1.1. Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez. His leadership was disastrous during the war, and he and his senior subordinates must bear much of the blame… Thus a substantial part of the trained reservists from the provinces of Corrientes, Chaco, and Misiones, were mobilized, many of the recalled soldiers scrambling aboard the trains laden with the brigade's regulars on their southbound journey. There we had hot food, built excellent positions and were quite ready for when the British attacked. The Argentines defending Tumbledown were Marines from N Company from Commander Carlos Hugo Robacio's 5th Marine Battalion. We shouted to ask who it was before opening the door; all very sinister, rather like the sort of things you read about in books but never expect to happen to you. The following Gendarmeria combat patrols in the form of the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron operated in the Falklands: The 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron under Major José Ricardo Spadaro along with the 181st Military Police Company carried out several cordon-and-search operations in Port Stanley, to ensure that British special forces were not hiding among the civilian population in the Falklands capital. Consequently they were taken by surprise when the British responded with a large-scale mobilization, and a task force to retake the islands. List of equipment of the Argentine Army Tanks. They were in a dreadful state from hunger and thirst. ↑ Martin Middlebrook: "The Argentine fight for the Malvinas - The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War", Pen and Sword Books, 1989, ISBN 0-670-82106-3, p. 62 "The Argentine army did not have Special Forces. From that moment my combat role in the company was that of a rocket-launcher operator. Argentine forces deployed a substantial number of anti-aircraft guns around Stanley and Goose Green airfields. Several intense dogfights occurred during the war. Argentine Coast Guard patrol boat GC82 Islas Malvinas - renamed HMS Tiger Bay >11,000 personal weapons >4 million 7.62 munition rounds (10,500 from Goose Green) >11,000 105mm ammunition rounds; Some of the equipment was rendered useless by Argentine personnel before the surrender. The 12th Regiment company commander present, First Lieutenant Ignacio Gorriti and First Lieutenant Jorge Echeverría tried to pull troops from Mosteirin's reinforced rifle platoon to counterattack the British, but many of the soldiers initially refused to obey any commands to stand and fight. Argentine Ground Forces in the Falklands War of 1982 Some of us protested and said we should replace the soldiers who had just started military conscription because we were fully trained. I was in charge of a gun, but I never had any sights to fit on the weapon to practice firing. According to the reminiscences of the Argentinian veterans of that war, many of them were issued the used boots, worn by their "predecessors" recruits throughout the previous year, 1981. Initially comprising Major Alejandro Carullo's 181st Armoured Cavalry Squadron, it was located on Stanley Racecourse with orders to reinforce Fox Bay or Goose Green if required via helicopters or ships.[39]. In an outing to Camp Ávalos to carry out practice shooting with live ammunition I had to open fire with an Instalaza 88.9mm anti-tank rocket-launcher. [29], The 3rd Infantry Regiment from the La Tablada suburb of Buenos Aires, was allocated two warehouses in Port Stanley for the drying of wet clothes left hanging inside and to get some proper sleep, 200 men per night; this luxury of course ended, with the British San Carlos landings and an increase of British air activity and naval shelling. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983. The infantry soldiers were in a very bad way. VLEGA Gaucho. Locally built main battle tank, German Marder chasis. If someone took the wrong step, for example, it was normal to be pulled out of training and they would make you "dance" a little with push-ups on the thistles or on the mud. They were so bad with thirst they even tried to get water from the radiator of my truck. Entries are listed below in alphanumeric order (1-to-Z). British forces landed on the islands, after which a war for aerial domination commenced. It was a sort of party atmosphere: only our mothers were really worried and they were crying. Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Diego A. Soria. The platoons involved withdrew under covering fire from the Oto Melara 105mm pack howitzers from the 4th Airborne Artillery Group. Brigade home base: Buenos Aires Province. When the Royal Navy set sail for the South Atlantic, the army tried to replace their SC 63 intake with the recently demobilized SC '62 reservists.[3]. In late April, 'Equipo de Combate Solari' in the form of the 12th Infantry Regiment's B Company joined 'Reserva Z', bringing it to a regimental-size grouping. Also, because we were so young, we were very naive. Despite initiating the war, Argentina had not prepared a plan for the subsequent defence of the islands. (BIM 1) (†two), embarked. The conscripts inducted in February and March 1982 in Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Alí Seineldín's 25th Infantry Regiment from the 9th Infantry Brigade in Santa Cruz Province, received Commando training in a crash 4-week course. Then just one day before the British attacked us, a vehicle arrived with a set of sights, but it was too late and no time for me to get accustomed to the gun with the sights fitted. Commander: Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre. Brigade home base: Mesopotamia. The Falklands War pushed the limits of the British logistical process and led to ultimate victory over the Argentines. At this juncture most of the 3rd Brigade conscripts had completed their national service and had returned to civilian life, and the new batch of conscripts had just been incorporated. 5 BIM did not use the company but RI 7 called for it to regain Wireless Ridge; this attack failed in spite of several attempts. PASGT: Combat helmet. The Argentine Army (Ejército Argentino, EA) is the land armed force branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic and the senior military service of Argentina.Under the Argentine Constitution, the President of Argentina is the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, exercising his or her command authority through the Minister of Defense.. Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Jorge Halperin. This book provides new light on the way the Argentine forces were organized for war, the plans and reactions of the commanders, the sufferings of the soldiers and the shame and disillusionment of defeat. Some walked to the mountain and some of us were taken by truck. Towards the end of 1981, B Company, in which Valenzuela was attached, conducted survival training in General Acha, La Pampa. Private Patricio Pérez from the 3rd Regiment: Private Horacio Benítez from the 3rd Regiment: The 10th Brigade assumed responsibility for the defence of Port Stanley with Moody Brook Barracks initially serving as the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade Headquarters. When I got to the front line all the big guns were firing and the heat was unbelievable. We didn't quite realise what it all meant. The military dictatorship that governed the country at the time regarded the seizure of the Falklands as a political act to obtain a diplomatic bargaining position, and not as an act of war. While the other expeditions failed in their goal of bringing all the dependencies of the former Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plataunder the ne… I don't know what the top brass had in mind at the time - whether it was a rehearsal for the Malvinas or not - but it was big. Background. I couldn't find the exercise area at first, then I got lost trying to find the regiment and then I got lost trying to find my company. It was fucking freezing in winter. Wheeled Light Armored Scout / Reconnaissance Car, Towed / Tracked Air Defense Missile System. Despite the successful bombing of some British Royal Navy ships by the Argentine Air Force, Argentin… It entered service with the Argentinian Army in 2011. The war was over Argentina’s seizure of the Falklands, a windswept archipelago off the coast of South America. Before this request could be met, the 3rd Brigade received orders to board the transport planes heading to Port Stanley.[7]. The Argentinian Army Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant-General Roberto Viola, paid close attention to the performance of the brigade." In addition, Argentine military planners had trusted that the United States would remain neutral in the conflict, but, following unsuccessful mediation attempts, the United States offered full support to Great Britain, allowing its NATO ally to use its air-to-air missiles, communications equipment… [31], During its defence of Port Stanley, the 10th Brigade had suffered the loss of 66 killed in action or died of wounds and 370 wounded in action. The Argentine Army also had the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade in the capital guarding against a theoretical seaborne invasion along the Buenos Aires coastline.