Hugh McManners - Falklands Commando

The peacetime army is a strange, stressful environment, a highly structured society in miniature. When this pressurised society goes off to war, much of its social tension and tribalism becomes irrelevant. In war the only important factor is professional competence. Putting aside the habits of peace at the right time may not be easy.

Isolation is the most damaging psychological enemy of the battlefield, stripping men of courage and the will to continue. In peace, the overriding importance of conforming and the social divisions of the British Army, particularly within its officer caste, can create unpleasant situations for particular individuals. In war these divisions could make people feel terribly alone, and so create serious problems. Because social division is not considered a problem by most people in the British Army, individuals become used to coping with it. Most would not be prepared to admit even to being aware of it. In war, when the psychological pressures increase and comradeship becomes essential for survival, those of the same social level would feel confident enough to confide in their equals, dispelling their own fears by talking about them. The outsiders however have nobody to whom they can turn and could therefore become psychiatric casualties. The British Army’s regimental system is a wonderful source of comradeship and motivation for its card-carrying members, but can slam the door in the face of those who for one reason or another are outsiders.

An Army psychiatrist, pondering the motives of ambitious officers, comments (in a rather wild generalisation) on what he feels is a basic part of Army psychology:

“The Army is all about power and privilege. Shouting is encouraged, starting from the parade square, extending into all aspects of army life. There’s also the staff cars, commanders’ houses, house staff, perks et cetera… It can’t be because of the money…”

The personal power of military commanders is far greater than that enjoyed by civilian employers. This power must however be used for purely military purposes, and should not be translated across into ordinary life. Status goes with rank and appointment, Commanding Officers in particular being given a whole package of privileges that emphasise the singularity of their position. Military commanders become adept at exercising personal power, using their official authority to manipulate others into getting the job done. Many feel a sense of anti-climax on leaving the Forces, not only leaving the military family, but losing a whole raft of status, position and authority.

Copyright © Hugh McManners 1984 & 2014

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

Front cover photograph : The Author during Operation Brewers Arms in May 1982.

Military History and Autobiography

This edition is published by Nightstrike Limited, 2014

First published in Great Britain by William Kimber & Co Ltd 1984

Second Edition published by Grafton Books 1987

Third revised edition published by HarperCollins 2002

Gunner is the lowest rank in the Royal Artillery, similar to ‘Sapper’ in the Royal Engineers, and ‘Trooper’ in armoured regiments.

I do now. Mr AAF Modey of Ferndown was kind enough to write to tell me that Mexe stands for the ‘Military Engineering Experimental Establishment’, at Christchurch, where also they first built the Royal Engineers’ Bailey Bridge.

By 2007, the SBS was once more a ‘Service’ rather than a ‘Squadron’, and approaching the size of the SAS.

Landing Craft Medium – a flat-bottomed assault craft capable of carrying two Landrovers.

Unknown to us at that time, Royal Navy nuclear submarines were stationed at various points along the Argentine approach routes reporting their movements, supplemented at various times by Special Forces teams and other agencies able to monitor activities at Argentine air bases. Suffice it to say that the Fleet received timely and accurate warning of Argentine air attacks, which were not always heeded as well as they should have been.

I couldn’t measure how fast they were actually flying – but I’d guess them to have been flat out. The A4 Douglas Sky Hawk’s top speed was 675mph.

FLYCO – Flight Commander of Intrepid’s support Helicopter operation, flight deck and air traffic control.

Confirmed by General John Stanier in War and the Media p. 176.

Kelp – a floating seaweed, often hundreds of feet long, that clogs up many inlets in the Falklands. The islanders collect and use it for fertilizer and food, hence their nickname ‘Kelpers’.

Years later I was able to confirm that this was one of the Argentine “ Red de Observadores a Ellas ,” civilian volunteers, possibly from their secret services, positioned with a radio amid hills outside normal radar cover. Falkland Islanders’ radios were confiscated and given to these observers, who for a while were very effective directing Argentine air attacks on British ships in San Carlos.

Deeply, deeply boring names… for example the Americans called initial operation of Gulf War One, Operation “Desert Shield” – protecting Saudi Arabia and Bahrain from invasion. When the bombing started, it became “Desert Storm”. The British name for all this excitement was “Operation Granby”…

I met Bob Harmes at a 25 thanniversary reunion dinner in summer 2007. He took me to one side and said: “I always meant to tell you how bad I felt coming over to Intrepid to tell you to go out on that Beagle Ridge mission. I could see you were all knackered, and I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to go on that one. But you got on with it, and I wanted to say that I think you a really good operator.” This little aside very greatly heartened me, especially after all those years.

I much later discovered that this odd and extremely risky mission was ordered by General Jeremy Moore’s newly-arrived divisional HQ staff, probably after former Falklands Police Chief Terry Peck had reached British lines and been debriefed. Terry had quit Stanley several weeks earlier and infiltrated his way through Argentine lines to join up with the Paras. This was indistinct and very out-of-date intelligence, which Peter Manley had told me before we were inserted onto Beagle Ridge, referred to the location of the Argentine general. Afterwards, the official history “ The Royal Navy and the Falklands War ” p 312, reduces the importance of the target to “Argentine military intelligence officers”, adding that the first missile malfunctioned, exploding near the Argentine hospital ship – which is not what we observed. In my book “ Forgotten Voices Falklands ”, General Menendez himself says he moved around frequently to avoid becoming the target of any MI6 or Special Forces assassination teams. General Moore had earlier ordered a gun battery and commando company to be flown to the north of Stanley to fire upon Argentine aircraft using the airfield. Thankfully this was left to Brigadier Julian Thompson, who decided the huge risk and logistical effort not worth any potential benefit (p344, Forgotten Voices Falklands ibid ). I suspect FO1 was ordered onto Beagle Ridge in lieu of this artillery battery.