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jualbo

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  • in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1168470
    jualbo
    Participant

    Yes, it was HMS Broadsword under attack of Daggers from Zorro flight. This ship was also attacked by a solitary Dagger from Ñandú flight (one plane of this flight was downed during the aproach and the other went for HMS Plymouth).

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1168538
    jualbo
    Participant

    I think the video can´t offend. It´s the sequence of the attack on HMS Plymouth on 8th June. There was no dead people although some were injured. It´s the photo gun video. You can see splashes on water from ships AAA and from the Daggers guns.

    Regards

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1168755
    jualbo
    Participant

    Hi again.
    I’m trying to identify every single ship attacked by argentinean pilots on 24 may.
    That day several flights from Grupo 4, Grupo 5 and Grupo 6 attacked many ships of different classes.

    There were the following flights:
    Azul: 4 Dagger. Attacked from south of Ajax Bay. I´ve identified thanks to several photos two ships attacked by them: Sir Bedivere (by Cap Mir González) and Sir Galahad (there is a little known panoramic picture with a Dagger overflying the ship with Ajax Bay refrigeration plant in the depth and also a famous photo gun from a Dagger shooting at the ship). They carried one Mk-17 bomb. One of the pilots didn´t throw due to a technical failure (Cap Maffeis). The other two members were Lt Bernhardt and Cap Robles.

    Chispa y Nene: 5 A-4 B. They also came from south of Ajax Bay. According to the testimony of pilots (Mariel and Cervera) and the famous video, Lt Cervera attacked Sir Galahad followed by Mariel. In the video another A-4B is seen in the depth avoiding Sir Galahad. According to Mariel, the plane that attacked before him threw the bomb too early, falling short. He saw the famous two missiles (Blowpipes) launched against him from the ship fly deck. He also said that there was a helo in that fly deck. It seemed that Roca, Cervera and himself would have attacked all the same target (Galahad) while Moroni and Sánchez would have attacked another ship, believed Sir Lancelot, but that could be Fearless. All planes carried a solitary Mk-17 bomb.

    There is a photo of Fearless and a bomb exploding in the water just close to bow. In the depth Sir Galahad is seen. There is a Lynx (from Antelope I think) in Fearless helo deck. Is this bomb from a Dagger or from an A-4B?

    According to different photos I´ve made a reconstruction of ship postions that day. From south to north and from east to west: Lancelot, Bedivere, Fearless, and Galahad. Following north and closer to west shore of Ajax Bay, Antelope´s bow and Argonaut. Northern in the western side from south to north Resource, Norland and Intrepid. In the opposite shore Stromness (in the same latitude that Resource). Northern in the east shore is HMS Arrow (closer to Port San Carlos). Near Chancho Pt in the entrance of the bay, HMS Plymouth. HMS Yarmotuh was also in the north and came south in a fast raid to face Azul and Chispa and Nene raids

    There is also a famous photo of Norland and two big splashes in the water. No argentinean plane that day that attacked in the zone (ajax Bay) carried two bombs so I think they could be AA fire from HMS Arrow (placed NE of Ajax Bay if she had fired towards SW to face argentinean raids). There is a photo of a Dagger passing Resource bow in the port side in a verylow level. What do you think? Are the explosions form bombs?
    Another photos of this raid is the one with a Dagger seen betwen Fearless masts (think this plane attacked Galahad)

    Following that day, a 3 Dagger flight (Plata) attacked in the north shore. One of them (Lt Callejo) went for a land target (-red fuel tanks- although one of his bombs didn´t drop) while the two others (Cap Dellepiane and 1st Lt Musso) attacked a type 21 frigate believed HMS Arrow.
    Probably armed with two BR-250 bombs. Is it right?

    Just after this three A-4C from Grupo 4 (Jaguar) attacked HMS Arrow again. Don´t know about the weapons but probably one Mk-17).

    Plata and Jaguar entered San Carlos bay from the north-northwest.

    I have reports from Fearless being damaged that day by gun fire (and also the next day). Who did it?

