Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry
B Coy had almost made it silently to the forward edge of the enemy positions when a Section Commanders (Sect Comd) stood on an AP mine. This explosion and the accompanying eerie scream were the start of what was to be a very hard night of close quarter battle, followed by two days of occupation on Longdon under heavy enemy artillery and mortar fire.
Following that first mine explosion, the enemy opened fire at us in the open ground where we took cover and returned fire. The sky turned red with tracer and chaos ensued. I managed to locate 5 Pl Comd and then 4 Pl Comd, showing them a centre axis to aim for amongst the rocks through the skyline that was now familiar to me having sketched it previously.
The men had their initial orders to capture this mountain which was now their focus. With enemy fire pouring down on us, the Pl’s broke down to sections, half sections and pairs, skirmishing forward with bayonets fixed and grenades ready. My Patrol stayed with Coy HQ and we skirmished towards and onto the mountain.
After an extremely hard close-quarter bloody fight, B Coy reached the top of the mountain and came to a stand-still with many men killed and injured. They reorganised and prepared to continue the push further forward when it was decided that A Coy could now take up the fight.
Our own Naval Gunfire Support was employed onto the mountain within 50 meters of our position. I was tasked to locate A Coy and guide them forward and through B Coy position and onto the mountain. I left my Patrol in cover on the top of the position and worked my way back down to familiar voices of A Coy and then showed them the way up towards and through the B Coy position. A Coy then moved eastwards along the mountain, continued the fight through, finally securing the position approximately nine hours after crossing the start line.
That night, 17 men of 3 Para were killed and many more injured. Many enemies were killed and injured.
Regimental Sergeant Major Pettinger (1991) 12th of June: a short while after A Coy went firm and started to reorganise
themselves, I was tasked with clearing between the Coy areas on the mountain for any enemy stragglers.
We came across some enemy in bunkers and tents which gave us a few fraught moments, but without resistance, they were now POW’s and were passed back through the Coys to an area at the north west end of Longdon near our own Regimental Aid Post (RAP). Immediately after this, our next task was to lead a Support (Sp) Coy group of a Milan detachment and two Sustained Fire (SF) gun groups to the forward edge of the position as quickly as possible. We collected the men and weapons and moved quickly along the northern edge of the position, still finding enemy stragglers.
A short while later, this task was cancelled, and the Sp Coy men returned to their original positions while we dropped back through B Coy position. Longdon was being bombarded with artillery and mortar fire throughout the day and we continued taking more casualties. The ‘in-coming’ artillery and mortars were constant and accurately being controlled by an enemy Observation Post (OP) on Mount Tumbledown immediately to our south. 3 Para had six more soldiers killed and a number of others seriously wounded.
As a patrol, we had several remarkably close encounters with the enemy bombardment, being almost buried by one explosion and being blown off our feet with another, many more were too close for comfort.
I decided that we would move off the mountain for a short period and collected another Patrol as we headed west. We had been on the go for over two days and desperately needed to rest before we were required and re-tasked again. I lead the men westwards about six hundred meters to a group of rocks where we rested, cleaned weapons and had some food. During this time, the Bn HQ was organising the evacuation of casualties and dead.
After a few hours, we received a radio message from the CO, who was on Longdon between A and B Coys, ordering us to attend a briefing. A short while later we arrived at the NW corner of the position where the RAP and some of Bn HQ were based. Whilst stopped, I left the men together with other Patrol Coy members and made my way towards the CO’s position. This was quickly curtailed as a few seconds after leaving the men and about 10 meters from them, an artillery or mortar round landed amongst them. This was devastating, injuring most of those close by. Zip had turned to cover me and had his back to the explosion which threw him to the ground. He was just winded however Dickie had taken a large piece of shrapnel through his helmet and through his head. Unfortunately, he died a little while later. There were four or five other injuries from this explosion.
The brief from the CO was for us to locate and destroy the enemy mortars that were close to Wireless Ridge and firing accurately onto Longdon. We knew the artillery location was in Stanley as we had seen it before.
My patrol was now just the two of us, so I gathered another Patrol to assist and after a discussion with a SNCO in the Bn Mortar (Mor) Pl, we moved forward of the Bn and onto the western end of Wireless Ridge. Here we could see many Argentinian troops, some very close to us and others heading off the mountains towards Stanley. Additionally, we could see the enemy artillery on the racecourse in Stanley however the enemy mortars were out of sight to us. We were able to use a search and destroy method with our mortars and after some time the enemy mortars stopped. Whether we hit them, or they realised what was happening and left we will never know.
During that period, I radioed many times to our artillery for a fire mission onto the enemy guns in Stanley which were still highly active. Our guns were busy adjusting fire further onto Wireless Ridge for the pending 2 Para attack, so we were not given the priority. Later that day, just before last light, we were eventually given the fire mission which we used effectively against those enemy guns on the racecourse.
Later, I sent the additional Patrol back to the Bn area and myself, Zip and one other (John Wilson) stayed forward to watch the 2 Para assault onto Wireless Ridge.
The next day (14th of June), 3 Para prepared to move through 2 Para and attack Moody Brook and the racecourse. As orders were being given by the CO that afternoon, the shout came that the Argentinians had surrendered.’
Pettinger’s gallantry during eleven days of operations in the Mount Longdon area, including taking part in the assault, was recognised with the award of the D.C.M., one of five awarded to the Parachute Regiment for the Falklands conflict. Private R. Absolon was also recognised and was awarded the M.M. posthumously. Pettinger is also frequently mentioned in several publications including: Green- Eyed Boys, 3 Para and the Battle for Mount Longdon by Christian Jennings and Adrian Weale; Excursion To Hell, Mount Longdon, A Universal Story of Battle by Lance Corporal V. Bramley, 3 Para; and Three Days in June, 3 Para, Mount Longdon, by Private James O’Conell, 3 Para, in which Pettinger is quoted and mentioned extensively.
After the Falklands War, ‘I remained with the Company and was promoted to Colour Sergeant (C/Sgt). In 1983 was posted to the Infantry Training Battle School at Brecon as an Instructor on the Senior NCO division.
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