Sunday 23rd October 2016

I am flying to Saunders Island for a couple of days and there is no internet. Then I am off to Carcass Island with a day visit to West Point, not THE West Point but a wildlife sanctuary, then Sea Lion Island to see seals and finally Beaker Island before returning to the mainland. The first few days have no wifi but I will post another blog when I can. Meanwhile here is a potted history of the Falklands war and battle sites around Goose Green.

The Argentinians had invaded the Falklands on 2nd April and had occupied the islands including Goose Green, named after the abundant goose droppings everywhere which are green before they dry. The original settlement was in Darwin but the water was shallow and the port area too some so it was moved to Goose Green in the early nineteenth century.

By May there were less than a hundred locals who had been corralled in the community centre which is the former church which had been moved from Darwin. There were about 1,200 Argentinian military personnel, about 500 air force personnel, mostly technicians with a dozen Pucara aircraft which are known for speed and agility which is put to good use for attacking ground targets. The balance of the military force were army personnel. 

At Goose Green today, as it was then, it is only a small community. There are a number of homes and farm outbuildings and a local school which today has just one pupil.

There were also nine Pucaras stationed on Pebble Island and these were destroyed by Special Forces and are still there to be seen today.

We moved on to see the Argentinan cemetery beyond Darwin Ridge. The original cemetery was a little way away but was nit big enough for all the dead so a new cemetery was created here near the top of the hill overlooking the rising morning sun. There are 236 graves but 123 are of unknown soldiers. British troops have two dog tags but the Argentinians only had one so if one was removed or lost there was no way of positively identifying the body. Altogether the Argentinians lost 654 who died in battle of which over 300 died on the General Belgrano.

There have been attempts to carry out DNA testing, Relatives wanted the remains identified and the bodies returned to their families. However Kristine Kircher who was president at the time said that they were already home as Las Malvinas was Argentinian territory. A later government approached the UK government and whilst they agreed they said that the Argentinians would have to approach the Falkland Island government which they did not recognise. Now the process of identification is to be carried out by the Red `Cross so some movement is finally being achieved. Meanwhile the cemetery is being looked after by an Argentinian who lives in Stanley on behalf of the Argentinian Veterans Association.

We followed the track towards San Carlos which was where the real invasion was planned to take place. The track cuts across part of the Goose Green Farm which covers 120,000 hectares and has 80,000 sheep. The sheep are breed for their wool. They are a cross breed of Merino and Potworthys, a breed from New Zealand. The grass that they eat, called white grass is low in nutritional value but this ‘defect’ in their diet encourages them to grow longer, finer wool which is worth more. Conversely, those farmers who want to raise sheep for their meat need to improve their pastures and plant great a=swathes of rick green grass which produce a better flavoured meat, but their fleeces are not so valueable.

The sheep were being rounded up as shearing tie takes place between October and February. There are a lot to shear but the first few may be the unlucky ones. In the early spring, if there is a cold snap with rain, and they have been sheared they have a risk of diving from cold as could the youngest lambs. Also being poorer pasture the average sheep only has one lamb unlike UK where sheep are breed for meat and ewes have two or three lambs.

The attempt to relieve the Falklands started with a twelve man Special Operations assault on Goose Green. They fired so many rounds of mortars and machine guns that the commander thought that he was facing a major offensive. Meanwhile when Estaves who was overlooking San Carlos water where the real invasion was occurring, reported the fact to his superiors in Goose Green, he was misbelieved and the troops landed without opposition. the hill where the track makes its final descent into San Carlos you get a long view along San Carlos Water where the invasion fleet was moored and unloading. This also became known as Bomb Alley as Skyhawks and other planes came in low over the water to drop their bombs before returning to their Argentinian airbases before they ran out of fuel.

The problem with the low level bombing runs was that whilst they suffered less damage from ground fire, the bombs sometimes failed to explode. One landed on HMS Antelope and whilst it was being defused it exploded and sunk the ship. There is a marker over the site to advise shipping to stay away.

On the far short from San Carlos is an old meat processing plant, long since abandoned. However this was an ideal so=ite for a military hospital which was known as the Red and Green Life Machine.

After Blue Beach 2 the road heads up a slope and you are in San Carlos. It is no more than a few farm buildings and outbuildings. There is a small museum on Falkland Island life and the battle for the Falklands.

On the far side of the settlement is the British cemetery. The British lost 250 lives in the conflict. This was also the first conflict where the families were asked whether they wanted their fallen loved ones returned to the UK. Of those 250 dead, 234 were returned to the UK. Just fourteen are buried in the San Carlos cemetery (one was buried in Goose Green and another in Stanley; three civilians were killed and buried in Stanley). Colonel H jones is buried here as is Captain Dent and Lieutenant Nunn. The seven graves on the left are for naval personnel, Royal Marines and the seven on the right are army. Several of the graves have gifts from friends one had a small 

Several ships had been lost during the invasion such as the Atlantic conveyor carrying the helicopters and HMS Ardent. The military option for the planners was to march on Stanley but the political decision was to seek a success to appease public opinion. Therefore there was political pressure to liberate Goose Green.

The 2nd Para landed on 20th May under the orders of Colonel H Jones who were tasked with the job of achieving this aim. His first name was Herbert but he disliked it and so was called just H.n 21sy May he lead his troops with their 60kgs each of equipment up over the rough ground to Mount Sussex. With frequent attacks from Pucara aircraft and the rough ground it took them 12 hours to get to the top where they waited for five days. Today it takes just a few minutes by car to reach the stop but there were no roads at the time on the island outside Stanley, just rough farm tracks.

