Operation Sutton was the code name for the British landings on the beaches of San Carlos Water, East Falkland in May1982 as part of Operation Corporate, the overall British operation to retake the Falkland Islands and its territories, following the invasion by Argentine military forces.
The operation opened on the evening of 19th May with the repositioning of 2000 troops, from SS Canberra to HMS Fearless & her sister ship, HMS Intrepid. At just after 14:00 on the afternoon of 20th May, control of the Task Force passed from Admiral Sandy Woodward's Battle Group and HMS Hermes, to Commodore Mike Clapp's Amphibious Group and HMS Fearless; Commodore Clapp would be leading the next phase, the landing of troops and the retaking of the Falkland Islands.
At 19:00 on 20th May, HMS Antrim and HMS Ardent detached from the Battle Group to both secure access to Falkland Sound and make the Argentines think the landings were happening anywhere but in San Carlos Water! At 22:00 Wessex helicopters from HMS Antrim dropped SBS troops to remove the Argentine forces guarding the lead into San Carlos Water, high on Fanning Head.
Just before 02:00 on 21 May, HMS Fearless steamed into Falkland Sound, one mile ahead of HMS Intrepid. 30 minutes later HMS Fearless opened the stern gates of her flooded docks and 4 loaded LCVP (Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel) pushed out into the sea. There were now 11 ships deployed around the north-western shores of Falkland Sound either preparing to disgorge troops or preparing to bombard Argentine positions. At 03:50 HMS Antrim opened fire on Fanning Head with 250 shells in less than 30 minutes. Meanwhile, at around 07:30 the LCVPs from HMS Fearless packed with 40 Commando (together with a Scorpion and Scimitar tank) and landing craft from HMS Intrepid with Colonel H Jone’s and 2 Para, offloaded their troops on the north and south beaches of San Carlos Water. There was very limited enemy resistance as 40 Commando ran up the first Union Jack to fly in San Carlos Settlement since the 2nd April invasion
The landings, sparked a strong reply from the Argentine’s airforces and led to the Battle of San Carlos between aircraft and ships that lasted from 21 to 25 May 1982. Low-flying land-based Argentine jet aircraft made repeated attacks on ships of the British Task Force, which, because of its ferocity and damage sustained to the fleet, became better known as the “Battle of Bomb Alley”. This was the first time in history that a modern surface fleet armed with surface-to-air missiles and with air cover backed up by carrier-based aircraft defended against full-scale air strikes. The British sustained losses and damage but were able to create and consolidate the beachhead and land troops. The actions had a profound impact on later naval practice. During the 1980s most warships from navies around the world were retrofitted with close-in weapon systems and guns for self-defence.
The opening day of Operation Sutton was the largest amphibious action by British forces since the 6th June 1944 landings in Normandy, and is obviously why I also frequently see the word D-Day used for the 21st May 1982 Falklands landings. As in 1944, the only way to get a large number of troops and equipment from their ships to shore was by landing craft. The LCVP Mk2s which sailed from Fearless class amphibious transport docks, could carry 35 fully equipped Royal Marines Commandos or two Land Rovers. Meanwhile, the Higgins LCVP, as I have used in my Operation Sutton build, was a US World War II variant, typically constructed from plywood, and could carry roughly the same complement of troops or a 3 ton vehicle, so very close to HMS Fearless’s Mk2s. However, while my maths was never the best, I don’t quite see how a 9 ton Scorpion/Scimitar would be carried in even the Mk2, but for illustrative purposes, if nothing else, I have camouflaged my model of Airfix’s Higgins LCVP, in the white tiger stripes as used for the landing and there is just enough room for a Scorpion/Scimitar tank, even if its weight would probably sink it!
The Scimitar and Scorpion CVR(T) - Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked) served with two troops from B Squadron, Blues and Royals who were equipped with four tanks each. These were the only armoured vehicles used in action by the British Army during the conflict. Having previously made the Scorpion variant from an original 1975 Airfix kit, I managed to acquire a 2005 reissue to build it up as the Scimitar. The Scimitar is very similar to the Scorpion but carries the 30mm RARDEN cannon as its main weapon rather than the Scorpion’s shorter barrelled low velocity 76mm main gun. At least one Scimitar was seriously damaged by an Argentinian landmine, but the crew were unscathed, and the vehicle was salvaged by Atlantic Conveyor’s only surviving Chinook HC.1 helicopter and soon brought back into service. Scorpion and Scimitar tanks also provided air defence support with machine guns and 30 mm guns; on 23 May 1982, a Scimitar claimed the only tank to aircraft hit on a Skyhawk at 1,000 m.
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The Model Kits ...
Title: Higgins LCVP
Number: A02340
Scale: 1:72
Type: Full kit
Released: 2019 | Rebox (Unknown what changed)
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