Tango01 | 30 Mar 2014 10:40 p.m. PST |
Revealed: In The Falklands War, Crack Troops Go On A Suicidal Mission To Storm Galtieri's Exocet Missile Base. This Is Their Story – Told For The First Time. "* SAS troop were ordered to attack an Argentina missile base * Operation Plum Duff's mission was to enter an air base called Rio Grande * A troop of eight struggled for over a week on the Argentine plains * Given inadequate equipment, little information and useless maps It was dark, freezing cold and 0800 GMT. Or, more significantly, ‘five o'clock, local, in the bloody morning'. Behind their captain, the SAS troopers were dragging their equipment on to the sodden Patagonian grass. The penultimate leg of 6 Troop's long approach to battle had ended. From here it was up to them. As the Sea King helicopter's distinctive clatter faded towards the west-north-west, troop commander Captain Andrew Lawrence allowed himself a few moments to reflect. There was a sinking feeling in his stomach. The task was to reach Rio Grande, a closely defended air base some 70 miles away. Once there, they were to attack a detachment of Argentina's Super Etendarde fighter planes and their deadly load of Exocet missiles
" Full article here. link Interesting for wargaming with more forces and landing in the right place. Amicalement Armand |
20thmaine | 31 Mar 2014 2:06 a.m. PST |
"Operation Plum Duff" just sounds like it will go wrong
.. |
Mako11 | 31 Mar 2014 2:40 a.m. PST |
Thanks for sharing the article Armand. I heard about this decades ago, but some of the new info is very interesting, especially the bit about running into mates in Chile. Yes, it would definitely make for an interesting, and I suspect very challenging scenario, since patrols, mines, and guard dogs were anticipated around the base. At the time, it was labeled a suicide mission by the troops assigned to it, and I suspect that is not far from the truth. |
Mako11 | 31 Mar 2014 2:45 a.m. PST |
I guess Plum Duff sounds a little better, for a title, than the catchier, Plum Dumb
. |
David Manley | 31 Mar 2014 2:54 a.m. PST |
Should have called it "Eagle Claw" :) |
GeoffQRF | 31 Mar 2014 5:10 a.m. PST |
Plum Duff was the reconnaissance element of Mikado (cancelled): link The aim of the operation was to destroy the three remaining Exocet missiles which Argentina still had in their possession and the aircraft that carried them, and to kill the pilots in their quarters. To achieve this, Brigadier Peter de la Billière proposed an operation similar to Operation Entebbe, which consisted of landing approximately 55 SAS in two Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft directly on the runway at Rio Grande. According to the plan, the C-130 would be kept on the tarmac with the engines running while the 55 men of B Squadron SAS performed their mission. If the C-130 survived then they would head for the Chilean air base at Punta Arenas. If not, the surviving members of the SAS Squadron and aircrew would travel to the Chilean border, about 50 miles away. The lack of on-site intelligence (failure of Plum Duff) meant that the British forces did not have a clear idea of how Rio Grande was defended, nor any guarantees that the Super Etendards or the Exocets would even be there when the operation took place. The British forces also had no information on how the base was organized, and did not know where the Exocets were stored or even where the pilot's mess was. After the war, Argentine marine commanders admitted that they were expecting some kind of landing by SAS forces, but never expected a Hercules to land directly on their runways
link Meanwhile B squadron had been finalising the plans for the attack on the Argentine airbase, the plan was to load all of B squadron into 2 C130 Hercules I transport planes and crash in on the runway storm out and destroy all the aircraft. They would then disable the exocet missiles (which posed a major threat to the Naval fleet), move into the officers mess and kill all the pilots there, abandon the C130's and escape and evade 50 miles to the Chilean border. It would be the biggest and most daring raid the SAS had done since World War 2 (WW2), but it would be a suicide mission. B squadron gathered at the Ascension Isles and loaded into the 2 C130's totally kitted out, each man carried with him explosives, and either an M16 fitted with the M203 grenade launcher or a Minimi light machine gun. There was a lot of tension in the air when the ‘head shed' as the troopers refereed to the commanding officer (CO) appeared saying unload boys the mission's been scrubbed; It was finally realised that B squadron would have been killed in the raid and it was considered to big of a sacrifice. |
GeoffQRF | 31 Mar 2014 5:19 a.m. PST |
