Battle of Mount Longdon

Mountains around Mount Longdon

Date	11–12 June 1982
Location	Mount Longdon, Falkland Islands
Result	Decisive British victory

Belligerents

Argentina

United Kingdom

Commanders and leaders

Carlos Carrizo-Salvadores

Hew Pike

Strength

278 men

450 men

Casualties and losses

31 killed
120 wounded
50 captured

23 killed
47 wounded

Location within Falkland Islands

The Battle of Mount Longdon was an engagement of the Falklands War between British and Argentine forces, which took place on 11–12 June 1982, resulting in the British victory and their occupation of a key position around the besieged Argentine garrison.

The British force consisted of Third Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (3 PARA) under Lieutenant Colonel Hew Pike with artillery support from six 105 mm light guns of 29 Commando Regiment, Royal Artillery; Second Battalion, the Parachute Regiment (2 PARA) were in reserve. Naval gunfire support was provided by HMS Avenger's 4.5-in gun.

The Argentine force consisted of B Company of the 7th Infantry Regiment (RI 7) of the 10th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, as well as detachments from other units. The local Argentine commander was 34-year-old Major , the second-in-command of RI 7. The 7th Infantry Regiment, reinforced by two Marine Infantry platoons, held Mount Longdon, Wireless Ridge to the northwest of the capital of the islands, Port Stanley and to their east, Cortley Ridge. Marine Teniente de Navío (naval rank equivalent to army captain) Sergio Andrés Dachary had arrived at Mount Longdon in the week preceding the battle, and was on hand to control the Marine-manned heavy machine-guns and sniper teams there.

The Argentine forces were not raw conscripts, but recalled reservists with a year of training, that included the 7th Regiment fight a mock battle in central Argentina alongside the 3rd and 6th Infantry Regiments of the 10th Brigade. The young RI 7 soldiers were not going to abandon their positions easily and several were prepared to hold their ground. They possessed fully automatic FN FAL rifles, FAP light machine guns and PAMS sub-machine guns; these weapons delivered more firepower than the British L1A1 rifle (SLR). They were also equipped with FN MAG 7.62mm general purpose machineguns, which were almost identical to those of the Paras. At their San Miguel del Monte training camp the 7th Regiment companies prepared for possible war against Chile and carried out some helicopter drills with the 601st Combat Aviation Battalion. Some fifty of the 7th Regiment were to fight more resolutely than the rest, having been put through a commando course organized by commando-trained Major Oscar Jaimet, the Operations Officer of the 6th Infantry Regiment (RI 6). Private Jorge Altieri in an interview after the war told how he trained hard with B Company:

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