The Military History Thread

[Mal Hombre]

I was referring to Germanicus II..

[Ennath]

May 17, 1943
Dambusters Raid

Before the Second World War, the British Air Ministry had identified Germany's heavily industrialized Ruhr Valley, and especially its dams, as important strategic targets: in addition to providing hydro-electric power and pure water for steel-making, they also supplied water for drinking and for the canal transport system. The methods used to attack the dams had been carefully worked out. Calculations indicated that repeated air strikes with large bombs could be effective, but required a degree of accuracy which Bomber Command had been unable to attain in the face of enemy defenses.

The mission grew out of a concept for a bomb designed by Barnes Wallis, assistant chief designer at Vickers. A fairly small explosive charge would suffice, if it exploded directly against the dam wall below the surface of the water, but the major German dams were protected by heavy torpedo nets to prevent just such an approach. Wallis aimed to overcome this obstacle. A drum-shaped bomb - essentially a specially designed, heavy depth charge - spinning backwards at over 500 rpm, and dropped at a sufficiently low altitude at the correct speed and release point, would skip for a significant distance over the surface of the water in a series of bounces before reaching the dam wall. Its residual spin would run the bomb down the side of the dam toward its underwater base. Using a hydrostatic fuse, an accurate drop would bypass the dam's defenses and then enable the bomb to explode against the dam some distance below the surface.

Trials proved that a bomb of sufficient size could be carried by an Avro Lancaster rather than waiting for a larger bomber such as the Windsor to be built. Wallis faced opposition from Vickers, which though his work on this project was diverting him from work on the Windsor, and from Air Marshal Harris, influenced by them. Wallis, however, managed to gain the support of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Charles Portal. Overriding Harris, Portal ordered on February 26, 1943 that 30 Lancasters were to be allocated to the mission and the target date set for May, when water levels would be at their highest and breaches would cause the most damage. With 8 weeks to go, the larger bomb, code-named 'Upkeep', that was needed for the mission, and the modifications to the Lancasters had yet to be designed.

The targets selected were the 2 key dams upstream from the Ruhr, the Möhne Dam and the Sorpe Dam, with the Eder Dam as a secondary target. While the loss of hydroelectric power was important, the loss of water supply to industry, cities, and canals would have greater effect. Also, there was the potential for devastating flooding if the dams broke.

The operation was given to 5 Group, which formed a new squadron to undertake the mission. It was initially called Squadron X, as the speed of its formation outstripped the RAF process for naming squadrons. Led by 24-year-old Wing Commander Guy Gibson, a veteran of more than 170 missions, 21 crews were selected from existing squadrons. These included personnel of several nationalities, as well as members of the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal New Zealand Air Force, who were frequently attached to RAF squadrons under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

The aircraft Gibson's men flew were Lancaster Mk IIIs, with modified bomb bays, added special altimeters, and lightened by the removal of some armor plating. The attack, code named Operation Chastise, was organized into 3 groups. Formation 1 was to attack Möhne Dam, and if there were unused bombs, was to perform an attack on Eder Dam. Formation 2 was to attack Sorpe Dam. Formation 3 was a reserve group that would take off 2 hours after the first 2, and remain in the air to receive further instructions, possibly making a 2nd run on one of the primary targets that Formation 1 or 2 might fail to destroy, or it might be ordered to attack the smaller dams at Schwelm, Ennepe and Diemel. The "Upkeep" bombs were delivered to the squadron on May 13, and the operation was launched at 2110 on May 16. The first group of bombers took off at 2139 hours.

The 9 bombers of Formation 1 entered continental Europe between Walcheren and Schouwen, then skirted major German defenses before heading south toward Möhne Dam. One bomber was lost near Roosendaal in southern Netherlands after clipping power lines as a result of flying too low. The 5 bombers of Formation 2 entered continental Europe near Vlieland in northern Netherlands. They suffered early setbacks. One aircraft was damaged by flak soon after entering the Netherlands and forced to turn back, and another returned after losing its bouncing bomb. Another was shot down near the island of Texel. The 2 surviving aircraft met with Formation 1 and flew in concert for a distance to approach Möhne Dam, then breaking off for Sorpe Dam. The 4 bombers of Formation 3 took off 2 hours after Formation 2 launched, as scheduled.