    Lancelot was hit that day. From a Dagger from Azul or from an A-4B from Chispa and Nene? And Galahad´s bomb was from an A-4B or a Dagger?. She was attacked by both flights.

    Was Arrow attacked by 2 Daggers and 3 A-4C?

    Regards

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1175315
    jualbo
    Participant

    Ward is in an error about 21 may combat against Dagger from Grupo 6. The only pilot who fired at him was Cap Donaidille and it happened in the first cross he made with the Dagger who faced him. This Dagger fired from a long distance just after breaking right to face Ward and when they crossed in the sky, then he turned left to look, from an upper position, for the probable place where he thought Ward´s SHar would appear after the cross. That´s the second moment in which he fired at Ward. Ward crossed Donaidille nose from left to right. In this moment Donaidille fired his guns although he didn´t hit (I imagine the cross would spend less than tenths of second). But Ward, after knowing to be fired in the combat, thought that it was Piuma Dagger who did it, the one he downed after passing him from the right.

    In fact Donaidille turned right again after crossing Ward to avoid crashing against Lt Senn. Then followed him, what put him just 12 oclock from Thomas. Donaidille was the first one to be downed. Senn the second, both by Thomas. And finally, after completing his hard right turn after crossing Donaidille, Ward was forwared by Piuma Dagger. Then, from his 6 o´clock he fired his AIM-9L to down the third Dagger.

    I don´t know Piuma´s version of the combat, but have no doubt about him to be the third Dagger and Donaidille the first one to be downed. There is a graphic in Ward´s book about the combat but has some errors.

    Piuma had a real opportunity to fire at Wards´SHar from 6 o´clock cause in fact the brirish pilot didn´t watch at him at all until he was passed from the right by the lower Piuma Dagger.
    Regards

    in reply to: Last RAF air to air kill? #1175938
    jualbo
    Participant

    The helo was in the air, just close to land the Gendarmery commandoes.
    Regards

    in reply to: Last RAF air to air kill? #1176538
    jualbo
    Participant

    Just one possibility: On 30 may 1982, one argentinean Puma transporting gendarmery commandoes was downed by unknown cause close to Mt Kent. There was a ground attack by Harrier GR-3 on that day and almost same time in the zone.
    Now it seemed to be an own downing by argentineans, but, although unknown by the pilots, Harrier implication can´t be discarded. They rocketted Mt Wall zone although probably Mt Kent slopes could be hit.

    Greetings

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1181167
    jualbo
    Participant

    With no confirmation of launching and the evidence of lack of explosion in the damaged wing we have two options:
    1) There were launchings but the ship involved remains unknown and the damage was from a missile hit that didn´t explode
    2) The damage was made when the plane scrapped the waves during a right turn (I recognise that sounds likely)

    But we have other elements in this scenario. There was another british ship more or less close to north of East Falkland apart from both of ASW group?

    If not, we must think that they were the ships seen by Canberras. Another question then would be if they really fired or not. In the second case it seemed as a bad identification of the smoke seen by the pilot in the ship, or even an excuse to justify an impact against sea during the turn.

    Mistery remains. Time ago I asked Yarmouth and Brilliant crew members about SAM firings on 1 May but didn´t remember.

    Regards.

    PS: Hi Marcelo, nice to see you. I also read your comment in Zona Militar foro.

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1181594
    jualbo
    Participant

    Hi Enrique. No problem. I´ll try to do it as best I can but I have to leave now. I´ll see you tomorrow.

    Regards everybody and special thanks for Enrique for his “bridge” work betwen jey publishing phorum and Zona Militar one.

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1181607
    jualbo
    Participant

    Probably aluminium. Steel was on my own (I thought that perhaps only “sheet” could be badly understood). Some friends from “Zona Militar” foros are close to write about this thread. They have info about the damage in the wing.

