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Part 5: The Argentine Surrender: Battle for the Falklands - The Final Part

Discarded Argentine Weapons at Port Stanley

Sapper Hill – 1st Bn Welsh Guards, 40 Cdo (A&C Coy’s)

The 1st Bn The Welsh Guards, now consisting of one rifle company after the catastrophic losses at Fitzroy, were tasked with securing Sapper Hill. The battalion was reinforced with ‘A’ & ‘C’ Coy’s and Mortar Troops from 40 Cdo to bring it up to strength. After coming under air and artillery attack on the night of 13th June the battalion was eventually ‘released’ to make their approach march to Sapper Hill, their route taking them through a minefield – in single file with Royal Engineer mine clearance teams clearing a path for them. Number 2 Coy, the remaining Welsh Guards Company, had been tasked with taking an objective on the Darwin Road but this had already been taken by the Scots Guards during their diversionary attack on Mount Tumbledown. With white flags now being flown all over Stanley it was apparent that all major objectives had fallen to the task force. With Sapper Hill yet to be secured the Commanding Officer 1 Welsh Guards sent ‘C’ Coy 40 Cdo forward by helicopter to seize the objective. After a brief encounter with some Argentine stragglers, where two marines were injured, Sapper Hill was secured virtually unopposed by 1630hrs.

THE ARGENTINE SURRENDER

On the morning of 14th June the Argentines were withdrawing and with artillery shelling their positions task force units began to move cautiously towards Stanley. There were over 7,500 enemy troops gathered in and around Stanley and although ordered to fight on by General Galtieri his subordinate, General Menendez, decided that negotiation was the way forward. Lt Col Rose, CO 22 SAS, moved into Government House with a small team to write the surrender document that would apply to all enemy forces on the Falkland Islands. The surrender document was ready for on the afternoon of 14th June and was eventually signed at 2130hrs local time. The surrender was taken by General Moore, Commander Land Forces. The following morning troops from 3 Cdo Bde started to move into Stanley with 5 Infantry Bde moving back to Fitzroy with 1/7th Gurkha Rifles moving back to Goose Green to clear the battlefield where 2 Para had fought against extreme odds.

Prisoners of War from San Carlos Water and Stanley airfield were loaded onto ‘Canberra’ and ‘Norland’ before being repatriated to Argentina but senior officers and technicians were held as a guarantee against further aggression by the Argentine junta. Operations were mounted against the enemy on West Falkland, Port Howard, Fox Bay and Southern Thule where there was little or no resistance. A considerable amount of materiel including missiles, radar systems, artillery and wheeled vehicles as well as rotary and fixed wing aircraft was abandoned by the Argentines. Some of this equipment was returned to UK for either evaluation or use by the British Armed Services.

With Royal Navy minesweepers clearing mines off Cape Pembroke the Royal Engineers started to deal with marked and unmarked minefields – it is considered that the task of mine clearance will not be completed and that the mines will pose a constant risk for many years to come.

The Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands led to a greater defence commitment of the islands by the British government. With rapid reinforcement by air considered to be the way ahead, rather than committing large numbers of soldiers to garrison the islands, a new airfield was built close to Pleasant Peak. The new airfield, named Mount Pleasant Airport, was planned to make the stationing of fighter aircraft and the operating of long-range wide bodied transport aircraft possible in order that the Falkland Islands can be reinforced at short notice should the need ever arise in the future.

The war to return the Falkland Islands to British control cost the lives of 255 British Servicemen with a further 777 being wounded. Argentine losses were 649 killed and 1.068 wounded.

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The Falklands Conflict: The Sinking of The ARA General Belgrano
The Falklands War Part 4 – Landing And Consolidation