British ground forces in the Falklands War

This is a list of British ground forces in the Falklands War. For a list of ground forces from Argentina, see Argentine ground forces in the Falklands War

Land Forces

The land forces employed by the United Kingdom during the Falklands War amounted to a divisional sized formation, named as Land Forces Falkland Islands, consisting of two brigades:

• Korps Mariniers. However, the situation required reinforcement by British units, with the result that 2nd & 3rd Battalions of the Parachute Regiment
  were reassigned from 5 Infantry Brigade.
• No. 63 Squadron RAF Regiment, (based at RAF Gütersloh, Germany, initially to provide additional Short Range Air Defence (SHORAD) of land forces landing at San Carlos Water.^{[citation needed}
  ]

• Commander, Land Forces, Falkland Islands (CLFFI):
  Major-General JJ Moore, Royal Marines
• Deputy commander:
  CJ Waters
• Commander, Royal Artillery: Colonel BT Pennicott

3 Commando Brigade

Commander: Brigadier JHA Thompson

• Lt Col
  MJ Holroyd Smith)
  • 7th (Sphinx) Battery Royal Artillery /
    105 mm L118 Light Guns x 6 Land Rover 101 Forward Control x 6　Land Rover series IIA
    x 6
  • 8th (Alma) Battery Royal Artillery /
    105 mm L118 Light Guns x 6 Land Rover 101 Forward Control x 6　Land Rover series IIA
    x 6
  • 79th (Kirkee) Battery Royal Artillery /
    105 mm L118 Light Guns x 6 Land Rover 101 Forward Control x 6　Land Rover series IIA
    x 6
  • 148th (Meiktila) Battery (Primary role is as a Naval Gunfire Support Forward Observation (NGSFO) battery.)
• 40 Commando, Royal Marines (Lt Col MPJ Hunt) — Blue Beach 1 - Sapper Hill. (†1)
• 42 Commando, Royal Marines (Lt Col NF Vaux) — Mount Kent - Mount Harriet. (†2)
• Douglas Settlement - Two Sisters
  . (†12)
• 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (Lt Col H Jones VC)^{^1} — Blue Beach 2 - Goose Green & Darwin - Wireless Ridge. (†18)
  • 29th Field Battery RA
  • 43 (Lloyds) Air Defence Battery
    • 1st troop /
      Blowpipe x 6、Leyland 4-tonne truck
      x 6
    • 2nd troop /
      Blowpipe x 6、Leyland 4-tonne truck
      x 6
    • 3rd troop /
      Blowpipe x 6、Leyland 4-tonne truck
      x 6
  • 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers (†4)
  • 10th Field Troop, / Land Rover 101FC Ambulance x 16
  • 81st Department Ordnance Company
  • 613th Tactical Air Control Party

• 3rd Battalion, Parachute Regiment (Lt Col HWR Pike) — Green Beach - Teal Inlet - Mount Longdon. (†21)
  • 1st Ordnance Coy Detachment / Land Rover 109 S111 Ambulance x 1　
• Bedford MK UBRE (Unit Bulk Refuelling Equipment) x9 comprising (Civgas x5, Dieso x3, AVCAT x1), ROF Nottingham Eager Beaver Air Portable Fork Lift Truck (APFLT) x8, Can-Am motorcycles
  x8.
• 3 Commando Brigade HQ and Signals Squadron (
  Maj
  R Dixon) (†1)
• 3 Commando Brigade Aviation Squadron (Major CP Cameron) / 9 x Gazelle AH.1 helicopters (†3)　6 x Scout helicopters (†1)
• Reconnaissance Troops (Lt M Coreth)
• B Squadron, Blues and Royals / FV101 Scorpion x 4、FV107 Scimitar x 4、FV106 Samson x 1
• Rapier Missile FS.A Launcher x 12、Land Rover 101 Forward Control
  x 12
• Air Defence Troop /
  Blowpipe Missile launchers x 12　Leyland 4-tonne truck x 12　Land Rover 109 series III
  x 12　
• 1st Raiding Squadron, Royal Marines (Capt Chris Baxter) / Rigid Raiding Craft x 17
• Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre
  , Royal Marines (Capt Rod Boswell)
• SBS (Maj Jonathan Thomson) 67 men　(†1)
  • 2nd, 3rd and 6th Sections
• HM Rose
  ) 107 men (†19)
  • D and G Squadrons
• 1 Tactical Air Control Party
• 2 Tactical Air Control Party
• 3 Tactical Air Control Party
• maintenance group
• Rear link detachment, 30 Signal Regiment (†3)
• Elements of 17 Port Regiment Royal Corps of Transport.
  • 3 x Mexeflote 　detachments.
  • 5 x Landing ship 　logistics detachments.
  • 2 x FV 4018 Centurion BARV　
• 3 x Surgical support teams
• Postal courier communications unit detachment of 2 PC Regiment RE, 20 PC Sqn RE (tasked 3 CDO Bde support) & 21 PC Sqn RE (tasked 5 Airborne Bde support)
• Detachment 47 Air Despatch Squadron RCT.
• 59 Independent Commando Squadron Royal Engineers (Maj Roderick Macdonald). (†3)
  • 2 Troop 9 Parachute Squadron Royal Engineers (Capt Robbie Burns)
• Detachment 49 EOD Squadron, 33 Engineer Regiment Royal Engineers (†1)
  • 2 man bomb disposal team
• Y Troop Royal Marines (electronic warfare)
• Commando Forces Band (stretcher-bearers)

