Falklands 30

[reydelcastillo]

Thank You Sir -

Regards Enrique

[beatles101]

I know now there were two bombs the landed inside of HMS Coventry and exploded is it true that there was a third bomb the landed inside of her but didn't explode?

[happyslapper]

I have stumbled across an audio of the attack on the destroyer, 12th May.

Background:
HM Ships Glasgow and Brilliant were attacked by two waves of Skyhawk fighters. The first wave was decimated by Brilliant's Seawolf missiles (3 shot down) after Glasgow's Sea Dart system failed. During the second wave, Brilliant's Sea Wolf system also failed, and the jets were able to drop 3 bombs. 2 landed about 25 feet from the destroyer, and the third hit amidships.
''The only casualty was a stoker suffering from shock since the bomb flew over his head''

These pictures were taken from Brilliant immediately after the attack:





note hole about 5 feet above waterline (on the black line midships)

This is the audio of the intercoms in the immediate aftermath of the attack:
http://ia310809.us.archive.org/3/ite...ombed_64kb.mp3
(will open in your default music player)

Includes the immediate report of the attack, and the damage control efforts.

[beatles101]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctgGVwEQEdc
i had to go back and remake it cuz i had an incorrect date on it
actaully to incorrect dates on it

[jimmytx3]

here is my tribute to 2 Para.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT-s3VjrwLU

[beatles101]

here is my tribute to 2 Para.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT-s3VjrwLU

very good i dear say

[Paddy51]

@jimmytx3 - thank you. I found the tribute very moving.

[SARGE!!!!]

Quite simply........OUTSTANDING!

[DeltaWhisky58]

here is my tribute to 2 Para.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT-s3VjrwLU

Simply superb Jimmy, a fitting tribute to your sister battalion. Well done mate.

[beatles101]

I have just fininshed putting together a tribute to HMS Coventry

[beatles101]

http://www.youtube.com/v/MqvIpNpqFUE...</param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MqvIpNpqFUE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>" />
this is the tribute to HMS Coventry

[jualbo]

Hello happyslapper.
I found a photo from the attack in which you can see one of the Skyhawks just before it overflew Glasgow.
But I have some questions about the first wave. Some argentinean sources claim that one A-4 was downed before get the ship. Another one while was launching his bomb. And the third after passing the target. The fourth A-4 would have dropped its bomb in the water close to stern and scaped.

Is it real? Did all head to attack Glasgow? Could some of the three downed or crashed planes drop its bomb?

Thanks

[happyslapper]

Hello happyslapper.
I found a photo from the attack in which you can see one of the Skyhawks just before it overflew Glasgow.
But I have some questions about the first wave. Some argentinean sources claim that one A-4 was downed before get the ship. Another one while was launching his bomb. And the third after passing the target. The fourth A-4 would have dropped its bomb in the water close to stern and scaped.

Is it real? Did all head to attack Glasgow? Could some of the three downed or crashed planes drop its bomb?

Thanks

There were two waves which attacked the two ships. There was also a third wave which aborted (presumably because Sea Harriers were close-by by that time).
Of the first wave, two were shot-down by Brilliant's sea-wolfs, and the thrid crashed into the sea after (it is believed) flying into debris from the second aircraft to be shot down. The fourth aircraft missed with its bombs but escaped unharmed.

[herb401]

An incident happen mid morning / early afternoon on 13 July 1982 12 Welsh Guards killed by Friendly Fire from a RAF Harrier GR3