Formation 1 reached Möhne Dam, which was breached with the loss of 1 bomber, destroyed by the blast of its own bomb. The group then headed for Eder Dam, while the bombers that had already expended their loads made for Britain. Despite another bomber lost to bomb blast, this dam, too, was breached. Only one bomber of Formation 2 reached Sorpe Dam, but failed to breach it. 3 bombers of Formation 3 then attacked, scoring a hit before dense fog forced the attackers to break off and return to base. Two bombers of Formation 3 were sent to attack the smaller dams; one was shot down. One scored a hit, but failed to breach the dam.
It was later concluded that this plane probably attacked Bever Dam by mistake instead of the intended target of Ennepe Dam. On the return home, one bomber was hit by AA fire and crashed in the North Sea.

In all, 53 of the 133 air crew on this mission were killed and 3 were captured. The survivors were later highly decorated, including Gibson, who received the Victoria Cross. They were kept together as an elite bomber unit later named 617 Squadron with the nickname "Dambusters".

At 0730 on May 18, a Spitfire flew across the region and photographed the extent of the damage. The breach of Möhne and Eder Dams flooded the Ruhr region with over 300,000,000 tons of water. The breaches allowed RAF command to claim Operation Chastise as a victory. Statistics showed that the attacks successfully reduced water production capacity of the region to a quarter of its pre-attack levels, which had immediate consequences for nearby industries. However, the flooding also led to the death of 1294 people (and another 47 below the Eder), 749 of whom were Ukrainian prisoners of war and most of the rest civilians. The floods washed away about 25 roads, railways and bridges as the flood waters spread for around 50 miles from the source. The greatest impact on the Ruhr was the loss of hydroelectric power. 2 power stations were destroyed and 7 others were damaged. This resulted in a loss of electrical power in the factories and many households in the region for 2 weeks. May coal production dropped by 400,000 tons which German sources attribute to the effects of the raid.

After the operation Barnes Wallis wrote, "I feel a blow has been struck at Germany from which she cannot recover for several years", but on closer inspection, Operation Chastise did not have the effect believed at the time. By June 27, full water output was restored, thanks to an emergency pumping scheme inaugurated the previous year, and the electricity grid was again producing power at full capacity. The raid proved to no more than a minor inconvenience to the Ruhr's industrial output. The value of the bombing can perhaps at best be seen as a boost to British morale.

In his book Inside the Third Reich, Albert Speer acknowledged the attempt: "That night, employing just a few bombers, the British came close to a success which would have been greater than anything they had achieved hitherto with a commitment of thousands of bombers." He also expressed puzzlement: the disruption of temporarily having to shift 7000 construction workers to the Möhne and Eder repairs was offset by the failure of the Allies to follow up with conventional raids during the dams' reconstruction, and that represented a major lost opportunity. Barnes Wallis also revealed deep frustration that Bomber Command never sent a high-level force to hit the Mohne dam while repairs were being carried out. The effect on food production was more significant, with many square miles of arable land being washed away and effectively unusable until the 1950s. There was also a great loss of farm animals bred for food.

The Dams Raid was, like many British air raids, undertaken with a view to the need to keep drawing German defensive effort back into Germany and away from actual and potential theatres of ground war. The considerable amount of labor and strategic resources committed to repairing the dams, factories, mines and railways could not be used in other ways, on the construction of the Atlantic Wall, for example. The pictures of the broken dams proved to be a propaganda and morale boost to the Allies, especially to the British.

[rupertramjet]

Being Cornish we are so proud of our local hero, we gave him two memorials!

[rupertramjet]

Originally Posted by Ennath

Germanicus number 1 was Drusus. Germanicus number 2 was his eldest son, also a successful general, who died under mysterious circumstances in the reign of Tiberius (AD19). His eldest son, Germanicus number 3, was better known by his nickname - Caligula (Little Boot), given him as a child by his father's soldiers.