    Anyway, I think british side has the keys in this incident. As you say, distances or visual identifications use to be inaccurate. But if there were missile launchings, Royal Navy knows who did it. The only info about this in the british side is from Brown and partially by Ward. 801 Sqn pilot says that the second trio closed to 24 miles from Invincible when intercepted. First trio was probably near (altough arrived half an hour before). But there is another evidence. If they were in a lineal route from Trellew to Berkeley Sound, Task Force would have to be at least just north of East Falklands, something I think didn´t happen (used to be more or less east o north east according to reports from naval movements that day). In that zone ASW group was hunting for San Luis. We could check info from San Luis and the position she was when attacked ASW group. I think that the possibility of both ships being Yarmouth and Brilliant would match with the suposed place were San Luis was and subsecuently where was seeked.

    The second ship seen in the distance could be the other frigate of the ASW group (Brilliant+Yarmouth) or well other ship of the external ring of Task Force.

    Regards from Spain

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1181923
    jualbo
    Participant

    I´ve just edited my message. I put it in black. I forgot to translate the word “right”. Read it again. Thanks to God I don´t live for my translations into english 😀 (and thanks for the english speakers that read them too).

    “Pero recién cuando concluyo el viraje puedo dar un vistazo y entonces observo que la puntera del ala derecha estaba con todas las chapas deflecadas hacia arriba, por lo que el avión tendía a girar en forma bastante brusca y debía compensarlo constantemente con los mandos”. (Just after finishing my turn I can make an advice and see the steel sheets from the end of the right wing, up deflected, so the plane began to have violent turnings that I hardly controlled)

    If the steel sheet of the end of the wing turned up, seems to be due to a contact with the sea in a right turn or an explosion under that end of the wing.

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1181929
    jualbo
    Participant

    I think not. He´s making a left turn to avoid missiles coming from the right. If he touches the sea it would be with the end of his left wing. The damaged wing by the impact is the right one (suposed to be the higher from the sea surface during the turning). But even if he scraps the sea with the right wing (perhaps leveling the plane after the left turn), anyway, he talks about two missiles launched at them. So the mistery remains. It would be great to see a photograph of that wing. What it´s contradictory is the landing airport. In some sources I´ve read it was Puerto Deseado while here he clearly speaks of Trellew.

    I don´t know if a plane touching the sea can still fly and not crash, altough the case of the fuel tank of 1st Lt Filippini’s A-4B and the antennae of HMS Argonaut on 21st may is an example about the possibility of happening such a crash and the plane surviving after it.

    Greetings

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1181963
    jualbo
    Participant

    Hi again:
    I’ve found Nogueira words (in spanish). I´ll try to translate into english the most interestings paragraphs.

    http://www.angelfire.com/ga4/aerovirtual/htm/Info_Canberra.html

    Los Canberra: un encuentro peligroso

    Poco después del mediodía del 1 de mayo, el entonces capitán (ahora mayor Juan José Nogueira, piloto de los bombarderos Mk62 Canberra, y su navegador, capitán Raúl Sánchez, ascendían al avión como “tripulación de emergencia”, ya que relevaban momentáneamente a quien les correspondía ese aparato, los que habían hecho una pausa en la larga y tensa vigilia a los mandos del avión para ira almorzar, Los reemplazantes cumplen la inspección de rigor, toman sus posiciones, ajustan los arneses y quedan en alerta. Los minutos pasan con lentitud hasta que, inesperadamente, el propio jefe de la base se hace presente en el avión para entregar una Orden Fragmentaria. El escueto parte ordenaba que una primera escuadrilla, integrada por tres Canberra (indicativo: Ruta), debía despegar cuanto antes para atacar lanchas de desembarco que habían sido ubicadas en Bahía de la Anunciación, al norte de Puerto Argentino. (The short telegraph ordered a first flight of three Canberras (call sign Ruta) to take off as soon as possible to attack landing crafts in Berkeleys Sound, just north of Stanley)

    Sin más trámites, dado que todas las coordinaciones previas necesarias ya habían sido efectuadas y sólo necesitaban la orden para emprender la misión, los tres Canberra pesados y torpes con sus casi veinte metros de envergadura y más de 24 toneladas de peso total, despegaron a las 15.33 horas de la pista de la Base Aeronaval “Almirante Zar”, en Trelew (they took off at 15:33 from the Almirante Zar Navy air base runaway in Trellew) con rumbo a las islas Malvinas. Junto al avión del jefe de escuadrilla formaron el teniente Juan Carlos Cook y su navegador, el primer Teniente Ernesto Lozano como número dos, y el primer teniente Eduardo Rodino y el primer teniente Armando Dubroca, como navegador, de número tres. Cada uno transportaba cinco bombas de 1.000 libras (poco menos de 500kg) de “carcasa” de hierro.

