged by enemy bombing.
*Twelve lives
*Twenty wounded.

[Eagle]

May 28th /29th

Darwin and Goose Green Battle.


British forces:

The ground forces moved to the zone were the PARA-2 with 350 soldiers, supported by a group of 200 Royal Marines, that was expected to provide anti aerial defence.
As heavy weapons, there were 6/8 artillery pieces, mortars and an important number of Milan missiles.
The advantage of using helicopters as a logistic medium was extremely important for the British forces.
The aerial support was provided by RAF Harriers and Scout helicopters, armed with A-S missiles, as the naval support would had been provided by the HMS Antrim.

http://www.army.mod.uk/img/1pwo/infantry/trades/milan_fp.jpg
Milan antitank and antibunker weapon

Argentine forces:

The ground forces were infantry forces from the Argentine army, specifying, from the Regiments 12 and 25.
Their heavy weapons were three 105mm cannons and a handful of mortars.
The Argentine attack helicopters A-109 and SA-316 weren’t used, and the aerial support was limited to the archipelago bases’ aircrafts, as the IA-58 Pucará from the Air Force and the MB-339 Aermacchi, from the Navy. There weren’t any naval support for the Argentine defence.

http://www.redargentina.com/malvinas-argentinas/r25-Darwin.jpg
Argentine forces in Darwin, formed before the battle



The British attack started against Darwin, supported by the Artillery and the HMS Antrim weapons, which was based on the Falkland Sound, or San Carlos Strait.
The power of fire coming from the Antrim and the British Artillery, with a longer range of action than the Argentine units were the key to start the battle advancing quickly with the PARAS.
But a half hour later, the weapons systems of the Antrim failed, and the British attackers suffered a lot the Argentine defences, and they were forced to stop their advance.

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/GooseGreen/goose.gif
Soldiers from the PARA-2 in the archipelago

At dawn the aerial units presented combat. The British forces were benefited by the Scouts armed with missiles, but the Pucarás and Aermacchis were really useful, attacking with rockets and cannons.
Hours later an Argentine section started a counter-attack repelling from Darwin to the PARAS, but with the aerial support and the lack of ammunition and logistic from the Argentine attackers, they recaptured quickly the village.

With Goose Green as the last post of Command, the Argentine forces were reorganized. A group of Hueys and Chinooks were moved from Argentine Port with a force of infantry in order to reinforce the settlement. The Pucarás continued their attacks and destroyed several equipments with CAS missions, and a Scout was shoot down by that Argentine aircrafts. The British AA systems shoot down a handful of Pucarás and Aermacchis too.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/agusta.jpg
Argentine helicopters in the reinforcement from Kent to Darwin

The British reorganized their forces. Harriers bombed the Argentine artillery, and the last Argentine heavy weapons of Goose Green were out of service by the attacks. The British Artillery and the section of Milan shooters were moved at the outsides of Goose Green.

The battle continued in Goose Green, and a lot of soldiers died there, specially the Argentine defenders in the school of that village.
With the half of the village taken, the Air Force units returned to the action, but that time not with the aircraft. All the personal of the Goose Green airbase, including pilots and mechanicals defended their positions with fury, using rifles, grenades, the AAA weapons aiming at the floor, not the sky as they were used to, and also were used the rocket batteries of the Pucarás attached on farm tractors.

http://usuarios.lycos.es/tdk/malvinas010.JPG
The rocket batteries used by the Argentine defenders

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Barracks/4333/mv34.jpg
The school of Darwin, where more than 30 Argentinians died

Although the last hours the Argentine defence was higher than the other lengths of the battle, the British attackers were surrounding all the perimeter of Goose Green, and the Argentine surrender was agreed to the morning of the 29th

The British lost 20 men that day, including their Chief Commander. The Argentine loses reached the 200 deaths.

[Eagle]

May 30th


The most polemic attack.

In all the war and in this forum too, the attack of the 30th day of May was a real polemic.

On May 29th the Argentine Intelligence, tracking the landings (disappearances from radar) of the Harriers and helicopters, all of them in the same place, had detected at least one of the British aircraft carriers.
As a quick decision, the last AM-39 Exocet had been prepared. Furthermore, the Air Force selected four A-4C Skyhawks in order to reinforce the attack.

