Tour de Airfix: Victory in the Falklands

This is the final post from my Falklands War scale modelling project, inspired by a good friend of mine who took part in Operation Corporate, serving with one of the Royal Navy's Sea King anti-submarine squadrons. After building a model of the helicopter on which he actually worked, I found I could not just stop there. Each and every book and article I then picked up, drew me in deeper. Each page turned and new fact learned was then brought to life through the build of a new model; the acquisition of some, either no longer in production or not available in the UK, also led me on some interesting journeys!

The Falklands War ended with the surrender of Argentine forces on Monday 14th June. British Task Force commander, Admiral Sandy Woodward, says the conflict lasted 100 days, which give or take a day or two is about the same time it has taken me to build, paint and prepare my 20 plus models, with accompanying pilots, mechanics and troops.

One model I built at the very start of this project was not a traditional boxed Airfix type kit, but my very first scratch built building. As my friend shared his experiences, he touched on some time spent on the island after the war, helping repair and repaint some of residents' corrugated iron roofs - typical of the Falkland Islands - and his visit to Port Stanley's Globe Hotel for a well earned drink or two. During my subsequent research, I frequently came across a post war photo of British troops in Philomel Street, Port Stanley, with the Globe Hotel in the background.

My attempt was not create an exact replica of the street but more to place my models in a diorama with a landmark which would resinate with the viewer. In adding this to my growing mosaic of scale scenes, it now sits between the glaciated mountains of Operation Paraquet, the beach landings of Operation Sutton and along side a Korean MASH unit and a Malayan Emergency jungle scene!

So, returning to the Falklands War and jumping back to D-Day, Operation Sutton, and 21 May 1982.

Aboard the ferry Norland Lt Col H Jones with 2 Para asked the naval signaller to flash HMS Broardside along side is any orders had been received. The response was:

TOP SECRED OPERATION SUTTON
CTG 317.0.19N 190230Z May
Ships pass to embarked forces

D-Day 21 May 82
H-Hour is 210639Z May 82
Break down and issue first line ammunition forthwith
Act immediately

This was the confirmation that Operation Sutton had been given the go-ahead by the British government, and the UN who were expected to have intervened to prevent a land offensive, had not come to pass.

At 07:30, an hour late, 2 Para waded ashore along the southern end of the beach at San Carlos, while 40 Commando, with Scorpion and Scimitar tanks of the Blues and Royals, landed a few hundred yards further north. San Carlos, a settlement of 30 people was the first community on the Falklands to be liberated.

After a period of digging in, slowly building up supplies of munitions and equipment from the ships anchored in the bay, London were now demanding a tangible victory from the Paras and Commandos. A 20 mile beachhead was now secure but the loss of shipping to Argentine air attack was starting to hurt, so on 27 May, they launched a breakout with three targets identified. 3 Para set off for Teal Inlet, towards Port Stanley. 45 Commando boarded landing craft to Port San Carlos, to then march on Douglas, north of Teal Inlet. 2 Para got the short straw and started walking the 13 miles to Goose Green. Here, Argentine ground forces released a barrage of artillery, mortar, machine-gun and anti-aircraft fire, while from above Pucara and Skyhawks strafed, bombed and napalmed them. Unable to advance, Lt Col H Jones, single handedly stormed a machine-gun, but was struck down and killed; meanwhile his 2 Para performed a flanking move, encircling the Argentines held up in the settlement. At first light on 30th May, a couple of Argentine prisoners were sent in with a white flag and letter to inform their commander that as he was surrounded the time had come to surrender. This was accepted. The expectation was then that around 80 POWs would be taken, instead a force of more than 900 Argentine troops lined up to lay down their arms, more than three times 2 Para's number!

The next objective was to secure the high ground around Port Stanley. 42 Commando joined the fight, moving by air to Mount Kent. 3 Para established a forward base at Douglas settlement and 45 Commando arrived at Teal Inlet. The Scots Guards meanwhile embarked in Sir Tristram for Bluff Cove and establish a forward base, but tragically, the Welsh Guards, held up on Sir Galahad, were bombed by Argentine Skyhawks along with the now empty Sir Tristram, with the loss of 51 men.

By the end of the second week of June, following major overnight assaults on the Argentine defences around Stanley, 42 Commando, 3 Para and 45 Commando had taken the strategic high grounds of Mount Harriet, Mount Longdon, and Two Sisters. The following day, Sunday 13 June, the Scots Guards attacked Mount Longdon, Gurkhas occupied Mount William and 2 Para, who's decisive action at Goose Green, 2 weeks earlier, launched what was to be the final action of the war, on Wireless Ridge. By early morning, the British troops had overcome and set aside all that the Argentines could muster, and later that day, Monday14 June, the Argentine forces surrender.

Most troops never received a direct order to proceed, they merely realised that they had reached the point at which they were going ahead unless ordered to halt. No such order was received until they reached Port Stanley!

In completing this project, I mentioned that there were a number of books which went on to inspire my scale model builds and it is safe to say that my library has expanded in step with my knowledge and understanding of this conflict. I can highly recommended at least these 8 good books, written by both historians and those who were there.