Falklands Day 1 air actions.

[Yellowjack99]

Reading Sandy Woodwards book, he writes that the Day 1 action response to Black Buck and the Sea Harrier raids was a couple of Mirage engagements where they fired on Sea Harriers but the missiles failed. I had understood no offensive dogfighting by the Argentinan aircraft took place during the campaign. Sandy reports that was the only time fighter dogfights took place.

What was the circumstances of the engagements?

Also Sandy's account in the next chapter also said when the Belgrano was sunk there was a dawn raid planned by the Argentine carrier force but they hadn't located the carrier and he feared a simultaneous pincer attack from Belgrano and the carrier hence he took out Belgrano. He said the carrier would have launched but not enough wind over deck for the loaded Skyhawks to launch so abandoned. If he'd had sub tally on the carrier he'd have taken that out too.

Was this openly known about at the time?

Mog hope you're able to shed any recollection?

YJ

[Mogwi]

Yes. V de M was c200nm NW of the Task Force but couldn’t launch because of wind over deck probs (ancient boilers didn’t help). Precise position was not known but was found by a SHAR during the night of 2nd.

During one of the first engagements on 1st May, an 800 NAS pilot was certain that he had a missile fired at him head-on before his leader hit the merge and splashed a Dagger. It is known that the Dagger carried a couple of Magics and it is possible that this was what he saw. Argentine pilot was not available for debrief.

At almost the same time, a pair of 801 pilots engaged two other Mirages, splashing one and damaging the other after a very brief turning fight. The damaged Mirage was shot down attempting to land at Stanley.

So not really “dogfights”, more high speed manoeuvring.

Mog

[Ken Scott]

Argentine pilot was not available for debrief.

Mog: a wonderful and dare I say it, very British piece of understatement.

[Yellowjack99]

Thanks for extra recollection Mog. Must say Sandy seems quite a realist although have read alternate views about centralised uninformed tasking. Looking forward to having his perspective of the later events, 1 sqn contribution etc. He seems pragmatic to take all offered help.

[Marcantilan]

Hi,

These are two separate events. The TG 79.1 attack on the British carrier group was to take place from the north at dawn on 2 May. The idea was that 6 A-4Qs armed with Mk82 bombs would take off, with a tanker and another aircraft as a reserve (all the A-4s available on ARA 25 de Mayo). They would be guided by an S-2E Tracker, feinting to avoid a direct attack. The attack was coordinated with the A69 corvettes operating in the vicinity of TG 79.1, which would launch their Exocets at the British ships, which it was believed would be confused by the attack.

The lack of wind and the detection by a SHAR of the TG postponed that attack... definitely.

Meanwhile, a series of dogfights were taking place over the islands, between the Argentine Air Force Dagger/Mirage and the SHAR. The first of these was the clash between Mirage IIIs of G8C and SHARs of 801 Sqn, near Pebble / Bourbon Island, which ended with one Mirage shot down and another, low on fuel, which attempted to land on the islands and was shot down by friendly AA.

Of the latter event, I recently finished writing an article interviewing the protagonists, radar control officers, etc. I passed it on to the folks at The Aviation Historian, possibly to be published in the near future!

Best!