Battle for Two Sisters

Spanning the 11 to 12 June 1982, the Battle for Two Sisters was brought about as part of a bid by the British to remove the height advantage given to the Argentine troops who were stationed there during the Falklands War.

The Battle for Two Sisters took place alongside the Battle for Mount Harriet, on 11 and 12 June, 1982, as part of the Falklands War. The Argentine troops that were stationed on the mount were given a strong height advantage as a result and the British wished to remove that threat and bring the mount under their control. The route taken by the British to Port Stanley, the Falkland Islands’ capital, was dangerous and made more so by the advantages the Argentines had by being in control of Two Sisters and other strategic vantage points.

Lieutenant Colonel A Whitehead led 45 Commando, Royal Marines, to attack Two Sisters, with help from the 8th Battery, 29 Commando, Royal Artillery and ships including HMS Glamorgan. The British troops arrived at their temporary base of Mount Kent via Teal Inlet from San Carlos Bay around a week before the battle began. They readied their weapons and equipment and were helped in this task by troops from the Royal Marines Mountain and Artic Warfare Cadre. The men planned the attack on the Argentine 4thInfantry Regiment at Two Sisters for 21.00 on 11 June, and Whitehead had requested that the attack be silent. However, the battle did not eventually begin until 23.00 as the men had trouble carrying their supplies over the rocky terrain. By 02.30 on 12 June, Z Company had achieved its aim and reached its target and the whole of the area was taken before the sun came up. Four men from 45 Commando were lost in the battle, while 17 were wounded. Offshore, HMS Glamorgan was still offering support to British troops, however in doing do was hit by an Exocet missile and 13 British men were killed as a result. Meanwhile, the Argentines lost 20 men, with 54 taken as prisoners of war.

Battle for Two Sisters

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