Falklands 30

[Oneto15]

Did British submarines see any action besides HMS Conqueror sinking the General Belgrano?

The British Diesel-electric submarine HMS Onyx was used to land SF units on The Falklands, and possibly "elsewhere", and also took part in the patrol regime with the subs listed below.

There were at least three SSNs operating in the area, Conqueror (sunk ARA Gen Belgrano 2.5.82), Spartan & Splendid.

Further to the above,

Spartan and Splendid were both on station around the Falkland Islands by the 12th April 1982, the day the Maritime Exclusion Zone came into effect, having set sail for the Area on 01 April (you can imagine the number of "is this an April Fools joke"? comments being bandied about both boats).

The supply vessel Cabo San Antonio was actually in the periscope sights of HMS Spartan on four consecutive days while she was anchored in the approaches to Stanley harbour, but was not attacked as despite the imposition of the MEZ the submarines had not yet received her attack orders as London was still trying the diplomatic approach, and therefore the Cabo San Antonio was able to return safely to the mainland.

Source: Martin Middlebrook, The Fight For the Malvinas, Viking Pub's 1989.

[Ordie]

Regarding UK forces in the South American Mainland it is "agreed" that we had forces sat on airfields reporting the departure of aircraft bound for the Exclusion zone.

It was decided that it would be unsporting to go and ventilate an officers mess however as we wouldnt like the Argies to do the same to RAF lyneham!

I met one RM in Diego Garcia who claimed to be on the mainland. I told him I was part Argentinian and bought him a round, and told him and others in his unit the next time they're in Argentina, stop by my family's "finca" (Summer house) for an "Asado" (Argentine BBQ).

I come to find out most of the Royal Naval Party on Diego Garcia were Falkland Vets on thier easy tour.

[Oneto15]

I've heard a lot of stories...of course there are the famous actions such as Pebble Island and the retaking of South Georgia. A very interesting battle I read about was described in the book "Twilight Warriors" by Martin Arostegui. A unit of the SAS was inserted onto Mount Kent to observe Argentine movements at Stanley. They were spotted by the Argies who sent the 601 Commando Battalion (Argentine Army SF) to drive them out. So, there was a battle that night between Argentine and British SF on the mountain. The British were driven back but managed to hold onto the mountain until the Royal Marines arrived. After this there were some scattered skrimishes, and an Argentine SF sniper with a silenced rifle shot 13 Marines over a period of a week or so before being captured.

Not sure if were talking about the same incident, but again according to Middlebrook (op cit p278) this operation started on the night of 31 May/ 01 June and there was a brief contact between the SAS and an Argentine patrol but the SAS were not driven back, far from it they were able to hold the position until the arrival of K Co 42 Commando who advanced on to the position and found it deserted. Brig Gen Menendez CO Argentine Land Forces Falkland Islands later stated that, though he would have liked to have occupied Mount Kent in strength he had already sent the reserve company of his 12Th regiment from Mt Kent to reinforce it's parent regiment during the Goose Green battle, and therefore had insufficient assets to to occupy both Mt Kent and Two Sisters.

So where Martin Arostegui gets his information from about the routing of the SAS is anybody's guess, and in my opinion therefore, it certainly puts into question his reputation as a journalist.

Well...maybe that was a bad choice of words on my part...I was basing it on the words of the SAS commander who said the Argies got within grenade throwing distance of his command post. I assumed that meant they pushed them back someways but maybe not...now that I think of it it's not like they had battle lines and rear areas on Mount Kent.

Update:

At Bluff Cove Creek on 30 May 1982 two men of the Argentine 602nd Commando Company were killed and one captured,in an SAS night ambush.

There was also a larger firefight between the Royal Marines and a party of Argentine Marines from the 602nd Commando Company, on 31 May 1982. This was at Top Malo House where a group of 12 Argentine Commandos on outpost duty( having been bypassed by recent British advances) were engaged by nineteen Royal Marines who had been helicoptered in to clear the position during the daylight in what was later described as a "fierce action". The Royal Marines later paid tribute to the stout resistance put up by the Argentines, who of the twelve Argentine Commandos on the position, two were KIA, six were WIA and four were uninjured.

Source: Martin Middlebrook. The Fight For The Malvinas, Viking Pub' 1989

[Aztec Eagle 201st]

I always admire both the determination of the British to go far away from there home to retake the islands and maintain them british,it took brave man to just do that.
But i aways will admire aswell the courage of the Argentinians since they went to war with a much more powerfull adversary,wich had a lot more resorces then Argentina, but none the less they manage to inflict heavy damage on the Royal Navy

[[WDW]Megaraptor]

I always admire both the determination of the British to go far away from there home to retake the islands and maintain them british,it took brave man to just that.
But i aways will admire aswell the courage of the Argentinians since they went to war with a much more powerfull adversary,wich had a lot more resorces then Argentina, but none the less they manage to inflict heavy damage on the Royal Navy

All that I have read seems to indicate that it was an extremely close-run thing...if the Argentines had simply had a few more Exocets, or if more than 25% of their bombs had exploded, a large part of the RN task force would have been at the bottom of the South Atlantic.

