Battle of Top Malo House
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| Battle of Top Malo House | |||||||
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| Part of Falklands War | |||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||
 United Kingdom |
 Argentina |
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| Commanders | |||||||
| Captain Rod Boswell | Captain Vercesi | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 19 troops | 13 troops | ||||||
| Casualties | |||||||
| 3 wounded | 2 killed 6 wounded 5 captured |
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| Falklands War |
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| Argentinian Invasion–Pebble Island – Seal Cove– Goose Green – Top Malo House – Mount Harriet – Two Sisters – Mount Longdon – Wireless Ridge – Mount Tumbledown |
The Battle of Top Malo House was fought on the 31st May 1982 during the Falklands War, between 1st section Argentinian Special Forces from 602 Commando Company and a patrol formed from staff and students of the British Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre, a training unit of the Royal Marines placed under Operational Control of 3 Commando Brigade for Operation Corporate.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Background
Captain Rod Boswell of the Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre and eighteen of his men undertook the task which originated from a report made on 27 May by a four man patrol from the Cadre sited in an Observation Post on Bull Hill.[citation needed] The four man patrol had established the OP on the 21st of May as one of a number of small reconnaissance teams who were the eyes and ears of the Brigade.[citation needed]
[edit] Reconnaissance
The four man patrol were well forward on Bull Hill on the route from Teal to Port Stanley. They had just reported back to say that this may be the last message because two Argentine UH-1 helicopters were hovering over the OP.[citation needed] The helicopters flew off in the direction of Mount Simon; however, the sergeant commanding the team believed that the aircraft had probably dropped off Argentine Special Forces on the lower slopes of Mount Simon.[citation needed] The subsequent message back to Brigade Headquarters alerted the staff to the threat of Argentine Special Forces sited on high ground on the approaches to Teal Inlet and beyond. It would be the task of Captain Boswell and his team to eliminate this enemy.
On the evening of the 30th of May Captain Boswell received a message from one of the patrols, in an OP on the lower slopes of Mount Simon, that they had just seen two Argentine UH-1 helicopters deliver a patrol of about sixteen men at Top Malo House, a deserted Shepard's house just 400m from their position. They also reported hearing several other helicopters in the vicinity.[citation needed]
It was already getting dark, which ruled out a Harrier GR3 strike against the house, and the location was out of range of the British artillery.
[edit] The mission
Boswell was tasked with eliminating the patrol at Top Malo. The planned assault involved a helicopter insertion early on the morning of the 31st, landing in dead ground about 1000m away from the house, and attacking the house.
[edit] The battle
Embarked in a Sea King HC4 of 846 Naval Air Squadron, part of the Commando Helicopter Force, the team was loaded with sufficient supplies and ammunition to last a week in the field. The overloaded helicopter took off on a 45km flight, depositing the team on exactly the right spot to allow disembarkation for the short transit to the target. A seven-man fire team moved off to the left to take up a position 150m away from Top Malo House to provide support fire for the twelve-man assault group led by Boswell.[citation needed] There was a significant risk of compromise as the team was wearing dark uniforms against the snow, leading to the possibility of visual detection by sentries.[citation needed] Unknown for the british, argentineans listened the helo flying and accelerated actions to take their equipment and leave the house.
Boswell initiated the engagement about two hours after dawn, following an order to fix bayonets, by firing a green flare into the air. This was the signal for the support group to fire six M72 LAW 66mm light anti-armour rockets at the house. As the first rocket was fired an Argentine sentry (Lt Espinosa, in fact was the argentinean sniper in the patrol)moved to the window of the upper floor, being immediately shot by a British Corporal in the support team armed with a sniper rifle.[citation needed] Argentineans say that he was hit by a M-79 rocket. One of the british member of the fire team was close to be hit by Espinosa (his shot hit the LAW launcher). As the LAW rockets hit the house it burst into flames. Boswell and his group charged forward, halted, fired two more rockets, and then charged again. The Argentines ran from the house to a nearby stream-bed about 50m away, firing as they ran. Two British personnel, a sergeant and a corporal, were hit and wounded. The ammunition stacked inside the house exploded. As the British assault group moved forward the smoke from the burning building provided screening from the Argentines firing from the stream bed.[citation needed] The firefight went on for about fourteen minutes. The Argentinian second commanding officer, 2nd Lieutenant Horacio Losito was wounded four times before his unit was forced to surrender.
[edit] Aftermath
Two Argentines were killed, six wounded and another five taken prisoner, with the three of the British force having been wounded. Unknown to the British the entire assault had been watched by observation positions on Malo Hill and Mount Simon. In fact, a four man patrol leaded by Lt Hadow watched the action from a nearby position just in the other side of Malo river. Fourteen Argentine soldiers from these positions surrendered to 3 Para the next day.
[edit] References
- ^ RAF.MOD.UK RAF history of Op Corporate accessed 26 Nov 06