Let us not forget the great Nero, who like all his other over the top actions had the full name of: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus

[Mal Hombre]

Or The Emperor Tiberius Claudius Nero,Known to His drinking buddies as "Biberius Caldius Mero" Drinker of strong wine with no water added"

[Ennath]

May 18, 1850
Cardenas Expedition

Cubans had long sought American help, some in gaining freedom from Spain, some seeking annexation by the United States. There were 2 main groups of annexationists. First were the wealthy planters who wished to preserve slavery and were aligned with southern Democrats. Second were the Liberals, opposed to slavery, who hoped for incorporation as a free state. Gen. Narciso Lopez, President of the Spanish Permanent Executive Committee on the island, was an important leader of this second group.

By 1850, Cuba’s wealth was founded on sugar, which was in turn based on slavery. Those wealthy planters who feared that Lopez might free the slaves during an attempt to join Cuba with the USA rallied around the Havana Club, which lobbied Pres. James Polk for annexation. They sent an agent to Mexico to negotiate with Gen. William Worth for his service and those of 5000 veterans of the Mexican-American War. However, their envoy died in May 1849. Polk then ordered the War Department to prevent Worth sailing for Cuba. Secretary of State James Buchanan betrayed the plans to the Spanish minister in Washington to prove to Spain that the US had no desire to secure the island through devious means. The Polk administration was still hoping for a purchase of Cuba. Democrats, in general, supported annexation, while Whigs were opposed.

In late 1848, Lopez made his first attempt at a rising. Some 1300 filibusters were recruited in New York and sailed to the Mississippi delta, but was stopped by the US Navy. The fiasco caused a break between Lopez and the conservatives, who now withheld their resources.

Lopez now tried a scheme to send recruits as unarmed emigrants to California, via Panama. These would land on an uninhabited Mexican island, where they would be armed and trained. Veteran officers of the Mexican war raised “regiments”, each soldier of which would receive, at the conclusion of the campaign or 1 year, whichever came first, a $4000 bounty or its equivalent in lands in Cuba. Only 5 of the filibusters were Cuban; the rest were North Americans. Three ships were obtained, the sail-powered Georgiana and Susan Loud, and the steamer Creole.

In late April and early May 1850, the 3 ships sailed independently to the Mexican island of Contoy, off the Yucatan coast, carrying Lopez and about 1000 filibusters disguised as emigrants. They were organized and proceeded to Cuba in the Creole. Narrowly missing the overloaded steamer, the Spanish paddle frigate Pizarro (6) and sailing brig Habanero (20) captured the 2 sailing ships as they were returning to New Orleans with some 50 men who had changed their minds.

Lopez planned to land at Cardenas, 85 miles east of Havana, at night and take the town by surprise. He would then move on Matanzas, 30 miles to the west. He would then take 100 men to within 9 miles of Havana to destroy a key bridge. All this time, Cubans would be recruited to fill out his 3 skeleton “regiments”. Within a few days, Lopez hoped to lead 30,000 men against Havana.

Lopez landed at Cardenas on the evening of May 18. In the early hours of the 19th, Col. John Pickett (who had a $25,000 price on his head placed at that time by the Spanish Captain-General) lead 25 men and seized the railway station linking Cardenas with Matanzas. The town’s garrison made a fight of it for 3 hours until charged, whereupon they retreated. With the town secured, Lopez called on the townspeople to join in driving out the Spanish; not a single Cuban volunteered. Spanish troops could be seen gathering on the outskirts of town and Lopez determined that the situation was hopeless. His men repulsed a Spanish attack as they reboarded the Creole. At 9 PM, they steamed out of the harbor, only to ground in Cardenas Bay and be stranded helplessly for 5 hours. Finally, they refloated by throwing some of their arms overboard and made their escape.

Lopez hoped to attempt another landing, this time west of Havana, but the men were opposed. Reluctantly, Lopez sailed for Key West on May 20 with the Pizarro in hot pursuit. The citizens at Key West helped the filibusters from their ship and the captain of Pizarro had to be content with the seizure of the Creole. The filibusters had lost 14 dead and 30 wounded during the fighting in Cuba.

Lopez surrendered to the US Attorney in Savannah, appreciating where Southern sympathies lay; he was released on the grounds that insufficient proof existed of a conspiracy to violate US neutrality laws. Lopez gained much free publicity from these court proceedings.

