Thirty years ago today...

[IanKennedy]

http://www.ditl.org/pagepisode.php?TOS24

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

http://www.ditl.org/pagepisode.php?TOS24

Okay, that hits a sweet spot.

[Captain Seafort]

On 27 May, the breakout from the San Carlos beachhead began. 45 Commando and 3 Para began their march north east to Teal Inlet, while 2 Para advanced south east to Camilla Creek House. The next day, 2 Para attacked and defeated the Argentine forces around Darwin and Goose Green in the longest, and only daylight, land battle of the war, at the cost of seventeen men killed, including their Commanding Officer, and thirty five injured.

[Graham Kennedy]

Goose Green especially has a reputation for having been a particularly brutal affair... maybe because it was, or maybe because people are just more aware of it for some reason, I dunno.

[Captain Seafort]

Goose Green especially has a reputation for having been a particularly brutal affair... maybe because it was, or maybe because people are just more aware of it for some reason, I dunno.

I think it was mainly a combination of H and the nature of the battle, despite the fact that 3 Para suffered much heavier losses on Longdon. All the other battles were night actions, over in a few hours. Goose Green lasted over 14 hours, most of it in daylight, and the battalion spent a long time pinned down in front of Darwin Hill. For a few hours there was the possibility that they'd be forced to withdraw, which would have had a significant detrimental impact on the course of the campaign.

[Deepcrush]

Goose Green especially has a reputation for having been a particularly brutal affair... maybe because it was, or maybe because people are just more aware of it for some reason, I dunno.

Being the only daylight battle, its just more well known as its easier for the general public to see things on the news when there is light. The whole affair was rather mild as a conflict in whole. Goose Green just gave an easy focus point.

[Captain Seafort]

Being the only daylight battle, its just more well known as its easier for the general public to see things on the news when there is light.

Whether the battle was fought by day or by night doesn't have an effect on the cameramen who wouldn't be anywhere near it. It's possible that the subsequent images had an effect though - all the other battles were fought up on the mountains, where the terrain was limited to bare rock and a bit of grass. A significant portion of Goose Green was fought in the gorse line on Darwin Hill, and the subsequent images of the gorse still burning the day after the battle are much more evocative than the crags of Longdon or Tumbledown.

[Deepcrush]

Green Goose brought a visual aspect to the ground conflict, being my intended point. The whole "war" was a rather minor affair and its hard for people to feel when they are just being told "there was another night fight". When you can see the live detail effects of a fight, it touches home more.

[Captain Seafort]

Yet another anniversary. That of the worst single loss of British life in the war, and the image that most people would probably think of when the war is mentioned - the bombing of RFA Sir Galahad and RFA Sir Tristram at Fitzroy.

[Graham Kennedy]

Ugh, that one was nasty. Also brought us one of the enduring images of the after war period in Simon Weston, a soldier who was badly burned in the attack. Several documentaries were made about him and his recovery in the aftermath :

[Captain Seafort]

On the night of 11/12 June, phase one of the Battle of Stanley was launched. 42 Commando took Mount Harriet, 45 Commando took Two Sisters, and in the bloodiest land battle of the war, 3 Para took Mount Longdon.

[Captain Seafort]

And finally, the last and most important of the anniversaries - Liberation Day.

On the night of 13/14 June the second and, as it turned out, final phase of the battle of Stanley was fought. 2 Para took Wireless Ridge. 2 Scots Guards attacked and defeated the Argentine forces on Tumbledown Mountain, and commemorated it with a tune composed during the battle. Mount William was to be attacked, but the occupants legged it when they realised that 1/7th Ghurkhas were coming their way, and 1 Welsh Guards occupied Sapper Hill.

At 2100 14 June 1982, Brigadier General Mario Menendez of the Argentine Army surrendered to Major General Jeremy Moore, Royal Marines.

[Graham Kennedy]

And yay to us!

[Captain Seafort]

Cameron to Kirchner: Fuck you, and fuck off.