On the next of April, 1982, Argentinian forces landed in the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the southern Atlantic Sea, approximately 300 miles from the Argentinian coast. They overpowered both the standing up garrison of 56 Royal Marines and the Falklands Islands Defence Drive (FIDF), and proceeded to occupy the hawaiian islands. The English response began on the same day, when 9 Royal Navy (RN) boats were sent orders to move to the Falklands. Twenty-three times after the Argentinian occupation started British isles Royal marines started retaking the Falklands.
The trip of the Scots guards begins later, on the Twelfth of May, when the Queen Elizabeth 2, an sea liner commandeered by the RN, remaining Southampton with the 5 Infantry Brigade, which consisted of the next battalion of the Scots Guards, Welsh Guards and Gurkhas. The Scots guards landed at Fitzroy on the Falklands, on the sixth of June. Over the eleventh of June, the so-called "Battle for (Dock) Stanley", actually 6 battles, a few of which happened simultaneously, began. A single day later, the United kingdom attack on Tumbledown Mountain commenced.
In all honesty, the United kingdom forces may have deployed to the Falklands in the stereotypical design of the American military in such areas, namely large-scale amphibious functions, with a minor distance between landing sites and major aims such as Port Stanley and the Falklands' airstrip. This might, however, have concluded in disaster, as this is precisely what the Argentine defence forces were preparing for, with the defences centred around Dock Stanley.
Another approach is a majorly airborne procedure, with the Parachute Battalion troopers and Royal Marine commandos parachuting onto the islands, and all of those other infantry and equipment being brought in by helicopters. Because of this methodology, a good understanding of anti-air defences would have been required and also complete air superiority, in order to minimise the certain casualties. This might have meant a conflict fought on the planet Warfare 2 style Blitzkrieg, and could have required the local airstrip or an aircraft carrier capable of starting aircraft or used in both a bombing and transfer role. The nearest airfield was on Ascension Island, and required a formation of 11 tanker aircraft for 1 Vulcan bomber to reach the Falklands, which had to be launched from the same airstrip. This might have been impossible with the prevailing facilities at RAF Ascension Island, as multiple C130 Hercules, along with refuelling build would need to remove, and also loiter for quite a while, in order for all the aircraft, and therefore also all the paratroopers, to reach simultaneously.
Forces involved
The 5th Infantry Brigade was actually chosen for an individual, simple reason, namely that they were really the only brigade free from any other obligations, as others were stationed as garrisons all over the world, scheduled to cold-war tensions. At the main point where it was chosen, however, the 5th Infantry Brigade was constructed only of the very first Battalion, 7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles, who'll be referred to simply as the Gurkhas. Really the only district in the united kingdom with any forces clear of garrison duties or so on was London, with the 2nd Battalion of the Scots Guards (2SG) who were responsible for general population duties including the changing of the safeguard, and the 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guards, who have been just being rotated out of Spearhead Battalion position. This supposed that neither of the Guards Battalions was at their peak readiness, as the only tasks of the Scots Guards had been to keep clean, presentable as fit as you can, and the Welsh Guards have been not capable of any training. The other infantry creation in the Falklands, 3rd Commando brigade was also present, and consisted of two battalions which possessed formerly been area of the 5th Infantry Brigade, but had been transferred just before deployment, namely the second battalion of the Paratroopers (2PARA) and the 3rd battalion of the paratroopers (3PARA). Also in another Commando Brigade were the Royal Marines of 40, 42 and 45 Commando, as well as support systems.
Opposing them, the Argentine forces were made up of the only Argentine marines on the Falklands, which have been bolstered up with the addition of some army Engineers, some Surface-to-Air Missile launchers (SAMs) and much machine gun company. They had had some time to dig in and setup their defences. Additionally, they were made up of conscripts who acquired spent more time in the military than many of the Argentinian army forces on the Falklands, and were therefore of an increased quality, and lastly, their training was also of a higher quality than the Argentine army's was, as is commented on by Alejandro L. Corbacho, in his newspaper "Reassessing the Fighting with each other Performance of Conscript Troops during the Malvinas/Falklands War (1982). " Also mentioned therein is the fact that these were otherwise better well prepared for the Falklands, as that they had iron pubs and other tools for entrenching themselves.
