This is a list of the ground forces from Argentina that took part in the Falklands War (). For a list of ground forces from the United Kingdom, see Falklands War order of battle: British ground forces.
Operation Rosario (April 2)
Amphibious Task Group 40.1 - Rear Admiral of the Marines Carlos Büsser Amphibious Commandos Group, on board the destroyer Santisima Trinidad landed at Mullet Creek south of Stanley, in inflatable boats 84 men (†one) dubious, more likely 50, too many for a type 42 destroyer plus crew Lieutenant-Commander Sánchez Sabarots. Buzos Tácticos, on board the submarine ARA Santa Fe, swam ashore. 15 frogmen Lieutenant-Commander Alfredo R. Cufré. 2nd Marine Infantry Btn. (BIM 2), embarked on LST ARA Cabo San Antonio (Q42), they landed in 20 LVTP-7 amphibious, armoured, tracked and five LARC-V wheeled vehiclesMartin Middlebrook: Argentine Fight for the Falklands, 1989, Pen & Sword military classics, , chapt.: The First Steps to War, p. 19 and ARA Almirante Irízar (Q-5), inserted on Stanley airport by SH-3 Sea King helicopters 500 men A 25th Infantry Regiment Company (Argentine Army) airlifted by C-130
South Georgia (April 3)
1st Marine Infantry Btn. (BIM 1) (†two), embarked ARA Bahia Paraiso transport and ARA Guerrico corvette Lieutenant Guillermo J. Luna. 60 men Buzos Tácticos, on board the ship ARA Bahía Paraíso. 14 frogmen Commander Alfredo Astiz.
Theatre of Operations in the Falkland Islands (April 7 – June 14)
Guarnición Militar Malvinas Commander: Brigade General Mario Menéndez (governor). RI (Infantry Regiments) were about 800 men.
3rd (Jungle) Infantry Brigade Commander: Brigade General Omar Parada. Brigade home base: Mesopotamia 4th Regiment (RI 4) — Mount Harriet and Two Sisters (Stanley) (†23 and 121 wounded Informe Oficial del Ejército Argentino: Conflicto Malvinas; (Volume II, annex 64); Buenos Aires., 1983.) Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Diego Alejandro Soria. 12th Regiment (RI 12) — Goose Green and Darwin (East Falkland) (†35 and 72 wounded ) Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Italo A. Piaggi. West Falkland 5th Regiment (RI 5) — Port Howard (†8 and 67 wounded ) Commander: Colonel Juan Ramón Mabragaña 8th Regiment, 9th Infantry Brigade (RI 8) — Fox Bay (†5 and 51 wounded ) Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Ernesto Alejandro Repossi.
10th Mechanised Infantry Brigade Agrupación Puerto Argentino (Stanley Sector)Commander: Brigadier-General Oscar Luis Jofre. Brigade home base: Buenos Aires Province
3rd Regiment (RI 3) — Stanley - aborted urban warfare (†five and 85 wounded ) Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel David Ubaldo Comini. 6th Regiment (RI 6) — Stanley Common (†12 and 35 wounded ) Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Jorge Halperin. 7th Regiment (RI 7) — Mount Longdon and Wireless Ridge (Stanley) (†36 and 152 wounded ) Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Omar Giménez. 25th Infantry Regiment (Argentina) (RI 25), 9th Infantry Brigade (attach to 10th Brigade) — Stanley Airport, Goose Green and San Carlos (†13 and 67 wounded ) Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Mohamed Ali Seineldin. Panhard Armoured Cars Squadron (Esc Panhard/Destacamento de Exploración de Caballería Blindada 181), 9th Infantry Brigade (attached to 10th Infantry Brigade) - Moody Brook Commander: Major Alejandro David Carullo. 12×Panhard Armoured Car 90 mm. 10th Armoured Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (dismounted), 10th Infantry Brigade (attached to reserve) - Moody Brook (†six and 68 wounded ) Commander: Captain Rodrigo Alejandro Soloaga.
