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APPROACH TO and BATTLE
FOR STANLEY
(Parts 41-49)
Part 47. 2
PARA'S APPROACH TO
and BATTLE FOR WIRELESS RIDGE
13th/14th June 1982 |
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BRITISH
FORCES 2 Para,
including GPMG's, LAW's, MAW's, Milans and 81mm
mortars, and in support 3 Troop, The Blues and
Royals
with 2 Scorpions and 2 Scimitars, two bty's of 6x105mm artillery of 7 and 8 Btys, 29
Cdo Regt RA, mortars of 3 Para
and frigate
"Ambuscade" with 1x4.5in (and
"Yarmouth", 2x4.5in).
2
Para
Commanders: Lt Col D R Chaundler, Maj C D
Farrar-Hockley, A Coy, Maj J H Crosland, B Coy,
Maj R Jenner,
C Coy, Maj P Neame, D Coy
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ARGENTINE
DEFENDERS
7th Inf Regt defending (Mount Longdon and)
Wireless Ridge area, supported by snipers, heavy
mg's, mortars and artillery |
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Approach
to Wireless Ridge - With 3 Para unable
to exploit forward from Mount Longdon over Friday
night, 2 Para, now commanded by Lt Col Chaundler
and transferred back to 3 Cdo Bde, were given the
task two nights later. First helicoptering in
from Fitzroy on to the western slopes of Mount Kent on Friday, 2 Para spent the night in
reserve for the Longdon and Two Sisters attacks,
and early next morning, marched to Furze Bush
Pass and dug
in. The battalion was also joined by 3 Troop of The Blues
and Royals,
themselves back with 3 Cdo Bde.
Lt Col Chaundler's plan was
in four 'noisy' phases using opening artillery
fire. In phase one, D Coy was to attack the occupied
feature ('Rough Diamond') north east of Mount
Longdon, while in phase two, A and B Coys would take 'Apple
Pie'. From
'Rough Diamond', D Coy would go on in phase three
to take the length of Wireless Ridge ('Blueberry
Pie') from the
west and with fire support from A and B Coys. In phase
four, C (Patrols) Coy would swing to the east to take ring
contour 100.
Battle
for Wireless Ridge - After 2 Para had
finished marching that Sunday
evening (13th)
from Furze Bush Pass, supporting fire was opened
on 'Rough Diamond' at 9.15 pm, and 30 minutes
later, D Coy crossed its start line
backed up by the fire of four Scimitars and
Scorpions.
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D Coy reached 'Rough Diamond' to find the Argentines had
withdrawn under the attacking fire, leaving
behind a few dead. As the Paras consolidated in
the new position, it was their turn to come under
defensive fire from the Argentine 155's. Now from
behind them to the east, A and
B Coys crossed their start line,
but one man was killed by enemy shellfire. Then
as the two companies approached 'Apple
Pie', the
enemy broke and withdrew under the weight of
British artillery, mortars and GPMG's, although
they themselves were heavily shelled for the rest
of the night. With 2 Para moving ahead so
quickly, Lt Col Chaundler gave C Coy the go ahead to occupy ring
contour 100,
which it did without opposition.
From 'Rough Diamond', D Coy moved to the western end of Wireless Ridge and prepared to advance through
its length, as the light tanks and supporting Milans and
GPMG's joined A and B Coys on
'Apple
Pie' pouring in fire
from the left flank. D Coy took the first half of the ridge without
trouble, but the Argentines resisted fiercely over the
second half, often fighting from bunker to bunker. They
eventually broke, and all of Wireless Ridge was in D Coy's hands, although not before
one man had been killed by British artillery and another
by Argentine small arms. As the men of 2 Para dug in and
came under more defensive fire, the Argentines were heard
regrouping in the dark in the vicinity of Moody Brook.
With dawn, a small group of Argentines
counter-attacked D Coy,
but were soon driven off with the help of mortars and the
Royal Artillery's 105's, by which time 2 Para had taken
the whole feature at a cost of three men killed,
considerably aided by the fire of the Scorpions and
Scimitars and other supporting arms. From their
positions, 2 Para watched
the Argentines retreating towards Stanley in the morning light and pressed
Brigadier Thompson to let them advance.
British
Gallantry Awards
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Battle for Wireless
Ridge by 2
Para (all citations included Goose Green)
Lt C S Connor (MC), C Coy
Maj J H Crosland (MC), B Coy
Maj C D Farrar-Hockley (MC), A Coy
Sgt J C Meredith (DCM), D Coy
Sgt T I Barrett (MM), A Coy
Capt W A McCracken
(MC) RA, NGFO, 29 Cdo Regt RA (citation
also
included Mount Longdon)
Capt J G Greenhalgh (DFC) RCT, 656 AAC Sqdn (also included
Goose Green)
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Battle for Wireless Ridge
- from the
Art of Daniel Bechennec |
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