    En formación cerrada ascienden hasta el nivel 3-0-0 (es decir, 30.000 pies, unos 10.000 metros) y toman una ruta prácticamente directa hacia el objetivo. Ya volando sobre mar abierto y al pasar lateral de Puerto Deseado, el navegador del capitán Nogueira divisa entre las nubes una formación de buques.(Just flying over open seas and at Puerto Deseado´s lattitud, captain´s Nogueira navigator saw under clouds a naval formation) Dada la alerta, los bombarderos emiten los indicativos y comunicaciones previstas para estos casos, que les permitirán establecer si se trataba de naves propias o enemigas. Al no tener contestación a sus llamados de coordinación, la escuadrilla realiza un descenso de emergencia para “pegarse” lo mas rápido posible al agua y ofrecer así un blanco más difícil ante un eventual ataque con misiles. No hay tal ataque porque los buques son de la Armada Argentina, aunque esto no lo sabrían hasta su retorno al continente, horas más tarde. (No answer is listened to their calls of coordination, so the flight made an emergency go down to scrap the waves and impede an eventual missile attack.There is no attack cause these ships are from the Argentine Navy, altough they knew about this after returning home some hours later )

    Por intermedio de la radio, en canal VHF, los tripulantes de los Canberra se enteran de los combates y acciones que se estaban librando en las cercanías de Puerto Argentino y sobre las islas. El mayor Nogueira recuerda haber escuchado al capitán Gustavo García Cuerva cuando, falto de combustible pero con el avión intacto, decide intentar un aterrizaje en el aeródromo de la capital isleña, una acción que le costaría la vida; al primer teniente Perona cuando debe eyectarse después de que su Mirage es alcanzado por un misil lanzado por el Harrier con el que estaba combatiendo; y también al radar de Malvinas informando de la presencia de los ágiles interceptores británicos.

    La escuadrilla de bombarderos mantiene su rumbo hacia el blanco señalado y, volando a poco más de cinco metros del agua, se acerca hasta unas 50 millas (90km) del objetivo. En ese momento, sobre la derecha de los aviones, se divisa la silueta de un buque de guerra. “Yo lo vi primero, rememora Nogueira, pero traté de no alertar a la escuadrilla para no inquietarlos hasta verificar si era realmente un buque enemigo. Era una fragata, presumiblemente del tipo 42, y calculo que estaba a unas 20 millas a la derecha, o sea en dirección del estrecho San Carlos”.(The bombers flight kept their course towards their target and flying almost 5 meters over sea they closed around 50 miles (90km) from it. In that moment I watched a warship silhoutte in the right hand of us. ” I saw it the first, Nogueira remembers, but treated not to alert the others to avoid to worry them until I coud verify if she was an enemy vessel. She was a frigate, probably a type 42, and in an estimated distance of 20 miles in the right, in the way to Falklands sound”)

    Poco después, el avión número tres avisa que avistó al buque. La alarma ya es general. El jefe de escuadrilla confirma la presencia de la amenaza y, al ver que el” buque cambia su posición para colocarse de proa, ordena eyectar las cargas externas-venían con los tanques suplementarios de punta de ala, los llamados “tips”, que limitan la velocidad del Canberra, de 500 nudos, a sólo 365 nudos– y acelerar.(Short after this, number 3 advised me to having seen the ship. It´s the general alarm. The leader confirmed the presence of the menace and, after seeing that ship was changing her course to point her bow towards the planes, changes his position to head the flight and ordered to accelerate and to drop external charges-they came with fuel extreme wing tanks, called ‘tips’, which limit Canberra speed from 500 knots to onlyy 365 knots-)

