May 28–29, 1982 · East Falkland Theater
May 28–29, 1982
The 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment attacked the Argentine garrison at Darwin and Goose Green across open, featureless terrain in the dark of a South Atlantic winter night. The battle was fiercely contested over 14 hours; Argentine defenders — reinforced to roughly 1,200 men against 450 paratroopers — used artillery and well-prepared positions. Lieutenant Colonel Herbert 'H' Jones was killed charging a machine-gun position that had pinned down his men near Darwin; he was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross. His successor, Major Chris Keeble, accepted the garrison's surrender on May 29.
Commanders