Sapper Hill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sapper Hill
Gaucho stone corral at Sapper Hill, (120 m in diameter, 3 m high); dated 1840s
Highest point
Geography
Sapper Hill Location in Falkland Islands

Sapper Hill is a hill on East Falkland island. It is about 453 feet (138 meters) tall. Sapper Hill is located just south of Stanley, which is the capital city of the Falkland Islands. The hill got its name from a group of soldiers called "sappers." These sappers used to stay at the nearby Moody Brook barracks.

Sapper Hill and the Falklands War

Sapper Hill, along with Mount Tumbledown and Mount William, is located west of Stanley. Because these hills are so close to the capital, they were very important during the 1982 Falklands War.

Who defended Sapper Hill?

During the war, Argentine forces held these hills. The main group defending them was the 5th Naval Infantry Battalion (BIM 5). This was a strong group of marines trained for cold weather. They also had extra support. This included anti-aircraft guns, heavy machine guns, and even a dog team. The dog team had five dogs: Ñaro, Nego, Vogel, Warner, and Xuavia.

Most of the 5th Marine Battalion was positioned on Mounts Tumbledown and William.

Attacks on the hills

British forces attacked the Argentine positions in May and June. They used naval gunfire from ships and air attacks from Royal Air Force Harrier jets. On May 1, one Argentine soldier was killed during a naval attack.

The Battle for Sapper Hill

The British plan to take Mount Tumbledown also involved Sapper Hill. The 1st Battalion of the 7th Gurkha Rifles was tasked with capturing a smaller hill called Mount William. After that, Royal Marines and Welsh Guards would move through to take Sapper Hill. Sapper Hill was the last obstacle before reaching Stanley.

British ships, like HMS Active, helped by firing their guns. During the first attack, Royal Marines from 40 Commando were brought in by helicopter. They immediately attacked using machine guns and anti-tank rockets.

After the battle

After the main fighting on Mount Tumbledown, the Argentine marines started to retreat towards Stanley. A small group from M Company stayed behind to cover their friends. Three Argentine marines were killed in a fight with British Royal Marines during this retreat.

As the Argentine companies pulled back, they were targeted by a special bomb. This bomb was guided by a laser and dropped by a British pilot. Two of the Argentine marine dogs, Negro and Ñaro, were sadly killed in this attack.

Argentine armored cars were moved to the edge of Stanley. They were there to protect the retreating troops. When the Welsh Guards advanced to Sapper Hill, they found it empty. The Argentine forces had left.

A soldier named Tracy Evans from the Welsh Guards wrote in his diary: "The Argies had prepared Sapper Hill well. They had many defense spots that would have made taking it very hard."

Clearing Landmines from Sapper Hill

Almost 30 years after the Falklands War, a project began to clear the landmines. Argentine troops had left about 19,000 landmines in the area. A company called BACTEC International Ltd. was hired to clear four sites. These sites included Fox Bay, Goose Green, Surf Bay, and Sapper Hill.

On December 11, 2009, work started to remove mines from Sapper Hill. They also cleared a nearby battle area. Sapper Hill was officially declared clear of mines on March 25, 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Sapper Hill para niños