Use of the L42 in the Falklands Conflict

[Gil Boyd]

On the American Mercenary crap, this is stated by a ranking Argentinian Officer in his own words which sums it up:

THERE WERE NO US MERCENARIES IN THE CONFLICT.

Is a myth. The english got confused because argentine officers and commandos spoke english with american accent.

English is taught in the Military College of the Nation (Officers Academy). The commandos in the Argentine Army were founding members of the School of the Americans, teaching to latinamerican armies to fight the communist guerrillas.

Major Aldo Rico is known for insult the british in english when they fought against him, and most probably the origin of the myth.

[fastback]

I don't know if the stories of the sniper who threw his rifle to use an assault rifle were true, or if any sniper fell in combat. But I can say that I saw that an Argentine veteran has a very deteriorated L42 No32 sight that was brought back when he returned in a C 130 prior to the surrender. I hope I can contact him again to tell me the story

[Nigel]

There was an L42A1 in use at Top Malo House by the fire support group of MAWC. He made the comment that the 7.62 rounds were knocking people over whilst the 5.56 were going straight through!

[55recce]

This seems a little unlikely. 2 Argentinians were killed and 4 wounded in this battle. It seems that M72s and M79s did most of the damage so the suggestion that 7.62 rounds were knocking people over and 5.56 were going straight through does not match contemporary accounts

Some research is always better than speculation which just tend to lead to unfounded rumours such as the ditched L42 and the American snipers which have both been repeatedly dismissed as untrue..

Skirmish at Top Malo House - Wikipedia

https://medium.com/war-is-boring/roy...s-29b6219ec867

[Nigel]

So the guy who had the L42 and told me the story was telling porkies! He was dating the daughter of my godfather. He was wounded in the action. His first shot was at a window pane so that he could check his zero. One of the Argentine casualties was shot 9 times with an M16 before he went down. A link in the sources from the Wikipedia article you mention mentions him:
Britain's Small Wars - When Boswell judged they were close enough to the house and in full view of their support fire group, he gave the order 'fix bayonets'. Boswell fired a green mini-flare, the signal for the fire group to fire six 66 mm light anti-armour rockets at the house. As the first rocket was fired, an Argentine sentry moved to the window on the upper floor. A Corporal, armed with a sniper rifle, shot him. As the 66 mm rockets slammed into the house it burst into flames; Boswell and the assault group charged forward, halted, fired two 66s into the house and charged again. The enemy ran from the house into a small streambed about 50 meters away, firing as they ran. One Marine Sergeant fell, hit through the shoulder, and then a Corporal fell hit through the chest. The ammunition stacked in the house exploded as the assault group ran forward and the smoke from the burning building shielded them from the enemy lying in the stream firing at them. The firefight went on for a few minutes as the assault group worked their way towards the enemy. The officer commanding the Argentine force tried to run off and was killed by two 40mm rounds fired from M79 grenade launchers. The Argentines stood up and threw away their weapons. It was over.
Obviously we are all wrong - thanks for casting doubt on my and their accounts.

[Gil Boyd]

Nige,
Sadly Stevie Groves was a close friend of mine, he was in fact that soldier, RIP as he died last year after a long battle of his own in South Africa.
He was shot through the shoulder but "always" a very good sniper. He was hit by a random burst as the Argentinians clambered out of Top Malo.
For our book FALKLANDS WAR: SNIPERS DOWN SOUTH being released on Goose Green day 28th May this year, I interviewed or contacted nearly all those soldiers who were issued L42's in the conflict. Not one man said he lost his rifle, nor did they chuck them away as mentioned by Martin Pegler in one of his books.
The consequences would have been unspeakable when you got back home or back together as a Battalion throwing away "your" issue weapon, when "you" as the few trained men, could have been called to use it later!! so in short not true I'm afraid.
If indeed an Argentinian soldier reckons he took one home with him, knowing they had a variety of sniper rifles anyway, let him prove it.
Strange, but if I was he, I would take great pleasure in displaying it and waving it in the face of the enemy following the war, don't you think??!!!
and...............did Argentina have any L42's of their own bearing in mind the UK Government supplied them with lots of kit long before the war started thinking they were a friendly lot!!

Fastback, One for you, a photo would be nice and also the serial number of this alledged "British" throwaway so I can check with the Regiment to authenticate this myth!

[Lee Enfield]

I don't know if the stories of the sniper who threw his rifle to use an assault rifle were true, or if any sniper fell in combat. But I can say that I saw that an Argentine veteran has a very deteriorated L42 No32 sight that was brought back when he returned in a C 130 prior to the surrender. I hope I can contact him again to tell me the story

The published story of the invasion indicates that an L42 was used to delay an Argy ship.

I have also seen photos that seem to indicate that the British had at least 1 L42 on the island prior to the Invasion, and that it was surrendered to/captured by the Argies.

Usually i believe that there are more than 1 sniper (and related equipment) in a unit?

[Gil Boyd]

I cover that fully in my book as it was a corvette GUERRICO in Grytviken harbour in South Georgia and the L42 rifleman was trained sniper WO2 Peter Leach. This segment best describes the action:

WO2 Leach was in fact, capable of putting a hole in the center of a man’s forehead at 1,000m using the L42A1 who came top of his course.

Leach was armed that day with the right weapon for that job: the L42A1 rifle. A conversion of the Lee–Enfield No. 4, Mk. 1(T), the L42A1 was chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge and mounted with the 3.5-power No. 32 scope. Lying on the table on the second floor, the Sergeant Major placed the post of his reticle on the approaching ship’s bridge. By then, Guerrico was once again facing the channel and closing on King Edward Point. A moment later, as the other Royal Marines began hammering away at the ship for a second time, Sergeant Major Leach began firing carefully aimed shots at the vessel. He directed his opening rounds at the five windows across the front of the bridge. At this point, only Captain Alfonso, the helmsman, and the quartermaster were manning that station as glass began to shatter. The three men were forced to crouch down behind ship’s structures to avoid being struck by the rapid succession of accurate shots coming from Leach’s sniper rifle.

There was a lull in the Royal Marine gunfire as Guerrico moved behind the cover of the buildings of the British Antarctic Survey station, but it did not last long. Sergeant Major Leach, who no longer had a shot, seized that opportunity to move to another position. He broke out another window, and then resumed firing – this time at the three windows on the port side of the ship’s bridge. The sound of shattering glass could be heard once again as Leach dumped more well aimed sniper fire in on the quartermaster, the helmsman, and Captain Alfonso. Then Guerrico came out from behind the British Antarctic Survey station buildings and the rest of the Royal Marines opened-up once again.

They raked the ship from stem to stern with another barrage of automatic weapons fire, and Dave Combes launched a second 84mm round from the Carl Gustav. That round slammed into Guerrico’s Exocet anti-ship missile launcher knocking it out of commission. During the last few moments, as the ship retreated out of small arms range, Sergeant Major Leach moved to a third window on the second floor of Shackleton House, and threw a few parting shots at Guerrico as it limped past King Edward Point. The ship had survived running the gauntlet, but by then it was listing to starboard, and it looked like a colander. When Guerrico approached King Edward Cove, it was a well-armed and dangerous warship. Not even fifteen minutes later, the ship was little more than a floating wreck in desperate need of repairs.

[fastback]

I will ask him for more information and detailed pictures...

[waco16]

If nothing else - that scope is back to front in its bracket!