Lopez would try again in 1851, but again received no local support. He was captured on August 31 and executed the following day. Just prior to execution, Lopez shouted, “My death will not change the destiny of Cuba!” His inability to rally a Cuban following suggests that annexation to the United States was not as popular among the common folk as he and a small number of criollos believed.

[Ennath]

May 19, 1168
Siege of Arkona

From about the 9th century the Slavic Rani settled on Rügen; they probably built the sanctuary at Jaromarsburg at this time and then erected the castle and fortifications in several stages. In the 11th century the rampart was raised further using soil from the inner area of the castle. The Rani dominated Rügen for some time and the temple increased in importance as a religious centre for the Slavs in the southern Baltic following the destruction of Rethra in 1068. The temple served as oracle site and received offerings from other peoples, not just the Slavs.

As the Obodrite state, another Slavic confederation, expanded in the late 11th century, the Rani were also pressed and in 1093 had to pay tribute to Obodrite prince Henry. They launched a naval expedition in 1100, in the course of which they besieged Liubice (modern Lübeck), the major Obodrite stronghold. This attack was, however, repulsed. In 1123, the Rani struck again and killed Henry's son Waldemar. When in 1124 an Obodrite army led by Henry reached the Rani territory, the priests were forced to negotiate a peace. Henry's army devastated the coastal settlements, and the terms of the subsequent agreement were that the island would only be spared in return for an immense sum which had to be collected from the continental Slavs further east. Regrouping after Henry's death (1127), the Rani again assaulted and this time destroyed Liubice in 1128. At this time they seem to have been devoted pagans, with their priests holding theocratic powers.

In 1136, a Danish army under King Eric the Memorable captured the temple fortress. The defeated Rani pledged the adoption of Christianity, but reneged on their agreement after the Danes left. A force of Rani attacked the Danish fleet during the 1147 Wendish Crusade (see posting). Saxon armies repeatedly managed to raid Rügen.

In 1157, a storm destroyed a Slavic fleet off the Norwegian coast. The Danish king, Waldemar I, made use of this weakness to mount an offensive against Rügen. After a series of attacks, ambushes and partial victories, he landed at Arkona with his fleet on May 19, 1168, accompanied by his army commander and close friend, Bishop Absalon. On June 15, 1168 the temple fortress was taken after 4 weeks of siege, when the attackers succeeded in starting a fire at an unobserved point, which the defenders of the castle could not put out due to a shortage of water. The temple was then destroyed, its idols chopped up and burned.

After the fall of the temple the princes of the Rügen Slavs submitted to the Danish king. King Waldemar got his hands on a treasure, but in 1171, he had to share this with his ally, Henry the Lion of Saxony. The extensive estates of the temple were given to the Church. In 1169 Rügen came under the suzerainty of the bishops of Lund, who oversaw the spread of Christianity. Numerous chapels were built on former cult and burial places. In the area of the former sanctuary, the first Christian church was built on Rügen. The former Rani realm became the Danish Principality of Rugia.

[Ennath]

599
Battles of Viminacium

In summer 599, the Byzantine Emperor Maurice sent his generals Priscus and Comentiolus to the Danube front against the Avars. These were a nomad people who had built up a substantial empire in eastern Europe and had been raiding Byzantine territory. The generals joined their forces at Singidunum (Belgrade) and advanced together down the river to Viminacium (near the modern Serbian town of Kostolac). The Avar khagan Bayan I, meanwhile, crossed the Danube at Viminacium and invaded Moesia Prima, while he entrusted a large force to 4 of his sons, who were directed to guard the river and prevent the Byzantines from crossing over to the left bank. In spite of the presence of the Avar army, however, the Byzantines crossed on rafts and pitched a camp on the left side, while the 2 commanders sojourned in the town of Viminacium, which stood on an island in the river. Here Comentiolus is said to have fallen ill or to have mutilated himself so as to be incapable of further action, but Priscus assumed command over both armies.

Unwilling at first to leave the city without Comentiolus, Priscus was soon forced to appear in the camp, as the Avars were harassing it in the absence of the generals. A battle was fought which cost the Byzantines only 300 men, while the Avars lost 4000 dead. This engagement was followed by 2 other great battles in the next 10 days, in which the strategy of Priscus and the tactics of the his army were brilliantly successful. These battles are said to have resulted in 24,000 Avar dead, of whom the greater part, including the khagan’s sons, perished in the waters of a lake, into which they were driven.

