Battle of Two Sisters: Difference between revisions
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The plan was for X Company, the lead assault company, to attack the subsidiary peak of the mountain from the west, where they would then use the position to set up a fire-base while Y and Z companies would attack the main objective from the north-west. The operation began in the closing hours of the 11th June with X Company attacking about 10 minutes after they had arrived at their start point. They quickly reached the lower ridge of the subsidiary peak but at 11.30 pm, came under heavy-fire from Argentinian [[machine gun]]s from 2nd Lt. Marcelo Llambias-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon and [[mortar (weapon)|mortars]] from Lieutenant Luis Martella's 81-mm Mortar Platoon. With fixed bayonets and supported by the mortar platoon, they taunted the Royal Marines with Guarani war cries and beat off several efforts to close with them. Upon the use of the [[LAW 80]] anti-tank rocket launcher on the Argentinian positions Lieutenant Chris Caroe's 2 Troop of X Company broke through the Argentinian positions, only to be forced off by Argentine artillery fire. However, they groped their way back and took their objective at about 2.45 am. With the telephone lines to the command post in shreds, Llambias-Pravaz led his men to join M Company 5th Marine Infantry Battalion on Sapper Hill. Captain Ian Gardiner in the book ''Above All, Courage'' (Cassell Military Paperbacks, 2002) was quick to praise the fighting abilities and spirit of the defending Argentine |
The plan was for X Company, the lead assault company, to attack the subsidiary peak of the mountain from the west, where they would then use the position to set up a fire-base while Y and Z companies would attack the main objective from the north-west. The operation began in the closing hours of the 11th June with X Company attacking about 10 minutes after they had arrived at their start point. They quickly reached the lower ridge of the subsidiary peak but at 11.30 pm, came under heavy-fire from Argentinian [[machine gun]]s from 2nd Lt. Marcelo Llambias-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon and [[mortar (weapon)|mortars]] from Lieutenant Luis Martella's 81-mm Mortar Platoon. With fixed bayonets and supported by the mortar platoon, they taunted the Royal Marines with Guarani war cries and beat off several efforts to close with them. Upon the use of the [[LAW 80]] anti-tank rocket launcher on the Argentinian positions Lieutenant Chris Caroe's 2 Troop of X Company broke through the Argentinian positions, only to be forced off by Argentine artillery fire. However, they groped their way back and took their objective at about 2.45 am. With the telephone lines to the command post in shreds, Llambias-Pravaz led his men to join M Company 5th Marine Infantry Battalion on Sapper Hill. Captain Ian Gardiner in the book ''Above All, Courage'' (Cassell Military Paperbacks, 2002) was quick to praise the fighting abilities and spirit of the defending Argentine 3rd Platoon: "A hard cadre of some twenty men had stayed behind and fought, and they were brave men. Those who stayed and fought had something. I for one would not wish to face my Marines in battle." |
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At the same time as X Company's attack, Z Company attacked its objective from the north-west. Z Company advanced the 400 yards to their objective without being detected until they spotted the Argentinian defenders at their objective at which a fire-fight ensued at about 1.00 am. It was a fierce fire-fight that lasted for about |
At the same time as X Company's attack, Z Company attacked its objective from the north-west. Z Company advanced the 400 yards to their objective without being detected until they spotted the Argentinian defenders at their objective at which a fire-fight ensued at about 1.00 am. It was a fierce fire-fight that lasted for about two hours until Z Company, with Y Company by its side, charged up the northern peak of Two Sisters shouting its "Zulu!" war-cry and taking the objective at about 2.30 am. Y Company then advanced to attack the final objective capturing all of its objective all the way to the eastern end of Two Sisters. The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that on several occasions the British company was stopped by a 6th Infantry Regiment private, Oscar Poltronieri by name, who held up the Royal Marines with accurate shooting with his rifle and a machine-gun and his platoon caused the proposed exploitation to Tumbledown Mountain by 45 Commando to be aborted. Private Poltronieri of the rifle platoon of Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco was awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentine decoration for bravery. (Source Martin Middlebrook, ''The Fight For The Malvinas'', Leo Cooper Paperbacks, 2003) |
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Three Royal |
Three Royal Marine Commandos and one Marine from [[Corps of Royal Engineers|59 Independent Commando Squadron, Royal Engineers]] were killed taking Two Sisters, but to these must be added the Royal Marine Commandos which were killed on the night of 9/10 June. Captain Mike Barrow, in HMS ''Glamorgan'', had bravely remained later than ordered tosupport Captain Ian Gardiner's company of Marines who were having a tough time on the southern hill, and had paid the penalty for overstaying the night-she was hit by a land based Exocet missile when she cut across the Exocet danger zone area. Thirteen British sailors died. |
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The Argentines left behind |
The Argentines left behind 20 dead and 54 were taken prisoner. There had been particularly good cooperation with the 105mm gun battery of 29 Commando Regiment; approximately 1,500 rounds had been fired into the Argentinian positions on Two Sisters. |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 04:11, 11 September 2005
The Battle of Two Sisters was an engagement of the Falklands War during the British advance towards the capital Port Stanley that took place on the 11th/12th June 1982.
The British force consisted of 45 Commando, Royal Marines with support from a six 105mm guns of 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery. 2 Para was in reserve. Naval gunfire-support was provided by HMS Glamorgan's 2 x 4.5-in guns. The Argentinian force consisted of the 4th Infantry Regiment. Command of Two Sisters was entrusted to Captain Carlos Lopez Patterson, the 4th Regiment's Operation Officer, with the bulk of the defenders drawn from C Company.
