Argentine ground forces in the Falklands War

This is a list of the ground forces from Argentina that took part in the Falklands War (Spanish: Guerra de las Malvinas). For a list of ground forces from the United Kingdom, see British ground forces in the Falklands War.

Operation Rosario (April 2)

• Amphibious Task Group 40.1 - Rear Admiral of the Marines Carlos Büsser
  • Amphibious Commandos Group, on board the destroyer Santisima Trinidad landed at Mullet Creek south of Stanley, in inflatable boats
    • 84 men (†one) ^{dubious, more likely 50, too many for a type 42 destroyer plus crew} Lieutenant-Commander Sánchez Sabarots.
  • Buzos Tácticos, on board the submarine ARA Santa Fe, swam ashore.
    • 15 frogmen Lieutenant-Commander Alfredo R. Cufré.
  • 2nd Marine Infantry Btn. (BIM 2),
    • embarked on LST ARA Cabo San Antonio (Q42), they landed in 20 LVTP-7 amphibious, armoured, tracked and five LARC-V wheeled vehicles^[1]
    • and ARA Almirante Irízar (Q-5), inserted on Stanley airport by SH-3 Sea Kings helicopters
      • 500 men
  • A 25th Infantry Regiment Company (Argentine Army) airlifted by C-130

South Georgia (April 3)

• 1st Marine Infantry Btn. (BIM 1) (†two), embarked ARA Bahia Paraiso transport and ARA Guerrico corvette Lieutenant Guillermo J. Luna.
  • 60 men

Preparation for war

Argentina had seven complete infantry brigades: IV Airborne Infantry Brigade in Córdoba; IX Brigade in the Chubut Province close to the Falklands; the well-equipped VI and VIII Mountain Infantry Brigades along the Chilean border; XI Brigade, (cold-adapted) in the extreme south; and III and X Brigades facing the benign Urugayan border. Two assumptions governed the deployment of the Argentine ground forces on the islands (Spanish: Guarnición Militar Malvinas):

• the junta did not believe that the British would use military force to retake the islands, so the initial landing force had been withdrawn shortly after April 3, and was not reinforced until after the British recaptured South Georgia. The intent was to place a large number of troops onto the islands to dissuade the British from any military action. As the Royal Navy had submarines patrolling the immediate area, reinforcements had to be airlifted in, which limited the heavy equipment that could be deployed.
• an attack was feared from Chile due to the ongoing Beagle Channel dispute. As Chile was marshalling troops close to its Southern Argentine border, the Argentinian High Command had to deploy their better trained forces to deter a Chilean attack. As a result, neither the mountain warfare regiments, nor a paratroop brigade were available. Furthermore, only a fifth of the cold-adapted marine infantry was sent to the islands. The majority of the troops deployed were from sub-tropical areas, the Argentine Mesopotamia region and Buenos Aires Province, and not trained for action in the terrain (they were trained to avoid snakes and sunstroke, not frostbite). These two incorrect assumptions led to inappropriate troops being sent to the islands.^[2]

In the Argentine Army, the entire stock of conscripts was changed over at New Year. Soldados Clase ’63 (SC 63) were conscripts born in 1963. On April 2, 1982 SC 63 had had three months of boot camp. The army tried to replace SC 63 with the newly demobilized SC '62 by the time the British arrived.^[3]

Theatre of Operations in the Falkland Islands (April 7 – June 14)

Guarnición Militar Malvinas

• Commander: Brigade General Mario Menéndez (governor). RI (Infantry Regiments) were about 800 men.

3rd Mechanised Infantry Brigade

Agrupación Litoral (Coastal Sector) ^[4] Commander: Brigade General Omar Parada. Brigade home base: Mesopotamia

• 4th Regiment (RI 4) — Mount Harriet and Two Sisters (Stanley) (†23 and 121 wounded ^[5])
  • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Diego A. Soria.
• 12th Regiment (RI 12) — Goose Green and Darwin (East Falkland) (†35 and 72 wounded ^[6])
  • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Italo A. Piaggi.
• West Falkland
  • 5th Regiment (RI 5) — Port Howard (†eight and 67 wounded ^[7])
    • Commander: Colonel Juan R. Mabragaña
  • 8th Regiment, 9th Infantry Brigade (RI 8) — Fox Bay (†five and 51 wounded ^[8])
    • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Ernesto A. Repossi.

