Battle of Goose Green

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The Battle of Goose Green (May 27–28 1982) was an engagement of the Falklands War between British and Argentinian forces. Goose Green had little strategic value to the overall aim of recapturing the capital Stanley but, as it was a significant Argentinian position and close to the beachhead at San Carlos Water, it could not be ignored.

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The British force consisted of four companies of Lieutenant-Colonel Herbert Jones' 2 PARA (2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment) which had the following support: three 105mm artillery pieces with 960 shells from 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery; one Milan anti-tank missile platoon; Scout helicopters, and at dusk, air support provided by three Royal Air Force Harriers. They also had sixty-four 7.62 mm GPMG machineguns according to Brigadier Julian Thompson, author of the book Ready For Anything (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1989).

The defending Argentinian forces known as Task Force Mercedes consisted of the Lieutenant-Colonel Italo Piaggi's 12th Infantry Regiment (RI 12) and a company of the Ranger-type 25th Infantry Regiment (RI 25). Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Ali Seineldin, considered by many Argentinians to be the 'father' of the Argentinian Commandos, who chafing at his role as Commanding Officer of an ordinary infantry unit, put all his conscripts through a compressed version of the commando course in March 1982, dressing them in the green berets of the Army Commandos and changing the title of RI 25 unofficially to 25th 'Special' Infantry Regiment. The name 'Special' was picked rather than adopt the US Army 'Ranger' title. The RI 12 conscripts were not properly trained for infantry fighting but were mainly recruited from Guarani Indian stock of Corrientes Province who pride themeselves on being a warrior race.

Just after 2.30 am on 28 May, the 2nd Battalion launched its attack on the Argentinians to capture Goose Green 'before breakfast'. RI 12's A Company defended the Darwin Parks sector with two rifle platoons, and a mortar platoon (about 104 men). For ninety minutes the forward Argentinian platoons were pounded with naval artillery. In the ensuing night battle about twelve Argentinians were killed. Individual Argentinian soldiers fought ferociously. Major Philip Neame's D Company was temporarily halted by the Coronation Ridge position. One of his men, Lance-Corporal Garry Bingley darted out from under cover to charge the enemy machinegun nest that was holding up the advance. He was hit ten metres from the machinegun, but shot two of the crew before collapsing. He was posthumouls awarded the Military Medal. With the enemy machinegun out of action, the Paras were able to clear the Argetenian platoon position with only minimal losses

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As 2 PARA moved on to the south via Darwin Parks, its soldiers were full of confidence that they had broken the back of Task Force Mercedes. They were wrong. The Argentinians made a determined stand along Darwin Ridge. As A and B Companies moved south from Coronation Ridge they were raked by fire from a couple of concealed Argentinian MAG machineguns. An Argentinian senior NCO, Company Sergeant-Major Juan Coelho, is credited with rallying the RI 12's A Company remnants falling back from Darwin Parks. He was seriously wounded later in the day. The first British assault was broken up by fire from Second Lieutenant Ernesto Peluffo's RI 12 platoon. Corporal Osvaldo Olmos, of RI 25 refused to leave his foxhole and just kept firing at the British company as it moved forward. The Paras were calling out to the Argentinians to surrender. The British Commanding Officer led a group of 16 men towards the Argentinian section but was cut down, and the A Company second in command, Captain Chris Dent and the 2nd Battalion's adjutant, Captain David Wood and a corporal were killed. Colonel Jones nearly succeeded in reaching Olmos, falling only 50 metres from the Argentinian corporal. By then it was 10.30 am and Major Dair Farrar-Hockley's A Company made a third attempt, but this petered out. Eventually the British company, hampered by the morning fog as they advanced up the slope of Darwin Ridge, were driven back to the gulley by the fire from Lieutenant Roberto Estevez and his men, who were 1st Platoon, of RI 25's C Company. During this action Lieutenant Estevez directed Argentinian 105mm artillery and 120mm mortar fire that later earned him posthumously the Heroic Valour Cross. The 2nd Battalion's mortar crews alone fired 1000 rounds to keep the enemy at bay, and helped stop the Argentinians to get a proper aim at the Paras. (source: Peter Harclerode, PARA!: Fifty Years of the Parachute Regiment, p. 329, Arms & Armour Press, 1993)

It was almost noon before the British advance resumed. Inspired by their Commanding Officer's sacrifice, A Company soon cleared the eastern end of the Argentinian company position and opened the way forward. There had been two battles going on in the Darwin hillocks - one around Darwin Hill looking down on Darwin Bay, and an equally fierce one in front of Boca Hill (also known as Boca House Ruins). Second Lieutenant Guillermo Aliaga's 3rd Platoon of RI 8's C Company held Boca Hill. The position of Boca Hill was taken, after heavy fighting by Major John Crosland's B Company with support from the Milan anti-tank platoon. About the time of the victory at the Boca Hill position, A Company overcame the Argentinian defenders on Darwin Hill, finally taking the the position that had caused many casualties on both companies. Eighteen Argentinians were dead and thirty-nine wounded, a testament to the bravery of the Argentinians in that battle. Majors Farrar-Hockley and Crosland each won the Military Cross for their efforts. Corporal David Abols recieved a Distinguished Conduct Medal for his daring charges which turned the Darwin Hill battle.

After the victory on Darwin Ridge C and D Companies began to make their way to the small airfield as well as Darwin School, which was east of the airfield, while B Company made their way south of Goose Green Settlement. A Company remained on Darwin Hill. Lieutenant James Barry's No. 12 Platoon saw some fierce action at the airfield. They were ambushed, but one of his men shot dead two of the attackers, who then reported the events to Major Neame. The platoon sergeant charged the attacking enemy with his machinegun, killing four of them. The remainder fled into the Darwin-Goose Green track and was able to make good its escape. Sergeant Sergio Garcia, of RI 25, single-handedly covered the withdrawal of his platoon during the British counterattack. He was posthumously awarded the Gallantry in Combat Medal. C Company had not lost a single man in the Darwin School fighting, but a D Company private was latter killed from a burst of 35mm anti-aircraft fire, the fire which reduced the building to rubble. Four of D Company were dead and several were wounded. Some six Argentinian bodies were found amid the rubbles.

As day became night, two Argentinian Air Force warrant officers who were POWs were sent to the Argentinian commanders at Goose Green by the acting CO of 2 PARA Major Chris Keeble, with the terms of surrender. Argentinian air strikes, using air-to-ground rockets and napalm, failed to make much impression, particularlly in the face of solid anti-aircraft defences, which included two manportable SAM detachments equipped with Blowpipe missiles.

The following day Lieutenant-Colonel Piaggi surrendered all Argentinian forces, approximately 1000 men, including 202 men of the Argentinian Air Force. He would be later drummed out of the army in disgrace. Major Keeble was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. There is a comparison here with Major Mike Norman, the commander of Naval Party 8901 who were forced to surrender because they were surrounded. Both officers faced only two possible alternatives: surrender of whole-scale slaughter of their troops, much of it at long range. The fourteen-hour battle had cost the British seventeen killed and sixty-four wounded, the majority from 2 PARA. (source) One British participant said later that it was just like the Second World War. Around fifty Argentinians were killed and a hundred wounded.

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