Artillery 3rd Artillery GroupGrupo= three batteries ≈ artillery regiment (GA 3), 3rd Infantry Brigade (†two and 21 wounded) Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Martín A. Balza 18 OTO Melara Mod 56 105 mm field guns (Stanley and Goose Green). 2 x CITER 155mm L33 Guns airlifted from May 15 (from the 101st Artillery Group) (Stanley). 4th Airborne Artillery Group (GA Aerot 4), 4th Airborne Brigade (†3 and 42 wounded) (Stanley). Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Carlos Alberto Quevedo 18 x 105 mm guns.
Miscellaneous Army Units I Corps 181st Military Police and Intelligence Coy (Stanley). Army Chief of Staff Troops 601st Engineer battalion (BI-601) (†one and 10 wounded ) (Fitz Roy bridge demolition) Commander: Major Jorge Luis Amaro Etienot. 9th Engineer company Commander: Major Oscar Minorini Lima. 10th Engineer company (†one and five wounded ) Commander: Major Carlos Roberto Matalon. 601 Commando CompanyMartin Middlebrook: "The Argentine fight for the Malvinas - The Argentine Forces in the Falklands War", Pen and Sword Books, 1989, , p. 62 "The Argentine army did not have Special Forces. In the early 70s, commandos were formed but subsequently disbanded because of the fear of the highly trained groups being used in a coup d’état. In 1975, they were reformed for the 'dirty' war and disbanded again after participating in security during the 1978 Football World Cup. The trained commandos were dispersed throughout the army. About 80 men were assembled in the 601st and 602nd Commando companies and send to the Falkland Islands. They were beefed up with SWAT-like teams from the Gendarmería Nacional – paramilitary frontier guards." Port Howard and Murrell River Commander: Major Mario Castagneto 602nd Commando Company Mount Kent and Murrell River(†five and seven wounded ) Commander: Major Aldo Rico. 601 Combat Aviation Battalion (Batallón de Aviación de Combate 601) See 601 Assault Helicopter Battalion
'Reserva Z' Reserva Z (Z Reserve) was established on 7 April 1982. Initially comprising Major Alejandro Carullo's 181st Armoured Cavalry Squadron, it was located on Stanley Racecourse with orders to reinforce Fox Bay or Goose Green if required via helicopters or ships."Agrupacion de Ejercito Malvinas Reserva Z Agrupacion de Ejercito Malvinas Reserva Z (Reserva Z) was established on 7 April 1982. Initially drawn from Esc Exp C Bl 181, it was located on the Racecourse with orders that it would be committed to Stanley, Fox Bay and Goose Green in that order. The lift would be Amphibious Force shipping or helicopters." Argentine Forces in the Falklands, Nick Van Der Bijl, Paul Hannon, Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012
181st Armoured Car Squadron (Stanley Racecourse). 10th Armoured Squadron (Moody Valley). 6th Regiment's 'Piribebuy' Company (The Saddle). Commander: First Lieutenant Raúl Daniel Abella. 3rd Regiment's 'Tacuari' Company Commander: Captain Rubén Oscar Zunino.
Marines 5th Marine Infantry Btn. (BIM 5) attached to Army — Mount Tumbledown, Mount William and Sapper Hill (Stanley) (†16 and 68 woundedHistoria Marítima Argentina, Volume 10, p. 137, Argentina. Departamento de Estudios Históricos Navales, Cuántica Editora, 1993) Commander: Capitan de Fragata (commander) Carlos Hugo Robacio. Heavy Machine-Gun Company; 27 x 12.7 mm MGs Commander: Teniente de Navio (Marine Captain) Sergio Alejandro Dachary. Stanley Common (†seven and 17 wounded Desde El Frente: Batallon de Infanteria de Marina No. 5, Carlos Hugo Robacio, Jorge Hernández, p. 380, Centro Naval, Instituto de Publicaciones Navales, 1996) Amphibious Engineer Company Stanley Common (†four) Commander: Capitan de Corbeta Luis Aristides Menghini 1st Marine Field Artillery Battalion's B Battery (Batería B/BlAC) Stanley Common (†two and two wounded) Commander: Teniente de Navio Mario Rubén Abadal 1,800 men Dog platoon Naval Base Puerto Belgrano Teniente de fragata Miguel A. Paz 18 dogs (†two), 22 men
Gendarmería (Border Guards) Escuadrón de Fuerzas Especiales 601 de Gendarmería Nacional The following Gendarmeria combat patrols in the form of the 601st National Gendarmerie Special Forces Squadron operated in the Falklands: Special Forces Combat Patrols: (†seven) 6 died and 11 injured in the Puma helicopter crash on 30 May Atucha Squad - Mount Kent (East Falkland). Bariloche Squad. Calafate Squad. Esquel Squad - Smoko Mount (East Falkland).