The plan said that after the refuelling, two Super Etendards (one of them with the AM-39 Exocet, the other as system support) from the Navy, and four A-4C Skyhawk (armed with three 250lbs bombs each one) from the Air Force would follow the route on a level with sea, selecting the pilot of Super Etendard the major signal of his radar, launching the missile and then, the A-4Cs would follow the AM-39 and drop their bombs over the ship.


http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/reaba1.jpg
An A-4 Skyhawk refuelling


BRITISH VERSION:

In their last length of the advance, six aircraft were detected advancing quickly against the carriers group. Immediately later the detection, a seventh object was detected. It was an anti-ship missile, launched from the enemy aircrafts.
The frigate HMS Avenger and the destroyer HMS Exeter opened fire with their AAA weapons when they had visual contact with the missile, shooting it down.
A minute later, the raid of Skyhawks continued, although the lost of two of them with SAMs and AAA from the British ships.
The survivors dropped their bombs over the Avenger, which was slightly damaged.
The HMS Invincible was not protagonist of the battle, because it was at ten miles away the attack box.

http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/images/hmsavenger3.jpg
frigate HMS Avenger

ARGENTINE VERSION:

After the refuelling of the six aircraft from two KC-130H Hercules, the pilot of Super Etendard detected several marks in the affixed place, and launched the Exocet against the major of them.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/reaba3.jpg
Photograph taken that May 30th from a KC-130H, the last missile is shown by the Super Etendard which es being provided of fuel. Behind it, the Skyhawks are having a refuel by another KC-130H.

Immediately the Super Etendards returned, and the A-4C followed the missile until the pilots lost of view the AM-39, but seconds later they saw an explosion and smoke in front of them.
Combat ships at their sides attacked them with SAMs and AAA, shooting down an A-4 a couple of miles before its objective, and a second only a mile before the A-4 could reach the ship which the raid was going to attack. Before being shoot down, the pilot of that A-4 shouted by his radio: “That’s the carrier!!”.
The pilots, with a 100% view capability identified the ship as “a big vessel with a plane platform, a huge tower and two chimneys”.
They bombed the ship successfully, which was in a shock state after the hit of the AM-39 Exocet, fuming heavily.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/atqinv.jpg
An A-4C dropping its bombs

In their return, at the second refuel, when they were asked about the other Skyhawks, they affirmed: “We lost them before reaching the Aircraft Carrier”

When they landed, they were separated and interrogated by their superiors. Both agreed in the description of a huge majestic white vessel, with a plane platform. All the silhouettes of ships of the Royal Navy were shown to them, and both agreed in the same… the Aircraft Carrier HMS Invincible. Although a lot of people thought that they could imagine the aircraft carrier, because of the extremely danger, the shocking situation of being between heavy fire and the importance of the mission, but it is not so probably, having in account that the pilots of the A-4 were in similar situations before, in the middle of San Carlos battle.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/grupo%20faa.jpg
The pilots of A-4 who survived, with the French ace Pierre Closterman

Moreover, sounds weird that minutes after the attack, all the CAPs of Sea Harriers would stopped all their interceptions and ascended to 18000ft (as the Argentine radars detected), the most economic attitude to fly, possibly to save fuel because of the lack of a landing floating runway.

http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/invincible1.gif
http://www.fuerzaaerea.mil.ar/conflicto/dias/images/invincible2.gif

Sequence of the attack of the Argentine aircrafts








For the British version the Invincible stayed in service at all the conflict. After the Argentine surrender, it stayed on the South Atlantic in order to prevent any Argentine attack, and returned in September to Southampton.

For the Argentine version the Invincible was put out of service that day, and severely damaged was sent to a friendly base (South Africa, Ascension, Belize, et cetera) in order to be restored. By the same time, his twin the HMS Illustrious was sent to the South Atlantic with the false name of Invincible. The Illustrious false Invincible stayed in the conflict between the middle of June until September, when the real Invincible was restored and returned to Southampton. By that date, the real Illustrious recovered its name, and the government of Great Britain announced that this aircraft carrier was being moved to the South Atlantic, although it had been there by months.

http://www.warshipsifr.com/media/illustrious_2.jpg
HMS Illustrious with its escorts

(I am not trying to re-open the historic discussion in this forum, between Irish Duck, Erwin, Austral and the British members, I am only continuing with my promise of the DAY BY DAY explanations)

Regards.-

[Eagle]

I would like to know if someone is reading all my posts. I don't see that the number of visits on this topic is rising, and the posts costs me a lot of time and hours connected to the internet.

If there is someone reading them, I'll keep posting the rest of the campaign, but if I haven't got any answer till tomorrow night, I'll eliminate the topic.

Thank you.-

[Panzerknacker]

Yo te leo Eagle. :D

Lo que pasa que los inglese andan desaparecidos, Quiza se preparan para el mundial.

the posts costs me a lot of time and hours connected to the internet

Sip , te entiendo perfectamente. :? , yo a veces zafo por el internet gratis.

[Topor]

Keep it up mate - I'm not able to visit as often lately but do apreciate what you're doing.

Mike

[Eagle]

Panzer, el gasto de internet no es lo más importante, sino el tiempo que pierdo para armar cada post, buscar la información, traducirla, buscar imágenes en internet... son alrededor de dos horas, y ver que laburar tantas horas para que al parecer nadie lo vea, hace que se pierda el entusiasmo. Pero si ustedes dicen que están leyendo, entonces seguiré... saludos.-


Panzer, the price of the internet is not the most important. The most important is the time I loose making each post, searh information, translate it, search images from the internet... It is aproximately two hours, and watch that working so many hours to nobody, is a really bad sense that made me lost enthusiasm. But if you are saying that you are reading the topic, so I'll keep posting. Regards.

