BATTLE FOR GOOSE GREEN

[Gil Boyd]

Last night and today was the 38th Anniversary of the Battle for Goose Green in the Falklands War where 450 men of The Second Battalion The Parachute Regiment defeated an overwhelming dug in and fortified force of nearly 1500+ with close air support from RAF Harriers.
Precision mortar strikes took out key machine gun emplacements and shows that support company assets always win the day. 66mm rocket launchers carrried by the men and 84mm Carl Gustav anti tank guns took out well defended bunkers.

Here is a Youtube portrayal by an actor of the actual words of Sgt Barry Norman who was part of TAC HQ when Lt Colonel H Jones won his Victoria Cross on attacking "in depth" trenches.

Information

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[Gil Boyd]

This photo shows the use of 7.62 LMG mags on L1A1 rifles during the attack on Goose Green.
Dave Parr on the left holds the rifle, wounded and casevac'd out of the fight a week earlier asked to rejoin the Battalion, where on the attack on Goose Green lost his life with 16 others.

[browningautorifle]

I remember Gil. We were all holding our breath and wishing we were there with you guys... I remember the picture, seeing the L4 mag on the rifle. I had a couple I used as well. I remember the funeral service for the fallen after as well...

[Gil Boyd]

Very moving and lots of smoke in eyes I can tell you, lost some good friends there.........but as the saying goes "Paratroopers don't cry" which unfortunately isn't true, as I one night on a night parachute exercise landed on some barbed wire....................
I can now cover most high notes in a choir!!

[Ovidio]

Bad that is, Gil! Sorry for the jewels.
I fell into the new type barbed wire (the one with blades) in Norway, during the exercise Strong Resolve '95. There was a gap in the barbed wire, the rest of the fence was signalled by light green chemical lights. The only problem is that some were consumed, so, while going to the HQ-tent for a briefing, I just fell hands and feet into it and got tangled. The gap was the next black spot, I found out the day after...
Never had so many cuts all over the body as that time. Luckily nothing on the face. Uniform in tatters...
My Alpini had some tough time pulling me out, trying not to laugh too loud...

In any case, you got we wanting to take my Stg58 out tomorrow...

[Gil Boyd]

...................and to think men were trained to lay on barbed wire so others could run over them.
Sod that for a game of soldiers

[Ovidio]

I have some nice epithets for you my friend

[bombdoc]

I too lost a very good friend at Goose Green.. Captain David Wood and I were skydiving buddies and we met at an Army Parachute Association Committee meeting just before he headed south.. 2 Para were not originally slated to deploy, and he was cock a hoop that the lobbying had been successful!

Utrinque paratus Dave!

[Gil Boyd]

I remember he spent most of his time at Netheravon freefalling. He was an RAF Regiment Officer before transferring into 2 PARA.
I didn't know him personally, but did some historical stuff on his life and background at the Regimental archives at Duxford.
He was the same age as me, and one I will always remember. He died the same time as Captain Chris Dent another archive background I worked on.

One wish I had which was to have stayed in a bit longer, Northern Ireland took it out of many of us and we all sought various careers, and lots of the guys left to take up other "uniformed" jobs like Firemen or Policemen, I suppose that was only natural in the circumstances.

[browningautorifle]

and to think men were trained to lay on barbed wire so others could run over them

I took that training in basic. We still did that. Can't imagine under MG fire it being very useful though.