Tumbledown
The engagement ring of mountains encircling Slot Stanley, including Tumbledown, needed to be dealt with almost together by the 5th Infantry Brigade, which supposed that the depleted and demoralised Welsh Guards, the entire but untrained Scots Guards and the complete and ready Gurkhas all was required to spring and coil into action, as 4 peaks needed to be taken, namely Mount Tumbledown, Sapper Hill, Wireless Ridge and Mount William. The Welsh Guards were allocated the simpler process of taking Sapper Hill, while 2PARA from another Commando Brigade were allocated
The forces defending Tumbledown mountain contains the Argentine Marine Battalion, recognized by six 105mm field guns and many M2 heavy machine guns (HMGs), chambered in 12. 7x99mm NATO rounds, capable of piercing light vehicle armour following a mile or more.
British forces attacking, or helping in the strike on Tumbledown, consisted of 2nd Battalion, Scots Guards (2SG), reinforced by 2 Scimitar Light Tanks (Reconnaissance) and 2 Scorpion Light Tanks (Reconnaissance) run by the Blues and Royals, the HMS Working and the HMS Yarmouth providing fire support from other 4. 5 inch guns and mortar detachments of the Royal Marines, as well as you company of Gurkhas attached to 2SG.
However, when interviewed, ex - Guardsman Steve Cocks explained that
"There was no armoured support of the troops on Tumbledown [] the original arrange for the harm was to be a frontal strike from the region of Pony Forward in daylight [] there was a diversionary attack at Pony Go away which was some miles South of Tumbledown within an area that the Argentines expected us to strike. This attack was designed to be noisy and possessed the quest to cause the maximum amount of distraction as it can be for taking the concentration of attention away from the silent strategy from the West of Tumbledown. "
The Battle
A diversionary harm was made by the reconnaissance platoon of 2SG, consisting of twelve men organised into three fireteams of four; reinforced by the Blues and Royals from the south of Tumbledown. The potency of the diversion harm is debatable, as was informed by Steve Cocks, yet the ex - Guardsman is steadfast in the fact that the attack was at minimum, a screen of the bravery of 2SG, as they were up against fortified soldiers who outnumbered them, for whom they had to mix a minefield to reach; but he is also of the thoughts and opinions that the argentine Marines thought that this was the key invasion, and were therefore somewhat shocked when attacked by the key section of 2SG from a completely different direction a couple of hours later.
The main element of 2SG was put into 3 companies: G Company, that was to attack from the west; LF Company, which was to attack the higher central crags; and lastly, RF Company, that was to attack the low eastern crags.
G Company advanced first to its position, and was there to assist when LF Company came under heavy sniper and machine gun fire during the second stage of the assault, at about 22:30. Rough fighting sustained there for many hours, and at 02:30 the LF Company Commander, Major John Kiszely, began a bayonet demand at the Argentine positions, narrowly avoiding being taken himself, as a bullet lodged itself in his belt buckle. His demand reached the most notable of the mountain, though it absorbed an enormous amount of his men, and in the long run he and several six others were on top of Support Tumbledown, three of whom were, however, injured. The third period commenced at 06:00, when RF Company commenced attacking their specified targets. They started forwards, firing their anti-tank weapons at argentine positions, and emerged under heavy fire, with no artillery support no mortar support. Their assault succeeded, with 08:00 they held the former Argentinian positions.
What makes this victory truly amazing is usually that the Scots guards were fresh from open public responsibilities in London, and therefore they were not as fit as they might have been, got ineffective artillery support for a portion of the struggle (as shells which were not using airburst fuses were simply sinking in to the peat, and also there is one "rogue gun" in the artillery that would have to be corrected), and they were up against an enemy that got had because the 15th of April to prepare to struggle. They relocated forwards against among the better Argentine infantry on the Falklands, through minefields, and without armoured support supervised it.
However, if one looks at the disadvantages of the Argentinian soldiers, the victory seems less extraordinary, as no Argentinian shells experienced airburst fuses, that was mentioned through the interview with past Guardsman Steve Cocks, where he defined a mortar shell landing only three to four metres from him, and the thing striking him was dirt, as the shell acquired buried itself too profound to do any major harm. Also, Argentinian troops were partially composed of conscripts, so men who were just serving enough time they had to serve, and were not really motivated to keep carefully the Falklands, as is evidenced in the 1987 documentary "The Falklands Battle: The Untold Story" when an Argentine conscript instructs of when he landed in Interface Stanley, and was perplexed because everything was in English, the populace were not welcoming them as liberators; they had been informed that these were heading to free their compatriots who just happened to be under British rule. The Argentines were just a little demoralised even before the British main strike had started out, yet that they had still thought that the British isles assault on Tumbledown had been repulsed, and so one can presume that they experienced a severe blow to their morale when the bulk of 2SG made an appearance from some other direction.
