Falklands War: Pebble Island Raid information needed

[robh]

I am putting together a scenario to game the Pebble Island raid (10mm figures as close as 1:1 as I can get) and am struggling to find information on what was actually at the "Airfield". Various British and Argentine sources can be hunted out on the web but apart from saying "...shelters.." there are no details of what passed as accommodation for the garrison.

I know a lot of Argentine troops and support personnel were billeted on the 25 person settlement but as the initial deployment to Calderon/Pebble Island was 150 men (but only 30 troops) the others must have been living somewhere. The planned garrison was to rise to 400 in total so there must have been some expectation of accommodation being available.

Also along with the Fuel and Ordnance storage the Argentine records detail a "Radar Installation" as being destroyed by the naval gunfire during the raid, unless anyone knows differently I am assuming this was a ManPac type affair, presumably in a sandbag position.

[Bluewillow]

I will look through my falklands stuff for you

Cheers
Matt

[robh]

Thanks Matt, any details appreciated.

[Bluewillow]

Have a read here Rob

It seems the engineers and marines were billeted in the sharing shed and houses, a rapid deployment force was in the school at Stanley also.

https://books.google.fr/books?id=g2HND ... dir_esc=y

Cheers
Matt

[robh]

That is a useful book, more detail than the Osprey Raid series one. Thanks for the link.
Some convoluted Image searches on the "Fire Trailer Hut" mentioned in there led me to this:



On Bleaker rather than Pebble, but as close as needs be for a game table. I assumed the Argentines built the hut and fence for the Fuel store but finding a decent image of the the sort of thing they adapted for the guard hut is helpful.

Also that book gives a larger on-site garrison size than the 30 men I had seen mentioned elsewhere which gives more options for a game.

[Bluewillow]

I think the book would be a worthy purchase. Yes the garrison does seem bigger, particularly if you add the engineers.

Dougie Robinson has a nice shearing shed model on his blog, not sure if it is the goose green one though.

Cheers
Matt

[Matias]

Hi, not sure I understand what you are looking for.

In this website you will find a sketch of the area, "Alojamiento personal apostado" means "posted personnel accommodation".
https://ciudad24.com.ar/contenido/2984/ ... -y-superar

Here is a video (in spanish) of a youtuber taking a tour through the island and the settlement. Might be useful?
He arrives at the island around 7.50.


EDIT: According to some Argentine sources, there was no radar at the island, they say it was British Propaganda to boast the raid.
Here on page 140 is a nice aerial view of the Airstrip.
http://www.radarmalvinas.com.ar/informe ... l%20ct.pdf

[panzerfaust200]

Is second checking out Dougie’s blog - his buildings for the Falklands were mainly Hornby iirc?

[robh]

Hi, not sure I understand what you are looking for.

Thanks Matias, those are helpful, I have seen the sketch of the airfield before but not the photo.
The pdf is fascinating, I love the Argentinian description of the Pebble Islanders ("Kelpers")...my less than perfect translation for english speakers:

"..... in general they seem like characters out of a Dickens book. We pretended to treat them as Argentinians but they simply considered themselves English, having deep-rooted English cultural ways. They would do nothing but act as our enemies.
Their education is rather elementary. At the age of 12 all the children start working; so only the youngest ones go to class, all together, without age separation. The teachers travel from Port Stanley, generally in Beaver* floatplane, which is the usual means of transportation and communication between the settlements and Port Stanley.
On the occasional chimney, the pennant of Manchester United Football Club stood out. The walls are papered with posters of the Queen, Lady Di or the Great Parade**. They heat the houses by burning peat, so everything is impregnated with a pungent smell of bear. It is like being back in feudal times. Generally they marry among very close relatives and at a very young age. Our arrival was a real emotional shock for them......

* DeHavilland C-2
** Literal translation as I am not sure what this references
"

[robh]

Is second checking out Dougie’s blog - his buildings for the Falklands were mainly Hornby iirc?

Yes, I have Dougie's blog in my references, whatever I do produce will be a pale imitation of his work

[Matias]

The "Gran parada" you are talking about I think literally means "Great Stopping", and might refer to some kind of poster of Gordon Banks save against Pelé in Mexico 70'.