Vehicle's of the Falklands War

[juddy]

I cant seem to find much information on what was taken down there, other than the 10 or so tracked ones, anybody have a list of equipment....

[Lord Burley]

Everything was taken down there. LtWts,109s, 101,s Ive seen quite a few pics of LandRovers on the Island during the confict. There is even a pic of a 101 in Stanley when UK forces took the argy surrender. A few Land Rovers went down with the Atlantic Conveyor along with all the Chinooks Sea Kings and stores.

[snowtracdave]

I understand that six of the remaining RMC snow tracs were used there and I have been told that approximately sixty others went down with the Atlantic Conveyor .

[antarmike]

http://hmvf.co.uk/forumvb/showthread.php?10336-Eager-Beaver-record-Cards/page10

see post #96.

Quote Colonel I.J. Hellberg "Prior to embarkation , the force was discouraged from taking ANY vehicles, as there were no roads on the Falkland Islands. It was The only exeption was the Volvo BV202 over snow vehicle that was reckoned to be able to cope with the F.I.'s soft peat.

 

Only after the strongest representaions , by CLR's Commander (Hellberg himself) were the Regiment actually allowed to take 10 4,000 litre fuel podded 4 ton vehicles. and nine Eager Beavers and 9 Can-Ams.

 

The podded vehicles were 6 Civgas, 3 Dieso, and 1 AVCAT.

 

In the event one Civgas Podded 4 Tonner , One Eager Beaver, and one Can-Am were left in Ascension." unquote.

 

Going on this only wheeled vehicles in the Falklands were with the Commando Logistics Regiment and they were 9 Bedfords, 8 Eager Beavers, and 8 Can-Ams.

 

In the build up after the surrender more wheeled vehicles would have gone down. Prior to the surrender the only wheeled vehicles appear to me to have been these and tractors "borrowed" from the locals. The podded fuel Bowsers probably never left the landing beaches, nor moved inland. They were only used as mobile tanks to carry fuel across on MEXEFLOTES, and then used to fill Jerry Cans.

Edited July 28, 2010 by antarmike

[Lord Burley]

Funny that. As i have actually seen pics of 101,s and LtWts pictured on the Island during the conflict. There is actually film footage of Bedfords and 109,s being brought ashore at San Carlos bay.

[antarmike]

Funny that. As i have actually seen pics of 101,s and LtWts pictured on the Island during the conflict. There is actually film footage of Bedfords and 109,s being brought ashore at San Carlos bay.

I don't know. I wasn't there. A lot of pictures attributed to the conflict are actually after the event.

 

I am only quoting from Colonel I.J. Hellberg's book. He was in charge of CLR before, during and after the actual conflict. I might be mis-interpreting what he says. but the quote I gave is more or less word for word as he said it.

 

And if vehicles were present and available, why is so much made of the famous 75 mile yomp across the Islands on foot?

 

Btriatins small Wras says this of the march into Stanley, Quote "When A Company, of 2 Para, approached the Stanley Racecourse, off came their helmets and on went their berets. The armoured vehicles of the Blues and Royals moved off Wireless Ridge and ferried Paras along the road. " Unquote. That sounds like tracked armour was all that was around to me.

Edited July 30, 2010 by antarmike

[AlienFTM]

I understand that six of the remaining RMC snow tracs were used there and I have been told that approximately sixty others went down with the Atlantic Conveyor .

If everything that had "gone down with the Atlantic Conveyor" had gone down with the Atlantic Conveyor, she'd have gone down in Southampton Water.

 

SOP. As I joined 15/19H in Omagh in 1976, a Ferret got blown 30 feet in the air by a culvert bomb (both survived but sadly one guy later took a medical discharge). Apparently this Ferret was carrying so many sleeping bags and expensive G1098 kit that people were amazed it got off the ground. And all that expensive kit had to be written off ...

[ruxy]

Funny that. As i have actually seen pics of 101,s and LtWts pictured on the Island during the conflict. There is actually film footage of Bedfords and 109,s being brought ashore at San Carlos bay.

 

 

 

 

About 50 sec. in - is that a Bedford ready to go ?

[antarmike]

 

About 50 sec. in - is that a Bedford ready to go ?

It looks like it is, Maybe time to have a word with Colonel Hellberg and see why he wrote what he wrote? I didn't write his book and I wasn't there, so "don't tell I, Tell He..."

Edited July 28, 2010 by antarmike

[ruxy]

Well - if you recall the Falklands Conflict and the news blackout with 24 hour delay , like WW2 most of the newsreel would possibly be a re-enactment. I once spent a bit of time looking at these newsreels looking for Land Rovers to try and decipher any VRM's. The winner writes the history in any case - so who knows , I doubt if the camera team went in with what may have been an oppsed beach landing ?

[Lord Burley]

My cousin was on Fearless at the time. And they did unload LR,s with the bulk of the Marine force. If you go back over any of the documentarys of the conflict you can see plenty of LR,s in them. Including the 101 pictured in Stanley as the Marines and Para,s march in. There is even a 101 on a hillside in the falklands that was dropped in order for one of the few Chinooks to gain height over the otherside.

[alan turner (RIP)]

wasn't there only the one Chinook at falklands the others having gone down with the overloaded atlantic conveyor and spare harriers. Claimed record sinlge lift of 80+standing room only.

[juddy]

if you do a web search, nothing comes up showing stuff there during the war, the Raipers however must have been pulled by something...