10th Mechanised Infantry Brigade

Agrupación Puerto Argentino (Stanley Sector) Commander: Brigade General Oscar Jofre. Brigade home base: Buenos Aires Province

• 3rd Regiment (RI 3) — Stanley - aborted urban warfare (†five and 85 wounded ^[9])
  • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel David U. Comini.
• 6th Regiment (RI 6) — Stanley Common (†12 and 35 wounded ^[10])
  • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Jorge Halperin.
• 7th Regiment (RI 7) — Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge (Stanley) (†36 and 152 wounded ^[11])
  • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez.
• 25th Infantry Regiment (Argentina) (RI 25), 9th Infantry Brigade (attach to 10th Brigade) — Stanley Airport, Goose Green and San Carlos (†13 and 67 wounded ^[12])
  • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Ali Seineldin.
• Panhard Armoured Cars Squadron (Esc Panhard/Destacamento de Exploración de Caballería Blindada 181), 9th Infantry Brigade (attached to 10th Infantry Brigade) - Moody Brook
  • Commander: Major Alejandro D. Carullo.
  • 12×Panhard Armoured Car 90 mm.
• 10th Armoured Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (dismounted), 10th Infantry Brigade (attached to reserve) - Moody Brook (†six and 68 wounded ^[13])
  • Commander: Captain Rodrigo A. Soloaga.

Artillery

• 3rd Artillery Group^[14] (GA3), 3rd Infantry Brigade (†two and 21 wounded)
  • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Martín A. Balza
  • 18 OTO Melara Mod 56 105 mm field guns (Stanley and Goose Green).
  • 2 x CITER 155mm L33 Guns airlifted from May 15 (from the 101st Artillery Group) (Stanley).
• 4th Airborne Artillery Group (GA4), 4th Airborne Brigade (†3 and 42 wounded) (Stanley).
  • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos A. Quevedo
  • 18 x 105 mm guns.

Miscellaneous Army Troops

I Corps

• 181st Military Police and Intelligence Coy (Stanley).

Army Chief of Staff Troops

• 601st Engineer battalion (BI-601) (†one and 10 wounded ^[15]) (Fitz Roy bridge demolition)
  • Commander: Major Jorge L. A. Etienot.
  • 9th Engineer company
    • Commander: Major Oscar M. Lima.
  • 10th Engineer company (†one and five wounded ^[16])
    • Commander: Major Carlos R. Matalon.
• 601st Commando^[17] Port Howard and Murrell River
  • Commander: Major Mario Castagneto
• 602nd Commando Mount Kent (†five and seven wounded ^[18])
  • Commander: Major Aldo Rico.
• 601 Combat Aviation Battalion (Batallón de Aviación de Combate 601) See 601 Assault Helicopter Battalion

Marines

• 5th Marine Infantry Btn. (BIM 5) attached to Army — Mount Tumbledown, Mount William and Sapper Hill (Stanley) (†16 and 68 wounded^[19])
  • Commander: Capitan de fragata (commander) Carlos Hugo Robacio.
• Heavy Machine-Gun Company; 27 x 12.7 mm MGs
  • Commander: teniente de navio Sergio Dachary. Stanley Common (†seven and 17 wounded ^[20])
• Amphibious Engineer Company Stanley Common (†four)
  • Commander: capitan de corbeta Luis A. Menghini
• 1st Marine Field Artillery Battalion's B Battery (Batería B/BlAC) Stanley Common (†two and two wounded)
• Commander: teniente de navio Mario R. Abadal
  • 1,800 men
• Dog section Naval Base Puerto Belgrano Teniente de fragata Miguel A. Paz ^{[21] [22]}
  • 18 dogs (†two), 22 men

Gendarmería (Border Guards)

Compañía de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de Gendarmería Nacional The following Gendarmeria units were operational in the Falklands:

• Special Forces Units: (†seven) _{six died in the same Puma crash, May 30}
  • Squadron Atucha - Mount Kent (East Falkland).
  • Squadron Bariloche.
  • Squadron Calafate.
  • Squadron Esquel - Smoko Mount (East Falkland).

Air defences

Army

• 601st Air defence artillery group (GADA-601). (†six and 23 wounded ^[23]) _{4 by Shrike 3rd June}
  • Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Héctor L. Arias
  • Cardion AN/TPS-44 long range radar
  • Roland SAM system
  • 4 x Tigercat SAM triple launchers
  • 6 x Skyguard fire control radars, each controlling 2 Oerlikon GDF-002 35 mm twin cannons. (One Skyguard radar and two GDF-002 35 mm twin cannons deployed to BAM Cóndor/Goose Green.)
  • 12 x GDF-002 35 mm twin cannons for the Argentine Army. 3 x GDF-002 35 mm twin cannons for the (FAA) Air Force. The FAA Oerlikon GDF-002 guns were sited on the Southwest side of Port Stanley Airport.
  • 3 x Oerlikon 20 mm single barrel Anti-Aircraft Cannons.
• B Battery, 101st Anti-Aircraft group (GADA 101), I Corps.(†three and nine wounded ^[24])
  • Commander: Major Jorge Monge.
  • 8 x Hispano Suiza 30 mm guns.
  • 10 x 12.7 mm machine guns.
• Some Infantry units
  • Blowpipe shoulder fired SAMs.