2SG had just finished struggling one of the last battles fought on the Falklands, quite most likely the actual last challenge, as 1/7 Gurkhas never had a need to fight in order to take Support William, and there is no certainty about when the challenge of Cordless ridge ended, only once it began.
Additionally, this was really the only 2 battalion assault of the complete Falklands issue, as the Gurkhas were also tasked with taking the North-eastern spur of Tumbledown, that they found deserted, which is one of the interesting items about the Gurkhas' regimental personal information, as the Argentine conscripts have been told that these were cold-blooded killers who ate their victims, similar to the propaganda get spread around about them by the Nazis; and so the Argentines ran to the Scots to surrender.
Results
For 2SG's triumph at Tumbledown, both United kingdom troops and Argentinian troops died. The Scots Guards lost 8 guardsmen and 1 engineer mounted on them and suffered an additional 53 wounded. The Argentinians lost 30 Marines, well over a hundred wounded, and thirty were captured, and maintained as Prisoners of Battle (POWs) before resolution of the issue.
On the very next day, Basic Mario Mendez, the Argentine armed forces governor of the Falkland Islands, officially surrendered to British forces, which designed that no more fighting took place. All POWs of both sides were repatriated, and the Uk issued a assertion saying that these were finished struggling on the Falklands, something the Argentinians neglected to do. Later, the armed service Junta responsible for Argentina was toppled, in part because of lack of popular support, that was one of their main causes for an invasion of the Falklands.
2SG acquired just inflicted almost triple their casualties by using an entrenched Argentinian drive, that was the best of the Argentinian infantry on the Falklands; while struggling with from lower floor, in bad landscape, under (admittedly ineffective, yet powerful) artillery and mortar fire. This came from a product that had not been as fit as it could have been, and with no close air support, nor very effective artillery. For the Argentinian causes in the Falklands, this must have seemed to be the miracle or an indicator that they could not possibly gain, possibly both, as they had held all advantages they may have, except for numerical superiority and training for night time operations, advantages that ought to have been negated simply by the actual fact that the Argentinian marines experienced an arranged and well dug-in defence line set up.
Was it necessary?
Upon observation of the map 1 of the appendix, you can observe that the points where in fact the Welsh Guards, the Scots Guards and the Gurkhas experienced landed, in effect the whole infantry of the 5th Infantry Battalion, all require them to undergo or near Mount Tumbledown if they were to progress on Slot Stanley.
Additionally, corresponding to Steve Cocks, one of the guardsmen of 2SG present at the struggle, "Argentine artillery was mainly dug among Tumbledown and Stanley and therefore was completely dominated by whoever performed the mountain" and therefore taking Support Tumbledown is, in the very least, a highly important event leading to the general Argentine surrender, possibly more than simply very important.
Also, an absence of supporting pushes was, but still is, a predicament no infantry push would desire to find itself in, as artillery, even if it is as ineffective as that at Tumbledown, continues to be capable of triggering destruction, if not physically, then because of its psychological impact. This impact is even more significant if the opposing drive has said support, in this case the British possessed artillery, thanks to both the Royal Navy and also the guns of another Commando Brigade; and also air support from the Harriers of both the Royal Navy and the RAF, as well as the Dark colored Buck missions flown from RAF Ascension Island. The Argentineans, after Tumbledown, lost almost all of their artillery, and air support was not guaranteed, as any Argentine aircraft would have to be sent from the mainland, and in so doing run the gauntlet twice, as they had to breach the Total Exclusion Zone create by the United kingdom forces, and also get back through it.
Argentine pushes were, after Tumbledown severely outnumbered by the British isles causes, although they could have been easily reinforced from the Argentine mainland. Furthermore, Mount William (see map 4), another peak in the within diamond ring of mountains and large hills encircling Slot Stanley, was indefensible following the take of Tumbledown, as troops could be easily deployed around it, and defending troops would be kept without air or artillery support, rendering the defence of Mount William a suicide mission.
What would have took place without it?
Without Support Tumbledown and the area overlooked by it, British forces could have been subjected to further artillery bombardment from the Argentine artillery positions between Tumbledown and Interface Stanley. This would mean continuous deficits among the United kingdom causes, which would lead to demoralisation and for that reason decreased fighting with each other prowess.
Also, Support William if not used, could easily have been used to coordinate artillery fire, as well as direct possible airstrikes and offer overwatch (meaning to watch from a spot ahead enough to, if possible take part in action, but far again enough to be able to see the bigger picture and be out of immediate danger) for just about any argentine counterattacks, which means a counterattack's likelihood of success would be much higher.