Military tactics suggest that an attacking force should have a numeric supremacy of three to one plus air and artillery support. Colonel H jones had no artillery or air support and just 400 men facing the 1,200 in Goose Green. 

On 27th May Colonel H Jones, 2nd Para moved forward halfway towards Goose Green and stopped at Carmela Creek. This was where Colonel H Jones devised his plan of attack and issued his orders. Events never go to plan in war and objectives are usually kept simple and just one or two phases. The plan he devised had six phases and was rather complicated and detailed in that objectives had specific times by which they were to be achieved. He called it Night Day Quiet Noisy.

Company A advanced towards Burnside House, a single house near the road leaving Goose Green. The British thought that they was a larger Argentinian force there but it was more like just twenty soldiers. The advance units were monitoring the argintinians using a scarecrow as a reference point, a scarecrow which was fine until the scarecrow moved. These was before the introduction of night vision goggles so these operations were carried out in the darkness of night.

A machine gun was set up overlooking the house and a thousand rounds was fired into it. Sheltering inside was a couple, their daughter and grandmother, sheltering in the kitchen with their dog, Dusty. Incredibly, no one was injured. The only injury was Dusty the Dog who lost a canine when a rich hit it and broke off the end. Some Argentinians troops were ordered forward to see who was attacking them and were captured.

The paras got support fire from three 105mm mortars from Carmela Creek and the Argentinians retreated. They had had fire support from a hill that was positioned to support both A and B companies but the tide came in and cut them off from being able to immediately support  company. By the tie they retraced their steps and reach A company the battle was over.

A company advanced to the shore, around Coronation Point and around a bay in front of Darwin. Meanwhile up on the present day main road is the Darwin Cemetery. This is for the civilians who had lived in Darwin. It is a fenced sure piece of land with a few trees and a separate unconsecreated small square in one corner which is few suicide victims. There is only one remarkable item. Bobo Smith was a shepherd and had died from cancel at 42. Two years later his dog died. As a memorial the community placed a life size reproduction dog complete with fur at the foot of his gravestone. The irony is that it turned out that he never really liked his dog.

From here runs Darwin Ridge and ends at Darwin Hill overlooking Darwin. There were sixteen emplacements on the ridge and another eight on the hill and between them was a cleft in the ridge that was called Gorse Gulley.

The advancing A company by the bay came under fire and sough the protection of Gorse Gulley. They tried to break out but their were emplacements on three sides and sniper fire kept them pinned down.The plan was getting a long way behind and Colonel H Jones was getting frustrated. The plan had been to be beyond here some four or five hours earlier.

Name of D company suggested an attack with a Milan missile to knock out the position. Supporting company C suggested that he could work around and attack from behind. Both offers of support were rejected. Col H jones was also desperate for news and had ordered the radio man to hand his radio to Captain Dent in order to get news quicker. 

This still wasn’t good enough and he went forward himself to see what the hold up was about. He ordered a frontal attack on the position and three out of the five officers in the attack were killed. This also included Captain Dent with the heavy radio on his back and there is a small cairn of stones to mark the spot where he fell, perhaps just five metres short of the position.

Colonel H Jones wanted action he shouted for some men to follow him and five and he run under the cover of some dead ground around the edge of Darwin Ridge and up a slope presumably to outflank the entrenchment that was holding up the attack.

It was here that a sniper hit him and he died. A bullet went through his right hip hitting his left hip and righting to exit his shoulder. The message ‘Sunray is down’ went out. Lieutenant Nunn and his helicopter was ordered to go and assist. Colonels are not usually in the front line and it was an impossible mission as the only place to land was right underneath the enemy positions. He took off from a gully near Carmela Creek and was immediately shot down.

Major Keeble took over command and sought solutions from two of his commanders. A Milan was brought up to take out the position. Meanwhile Estaves had come forward as he had been alerted to an important person being hit by the sudden increase in radio traffic and the message ‘Sunray is down’. He wanted to see who this important person was so he was in the forward trench emplacement. 

The first Milan fired missed but the second missile hit and destroyed the position. Colonel H Jones was dead but battle was turning and the Milan had had its effect and the Argentinians began to surrender.

Company A stayed and looked after the prisoners whilst forward units took control of Darwin Ridge.

Some Paras attacked a position on the flank held by Ali Adger above Boca House on the beach. Machine gun fire came from the ridge nearby. The paras scrambled for cover in the gorse but were unharmed. Amongst the gorse was a one meter thick stone wall that provided excellent cover, The ridge gun emplacements were outflanked by an advance along the beach. The attacking force were able to attack and press on the defenders but became embroiled in the minefield but were applying pressure to the far left flan of the Darwin Ridge position and he had to retreat.

The commander inGoose Green, Piaggi was under pressure. In reality company A was looking after prisoners with C company facing Goose Green from the shore near Darwin and D and B companies along the ridge. A force altogether of now perhaps 300 men fit to fight.

Major Keeble sent a note to Piaggi saying that he was surrendered and outnumbered and that he should surrender in a dignified manner. He was under orders from his superiors to resist but the final decision was left to him.Therefore he surrendered. The surrender was signed in a little white shed on the edge of the grass airfield, being about half way between the opposing front lines. 

The troops sung the national anthem and then laid down their arms. They were rounded up and housed in the shearing sheds on the edge of Goose Green. It was only then that Piaggi saw that he had been defeated by such a small force. He spent ten years under house arrest for humiliating his country.