OP "WIRELESS RIDGE"

 

SATURDAY 3RD AND SUNDAY 4TH jULY 2009

 

FOXTROT 58 AIRSOFT

 

THIS OPERATION INVOLVES 5 PHASES:

PHASE 1: TOP MALO HOUSE TIME 1330HRS - 1630HRS SATURDAY 2ND MAY

 

HISTORY


12 DAYS INTO THE FALKLANDS CAMPAIGN A GROUP OF AROUND 19 ARGINTINES WHERE SPOTTED OCCUPING THE HOUSE OF TOP MALO THE MARINE MOUNTAIN AND ARTIC WARFARE UNIT WERE TASKED TO DEAL WITH THE SITUATION A VARIED AMOUNT OF WEAPONS WHERE USED DURING THIS SMALL BATTLE SUCH AS 7.62 SLR'S, 5.56 M16 A1'S, M79 GRENADE LAUNCHERS AND 66MM LAW ROCKET LAUNCHERS.  THE REAL VALUE OF TOP MALO HOUSE RAID WASN'T THE DISTRUCTION OF AN ARGINTINE PATROL, BUT THE GATHERING OF INTELLIGENTS LIKE ANY SPECIAL FORCES UNIT, THE MOUNTAIN AND ARTIC WARFARE UNIT IS FREQUENTLY USED TO SNATCH PRISIONERS.

 

THE MISSION

 

ARGINTINE FORCES WILL BE DEPLOYED IN THE AREA OF TOP MALO HOUSE, BRITISH FORCES WILL INACT A BEACH LANDING AND FIGHT THROUGHT THE POSITION AT TOP MALO HOUSE.  ONCE THIS HAS BEEN ACHIEVED BRITISH FORCES MUST CLEAR ALL REMAINING ARGINTINE FORCES AND POSITIONS FROM THE AREA.

 

PHASE 2: FANNING HEAD TIME 1700HRS - 1900HRS SATURDAY 2ND MAY

 

HISTORY


A CRUCIAL PHASE OF THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN TO RETAKE THE FALKLANDISLANDS FROM THEIR ARGENTINEANINVADERS WAS ABOUT TO GET UNDER WAY. AN AMPHIBIOUS LANDING FORCE WAS PREPARING TO DELIEVER TROOPSINTO SAN CARLOS BAY,WHICH WOULD BECOME THE BRIDGEHEAD VIA WHICH THE ISLANDS WOULD BE TAKEN.

OF CONCERN TO THE BRITISH PLANNERS WAS AN ARGENTINE POSITION PLACE ATOP FANNING HEAD, A HIGH RIDGE THAT OVERLOOKED SAN CARLOS WATERS.  RADIO TRANSMISSIONS HAD BEEN DETECTED, FROM AN ARGENTINE CALL SIGN OF 'EC HERMES'. BELIEVED TO BE HALF COMPANY SIZED AND COVERING THE APPROACHES TO THE LANDING AREAS WITH HEAVY WEAPONS, THE ARGENTINE PRESENCE WAS A SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO THE LANDINGS.

THE TASK OF CLEARING FANNING HEAD FELL TO 3 SBS, SUPPORTED BY HMS ANTRIM.THE ARGENTINE POSITION WAS LOCATED BY USING A THERMAL IMAGING DEVICE ATTACHED TO ANTRIM'S WESSEX HELICOPTER. AN SBS ASSAULT FORCE OF SOME 25 MEN, MANY ARMED WITH GPMGS, WAS DELIEVERED INTO THE VICNITY, PIECEMEAL, BY WESSEX HELICOPTER

 

THE MISSION

 

ARGENTINE FORCES WILL MOVE IN VIA A MILITARY TRANSPORT FROM TOP MALO HOUSE ONCE IN THE AREA OF FANNING HEAD THEY WILL OCCUPY ALL INTRENCHED AREAS AND BUNKERS, BRITISH FORCES WILL MOVE IN AND CLEAR ANY ENEMY FORCES FROM FANNING HEAD.  IN ORDER TO DISRUPT ANY ENEMY COMMUNICATIONS THERE ARE

 

 2HR BREAK AT THE SAFEZONE TIME 1900HRS - 2100HRS SATURDAY 2ND MAY

PHASE 3: WIRELESS RIDGE TIME 2100HRS SATURDAY 2ND MAY - 0800HRS SUNDAY THE 3RD MAY

 