On this day 13/06/82 I was station at Stanley Airfield, anyhow I was on the side of the Hill "Canapus Hill" I think that how it was spelt, the hill was to the right hand side of the Control Tower the ComCen was on the left and the Mobile TCW wagon was also on the Left with the Mobile Ops on the right ; I had been filling sandbag most of the morning with my mates to be used in the construction of the Telephone Exchange which was in fact our wagon surround by 6000 sandbags and a tarpaulin roof. It had been cold with snow showers on and off all morning, the Harriers were on the opposite side of the runway No.1 Sqn Harriers GR3, my understanding is that the sidewinder missiles had been added for use in the conflict and was not a normal pay load for GR3 so the firing switch was located on the main panel to the right but the switch up not down, the Harrier had been scrambled but held due to bad weather on and off all morning, If memory serves it was just before mid day when they had what was called a "windows" the sky cleared and the Harrier was cleared for take off, I was told that as the pilot warmed up he ran his normal Pre-Flight checks and flicked the Firing Switch. Me and my mates were taking a break and looked up at the Harrier 3/4 up the runway we saw a light flash and 2 swirls of Grey smoke rolling inwards and a whoosh as the missile flew down the runway, a land rover on the side of the runway drove level with them for a moment then they hit an area in the hill side at the end of runway, the impact was black, not loud like I would have expected but a flurry of black smoke and dirty flung upward and out, buy this time some Army lads and RAF Reg lad's who were waiting for Herc home had already start off down the runway, Me and my mates legged it after them running down the strip. We had no idea people were hurt until we got closer, some guys were holding chaps, hugging them or just talking to them other were looking round for well I don't know what for ; A NCO took control "we later found out he was a Sargent in the SAS", telling lad to cordon off this section, move these boy over their, and these over to this other area and so on, he also had a Sat Phone and called HQBFFI to get Medics by this time the RAF Fire Support Team had arrived and Army Air Corp Helicopters "Lynx I Think" coming over the hill plus many others. We were asked no told to move away, I left the area and walked slowly backup the runway, in that time we never spoke to each other just walked back and had a cuppa, as you can see I saw very little and the Army and Rock's had control of the situation, no need for a couple of rubber necks.

The questions I like to as
1. What was the pilot name, I used to know it but for the life of cannot recall it
2. I understand that 12 were killed and always thought it was 12 Welsh Guards men, now I hear it was Welsh Guard and Argentine POW who had volunteered to help with mine clearing?
3. Do we know the exact numbers i always said it was 9 killed and 3 injured.

Any help much appreciated.

[jualbo]

Happyslapper, thank you very much for the info.
Here it´s the link to the photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2506288...7608238222266/

I supose it has to be an A-4 from the second wave.
From your words, I understand only the fourth Skyhawk from the first wave launched his bomb. The pass through the debris from another A-4 is a good explanation for the crash. Unfortunately, the only argentinean survivor from the first wave (2nd Lt Jorge Vázquez) was killed on 8th june raid against LCU Foxtrot-4. But argentinean sources list an order of downing with pilots name. I think the only way to know that would be a post debriefing inform from Vázquez, the only one who could see the order in which his fellows died.

You also talk about a third wave. Argentinean air force planned a third wave of Daggers from San Julián air base. But this mission never took off. From Río Grande another two Daggers took off at 15:15 (local time). One of them returned home at 16:15 (Mj Martínez) while the other landed at 17:30 (Lt Bean). I suspect that the leader (Martínez) had a technical failure what made him to come back earlier and the wingman followed. Perhaps he continued his flight alone and was the intercepted pilot you say. My source is the Dagger monography from Jorge Núñez Padín. There is no info about the target and even if it was a combat sortie. If not, I have no explanation for the intercepted flight you mention as I don´t know about other argentinean planes in the zone. Anybody knows? From which Sqn were the Sea Harriers, 800 or 801? An interesting point.

Herb401, there is a mention to the incident you say in the page 345 from Sharkey Ward book "Sea Harrier over Falklands". He says it was horrific but don´t give amount of victims. He describes the accident. A young GR-3 Harrier pilot, just arrived to the islands, was to fly his first mission with the now Sidewinder armed GR-3. Accidentally both Sidewinders were shot and flew through Stanley runaway and crashed exploding close to the head of the runaway, where Welsh Guards, survivors from Fiztroy disaster, were helping with snow clearing duties. He talks about dreadful injuries, but not about deads or prisoners involved. It seemed that was a technical failure.

I think most of argentineans had been repatriated in that date and only officers reamined there (they stayed about one month from the surrender in Ajax Bay before coming back home). I think you are talking about another incident that happened in Goose Green in which three argentinean soldiers were killed while were moving ammunittion boxes that exploded (one of them who was burning like a torch, still alive, was shot by a british guard believed to avoid him to suffer).

Wards says that he talked about this with Rick Jolly in the field hospital. Perhaps in his book talks about it.

Regards

PD: I found this: http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/1sqn_8.html
It seems there were only injured but not deads