22 MARINES AGAINST AN ARGENTINE LANDING FORCE: WHO WINS?
During the Falklands War in 1982, the Argentine military planned to take South Georgia, held by just 22 Royal Marines. London had ordered them to put up no real resistance, but Lt Mills fought the occupiers with everything he had.
South Georgia is officially British territory, but Argentina claimed it just as it claimed the Falklands. In March 1982 a group of civilian workers landed at the harbor with Argentine soldiers mixed in among them and raised the Argentine flag. Britain answered by sending 22 Marines under Lt Mills, who quartered themselves in a small cluster of houses at the harbor entrance.
When the attack on the Falklands came, it was clear that Argentina would move on South Georgia as well, so Mills had the houses barricaded. He also blocked the approach roads with mines and barbed wire. A British research ship off the coast served as the link to London, which ordered Mills to offer no more than symbolic resistance. Mills reportedly answered with “Screw that, I’m going to make them cry!”
The first Argentine helicopter managed to put troops on the island, but the Marines spotted it. They met the second landing helicopter with machine gun fire so heavy that it had to break off the landing and crashed a few kilometers away. The Argentine soldiers on the island then tried to storm the British positions and were driven back by heavy defensive fire.
The Argentine corvette ARA Guerrico was then called into the harbor for fire support, but her many guns failed after only a few rounds. The Marines answered with heavy machine gun and sniper fire. A shot from an anti-tank launcher hit the ship so luckily that it destroyed the traverse ring of one of her guns. With more than 50% of her firepower gone, the Guerrico had to pull back and could no longer provide fire support.
On their return to Britain the Marines were seen and celebrated as heroes. Lt Mills received the Distinguished Service Cross, an award handed out fewer than 100 times since the Second World War.
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