Our First Hero
At 4:40 AM on May 1st, the British began a bombing raid on the runway at Puerto Argentino. The days of preparation were over, and we were at the beginning of a battle. The crews were taking off in search of their baptism of fire, and at the same time, that of the Argentine Air Force.
Narrated by: The Author (A-4B Skyhawk Pilot)
The moment had arrived. May 1st, in the morning. Following the attack on the South Georgia Islands days earlier, the British fleet had launched its attack on Puerto Argentino. We had to counterattack. The first to take off was Captain Hugo Ángel del Valle Palaver, with his A-4B Skyhawk squadron, "Sky Hawk." The squadron also included Lieutenant Gálvez, Section Leader, First Lieutenant Luciano Guadagnini, and Ensign Gómez, who were about to engage the enemy for the first time. Their call sign for that mission was "Mole" (during the war, they change it daily so that if the enemy shoots one down, they won't know who it was, since in peacetime a permanent call sign is used). A section of Mirage IIIs, composed of Captain Gustavo Argentino García Cuerva and the First Lieutenant Perona, call sign "Dardo" for that mission. They began the first crossing of that immense, wild, and solitary sea, propelled by their single engine.
Near the islands, the Squadron Leader made contact with the radar at Puerto Argentino, and it began guiding them toward a target, giving them the heading to set toward it. The inexperience of both our ground crew and aircrew was considerable, due both to the Theater of Operations in which we had to fight and to the fact that it was the first time our Air Force had entered combat. This was quickly overcome by the enormous professionalism of its men and some painful experiences.
1- Contact: Speaking by radio.
2- Target: A material objective or part of it, against which offensive action is carried out.
"Your target is 30 miles away at level 200!" said the radar operator.
Suddenly, Captain Hugo del Valle Palaver realized that a terrible mistake was being made; that he They were being sent to intercept a squadron of British Harrier jets, when their mission and armament were intended to attack ships that were bombarding the eastern islands at that moment.
The Mirage section covering them had already informed the control tower that they were beginning their return to the mainland due to low fuel.
The A-4B commander decided to act quickly to prevent his men from being shot down by enemy missiles; but they also had to protect their auxiliary fuel tanks, pumps, and bombs, because, being a “David versus Goliath” situation, they had to prepare themselves, in their humility, to maintain a long confrontation with the maximum of their operational capacity, so he did not jettison his external stores.
He began a rapid descent, seeking speed and low-level flight to avoid being detected by the radar of any British frigate, which would give their position to those pursuing them. Meanwhile, the Mirage section commander carried out the first heroic action of the Argentine Air Force in this war and On the first mission of the same, he demonstrated the immensity of his heart. Despite having minimal fuel, and knowing that he might not have enough to return to the mainland, upon hearing what was happening over the radio, he returned to the Islands, risking the lives of both himself and his wingman. By placing himself between the A-4Bs and the Harriers, his aggressive stance managed to rout the enemy, whom he encountered in the air.
Then they returned—the section and the squadron—to their home base on the mainland, landing the Mirage IIIs, as we say in aviation jargon, "without juice," that is, almost out of fuel.
The first page of our Air Force's history in this war had just been written, and we could already say with pride: those are some of our own! We were waiting for them on the ground to give them a hug.
I remember that "Paco" told us that if he had any problems with his Mirage, he would attempt to land on the Puerto runway. Argentinian, since it was a shame to lose a plane that had cost the country so much, especially with a runway suitable for emergencies. This would later cost him his life on another mission that same day.