At about 2.10 am local time on 10 June a 45 Commando reconnaissance party probed the Argentine 3rd platoon position and had two killed in the resulting contact before withdrawing. The British military historian Bruce Quarrie wrote later:
A constant series of patrols was undertaken at night to scout out and harass the enemy. Typical was the patrol sent out in the early hours of the morning of 10 June. Lieutenant David Stewart of X-Ray Company, 45 Commando, had briefed his men during the previous afternoon, and by midnight they were ready. Heavily armed, with two machine-guns per section plus 66mm rocket launchers and 2-inch mortars, the Troop moved off stealthily into the moonlit night towards a ridge some 4 km away where Argentine movement had been observed. Keeping well spaced out because of the good visibility, they moved across the rocky ground using the numerous shell holes for cover, and by 04.00 were set to cross the final stretch of open ground in front of the enemy positions. Using a shallow stream for cover, they moved up the slope and deployed into position among the rocks in front of the Argentine trenches. With the help of a light-intensifying night scope, they could see sentries moving about. Suddenly, an Argentine machine-gun opened fire and the Marines launched a couple of flares from their 2-inch mortars, firing back with their own machine-guns and rifles. Within seconds three Argentine soldiers and two Marines were dead. Other figures could be seen running on the hill to the left, and four more Argentine soldiers fell to the accuracy of the Marines' fire. By this time, the Argentine troops further up the slope were wide awake, and a hail of fire forced the Marines to crouch in the shelter of the rocks. The situation was becoming decidedly unhealthy and Lieutenant Stewart decided to retire, with the objective of killing and harassing the enemy well and truly accomplished. However, a machine-gun to the Marines' right was pouring fire over their getaway route, and Stewart sent his veteran Sergeant, Jolly, with a couple of other men to take it out. After a difficult approach with little cover, there was a short burst of fire and the Argentine machine-gun fell silent. Leapfrogging by sections, the Troop retreated to the stream, by which time the Argetine fire was falling short and there were no further casualties. (Bruce Quarrie, The Worlds Elite Forces, pp.53-54, Octopus Books Limited, 1985)
The plan was for X Company, the lead assault company, to attack the subsidiary peak of the mountain from the west, where they would then use the position to set up a fire-base while Y and Z companies would attack the main objective from the north-west. The operation began in the closing hours of the 11th June with X Company attacking about 10 minutes after they had arrived at their start point. They quickly reached the lower ridge of the subsidiary peak but at 11.30 pm, came under heavy-fire from Argentinian machine guns from 2nd Lt. Marcelo Llambias-Pravaz's 3rd Platoon and mortars from Lieutenant Luis Martella's 81-mm Mortar Platoon. With fixed bayonets and supported by the mortar platoon, they taunted the Royal Marines with Guarani war cries and beat off several efforts to close with them. Upon the use of the LAW 80 anti-tank rocket launcher on the Argentinian positions Lieutenant Chris Caroe's 2 Troop of X Company broke through the Argentinian positions, only to be forced off by Argentine artillery fire. However, they groped their way back and took their objective at about 2.45 am. With the telephone lines to the command post in shreds, Llambias-Pravaz led his men to join M Company 5th Marine Infantry Battalion on Sapper Hill. Captain Ian Gardiner in the book Above All, Courage (Cassell Military Paperbacks, 2002) was quick to praise the fighting abilities and spirit of the defending Argentine 3rd Platoon: "A hard cadre of some twenty men had stayed behind and fought, and they were brave men. Those who stayed and fought had something. I for one would not wish to face my Marines in battle."
At the same time as X Company's attack, Z Company attacked its objective from the north-west. Z Company advanced the 400 yards to their objective without being detected until they spotted the Argentinian defenders at their objective at which a fire-fight ensued at about 1.00 am. It was a fierce fire-fight that lasted for about two hours until Z Company, with Y Company by its side, charged up the northern peak of Two Sisters shouting its "Zulu!" war-cry and taking the objective at about 2.30 am. Y Company then advanced to attack the final objective capturing all of its objective all the way to the eastern end of Two Sisters. The Argentines must have put up a good fight because British records show that on several occasions the British company was stopped by a 6th Infantry Regiment private, Oscar Poltronieri by name, who held up the Royal Marines with accurate shooting with his rifle and a machine-gun and his platoon caused the proposed exploitation to Tumbledown Mountain by 45 Commando to be aborted. Private Poltronieri of the rifle platoon of Second Lieutenant Aldo Franco was awarded the Heroic Valour Cross, the highest Argentine decoration for bravery. (Source Martin Middlebrook, The Fight For The Malvinas, Leo Cooper Paperbacks, 2003)
Three Royal Marine Commandos and one Marine from 59 Independent Commando Squadron, Royal Engineers were killed taking Two Sisters, but to these must be added the Royal Marine Commandos which were killed on the night of 9/10 June. Captain Mike Barrow, in HMS Glamorgan, had bravely remained later than ordered tosupport Captain Ian Gardiner's company of Marines who were having a tough time on the southern hill, and had paid the penalty for overstaying the night-she was hit by a land based Exocet missile when she cut across the Exocet danger zone area. Thirteen British sailors died.
The Argentines left behind 20 dead and 54 were taken prisoner. There had been particularly good cooperation with the 105mm gun battery of 29 Commando Regiment; approximately 1,500 rounds had been fired into the Argentinian positions on Two Sisters.
References
- . ISBN 0304362573.
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