Yep, Plum Duff was a recon [corrected by Nick, below, Recce, not Recon] component of Mikado. When Plum Duff failed, effectively leaving them (a) with no recon and (b) giving up the element of surprise after they failed to sink the helo and burnt it on the beach instead, it increaed the risk and reduced the [potential] effectiveness of Mikado, so Mikado was scrapped. The reasons for scrapping it seem to vary. Some sources states the SAS were not happy to go (as it was a suicide mission), other state that they were keen and up for it but Maggie cancelled it (as it was a suicide mission). |
Fred Cartwright | 31 Mar 2014 5:39 a.m. PST |
Operation Plum Duff sounds like something from Blackadder! Although IIRC the mystery of Baldrick's Plum Duff was how he got so much "custard" from such a small cat! :-) |
nickinsomerset | 31 Mar 2014 5:46 a.m. PST |
Of course Plum Duff was actually the Recce element as we do not do recon in the British Army, sent from an overcrowded balcony, Tally Ho! |
GeoffQRF | 31 Mar 2014 6:09 a.m. PST |
I knew that as I was writing it Nick
and you are quite correct |
Mako11 | 31 Mar 2014 8:07 a.m. PST |
Ah, more British irony, Recce vs. Wrecke! Gotta love British humor. Never heard of the C-130 portion of the plan, so thanks for sharing that. I'm really surprised one of the carriers, or a smaller cargo vessel carrying Harriers wasn't sent close to the coast under the cover of darkness, and/or bad weather, in order to raid the airbase. Seems like that might have had a much better chance of working, getting away with it, and doing some major damage to the hangars and aircraft there. |
David Manley | 31 Mar 2014 10:51 a.m. PST |
Now we'd just do it with TLAM. |
MarescialloDiCampo | 31 Mar 2014 12:25 p.m. PST |
thanks for sharing indeed |
Ironwolf | 31 Mar 2014 7:01 p.m. PST |
Recce, Recon
Either way it seems the SAS team was considered lost. So no one provided assistance to them? I'm sorry but if another team was suppose to be in position to assist our team in getting out and no one was there. Then by accident happen to run across them out eating and found out they never even attempted to meet up with you. I'd be in a military prison
. |
Tango01 | 31 Mar 2014 8:49 p.m. PST |
Glad you enjoyed the idea boys!. No much people knows that we suffered casualties for that excursion. A patrol of infantry lost one men (mine) and another was wounded at night from other patrol. They were searching the SAS. The wounded soldier was on the newspaper at that time asking for recognition for be a Veterans of Malvinas (for the benefit of the pay cheq each month and medal) but it was refused because only who were in the Islands deserves that (the law said that). More than 500 men were searching the SAS in the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego after they detected the helicopters. Amicalement Armand |
Mako11 | 31 Mar 2014 11:21 p.m. PST |
Interesting Armand. Thanks for sharing info from the other side as well. I heard the British presumed they were compromised, but never heard that there was an active search for them, with so many personnel. |
Ironwolf | 01 Apr 2014 6:07 a.m. PST |
Mako11, the only details I had ever read was the SAS planned a raid on the airfield. But it was called off after the helicopter carrying the recce team was picked up on radar. Never knew all the details until now. Let alone Armand's perspective from his side of the conflict. After reading this last night I went to youtube and found plenty of videos. |
Tango01 | 01 Apr 2014 10:24 a.m. PST |
No mention my good friend. The husband of the nephew of my wife was there. He told me his experiencies. There were also many little combats against the chilean troops (not love between us!). They sufferend 22 casualties and we 18. I know that because when I return from the Islands, my next post was in the Joint Chiefs as ADC of General Barbieri. As I was a lawyer at that time, he point me to the Archive/Personal/Top Secret Documents were I can read a LOT of good info from the military. The helios were detected from the first moment (also, some "spy" in the Chilenean border inform us about that action in advance). So, we were waiting them. As they land in the Chilenean side, they save their lifes. Ah!. I remember that the order was perentory: "Don't shoot to them if it would be not neccesary. We need them as prisioners to show them to the press". The Colonel of the unit responded: " Do you think that the SAS are going to surrender without a fight?. We are going to lost many conscripts there. I ask for support from the Air Force. The request was denied. Thanks of god, that business ended well from both sides. Amicalement Armand |
Legion 4 | 02 Apr 2014 6:37 a.m. PST |
Very interesting
happens in war
|
Edwulf | 02 Apr 2014 6:17 p.m. PST |
Not much of disaster. No one died
a happy failure. |
Legion 4 | 03 Apr 2014 7:09 a.m. PST |
That is always a plus
the only casuality here, may be pride
|