SURVIVING MOUNT LONGDON
The Battle of Mount Longdon saw Argentine and British troops engaged in a bitter struggle over a key position near the Falkland Islands capital of Port Stanley. The British emerged victorious from the battle but it was their bloodiest land engagement of the war, with 23 killed and 48 wounded. The Argentineans lost 44 killed, 120 wounded and 50 captured.
Despite its ferocity, the battle has been relatively overlooked compared to other actions of the war. Nevertheless, for the men of the 3rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (3 Para) Mount Longdon was a terrible experience. Among the many wounded was a 22-year-old paratrooper from Liverpool: Private James O’Connell.
A member of the Anti-Tank Platoon, Support Company, 3 Para, O’Connell received a severe wound to the face and lost his right eye. He eventually recovered from his life-changing injury and is now the author of Three Days in June, an extraordinary account of the battle. Five years in the making, O’Connell interviewed as many veterans as possible (both British and Argentine) to re-create a definitive 360-degree account of the battle. Speaking ahead of its publication, he recalls ferocious enemy fire, the bravery of the men who saved his life and reconciliations with Argentine veterans.
Were you surprised when Argentina invaded the Falklands?
Yes, at the time we were having weekly intelligence briefings mainly about the Russian threat; it was the era of the Cold War and we’d be doing armoured