Air defences Army
601st Air Defence Artillery Group (GADA-601). (†six and 23 wounded ) 4 by Shrike 3rd June Commander: Lieutenant-Colonel Héctor L. Arias Cardion AN/TPS-44 long range radar Roland SAM system 4 x Tigercat SAM triple launchers 6 x Skyguard fire control radars, each controlling 2 Oerlikon GDF-002 35 mm twin cannons. (One Skyguard radar and two GDF-002 35 mm twin cannons deployed to BAM Cóndor/Goose Green.) 12 x GDF-002 35 mm twin cannons for the Argentine Army. 3 x GDF-002 35 mm twin cannons for the (FAA) Air Force. The FAA Oerlikon GDF-002 guns were sited on the Southwest side of Port Stanley Airport. 3 x Oerlikon 20 mm single barrel Anti-Aircraft Cannons. B Battery, 101st Anti-Aircraft group (GADA 101), I Corps.(†three and nine wounded ) Commander: Major Jorge Monge. 8 x Hispano Suiza 30 mm guns. 10 x 12.7 mm machine guns. Some Infantry units Blowpipe shoulder fired SAMs.
Air Force
Stanley Airfield defence group Goose Green Airfield defence group (BAM Cóndor) Special Operations Group: Westinghouse TPS-43F long range radar 3 x Oerlikon twin 35 mm guns Super Fledermaus fire control radar Elta short ranged radar at Goose Green 15 x Rheinmetall Rh-202 twin 20 mm anti-aircraft guns (9 deployed to defend Port Stanley Airbase, 6 deployed to defend Goose Green Airbase) A number of SA-7 man portable short ranged SAMs.
Navy 1st Marine Anti-Aircraft Battalion Stanley Common (†2). Commander: capitan de corbeta (Marine Major) Hector E. Silva . 3 x Tigercat SAM triple launchers 12 x Hispano HS-831 30 mm anti-aircraft guns
Infantry weapons
Personal Weapons Browning Hi-Power Ballester–Molina FM PA3-DM FMK-3 submachine gun L34A1 Sterling FM FAL 50.61 FM FAL 50.41 M16A1, "partially used" Support Weapons FM FAP FM MAG Browning M2HB 90mm M20 Bazooka FM 60 mm Mortar FM 81 mm Mortar FM 120 mm Mortar FM Model 1968/M-1974 105mm recoilless gun Blowpipe MANPADS (Man Portable Air-Defence System) Anti-personnel mines FMK1 (mine) No. 4 P4B SB33 Anti-tank mines C3B FMK3 M1 No. 6 SB81
Casualties Argentine Army: 194 (16 officers, 35 NCOs and 143 conscripts) killed and 1,308 wounded1.657 heridos 1.308 del Ejército 303 de la Armada 46 de la Fuerza Aérea. Historia Marítima Argentina, p. 137, Argentina. Departamento de Estudios Históricos Navales Cuántica Editora, 1993 list Argentine Army casualties Argentine Navy : 34 Marines killed (one officer, three NCOs and 30 conscripts) and 105 wounded Gendarmería Nacional Argentina: seven commandos (two officers, four NCOs and one gendarme) killed and 12 wounded or injured.
Military appraisal In the immediate post-war years, British military historians like Max Hastings and Simon Jenkins in their book Battle for the Falklands (Norton & Co., 1983) criticized the Argentine Army and supporting Marine Corps for having failed to defend Mount Kent in the Falklands, counter the British night-fighting patrols, or harass or counter-attack against positions that had been captured by the Royal Marines or British Paratroopers, and contended that Brigadier-General Mario Menéndez may have lacked confidence in the ability of Argentine conscript soldiers to do these things, as well as suggesting that Menéndez was shocked by the fact that the British were determined to recapture the islands and he never recovered from this. They do argue that Menéndez's general deployment of his forces was sound.