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The Goose Prairie

Sun, 02/15/2009 - 20:20 — graph

Among the few people from the British side they were not troubled by the outcome of the Ernst events were, curiously, the General Rear Admiral Woodward and Thompson. Both had their reasons.
Despite the severe losses Woodward as a good Marine, knew outweigh a basic principle of naval warfare: no matter how spectacular it is the beating or received, who won at sea remains. The Argentine Navy is rusting in port since the sinking of the General Belgrano while the Royal Navy, battered or not, remained at sea. What it did, once the landing funds was back as their positions could not refuse to support the units in Isla Soledad. Major forces, as thousands of men aboard the Queen Elizabeth II, were diverted to South Georgia. Their supplies and reinforcements, instead of traveling directly to the Falklands, described a semicircle that stood away from the aviacion argentina. Yes, the Royal Navy had suffered severe losses, but was not the first time that happened in history and would be the last. The fact is that investments still the owner of the sea.
Gen. Thompson, head of land forces, also had its own reasons not to lose morale. Ultimately win the war who conquered the land and from their point of view, the landing was a success only obscured by the total destruction of the equipment on board the Atlantic Conveyor and Sir Lancelot. In general, all his men had come to earth with most of the material, well established and protected against air strikes by its own anti-aircraft systems for patrol Harriers and their logistical lines, though threatened, was still open. Compared to the 12,000 funds men of the Argentine Asset Management Army and Navy. But 12,000 men essentially isolated except for one pair of containers that transport Hercules transport correctly each night from the mainland.
Brigadier Thompson decided it was imperative to close the bag lying in the enemy as soon as possible, confined to the vicinity of Puerto Argentino, caught between its own forces and the sea is dominated by the Royal Navy. And at the same time, quickly establish a beach head from the inside on the east coast of Isla Soledad, so your line does Asset Management not have logistics entering the dangerous waters of the Strait of San Carlos, now known as "the alley of bombas . Thus, supplies and reinforcements could be reached directly from the ocean.
Northern half of Isla Soledad (English toponyms). Note that the conquest of the corridor between Darwin and Goose Green party Isla Soledad in half way and releases from the point of landing in San Carlos to the ocean to the east.
The first point of attack was therefore obvious, and already during the first insertions rioja taken into account. The site would Goose Green (Goose Prairie). If the forces of the Parachute Battalion 2 (2 PARA), led by H. Jones added in Darwin managed to take this position (and incidentally, the airport) would be surrounded by Argentine forces in the northern half of Isla Soledad, on the other side of the mountains, and have access to a corridor to the coastal ocean. The first land battle of the Falklands War could only happen because in Goose Prairie.
Shortly after midnight on May 28, 1982 2 to participate in the extreme north western side of the isthmus that divides the island into two Soledad. Companies B and D entered the isthmus, while the A is located to the east. The company would begin the attack from there, taking Burntside House found no presence in Argentina. At 03:30, B and D companies were directed to the position Colina Boca (Boca Hill). Suddenly, dense bursts received enemy fire. The battle of Goose Green had begun.
Sketch of the battle of Goose Green.
Meanwhile, the company's largest Dair Farrar-Hockley went on his way south to find a section of the Infantry Regiment 25 in Darwin Hill. In the ensuing struggle, the Argentines stopped the advance of the company despite severe losses including its commander, Lt. Roberto Estevez. The British attack had been arrested.
The conscript soldier Sergio Rodriguez 25 Regiment (Ranger type) was injured in that fight by firing the last band of MAG machine gun. In a special issue of the newspaper Tiempo Argentino (May 1983, p. 10.) Describes well the death of Lieutenant Estevez:
"... I come to my position with Lt. Estevez wounded two bullets in the body in the right leg and arm, it had hung.


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