'Battle of Mount Longdon'
The Battle of Mount Longdon was an engagement of the
Falklands War between British and Argentine forces, which took place on 11–12 June 1982, resulting in the British victory and their occupation of a key position around the besieged Argentine garrison.
The British force consisted of Third Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) under Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike with artillery support from six 105 mm light guns of 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery; Second Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were in reserve. Naval gunfire support was provided by HMS Avenger's 4.5-in gun.
The Argentine force consisted of B Company of the 7th Infantry Regiment (RI 7) of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, as well as detachments from other units. The 7th Infantry Regiment, reinforced by two Marine Infantry platoons, held Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge to the northwest of the capital of the islands, Port Stanley and to their east, Cortley Ridge. Marine Teniente de Navío (naval rank equivalent to army captain) Sergio Andrés Dachary had arrived at Mount Longdon in the week preceding the battle, and was on hand to control the Marine-manned heavy machine-guns and sniper teams there.
The battle and the immediate Argentine covering fire that followed lasted twelve hours and had been costly to both sides. 3 PARA lost seventeen killed during the battle; one Royal Engineer attached to 3 PARA also died. Two of the 3 PARA dead – Privates Ian Scrivens and Jason Burt – were only seventeen years old, and Private Neil Grose was killed on his 18th birthday. A total of forty British paratroopers were wounded during the battle. A further four Paras and one REME craftsman were killed and seven Paratroopers were wounded in the two-day shelling that followed that was directed by Sub-Lieutenant Marcelo de Marco of the 5th Marines on Tumbledown Mountain. The Argentines suffered 31 dead and 120 wounded, with 50 also being taken prisoner.
The 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment won numerous decorations for this action:
One Victoria Cross (Sergeant Ian McKay) †
One Distinguished Service Order (Lieutenant-Colonel Hew Pike)
Two Military Crosses (Majors Mike Argue and David Collett)
Two Distinguished Conduct Medals (Colour Sergeant Brian Faulkner and Sergeant John Pettinger)
Three Military Medals (Sergeant Des Fuller, Corporal Ian Bailey, and Private Richard Absolon)
Numerous Mentioned in Despatches
Colourised by Paul Reynolds