[SS Tiger]

I drop by every 2-3 days and read the latest posts. I appricate what you're doing! :wink:

[Dani]

Thirded! I join Topor and SS Tiger!

Keep going Eagle!

[Firefly]

I look into this room almost daily and always appreciate the work being done. I just dont want to flood your good efforts with comments like 'nice post mate' etc all the time.

However,

'Nice posts mate' keep them up as I for one am intersted too.

[1000ydstare]

I drop by from time to time eagle, when not away working.

I will withhold fire ref the Invincible story but only because you are doing such a fine job with the thread.

[Nickdfresh]

I pay attention to this room well despite the fact
i am not from Argentina or the UK. I do appreciate the effort and the attention to detail by Eagle. I do vividly remember watching this War on CNN...

[Tony Williams]

I note that nothing is recorded for the 10/11 of May, yet at around midnight HMS Alacrity sank by gunfire an Argentinian supply ship - the only surface action in the conflict.

This is the best account I have found so far:

"On 10 May Commander Chris Craig, Captain of HMS Alacrity was ordered to sail up Falkland Sound from south to north and carry out important reconnaissance at the same time. It was not yet certain where the British landings would take place, but the fact that the area along the coast of Falkland Sound was being considered could not have escaped anyone's attention. In the afternoon she reconnoitred the south coasts of East and West Falkland with help from her Lynx. Just before midnight she entered the southern straits of the sound, her approach masked by the weather as the area was covered in low cloud, mist and rain. The Lynx was launched again, despite the appaling flying conditions, to reconnoitre Fox Bay and act as a diversion to take Argentine attention away from the ship. Soon after this reconnaissance HMS Alacrity detected a moving radar contact further up the sound. She fired a star shell to try and identify the contact visually, but this was not possible in the dreadful weather. Alacrity opened fire with air-burst rounds so not to cause the contact much damage, even though it was unlikely to be a British or neutral vessel considering the location. The contact was seen to be fleeing for cover toward the shore, so high explosive shells were fired and the contact was destroyed. The mystery vessel turned out to be the Argentine naval transport Isla de los Estados, which at the time was carrying 325,000 gallons of aviation fuel and military vehicles. This was the only action to take place between surface ships during the whole of the conflict. HMS Alacrity carried on up the sound without further incident and was met by sister ship HMS Arrow at the northern end. Both ships then returned to the main fleet."

I would like to know more about this, specifically at what ranges the gunfire started and stopped, how many airburst and how many HE shells were fired, and how many of the HE shells hit the target. Can anyone help?

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website (http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk) and discussion forum (http://forums.delphiforums.com/autogun/messages/)

[Firefly]

This is a very interesting tale that I too would like to know more about. Having been there myself I am always interested in this subject.

[Tony Williams]

I have received some information from another source, as follows:

"Target initially detected at a range of 5 miles, bearing 079 on A scope and allocated track number 0305.

At 0107 Alacrity illuminates track 0305 at a range of 4.8 miles with a single starshell. Nothing seen. The order was then given to take track 0305, VT Fuze low. 15 rounds fired in groups of 5.

Target seen on radar to be zigzagging. Order then given to engage track 0305, DA. 15 rounds fired in DA mode in groups of 5. Target seen to explode. Check fire called. As the target was not visually acquired, it was not possible to verify the precise number of hits scored."

Tony Williams: Military gun and ammunition website (http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk) and discussion forum (http://forums.delphiforums.com/autogun/messages/)

[RoryD]

Buena info Eagle, keep posting .

Interesting account from your perspective Eagle. For the record, Moody Brook was attacked with zeal, but as you point out the attack was obvious and so N.P.8901 troops (42 men approx) were "out for the night". The men wanted to take their "flap bergens" and head for the hills, as they say, but were overruled. The special forces in the house really let the side down by hiding unable too decide on anything.
Several of my 2oppos2 were in N.P. 8901 and we swapped notes on the conclusion of the war.
N.B. Phew!! you really had some extremely courageous and able pilots

[RoryD]

If there are any former members of 45 Commando Group here, then please note there is a reunion (wha..!! 25 years???) next year. Check out http://www.geocities.com/rm45cdo82/ for details.:D

[RoryD]

Er... just trying to get to grips with using this site panzer...sorry I replied to Eagles' post via your post!!

[Thunderbird]

Greeting from Argentina, i love the site and i know a little bit about wars...specially the Falkland/Malvinas War of the '82
Well i hope to post more often

see you guys!

[Panzerknacker]

Esperemos que participes con mas frecuencia :)


sorry I replied to Eagles' post via your post!!


No problem.