    “En el momento en que el buque nos enfrenta, prosigue Nogueira, se ve claramente que dispara sus misiles, ya que el efecto visual es como si se prendiera fuego por algunos segundos. Enseguida lanzan un segundo misil y alcanzo a ver las columnas de humo que marcan sus trayectorias cuando se elevan. Enseguida dejo de observarlos y inicio un viraje brusco hacia la izquierda. Totalmente concentrado en la maniobra, dado que todavía volábamos bastante bajo, siento un fuerte impacto en el avión, que inmediatamente comienza a vibrar.”
    (In the moment that the ship faced the planes, Nogueira tells, we saw that fired her missiles, cause the visual effect is as if she would start in fire for a few seconds. Shortly after this, they launched a second missile and I could see the columns of smoke showing their trajectories when they went up. Then I stopped seeing them and began a hard left turn. When I was totally concentrated in the maniouver cause we still were flying in a very low level, I felt a strong impact in the plane that instantanely began to vibrate)

    “Pero recién cuando concluyo el viraje puedo dar un vistazo y entonces observo que la puntera del ala derecha estaba con todas las chapas deflecadas hacia arriba, por lo que el avión tendía a girar en forma bastante brusca y debía compensarlo constantemente con los mandos”. (Just after finishing my turn I can make an advice and see the steel sheets from the end of the right wing, up deflected, so the plane began to have violent turnings that I hardly controlled)

    El jefe de la escuadrilla decide entonces que era imposible pasar por esa zona, dado que, correctamente, había estimado que los buques ingleses estaban dispersados por todo el lugar y el Canberra no es precisamente el avión ideal para atacar a naves fuertemente armadas. Es que los veteranos bombarderos no cuentan con armamento ofensivo alguno que pueda utilizar mientras se van acercando al blanco, es decir, no tiene cañones o misiles y sólo pueden lanzar sus bombas prácticamente cuando están sobre el objetivo. La misión encomendada ese día a los Canberra era atacar barcazas de desembarco sobre la costa y no una concentración de fragatas.

    Nogueira ordena entonces a los otros dos aviones volver al continente mientras él intentarla aterrizar en el aeródromo de Puerto Argentino, ante la incertidumbre de si la herida estructura del aparato resistiría más tiempo sin que, por ejemplo, se desprendiera un alerón y se tomara completamente ingobernable. (Then Nogueira ordered his fellows to come back to the mainland while he would try to land at Stanley´s airport, cause didn´t know if the plane airframe would be able to resist long enough without losing the wing what would make the plane uncontrollable)

    “Comienzo a navegar hacia Puerto Argentino en medio de chubascos y nubes bajas, continúa el relato del piloto, y en la trayectoria diviso un buque evidentemente mucho mas grande que los que había visto hasta ese momento, las fragatas tipo 42. No puedo asegurar si se trataba de un portaviones o uno de los grandes barcos de transporte logísticos. Además, entre el buque y mi trayectoria vi unos puntos, algo adelantados y que parecían suspendidos en el aire. Seguramente se trataba de aviones Harrier que habían despegado, en caso de ser portaviones, o algunos helicópteros que los ingleses solían desplegar en patrulla adelantada. De manera que lo único que pude hacer es virar nuevamente y poner proa al continente porque por ahí, evidentemente, era imposible pasar”.(I started my way towards Stanley betwen rains and low clouds and found another ship, bigger than the others seen at the moment, the type 42 frigates. I can´t sure if she was a carrier or one of the great logistic transport ships. And I even saw some points flying in the air betwen the ship and my plane. They were probably sea harriers that had just taken off, if she was a carrier, or some helos that english used to put on a forward suervillance patrol. Then I have no option and turned again and headed towards the mainland cause I couldn´t pass in that course)

    “En esos momentos recibo una comunicación de la otra escuadrilla (the other flight) de Canberra –la del primer teniente Alberto Baigorri, (indicativo: Rifle) que había despegado 30 minutos después que la mía–,(that had taken off 30 minutes after mine) y me trataba de avisar que por esa zona estaba el ‘gordo’, es decir, el portaviones”.

