5th Marine Infantry Battalion
The 5th Marine Infantry Battalion, reinforced by 200 Argentine Army soldiers, became the stuff of heroic legend through its extraordinary performance in the 1982 war. The unit was trained, moulded and prepared for battle by its commanding officer, then Commander Carlos H. Robacio.
In the Malvinas, Robacio led his men in battle with such determination that he astonished the enemy. M. Hastings, for example, writes in The Battle for the Falklands: ‘The Scots Guards (an elite unit) could hear the Argentines shouting and even singing as they fought. They were the finest troops… Argentina’s 5th Marine Infantry Battalion.’
The Sunday Times stated: ‘The Argentines neither surrendered nor withdrew on Mount Tumbledown, where the Scots Guards faced the fiercest action of all. There they encountered a battalion of highly skilled, well-entrenched Argentine Marines, who maintained an unrelenting and formidable volume of fire.’
Robacio and his 5th Marine Infantry Battalion did not obey the order to surrender on 14 June 1982. They continued fighting fiercely until their ammunition ran out, then fought hand to hand with edged weapons. They entered Puerto Argentino in perfect formation, at the shoulder arms and marching at parade pace. Astonished by such courage, the British formed ranks to salute them and receive them with military honours.
Carlos Hugo Robacio
- Medal for Valour in Combat
- The Honourable Congress of the Argentine Nation to the Combatants
- Argentine Army: Order of Distinguished Service and Order of Military Merit, in the grade of Commander
- Republic of Peru: Peruvian Cross of Naval Merit and Legion of Merit, in the grade of Commander
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