^1 - Replaced by Lt Col David Chaundler

5 Infantry Brigade

Commander:

• Headquarters 5 Infantry Brigade
• 5 Infantry Brigade HQ and Signals Squadron (205)
  Royal Signals
  (Major Mike Forge)
• 2nd Battalion,
  Lt Col MIE Scott) — Mount Tumbledown
  . (†8)
• 1st Battalion, Welsh Guards (Lt Col JF Rickett) — Sapper Hill. (†33)
• 1st Battalion,
  7th Duke of Edinburgh's Own Gurkha Rifles (Lt Col DPdeC Morgan) — Mount William
  . (†1)
• 97 (Lawson's Company) Battery Royal Artillery (of 4 Field Regiment RA, see below)
  • 6 x
    105 mm L118 Light Guns
  • 6 x Land Rover 101 Forward Control
  • 6 x Land Rover 109
• 4 Field Regiment, RA (HQ, 29th and 97th Batteries)
• 36 Engineer Regiment RE (Lt Col G Field OBE (CRE))
• 9 Parachute Squadron RE (Maj CM Davis)
• 11 Field Squadron RE (Maj Bruce Hawken) arrived San Carlos 25 May under command 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines. They switched to under command CO 36 Engineer Regiment (as Divisional troops) when they landed around 2 June
• 61 Field Support Squadron RE (Maj Taffy Morgan)
• 1 x Field Troop, 20 Field Squadron RE (att 9 Para Sqn RE) (Capt D Foxley)
• STRE
• Postal section
• 656 Squadron Army Air Corps (†2
  )　Gazelle helicopter × 6　Scout Helicopter × 6
• 10 Field Workshop Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (†3) / Land Rover 101FC Ambulance (†3) × 16　Land Rover 88 series III × 16
• 81 Ordnance Company Royal Army Ordnance Corps
• Forward Air Control
  Party
  • 2 x FAC
• Army Catering Corps (†4)
• 407 Troop, Royal Corps of Transport, (2Lt Ash)
• 63 Squadron RAF Regiment
  • 8 x
    Blindfire radar, FSA
    , DN181.
  • 8 x Land Rover 101 Forward Control
  • 8 x Land Rover 109
  • 8 x Bandvagn 202
  • 518 Company, Royal Pioneer Corps 　

Infantry weapons

• L9A1 Browning^[1][2]
• L1A1 SLR (main infantry weapon)
• L42A1 (Sniper rifle)^[2]
• L2-A2
  (Hand grenade)
• M79
  (infantry grenade launcher)
• L4A3 Bren
• L7A2 GPMG
• L14A1 Carl Gustav Recoilless Rifle
• Rocket 66mm HEAT L1A1
• ATGM
  (used against Argentine bunkers)
• L9A1 51 mm Mortar
• L16A1 81 mm Mortar
• Blowpipe
  MANPADS
  (infantry use)
• MANPADS
  (special forces use)
• M16A1 & M203 (special forces weapon)
• CAR-15 (special forces weapon)
• L2A3 Sterling (support services weapon i.e. for tank crewmen, engineers and artillerymen, some troops within RN Commando Regiment)^[2]

See also

• British air services in the Falklands War
• British naval forces in the Falklands War

References

Sources

• The Battle For The Falklands, Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins, 1983, Michael Joseph Ltd.,
  ISBN 0-330-35284-9
• The Official History of the Falklands Campaign,
  ISBN 0-7146-5207-5

• 3 Commando Bde RM - 5 Infantry Bde
• Website showing all weapons, tanks and artillery used by the British