    Por la radio el capitán Nogueira sigue escuchando, imposibilitado de actuar, el desarrollo de las acciones. Por sus auriculares resuena un nervioso “atento, atento, tengo un Harrier arriba”. El numeral tres le advierte al dos que le dispararon misiles. Alcanza a sentir que emprenden una maniobra defensiva y la comunicación termina abruptamente. El avión tripulado por el teniente Eduardo de Ibáñez y el navegador primer teniente Mario González había sido alcanzado por los letales Sidewinder. Ambos fueron vistos cuando descendían en sus paracaídas hacia las frías aguas del Atlántico, el ajeno pero omnipresente enemigo de todos, que cobra dos nuevas víctimas. Las búsquedas posteriores de los dos tripulantes, incluso con el aviso “Sobral”, que resulta atacado con misiles, serían inútiles.

    En cuanto al retrasado y averiado avión de la primera escuadrilla, continúa con su vuelo, siempre pegado al mar, de regreso a Trelew. La localización de la base resultó dificultada por el hecho de que las radio ayudas de orientación eran reducidas en horas de la noche en previsión de una incursión enemiga desde el mar, pero finalmente el maltrecho Canberra logró ubicarla y aterrizar, pero con el mínimo de combustible, por lo que le hubiera resultado imposible hacer un segundo circuito si no aterrizaba en el primer intento.

    Como hecho anecdótico de esa primera misión de los Mk62 quedó que, durante el trayecto de regreso y al efectuar el capitán Nogueira un informe preliminar por radio, escucharon una voz, en perfecto español pero con una tonada desconocida, que preguntaba Si el avión estaba averiado y que tipo de daños tenia. Obviamente se trataba de los británicos que estaban en escucha y se metían en la frecuencia para tratar de obtener información. “Nos quedamos en el molde, por supuesto”.

    Greetings

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1182299
    jualbo
    Participant

    They saw two missiles, the second one hitting the plane.

    This section overflew argentine carrier task group in his way back and they could be hiding a blue on blue incident betwen FAA and ARA but it would be a great lie cause the pilot clearly says that they saw a ship some distance on the right of their ingress course that fired at them two missiles. Then, when aborted to avoid the attack they observed the two air objects far away in a NE direction and decided to come back making the wide right turn flying towards the islands and then W-NW. I think this maneuver matches with the circling Canberras described by Brown and some other sources. We still have the two missiles mistery.

    Greetings

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1183143
    jualbo
    Participant

    An interesting info. The distance betwen Brilliant and Canberras was 6 miles (around 11km). Far enough to confuse the kind of ship that fired at them. But also far away for a Sea Wolf (I think about 6 km) and Sea Cat (5km). According to the position of the ship seen by Nogueira, she was not far from shore, so I think couldn´t be other ship cause it´s not known any other royal navy vessel in that zone.

    Then, we must think perhaps the distance was closer than 6 miles what would let a Sea Cat or Sea Wolf positive launching at a maximum range. The question is, what ship did fire?

    Sea Wolf war head has around 14kg of explosive, Sea Cat head around 18 Kg and Sea Dart 22kg (always according to wikipedia 🙂 ).

    The planes overflew argentinean task force with the “25 mayo” carrier and her type 42 escorts. In fact they were close to be fired due to a bad coordination betwen FAA and ARA. Could this fact hide any kind of blue on blue incident?

    Greetings

    in reply to: Falklands "What if…?" #1183672
    jualbo
    Participant

    A curious question I’ve always had. On 1st May, during the combat betwen Lt Ardiles (from Río Grande Dagger´s squadron) and the british CAP Penfold/Hale, british sources talked about a second Dagger.

    That day there was another solo Dagger flight about a similar time to Ardiles’ one.From another different air base (San Julian) the Dagger piloted by Cap Díaz was in flight at the moment and was vectored by the Air Force Radar (AN/TPS-43F) in Stanley towards some echoes in Choiseul Sound.