Air Force

A captured Air Force Rheinmetall 20 mm Twin Anti-Aircraft Cannon from Goose Green in the Imperial War Museum

• Stanley Airfield defence group
• Goose Green Airfield defence group (BAM Cóndor)
• Special Operations Group:
  • Westinghouse TPS-43F long range radar
  • 3 x Oerlikon twin 35 mm guns
  • Super Fledermaus fire control radar
  • Elta short ranged radar
  • 15 x Rheinmetall Rh-202 twin 20 mm anti-aircraft guns (9 deployed close-in to the Port Stanley Airport runway, 6 deployed to Goose Green Airfield)
  • A number of SA-7 man portable short ranged SAMs.

Navy

• 1st Marine Anti-Aircraft Battalion Stanley Common (†2).
  • Commander: capitan de corbeta Hector E. Silva .
  • 3 x Tigercat SAM triple launchers
  • 12 x Hispano HS-831 30 mm anti-aircraft guns

Infantry weapons

A silenced Sterling submachine gun, used by commandos in Operation Rosario

A display in the Imperial War Museum, showing an Argentine mortar

• Personal Weapons
  • Browning Hi-Power
  • Ballester–Molina
  • FM PA3-DM
  • M3A1 "Grease Gun"
  • L34A1 Sterling
  • FM FAL 50.61
  • FM FAL 50.41
  • M16A1, "partially used"
  • Mauser M1909, not used
• Support Weapons
  • FM FAP
  • FM MAG
  • Browning M2HB
  • 90 mm Recoilless Rifle
  • FM 60 mm Mortar
  • FM 81 mm Mortar
  • FM 120 mm Mortar
  • Blowpipe MANPADS (Man Portable Air-Defence System)
• Anti-personnel mines
  • FMK1 (mine)
  • No. 4
  • P4B
  • SB33
• Anti-tank mines
  • C3B
  • FMK3
  • M1
  • No. 6
  • SB81

Casualties

• Argentine Army: 194 (16 officers, 35 NCOs and 143 conscripts)
  • list Argentine Army casualties
• Argentine Navy : 34 Marines (one officer, three NCOs and 30 conscripts)
• Gendarmería Nacional Argentina: seven commandos (two officers, four NCOs and one gendarme)

References

Notes

1. Martin Middlebrook: Argentine Fight for the Falklands, 1989, Pen & Sword military classics, ISBN 0-85052-978-6, chapt.: The First Steps to War, p. 19
2. Commodore Ruben Oscar Moro La Guerra Inaudita, 2000 ISBN 987-96007-3-8
3. Martin Middlebrook: "The Argentine fight for the Malvinas - The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War", Pen and Sword Books, 1989, ISBN 0-670-82106-3, p. 51: Every Argentine young man became liable for a twelve-month period of military service in the year that he celebrated his 19th birthday. The military year in Argentina began in January when the regiments received the young conscripts. During the year, the recruits were trained and released in the last months of that annum. Soldados Clase ’63 were conscripts born in 1963. It was possible to wait up to seven years for military service, so Soldados Clase ’59 in 1982 were both lingering conscripts and recalled reservists. Since SC ’63 only had four months of training, the army tried to replace them with SC ’62 reservists and two-thirds had been changed by the time the British arrived.
4. Martin Middlebrook: Argentine Fight for the Falklands, 1989, Pen & Sword military classics, ISBN 0-85052-978-6, chapt. The British Are Coming, p. 63
5. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
6. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
7. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
8. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
9. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
10. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
11. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
12. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
13. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
14. Grupo= three batteries ≈ artillery regiment
15. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
16. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
17. Martin Middlebrook: "The Argentine fight for the Malvinas - The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War", Pen and Sword Books, 1989, ISBN 0-670-82106-3, p. 62 "The Argentine army did not have Special Forces. In the early 70s commandos were formed but subsequently disbanded because of the fear of the highly trained groups being used in a coup d’état. In 1975 they were reformed for the 'dirty' war and disbanded again after participating in security during the 1978 Football World Cup. The trained commandos were dispersed throughout the army. About 80 men were assembled in the 601st and 602nd Commando companies and send to the Falkland Islands. They were beefed up with SWAT-like teams from the Gendarmería Nacional – paramilitary frontier guards."
18. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
19. Historia Marítima Argentina, Volume 10, p. 137, Argentina. Departamento de Estudios Históricos Navales, Cuántica Editora, 1993
20. Desde El Frente: Batallon de Infanteria de Marina No. 5, Carlos Hugo Robacio, Jorge Hernández, p. 380, Centro Naval, Instituto de Publicaciones Navales, 1996
21. Perros en Malvinas
22. Los Perros de Malvinas
23. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.
24. Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.

Sources

• The Battle For The Falklands, Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins, ISBN 0-330-35284-9
• Falklands Air War, Chris Hobson, ISBN 1-85780-126-1
• The Falklands War 1982, Duncan Anderson, ISBN 1-84176-422-1
• (Spanish) Argentine Order of Battle

External links

• Argentine Defences on the Falklands