Priscus subsequently pursued the fleeing khagan and invaded the Avar homeland in Pannonia (Hungary), where he won another series of battles on the banks of the Tisza River, deciding the war for the Byzantines and ending, for a time, the Avar and Slavic incursions across the Danube.

[Ennath]

May 20, 1859
Battle of Montebello

At the start of the war with Austria, the Piedmontese were badly outnumbered, and had to hold out until their French allies could arrive in strength. The Austrians missed this chance for a quick victory, and by May 12, when Napoleon III arrived at Genoa, the French had arrived in strength. The Allied armies were based around Alessandria, from where they could threaten the left flank of any Austrian advance on Turin or could threaten the Austrian right and rear by advancing along the southern side of the Po.

After a brief thrust towards Turin, the Austrian commander, Franz Count Gyulai, decided to withdraw into the area between the Sesia and Ticinio Rivers. At first he moved into a line that ran from the northwest at Vercelli, through Mortara and on southeast to the Po, but in mid May, as the strength of the French army became more apparent, he moved again. VII Corps was posted at Vercelli on the Austrian right. II and III Corps were at Mortara, V Corps was between Mortara and Pavia and VIII Corps was at Pavia. The Austrian line now ran from west to east and faced south. General Urban's IX Corps also arrived in theater, and was posted at Piacenza, east of the main Austrian position.

The French didn’t make any significant moves for a week after Napoleon's arrival. After a week Baraguey d'Hilliers' I Corps was moved east along the south bank of the Po, first to Tortona and then to Voghera. While most of the corps stopped there General Elie Frédéric Forey's division pushed on to the east, heading for the village of Montebello with 6600 infantry. A force of Piedmontese cavalry was in support. At the same time the Austrians had decided to carry out a reconnaissance in force in the same area. Two brigades from Urban's corps and 3 from Philipp von Stadion's V Corps were involved, but this strong force was split into three columns and a reserve. Only Urban's column would be involved in most of the fighting.

The battle would be fought at the northern edge of the Apennine Mountains. Montebello and the nearby village of Genestrello were built on spurs that jutted out from the mountains into the flat plains of the Po, which ran away to the north. Urban's 2 brigades (6700 infantry, 225 cavalry and 12 guns) were moving west along the main road from Stradella to Casteggio, which ran along the edge of the plains. The other 2 columns were further to the north and northwest.

The Piedmontese cavalry played a major role in the Allied success. At around 11.30 AM, a squadron from the Novara Regiment spotted Urban's advance guard while it was still at Casteggio. Soon afterwards the Aosta regiment found the Austrian central column, under Gen. Paumgartten, about 4 miles to the north. The 3 cavalry regiments then managed to keep both Paumgartten and the Prinz von Hessen's right column away from the main fighting. Forey would only have to deal with Urban's brigades, and not all of those men would be engaged.

The Austrians reached Montebello at around 1.30 and decided to advance another mile to Genestrello before stopping for the day (not the most ambitious of schedules). Forey had already placed his outposts in Genestrello, so when the Austrians advanced they came under fire. A fierce battle broke out around Genestrello at about 2.30 as both sides rushed in reinforcements. Forey eventually got 5 battalions to a defendable farm house at Cascina Nouva on his left and 6 to Genestrello. Urban got 2/3 of his men into the fight, but was outnumbered on both flanks. The fight at Genestrello only lasted for half an hour, before the Austrians of Brigade Schaafshottsche were pushed back towards Montebello. This forced Brigade Baum to retreat from Cascina Nouva. Schaafschottsche, with some help from Gaal's brigade from the central column, threw up some defenses in Montebello, and prepared to defend the village.

Forey brought up 10 battalions for the attack on Montebello. This time the French were outnumbered, but they were more determined. The attack began between 4 and 5 PM. The Austrians were forced back until their last foothold was in the graveyard at the northern end of the village, and by 6.30 they were forced to abandon that last position. The Austrians continued to retreat, convinced that the rest of I Corps must be close behind Forey's division. Forey was actually fighting on his own, and was thus in no position to give chase.