HISTORY


BATTLE FOR WIRELESS RIDGE - AFTER 2 PARA HAD FINISHED MARCHING THAT SUNDAY EVENING (13TH) FROM FURZE BUSH PASS, SUPPORTING FIRE WAS OPENED ON ‘ROUGH DIAMOND’ AT 9.15PM, AND 30 MINTUES LATER, D COY CROSSED ITS START LINE BACKED UP BY THE FIRE OF FOUR SCIMITARS AND SCORPIONS.
D COY REACHED ‘ROUGH DIAMOND’ TO FIND THE ARGENTINES HAD WITHDRAWN UNDER THE ATTACKING FIRE, LEAVING BEHIND A FEW DEAD, AS THE PARAS CONSOLIDATED IN THE NEW POSITION, IT WAS THEIR TURN TO COME UNDER DEFENSIVE FIRE AND THE ARGENTINES 155’S.  NOW FROM BEHIND THEM TO THE EAT, A AND B COYS CROSSED THEIR START LINE, BUT ONE MAN WAS KILLED BY ENEMY SHELLFIRE. THEN AS THE TWO COMPANIES APPROACHED ‘APPLE PIE’ THE ENEMY BROKE AND WITHDREW UNDER THE WEIGHT OF BRITISH ARTILLERY, MORTARS AND GPMG’S ALTHOUGH THEY THEMSELVES WERE HEAVILY SHELLED FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT. WITH 2 PARA MOVING AHEAD SO QUICKLY, LT XOL XHAUNDLER GAVE C COY THE GO AHEAD TO OCCUPY RING COUNTOUR 100, WHICH IT DID WITHOUT OPPOSITION.


FROM ‘ROUGH DIAMOND’, D COY MOVED TO THE WESTERN END OF WIRELESS RIDGE AND PREPARED TO ADVANCE THROUG ITS LENGTH, AS THE LIGHT TANKS AND SUPPORTING MILANS AND GPMG’S JOINED A AND B COYS ON ‘APPLE PIE’ POURING IN FIRE FROM THE LEFT FLANK. D COY TOOK THE FIRST HALF OF THE RIDGE WITHOUT TROUBLE, BUT THE ARGENTINES RESISTED FIERCELY OVER THE SECOND HALF, OFTEN FIGHTING FROM BUNKER TO BUNKER. THEY EVENTUALLY BROKE, AND ALL OF WIRELESS RIDGE WAS IN D COY’S HANDS, ALTHOUGH NOT BEFORE ONE MEN OF 2 PARA DUG IN AND CAME UNDER MORE DEFENSIVE FIRE, THE ARGENTINES WERE HEARD REGROUPING IN THE DARK IN THE VICINITY OF MOODY BROOK.
WITH DAWN, A SMALL GROUP OF ARGENTINES COUNTER-ATTACKED D COY, BUT WERE SOON DRIVEN OFF WITH THE HELP OF MORTARS AND THE ROYAL ARTILLERY’S 105’S, BY WHICH TIME 2 PARA HAD TAKEN THE WHOLE FEATURE AT A COST OF THREE MEN KILLED, CONSIDERABLY AIDED BY THE FIRE OF THE SCORPIONS AND SCINITARS AND OTHER SUPPORTING ARMS.  FROM THEIR POSITION, 2 PARA WATCHED THE ARGENTINES RETREATING TOWARDS STANLEY IN THE MORNING LIGHT AND PRESSED BRIGADIER THOMPSON TO LET THEM ADVANCE.

 

THE MISSION

 

ARGENTINE FORCES ARE OCCUPING THE HILL TOP POSITION OF WIRELESS RIDGE IT MUST BE DEFENDED AT ALL COSTS, BRITISH FORCES ARE TO PROBE THE ARGENTINE DEFENCES THROUGH THE NIGHT TOO FIND WEAKNESSES AND A GOOD PROBABLE LINE OF ATTACK.  THE ARGENTINE FORCES MUST PATROL THE AREA OF THE RIDGE AND SURROUNDING AREA THROUGH THE NIGHT ENGAGING ANY BRITISH FORCES THEM COME ACROSS.  BRITISH FORCES WILL MOUNT A DAWN ATTACK ON THIS POSITION REGARDING THE INTELIGENCE THEY HAVE GAINED THROUGH THE NIGHT

 