[timbo]

2 Scorpions, 2 Scimitars, 1 Samson

 

Plus a number of other CVRTs reportedly went down with Atlantic Conveyor - must have been a big ship that one !!

 

If I remember rightly one of the Scorps was disabled by anti personnel mines, no crew injuries..

 

Cheers

[timbo]

2 Scorpions, 2 Scimitars, 1 Samson

 

Plus a number of other CVRTs reportedly went down with Atlantic Conveyor - must have been a big ship that one !!

 

If I remember rightly one of the Scorps was disabled by anti personnel mines, no crew injuries..

 

Cheers

 

 

Apologies just checked some other threads and they're quoting 4 Scorps, 4 Scimitars and 1 sammy, but of course they may be no more correct than me...!

[steveo578]

Timbo

Plus a number of other CVRTs reportedly went down with Atlantic Conveyor - must have been a big ship that one !!

 

About 15,000 tons so probably well able to take a few CVRTs

[Desert Rat]

The sole surviving Chinook remained so until 4 more arrived as late as June 10th.

A lot of the 105 guns were bunny hopped across the island by helicopter (fight, gain, lift, fight, gain, lift)

 

As various parts of the island were liberated, a couple of civillian Land Rovers and 3 tractors and trailers became available for use.

I have several shots at San Carlos with a BARV on the shoreline, also a pic of a BV202.

[snowtracdave]

If everything that had "gone down with the Atlantic Conveyor" had gone down with the Atlantic Conveyor, she'd have gone down in Southampton Water.

 

 

To quote antarmike I wasn't there so I don't know .

 

 

What I do know is that an acquaintance of good repute and with strong current military ties and access to information passed this on to me along with the related info that the actual manifest of the Conveyor had not , at that time , been made public so there was no definitive answer as to what was on board .

[ruxy]

On the run -in to the beach it was decided to mount a Scorpion and Scimitar side by side in the bows of the landing craft ready to blast at any enemy on the beach when the bow ramp was lowered, thus giving the LCU formidable fire power. The Scorpion mounts a 76mm L23 gun, and the Scimitar has a 30mm Rarden cannon. One of HMS Fearless's LCUs was lost during the Falklands War. Foxtrot Four, skippered by Colour Sergeant Brian Johnston and his crew of three Royal Marines and two naval rating were killed on 8th of June when Foxtrot Four was bombed and sunk by Argentine aircraft in Choiseul Sound. Johnstone was awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal for his bravery in rescuing survivors from HMS Antelope earlier in the campaign.

------------------------

Go to britains-small wars.com . Falklands . Stand-by to the Beach.

 

Unfortunately I am having difficulty posting the direct link I would think most of info. on the britains-small wars website will be correct.

[Lardrover]

killed on 8th of June when Foxtrot Four was bombed and sunk by Argentine aircraft in Choiseul Sound. Johnstone was awarded the Queens Gallantry Medal for his bravery in rescuing survivors from HMS Antelope earlier in the campaign.

 

 

Not sure but I think Pprune has a story involving this, Harriers on CAP witnessed it and engaged the Skyhawks. Story starts when one of the Harrier pilots got in touch with one of the surviving Skyhawk pilots, the LCU bit comes into the story later. i might be wrong with the exact details but it's worth mooching through Pprune for it with come choice keyword searches.

[Rover8FFR]

Still waiting for a reply from Deepcut but my winterised Lightweight FFR is ex 29 Cdo RA and I know that they were at the Falklands with 3 Cdo according to info I have read, researched.

 

Is it reasonable to assume that as the parent unit was there that they would have take their MT fleet with them, taking into account that the largest indent of MT's went down with the Conveyor I am hoping that not everything was sunk as some vehicles did get on the island:undecided:????

[schliesser92]

Still waiting for a reply from Deepcut but my winterised Lightweight FFR is ex 29 Cdo RA and I know that they were at the Falklands with 3 Cdo according to info I have read, researched.

 

Is it reasonable to assume that as the parent unit was there that they would have take their MT fleet with them, taking into account that the largest indent of MT's went down with the Conveyor I am hoping that not everything was sunk as some vehicles did get on the island:undecided:????

The two batteries of 29 Commando Light Regt RA were deployed in the Falklands. Initially not required (naval gunfire was used), they were heavily involved in the final battles near Port Stanley. I would imagine that they had their MT with them, or were choppered in as required. We had too few helicopters then, so moving the guns would have been by MT as the choppers had more urgent requirements.

 

After the Argies surrendered, I would assume that we made use of their MT. They had a fair bit of kit on the islands.

[antarmike]

Whilst this list from Britain's Small Wars states it is not a complete list, it is odd that no Bedfords, Land-Rovers etc are on it for British Kit in the Falklands.

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/b-weapons.htm

The list is certainly not complete as the Podded 4 Tonners, Eager Beavers, and the Can-Ams that most certainly went with CLR are not listed, but if there were significant numbers of Landies or Bedfords, I would have thought they would have been listed.

Edited July 30, 2010 by antarmike

[Rover8FFR]

Whilst this list from Britain's Small Wars states it is not a complete list, it is odd that no Bedfords, Land-Rovers etc are on it for British Kit in the Falklands.

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Falklands/b-weapons.htm

 

Hurry up Deepcut as it may be an eye opener????? Mmmm!

[David Ives]

unless my memory is going didnt the local islanders all supply their landrovers and tractors to get items moved around the falklands as there wasnt a lot of kit down there