The Austrians suffered much heavier casualties than the Allies at Montebello, losing 331 dead, 785 wounded and 307 missing. The French lost 105 dead, 549 wounded and 69 missing. As would happen repeatedly during the rest of the war, the Austrians had thrown away their numerical superiority by splitting their army into too many detachments.

The battle of Montebello met with mixed reactions on both sides. The Austrians were worried that it signaled the start of the general Allied advance south of the Po. Gyulai reacted by moving some of his troops further south. However they were pleased with the actual results of the fighting, believing that they had faced the entire I Corps and not just one division.

The Allies were pleased with the victory, especially as they exaggerated the number of Austrians involved and believed that they had defeated some 30,000 men, twice the true numbers. On the other hand, they had believed that Gyulai would be fairly passive, and the fighting at Montebello proved that this might not be the case. The French paused for a week while they decided what to do next. Eventually Napoleon decided to move to the northwest to attack the weakened Austrian right. This move led to the first major battles of the war, at Palestro (May 30, see posting) and Magenta (June 4, see posting), which forced the Austrians to retreat east.

[Ennath]

May 21, 1982
Battle of San Carlos

After the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands the UK initiated Operation Corporate sending a Task Force to retake the islands. Under the codename Operation Sutton the British forces planned amphibious landings around San Carlos, on an inlet located off Falkland Sound, the strait between East and West Falkland. The location was chosen as the landing force would be protected by the terrain against missile and submarine attacks, and it was distant enough from Stanley to prevent a rapid reaction from Argentine land troops stationed there. Argentine officers had considered that the location was not a good choice for such an operation, and had left the area without major defenses.

The Argentine force on site was a section from the 25th Infantry Regiment named Combat team Güemes, located at Fanning Head. The British fleet entered San Carlos during the night and at 0250 on May 21 was spotted by Güemes which opened fire with 81mm mortars and 2 105mm recoilless rifles. They were soon engaged by British naval gunfire and a 25-man SBS team and forced to retreat, losing their communications equipment but shooting down 2 Gazelle helicopters with small-arms fire, killing 3 aircrew.

Operation Sutton was initiated and 4000 men of 3 Commando Brigade went ashore. 2 Para and 40 Commando landed at Blue Beach, 3 Para landed at Port San Carlos (Green Beach) and 45 Commando landed at Ajax Bay (Red Beach). 42 Commando aboard SS Canberra remained in reserve. Artillery, engineers, logistical units, equipment and ammunition followed the assault waves aboard landing craft and barges. SAM launchers were flown ashore by Sea King helicopters and quickly set up to protect the bridgehead from air attack and 3 Commando Brigade had secured their objectives in the high ground above San Carlos Water by dawn the next day with minimal opposition. Brigadier Julian Thompson began to plan for an assault on Darwin and Goose Green to the south and on Port Stanley to the east.

1st Lt Carlos Daniel Esteban from EC Güemes informed Goose Green garrison about the landings at 0822 (he was finally evacuated by helicopter on May 26). The Argentine high command at Stanley initially suggested that a landing operation was just a diversion. Finally, at 1000, an MB-339 jet based on the islands was dispatched to San Carlos on a reconnaissance flight.

Between May 21 and 25, the Royal Navy faced attacks by 10 Argentine aircraft based on the Falklands and 90 aircraft based on the mainland. The sinking of the cruiser ARA General Belgrano by a British submarine earlier in the month (see posting) prompted the aircraft carrier ARA 25 de Mayo to remain in port for the duration of the conflict. This meant that the bulk of the Argentine aircraft had to fly long distances and could only loiter over the islands for minutes before returning to base. This gave the British a tactical advantage as the Harriers aboard the HMS Invincible and HMS Hermes could scramble quickly to engage the Argentine aircraft in the dogfights in the skies over the Falkland Islands.

The Argentine fighter pilots were forced to fly at low level and fire their Exocet anti-ship missiles and release their high explosive bombs at the last moment - often before their fuses could arm. In doing so they made themselves vulnerable to a sheet of flak, being struck by their own bomb debris, striking their targets, splashing into the sea or smashing into the hills around San Carlos Water as they desperately pulled out of their attack runs. Aboard the British ships, the sailors and troops depended on men operating the Sea Cat system watching computer and radar screens to lock on to the Argentine ships and launch their missiles before it was too late. 22 Argentine planes were lost and 11 pilots were killed. However the British paid a heavy price in what became known as "Bomb Alley."