PHASE 4: GOOSE GREEN TIME 0900HRS - 1200HRS SUNDAY THE 3RD MAY

 

HISTORY


THE BATTLE FOR DARWIN AND GOOSE GREEN, FRIDAY 28TH MAY - AT 3.30AM, ACOY MOVED OFF ON THE LEFT AND ATTACKED BURNTSIDE HOUSE BELIEVED TO BE OCCUPIED BY AN ARGENTINE PLATOON, BUT FOUND NO-ONE THERE OTHER THAN FOUR UNHURT CIVILIANS. AT 4.10AM, B COY STARTED FORWARD FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF BURNTSIDE POND DOWN THE RIGHT FLANKS WITH D COY FOLLOWING THEM LONG THE MIDDLE.  WITH ARTILLERY SUPPORT ON BOTH SIDES, B AND D COY’S WERE SOON IN CONFUSED ACTION AGAINST A SERIES OF ENEMY TRENCHES AND AS THEY SLOWLY MADE PROGRESS A COY MOVED PAST UNOCCUPIED POSITIONS AT CORONATION POINT.  LEAVING ONE PLATOON OF A COY TO PROVIDE COVERING FIRE FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF DARWIN, THE REMINDER STARTED TO CIRCLE ROUND THE INLET TO TAKE THE SETTLEMENT.  AS DAWN BROKE, THE ATTACKS ON BOTH FLANKS BOGGED DOWN AS B COY CAME UP AGAINST THE STRONGPOINT OF BOCA HOUSE AND A COY FOUND THAT A SMALL RISE, LATER KNOWN AS DAEWIN HILL, WAS THE KEY TO THE ARGENTINE DEFENCES.

 

THE MISSION

 

ARGENTINE FORCES ARE OCCUPING THE AREA OF GOOSE GREEN BRITISH FORCES ARE TO LEAD AN ASSAULT AND CLEAR THE AREA OF ALL ARGENTINE FORCES BEFORE CONTINUING ON TO THE ROAD TO STANLEY

 

PHASE 5: RETAKE STANLEY TIME 1300HRS - 1630HRS SUNDAY 3RD MAY

 

HISTORY


AS DAWN BROKE ON MONDAY 14TH, AND THE SCOTS GUARDS COMPLETED THE CAPTURE OF TUMBLEDOWN, 2 PARA ON WIRELESS RIDGE SAW THE ARGENTINES STREAMING BACK TO STANLEY AS THE BRITISH ARTILLERY SHELLED THEIR POSITIONS AT WILL. THE BRITISH FORCES NOW EDGED FORWARD.
2 PARA WAS THE FIRST UNIT TO REACH THE OUTSKIRTS, BUT HALTED AS SURRENDER NEGOTIATIONS GOT UNDERWAY.  THESE LASTED FOR MUCH OF THE DAY, AND AS THEY PROCESSED, BRITISH FORCES WERE ORDERED NOT TO FIRE ON THE APPARENTLY DEMORLAIZED ENEMY.  HOWEVER EVEN NOW, GENERAL MENENDEZ HAD 8,000 TROOPS IN THE STANLEY AREA INCLUDING THE LARGELY INTACT 3RD, 6TH AND 25TH INF REGTS, STILL WELL SUPPLIED WITH FOOD AND SMALL ARMS AMMO, BUT WITH LITTLE LEFT FOR THEIR REMAINING ARTILLERY AND WITH ALL THE HIGH GROUND TAKEN.  ALTHOUGH ORDERED BY GALTIERI THAT MORNING TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT, MENENDEZ DECIDED TO NEGOTIATE AND A SMALL BRITISH TEAM LED BY LT COL ROSE OF THE SAS HELICOPTERED IN.  A SURRENDER DOCUMENT COVERING ENEMY FORCES BOTH ON THE WEST AND EAST FAWKLANDS WAS AGREED AT THE END OF THE AFTERNOON, AND THAT EVENING, GENERAL MOORE FLEW TO STANLEY FOR THE OFFICIAL SIGNING

 

THE MISSION

 

BRITISH FORCES WILL NOW MOVE INTO PORT STANLEY THEY MUST DESTROY ANY ARGENTINE MILLITARY VECHILES THAT THEY COME ACROSS AND RETAKE MILLITARY HQ LOWER THE ARGENTINE FLAG AND RAISE THE FALKLAND ISLANDS FLAG

For more Information see

http://www.foxtrot58airsoft.synthasite.com/