[Nrjetix]

I concur. I hadn't noticed before, but the use of the description Bravo November is iconic in connection with Falklands Chinook operations.

See here for example. Even Wikipedia mentions Bravo November!

Chinook HC.2 serial No. ZA718 remains in service and still coded "BN"

Corgi have this aircraft in their aviation archive scale model collection, see

http://www.militarymodels.com/produc...p?code=CG34202

You can get it in the UK also, I notice ebay has a couple of examples. A friend of mine has one on his desk, its a nice addition to any Falklands War collection.

[zealot]

The following is from part of an account of the SAS raid on the Argie airfield on Pebble Island:



This is an excerpt from Ken Connor's Ghost force - The Secret History of The SAS. Connor served in 22 SAS from 1963-86

LOL.. hehe.
Thanks

[Stix@CTC]

To me the sole Chinook to remain operationnal was coded BN and not BH.
(Details ... i know)

Oopps - typo.
Your right. BN.

[Dave76]

@DeltaWhisky58:

Thanks for the recommendation lad. Going to order it.

Besides that, is there any mentioning of the SAS/SBS OP on the Lady Elizabeth that has been discussed here?

[DeltaWhisky58]

@DeltaWhisky58:

Thanks for the recommendation lad. Going to order it.

Besides that, is there any mentioning of the SAS/SBS OP on the Lady Elizabeth that has been discussed here?

Yes, but not in any detail.

I would love to see a more detailed account of Falklands conflict SF operations, but not so far.

There is a book on the Pebble Island raid due out next month:

Pebble Island

Details
ISBN 1844155153 Author
Jon Cooksey & Francis Mckay
Type Paperback Size 246 x 172 Our
Price:£12.99 [Amazon £8.57]

In the early hours of 15 May 1982, three Sea King helicopters carrying 42 men of 22 SAS Regiment and attachments, lifted off from the carrier HMS Hermes and headed towards the remote Pebble Island on the north coast of West Falkland. Their task? To destroy the Argentinian Pucara aircraft stationed on the grassy airstrip above the isolated Pebble Island settlement, eliminate the defending garrison and neutralize the threat posed by the airfield as an Argentinian forward operating base. The raid – codename Operation PRELIM – was the largest and most ambitious airfield raid undertaken by the SAS in a quarter of a century and with every aircraft destroyed it was heralded as a resounding British success. But debate still rages as to whether it was truly a strategic coup, crippling the Argentinians’ ability to strike at the British Task Force and significantly reducing their capability to oppose the eventual amphibious landings at San Carlos, or a political sop for a British public eagerly awaiting news of a success. This book, covering the history of the Argentinian threat and the planning, preparation and execution of the raid, also includes sections on the opposing forces and weapons used. It also deals with the controversies and, for the first time, examines the terrible consequences of the raid for the men and ships of the British fleet as the Argentinian pilots, rousing themselves for glory on their National Day, prepared for a deadly act of revenge.

Amazon.co.uk

Falklands Conflict books from Pen & Sword publishers.

[Opening Batsman]

Well this turned out to be an educational thread. The grand sum I knew about the Falklands before this was that they are east of here.

[DeltaWhisky58]

Well this turned out to be an educational thread. The grand sum I knew about the Falklands before this was that they are east of here.

Or west if you go t'other way!



The Falkland Islands - location etc. + maps, links etc.

For a potted history of the conflict - albeit in very shallow detail - may I recommend The BSW Falklands pages

Also:

Battles of The Falklands War

SAMA 82

Falklands.info - 1982 Time line and book lists etc.

There are numerous other good sites to be found.

[Opening Batsman]

I think west might actually be the way to go. It is further, but from where I live I just have to travel about 80km to the south coast and from there I can get in a boat and sail there in a straight line without having to bother about land masses in the way.
Cheers for the links, I just had a squiz at the VC winners and I'll have a better look tomorrow when my brain isn't made of mush due to tiredness and leftover painkillers.

[Durandal]

More info on the Black Buck Vulcan raids...

http://www.thunder-and-lightnings.co...n/history.html

[PaulClift]

My missus bought me vulcan 607, a pretty good read, has alot about the training and difficulty's in reactivating the inflight refueling systems.