On May 21, the frigate HMS Ardent was struck by 2 bombs hitting its hanger area, destroying a helicopter and a Sea Cat launcher. A fire raged in the hanger area as the ship, now virtually defenseless, headed for Port Carlos. Another wave of Argentine planes now attacked; a number of bombs struck but failed to explode while others burst in the sea around the stricken ship, which began to burn out of control and list heavily. HMS Yarmouth came along side and men leaped from deck to deck. The ship burned until dawn the next day when she sank; 22 men perished. Bad weather over the Patagonia airfields on the 22nd prevented the Argentines from carrying out most of their air missions; only a few Skyhawks managed to reach the islands. The British completed their surface-to-air Rapier launcher deployments.

On May 23, HMS Antelope was struck by a bomb on the starboard side which did not explode but killed a crewman. Another Argentine plane released its bombs before crashing into the vessel's main mast killing the pilot. The second bomb also penetrated the ship and also failed to explode. Two EOD technicians worked tirelessly to make the bombs safe but on May 24 accidentally set off one of the bombs. The captain ordered his remaining crew to abandon ship. The fire raged all night as her magazine cooked off before she broke her back and sank.

On May 24, the Argentine pilots on the continent openly expressed their concern about the lack of collaboration between the 3 branches of the armed forces, and protested with passive resistance. Gen. Leopoldo Galtieri, acting president of Argentina, decided to visit Comodoro Rivadavia the next day, to try to convince them to keep fighting, but when he arrived in the morning the pilots had changed their minds and were already flying to the islands.

Two more ships were lost on the 25th. The destroyer HMS Coventry was the sister ship of HMS Sheffield which had been sunk on May 10 by an Argentine Exocet missile. Coventry was posted along with Broadsword northwest of Falkland Sound to draw air attacks away from the main fleet. Waves of Argentine attacks swooped on the pair of ships. A bomb skimmed off the surface of the sea and struck a helicopter on the deck of Broadsword. Coventry's missile systems failed to lock on to the low flying aircraft and her 20mm AA cannon jammed. Two bombs hit her on the port side and one exploded, rupturing her watertight bulkheads and compartments. She began to list and in 20 minutes had capsized and later sank taking 19 of her crew to the bottom. Broadsword rescued her remaining 170 crewmen.

The sinking of the MV Atlantic Conveyer, a container ship requisitioned by the Ministry of Defense, was almost fatal to entire British war effort. The ship and her Royal Navy and civilian crew was unarmed and defenseless against air attack. She carried a critically important cargo of helicopters, trucks, fuel, ammunition, tents and other important gear. She was struck by Exocet missiles, causing a raging inferno. 12 men were killed and others injured with severe burns. All the helicopters except for one Chinook which was airborne at the time were destroyed. The loss of these aircraft meant that the British forces on the islands would now have to march to battle on foot. Prince Andrew, second in line to the British throne, risked his life to rescue survivors from the burning ship using his Sea King helicopter.

During the fierce battle, the British task force suffered 1 destroyer and 2 frigates sunk, 8 ships damaged, 4 helicopters lost and 49 killed. 13 bombs had hit the British ships without detonating and by sheer luck the British had not lost more ships which would have forced them to abandon the expedition. Lord Craig, the retired Marshal of the Royal Air Force, is said to have remarked: "Six better fuses and we would have lost".

The actions had a profound impact on later naval practice. During the 1980s most warships from navies around the world were retrofitted with close-in weapon systems and guns for self-defense. First reports of the number of Argentine aircraft shot down by British missile systems were subsequently revised down.

The British public was horrified by scenes of burning ships on their TV screens and with ground forces ashore, the pressure was now on to win a victory against the Argentine garrison. On May 25, Brigadier Thompson was ordered to attack Goose Green to the south of San Carlos and the job fell to Lt-Col. "H" Jones of 2 Para who now faced an exhausting march into battle laden with equipment, weapons and ammo without their precious helicopters (see posting, Battle of Goose Green).