Lastly, it was on your day after the win of the Scots Guards in the Struggle of Support Tumbledown, that the Argentine commander of the island's occupying pressure, Mario Menendez, surrendered. This is, in all probability, due to Support Tumbledown being the previous natural defence for the Argentinean positions around Port Stanley, and therefore British forces would be able to attack Port Stanley without worries about natural barriers, nor Argentine artillery, while the forces defending Interface Stanley could have been under semi-constant fire from the Royal Navy frigates present, or another Commando Battalion's embedded artillery, potentially mortars helped bring by 42 Commando, Royal Marines.
Possible situations for an alternative British victory
Naturally, there are always "what-ifs" ever sold, and here the sole possible ones would be "Imagine if the Scots Guards would have lost?", "Imagine if Tumbledown have been overlooked?" and "Imagine if a different path to Port Stanley had been taken?"
The second of the has already been answered in the previous section, but shall still be included in its condensed form, namely: Got 2SG not used Tumbledown, then firstly, argentine artillery in back of would have had the capacity to continue firing at United kingdom forces, and if indeed they would have attempted simply going around it, they might have received a high amount of casualties from the marines stationed on Tumbledown, as well as later on having enemy pushes behind them, and also being under fire from Mount William during an advance on Port Stanley, where Argentine troops had got the longest link to dig in and make.
Should the Scots Guards have didn't take Support Tumbledown, one of three things would have happened, the to begin these being that it could have been a pyrrhic triumph for the Argentinean makes, who have needed time (that they wouldn't supply to them) to resupply and reinforce. This would, most probably, have been exploited by a further British attack, possibly carried out by an factor of another Commando Brigade (probably 40 Commando, Royal Marines, as they lacked a mountain to hold) or again by 2SG.
The second opportunity would have been a retreat, accompanied by extreme bombardment of Mount Tumbledown by some combo of 3 Commando's Artillery, mortars from various communities, air support provided by the Harriers of the Royal Navy and the RAF; as well s continued shelling by the RN boats just offshore. This might then have been accompanied by a further harm by the British isles land causes, which, if facing depleted (from both assault by 2SG and also the bombardment, as the Uk used proximity fuses, resulting in their shells being far more effective) Argentine defenders, especially with armoured support from the armoured vehicles of the Blues & Royals that could be delivered along, could have little trouble succeeding.
The third, and final possibility, would have been an amphibious assault on Stanley, leading to high casualties, as you can see clearly on map 3 of the appendix, a huge amount of the defences are aimed to sea, in a fashion well suited for defending against an amphibious assault. The causes found in this assault would need to be taken from the Royal Marines, as we were holding the only pushes been trained in amphibious landings. Removing these forces using their company positions could have led to a weakening of the British isles hold on the positions around Slot Stanley. As mentioned above, only 40 Commando had not been positioning a mountain, so they could presumably have been used for this assault.
Evaluation of Sources
The main options used to answer this essay attended from both Argentine and English sources. However, among the most notable three resources, only one was Argentine, the other two being United kingdom, one even being interviewing a past Guardsman.
The Guardsman interviewed, Steve Cocks, was in the RF (Right Flank) section on Tumbledown, and today occasionally gives lectures on his experience, as well as keeping a blog about his and others' activities in the Falklands and also about them keeping alongside one another in a veterans' association. Due to his being British, as well as the fact that the event happened thirty years ago, information taken from him would as a rule have to be taken and cross-referenced with Argentine sources, as well as other, official, British resources. An effort was made to contact the Platoon commander whose platoon defended Tumbledown, however, he continued to be unresponsive.
The Argentine source used is a research newspaper by Professor Alejandro L. Corbacho, of the Team of Political Knowledge at the Universidad Del CEMA of Buenos Aires, entitled "Reassessing the Fighting with each other Performances of Conscript Troops during the Malvinas/Falklands Warfare (1982)", and shared in Sept 2004. As a university research newspaper, its information can be taken as sound; however, since both the university or college and (presumably) the professor are Argentinean there will be at least a slight pro-Argentina slant on their information.
The last major source used is a website dedicated strictly to naval record, with a section dedicated solely to the Falklands. It really is from this site that the maps used result from. The website uses information from the Bavarian state library, the British Library and the US library of Congress. The fact that this uses multiple areas' established libraries and documents because of its information must be considered, however, two of three universities are not only from the Anglo-sphere, but from countries that are historically allies.
All in all, sources used have been predominantly British, due to Argentine veterans left over unresponsive, and also due to the fact that a lot of are printed in Spanish and stay untranslated. Three options have been written by Falklands Veterans (including Steve Cocks), and are therefore considered less reliable than other options.
