Day Three, March 29th 2018 : 1040 ZULU<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Location: Goose Green :<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lt Col Steven Bridgeford was looking down Darwin Road for any signs of , he is using a thermal imaging camera, the contrast between the infrared image of the ground below and the green from his COP at the top of Mt Usborne. His trying to spot the Argentina paratroopers heading his way. The COP is situated in a strategically important choke point. Nearly 600m above sea level, along a plateau beneath Mt Usborne, he has a grand view of the entire southern island. Ordinarily the view was something you would see on national geographic, but clouds of blacken smoke fill the air and as he looks out onto the coastline he can see aircraft flying overhead the dropping of flares the only light in this moonless night. He remembered the first time he looked out at the southern basin, snapping a picture with his DSLR camera for his personal collection. He looks back at that same view now and watches the night, the distance flash of artillery striking the ground is like a delayed camera flash. Brief and bright, the light from the impacts remind him of the flash from his camera, a second later the sound wave hits him reminding him that there is nothing congenial about it. His fellow soldiers are dying out there, in the middle of a major military battle. He starts counting the impacts, trying to figure out how many artillery pieces the Argentinians have on the coastline and the ranges. The last thing he wants is to be inside of there guns range. His COP is covered in camo netting and is well hidden among the rocky outcroppings blasted out of the mountains in the late 1880s. But they offer very little protection from artillery, or aircraft the Argentinians have a much different Air Force now, and his men will stick out against the cold mountains. He knows once they zeroed in on him there isn’t much he will be able to do, his orders are to defend the choke point and prevent the paratrooper from regrouping with the forces outside of Port Stanley. The Lt Col is about to take part in what would be later called the “Second Battle of Goose Green”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The COP casts it’s a digital eye over most of the Darwin road. The only road that connects southern towns to the north. Dotted along the road are fire positions his men have dug. Roughly 20 position dot both sides of the road leading back to the COP. His thermal camera lets him zoom in enough to see which of his lads is sleeping. He radio’s his staff Sergeant, to wake up PO12 two of the men were laying motionless, likely asleep. The click of the radio confirms the order and he watches his Sargent get up and scurry along the road 50 meters down into the foxholes. The men snap up and grab there rifles as the Sargent motions his hands obviously yelled at them, the Lt Col relaxes for a minute. At least the morale was good. Bridgeford is part of a 240 man element of Royal Marines guarding the choke point, he was sent to Goose Green a week before, to setup position along the road and to mine it to prevent the movement of forces from the south, this was the last set of orders he received from HQ, part of troop movements the UK order as information was coming about a possible invasion. The Argentinians paratroopers objective was to seize the hill and capture the airfield, Darwin road was the only route for armor vehicles landing in the southern island to connect with forces laying siege to Port Stanley. During the last battle the roles were reversed and it was the Argentina’s that were defending these same positions from UK commandos attached to the 3 Para attacked on May 28th 1982. It’s importance hasn’t changed, as the Lt Col is reminded of that as he looks down at the memorial where 16 British soldiers were the laid to rest seizing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead in the last 24 hours have greatly increased his stress level, before his biggest threat was the men fighting boredom, but he knows that at anytime the paratroopers could enter the area, and they would be in a real fight. Out gunned, less than 2 hours before his men fired a one of the only SAM’s they had at a Argentina fighter which flew too low, likely doing a recon flight over the area. The missile missed and the fighter escaped, but they likely alerted the Argentinians of their position. He knew that the attack would be coming very soon. His worried now is that his position has been compromised, his intelligence officer had told him that the radio chatter for the last two days has indicated that roughly 500 to 1000 paratroopers were moving toward this position. Then his radio got jammed cutting him off from the main Army HQ compound feeding him intelligence from in the north of the island. Without signals intel or communications the Royal Marines have decided to hunker down and wait for the Argentinians to approach the roadway. The will ambush the paratroopers and then withdraw. The previous night during the initially attack he was order to lay mines along the road and to close it to traffic. There are roughly 300 mines blocking the road, these are a mix of Anti-tank and anti-personnel. The UK commander figures it will take the paras a few hours to clear the minefield. While they are inside the minefield his forces will attack with mortars and heavy machine guns from their position on top of the mountain. Hopefully they can further delay the Argentinian forces long enough for a armored reaction force from the north to arrive. The force is a few hours away, and left in the morning to reinforce his position after reports of the landing of forces on the southern island. The armored column includes a heavy artillery piece and two tanks, some of the only remaining UK armor on the island. It’s his only hope without the armor reinforcements his men are outnumbered and outgunned, his orders say he should retreat to new position if can no long hold Goose Green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are paras a exposed right now roughly six miles from the choke point, they are a mixed force of light infantry, lightly armed with FN rifles and SAWs, and without heavy weapons. In the night the paratroopers had been resupplied by helicopter, four CH-47 dropped 4×4 vehicles and anti-tank missiles. This greatly increase the amount of land the paratroopers could cover. The UK has lost both drones it had providing real-time intelligence, in the southern basin last night when they were shot down along the coastline. His well aware of the size of the forces moving towards him. The UK Marines The road was wide enough to drive a tank through and the only road which could support the weight. The Darwin road was a critical link, it ran the narrow strip of land which divides the southern and northern half of the main island.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first detection of Argentina forces, is noticed by the alert software used to watch the road. The camera is connected to a small computer setup to detect motion. The camera servo wines as it turns and focuses its lens at a small car driving up the road. It’s a small hatchback, at first the Lt Col thinks it a civilian vehicle, locals trying to escape from conflict further south. But as his camera zooms in he can actually see the men inside four armed soldiers, the cold metal from there rifles against there warm bodies gives them away. He orders his men in snap count, the rehearsal chain of action that will get them all ready for combat. They been planning this for a week since they arrived and it’s now go time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n