    According to FAA webpage (in an older version, not the actual one), the echoes vanished when Diaz plane approached. Has anybody info about this incident? Could Diaz be the second Dagger? Was there a real second Dagger in Ardiles shotting down?

    I found Diaz words (in spanish, excuses for it):

    http://www.taringa.net/posts/info/1147253/1982,-Primero-de-Mayo:-Primer-Duelo-del-G6C.html
    La cuarta salida de caza le tocaba a la sección “Fierro”, liderada por el Capitán Raúl A. Díaz, Oficial de Operaciones del Escuadrón quien, como tal, se había colocado primero en la lista de tripulaciones disponibles. Cuando se encontraba en cabecera listo para el despegue su numeral abortó por fallas en su aparato. Un solo Fierro se elevó a cumplir con su deber.
    En el libro La Batalla Aérea de Nuestras Islas Malvinas del Comodoro F.P. Matassi, el Capitán Díaz relata:

    “Próximo a las islas tomé contacto con el Centro de Información y Control (CIC) de Puerto Argentino, quién me dirigió hacia un incursor a 60 millas náuticas al este de las islas.”

    “Armé el panel de misiles y cañones, giré al rumbo de intercepción ordenado (090 Grados) y seguí automáticamente las indicaciones del CIC. Me informó que el incursor se encontraba a unos 6.000 pies más abajo; el controlador del radar seguía indicando el rumbo de intercepción y la distancia… Nos acercábamos de frente. Cuando nos separaba una distancia de 12 millas, el incursor descendió bruscamente y lo suficiente para que nuestro radar lo perdiera totalmente.”

    “Esto me animó a pensar que el oponente no quería presentar combate aéreo.”

    “El operador me hizo colocar rumbo al oeste para regresar sobre las islas, de las cuales me estaba alejando unas millas al Este.”

    “Había una capa de nubes que dificultaba la visualización de navíos enemigos. En un momento determinado el controlador reportó que estaba sobrevolando, yo, un eco naval que podría ser una fragata misilística, sugiriéndome que extremara la vigilancia ante la posibilidad de ser atacado con misiles superficie-aire; ello no ocurrió.”

    “Cuando me encontraba nuevamente sobre las islas a las cuales pude distinguir a través de un orificio en las nubes (vi el Canal San Carlos y la zona de Darwin) el operador me informó de un ataque aéreo que el enemigo realizaba -con los Sea Harrier- sobre Puerto Argentino.”

    “Le pregunté si me dirigía hacia allí, respondiéndome negativamente porque los incursores se encontraban dentro del sector de nuestra defensa antiaérea.”

    “Seguidamente me alertó sobre la presencia de un eco que se dirigía hacia mí, desde el Sureste a gran velocidad y tomando altura. El mismo fue detectado cuando se encontraba a 18 millas, giré hacia el Sur para adoptar un rumbo de colisión y mantuve una altitud de 26.000 pies, acelerando para 450 nudos, me dediqué a observar los instrumentos por última vez antes del cruce y con aprensión descubrí que no me quedaban más de 5 minutos de combustible para llegar al mínimo nivel requerido para el largo regreso.”

    “Cuando nos separaban (con el o los incursores) unas 8 millas y estando unos 3.000 pies más arriba que él, decidió, abandonar la entrada en combate, probablemente porque no tenía una posición ventajosa; lo cierto es que descendió rápidamente hasta que nuestro radar perdió su eco.”

    “Me esforcé en tratar de visualizarlo, sin perder mi ventajosa altura, pero no lo logré, en esto escuché la voz del controlador que me preguntaba cuánto tiempo más podría permanecer sobre las islas, contestándole que había llegado el momento de regresar por falta de combustible.”

    “Me deseó buena suerte y me dio el rumbo a casa; ascendí hasta el nivel óptimo para el regreso y concebí, durante el largo retorno esta equivocada idea: los ingleses rehuyen el combate aéreo.”

    “Algunos días más tarde sufriría la propia experiencia de ser derribado, junto a toda mi escuadrilla por dos aviones Sea Harrier, cuando yo estaba por atacar la cabeza de playa de Puerto San Carlos.”

    Greetings

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