The plan called for 2 Para's companies to move down both the
eastern and western sides of the isthmus leading to Goose Green. During
darkness 2 Para would seize the outer Argentine defensive positions protecting
Goose Green and Darwin. To minimize civilian casualties, the battalion would
then move on the settlements during daylight.
As 2 Para prepared to attack at Camilla Creek House, Lieutenant Colonel
Jones monitored a BBC World Service news bulletin reporting that
2 Para was attacking and had advanced to a position five miles north of
Darwin. No doubt trying to boost morale at home, a senior official in London
had confirmed to a BBC radio correspondent that 2 Para was moving to attack
Darwin and Goose Green. The Argentines reacted to the public report by moving
a reserve battalion from Mount Kent to Goose Green early on the morning of 28
May. The leak of vital tactical information made 2 Para's task indeed more
formidable.
On the night of 27 May, C Company secured the start line for 2 Para's
attack, and A and B Companies crossed the start line early on the morning of
the 28th. Naval gunfire supported the attack. As daylight broke, A Company
occupied Coronation Point and B Company engaged the Argentines at Boca House
on the western side of the isthmus. As 2 Para pressed the attack during
daylight, it encountered fierce resistance from a large force deployed,
alerted, and dug in across the narrow isthmus. Supported only by artillery
fire and their own mortars, the British had to advance across open ground
against heavy machine-gun fire. In trying to help A Company advance,
Lieutenant-Colonel Jones fell mortally wounded from rifle fire.
Major Chris Keeble, the second-in-command, assumed command and continued
to press the attack. As the day wore on, A and C Companies finally seized
Darwin and pushed south along the east coast to the northern outskirts of
Goose Green. B and D Companies moved down the western side and then swung
east to threaten Goose Green from the west and south
By nightfall, Keeble's men occupied the hills around Goose Green after a
victorious day on the battlefield. The Argentines landed reinforcements south
of 2 Para but applied no pressure to 2 Para's ring around Goose Green. During
the night Keeble planned a major attack for the following morning, to include
a demonstration of Harrier and artillery firepower. Helicopters and BV202
vehicles resupplied 2 Para with mortars and small-arms ammunition
But no further fighting ensued the next day. Keeble sent two Argentine
POWs into Goose Green to arrange possible surrender negotiations. The
Argentine commander, Air Vice-Commodore Wilson Pedroza, met with Keeble and
surrendered. Expecting 80 Argentines to walk out, 2 Para observed with
shocked disbelief as over 150 airmen and 900 soldiers emerged to surrender.
Including those taken during the course of the attack, 2 Para took 1,200
prisoners in the Battle of Darwin-Goose Green. The Argentines suffered 50
dead, while 2 Para had lost 17 killed and 35 wounded
As one of the decisive actions of the war, the battle showed Britain's firm resolve to win
the war. The Argentines, too, had fought hard initially but then had crumbled
quickly, a pattern they repeated in later battles. In victory against great
odds, 2 Para showed leadership, aggressive fighting spirit, maintenance of
momentum, and proper use of terrain and weapons. The whole landing force
enjoyed a boost in morale
Probably most importantly, 2 Para's strong showing established "a psychological
ascendancy over the Argentines which our
(British) forces never lost
