Battle of Top Malo House

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Top Malo House
partof=Falklands War
campaign=


caption=
date= 31st of May 1982
place=Mount Simon, Falkland Islands
casus=
territory=
result= British victory
combatant1=Flagicon|United Kingdom United Kingdom
combatant2=Flagicon|Argentina Argentina
commander1=Captain Rod Boswell
commander2=Captain Vercesi
strength1=19 troops
strength2= 12 troops
casualties1=3 wounded
casualties2=2 killed
6 wounded
4 captured
The Battle of Top Malo House was fought on the 31st May 1982 during the Falklands War, between 1st section Argentine Special Forces from 602 Commando Company and a patrol formed from staff and students of the British Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre, a training unit of the Royal Marines placed under Operational Control of 3 Commando Brigade for Operation Corporate. [http://www.raf.mod.uk/falklands/mov1.html] The Falkland Islands, A history of the 1982 conflict, Battles of the Falklands Conflict: Actions, losses and movements on land and sea - 21 May to 11 June 1982 Accessed 2007-11-10]

Background

Captain Rod Boswell of the Royal Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre and eighteen of his men undertook the task which originated from a report made on 27 May by a four man patrol from the Cadre sited in an Observation Post on Bull Hill. [http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/Mountain-Arctic-Warfare-Cadre.htm] Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre, The Battle for Top Malo House (Britains Small Wars) Accessed 2007-11-10] The four man patrol had established the OP on the 21st of May as one of a number of small reconnaissance teams who were the eyes and ears of the Brigade.

Reconnaissance

The four man patrol were well forward on Bull Hill on the route from Teal Inlet to Stanley. They had just reported back to say that this may be the last message because two Argentine UH-1 helicopters were hovering over the OP. The helicopters flew off in the direction of Mount Simon; however, the sergeant commanding the team believed that the aircraft had probably dropped off Argentine Special Forces on the lower slopes of Mount Simon. The subsequent message back to Brigade Headquarters alerted the staff to the threat of Argentine Special Forces sited on high ground on the approaches to Teal Inlet and beyond. It would be the task of Captain Boswell and his team to eliminate this enemy.

On the evening of the 30 May Captain Boswell received a message from one of the patrols, in an OP on the lower slopes of Mount Simon, that they had just seen two Argentine UH-1 helicopters deliver a patrol of about sixteen men at Top Malo House, a deserted shepherd's house just 400 m from their position. They also reported hearing several other helicopters in the vicinity.

It was already getting dark, which ruled out a Harrier GR3 strike against the house, and the location was out of range of the British artillery.

During the 29 May the radio operator of the Argentine patrol, after trying all morning, suddenly managed to get a message through to 10th Brigade HQ, that there was an air corridor to and from San Carlos to Mount Kent. Contact was immediately lost, never to be re-established.

The Argentine patrol

The commander of the patrol was Captain Jose Arnobio Vercesi, commander of the 1st Assault Section, 602 Commando Company. The patrol was formed by 8 men of the first section plus two soldiers with Blowpipe missile. There was also one medic (First Sergeant Pedrozo) and First Sergeant Helguero from 601 Commando Company as the scout. [The combat for Top Malo House in "Asi peleamos,Malvinas" by Colonel Horacio Losito Biblioteca Soldados, Argentina, 2006.]

The mission

Boswell was tasked with eliminating the patrol at Top Malo. The planned assault involved a helicopter insertion early on the morning of the 31st, landing in dead ground about 1000m away from the house, and attacking the house.

The battle

Embarked in a Sea King HC4 of 846 Naval Air Squadron, part of the Commando Helicopter Force, the team was loaded with sufficient supplies and ammunition to last a week in the field. The overloaded helicopter took off on a 45 km flight, depositing the team on exactly the right spot to allow disembarkation for the short transit to the target. A seven-man fire team moved off to the left to take up a position 150 m away from Top Malo House to provide support fire for the twelve-man assault group led by Boswell. There was a significant risk of compromise as the team was wearing dark uniforms against the snow, leading to the possibility of visual detection by sentries.Unknown to the British, the Argentines heard the helicopter's flying and accelerated actions to take their equipment and leave the house.

Boswell initiated the engagement about two hours after dawn, following an order to fix bayonets, by firing a green flare into the air. This was the signal for the support group to fire six M72 LAW 66mm light anti-armour rockets at the house. As the first rocket was fired an Argentine sentry (Lieutenant Ernesto Espinosa, who was the Argentine sniper in the patrol) moved to the window of the upper floor, being immediately shot and wounded by a Corporal Groves in the support team, who was armed with a sniper rifle. Lieutenant Horacio Losito, who was the second in command of the section, says that Lieutenant Espinosa raised the alarm and at the same time opened fire on the approaching British troops allowing the Argentines to get out of the house. [Speaking Out, Michael Bilton & Peter Kosminsky pg. 195] One of the British members of the fireteam was close enough for his 66mm LAW rocket to be hit by Espinosa. As the LAW rockets hit the house it burst into flame. Boswell and his group charged forward, halted, fired two more rockets, and then charged again. The Argentines ran from the house to a nearby stream bed about 200 m away, firing as they ran. Lt Espinosa on the top floor was killed by a 66mm rocket while Sergeant Mateo Sbert was shot dead as he gave covering fire as the remaining Argentines exited the single door. Two British personnel, a sergeant and a corporal, were hit and wounded. The ammunition stacked inside the house exploded. As the British assault group moved forward the smoke from the burning building provided screening from the accurate fire from the Argentine commandos firing from the stream bed. [No Picnic, Julian Thompson pg. 96]

The firefight went on for about forty-five minutes. [Twilight Warriors, Martin Arostegui pg. 205]

With ammunition running very low and most of the patrol killed or wounded Captain Vercesi elected to surrender. Lieutenant Espinosa and Sergeant Sbert were awarded the posthumous Argentine Nation to the Heroic Valour in Combat Cross for this action.

Aftermath

Two Argentines were killed, six wounded and another four taken prisoner, [Ruiz Moreno,I J:"Comandos en action:El Ejército en Malvinas". Emecé ed., Buenos Aires, 1986, ISBN 950-742-976-X, pp. 253-271. The Argentine author -based on personal interviews with the 601's commandos- specifically denies the British claim of five Argentinians killed. Officially, the only dead were Lieutenant Ernesto Espinosa and First Sergeant Mateo Sbert.] with three of the British force having been wounded. After the battle Captain Boswell comment to the Argentine Commander was: "Never in a house...".Unknown to the British the entire assault had been watched by "Red de Observadores del Aire" (R.O.A.) observation positions on Malo Hill and Mount Simon. In fact, a four man patrol led by Lieutenant Hadow watched the action from a nearby position just on the other side of Malo river. Fourteen R.O.A. personnel from these positions surrendered to 3 Para the next day.

References

ee also

*Falklands War
*Falkland Islands

External links

* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/graphics/exclusions/falklands/nosplit/falk10.pdf The Daily Telegraph, March 30, 2002] Article by Gabriela Espinosa, whose father Lieutenant Emilio Espinosa was killed in the Top Malo House fighting