Entrevista N° 401: Vicealmirante IM (R) VGM Miguel Máscolo - Batallón Artillería de Campaña 1 (BIAC)

This time, I'm interviewing Vice Admiral (Ret.) Miguel Ángel Máscolo, a veteran of the Falklands War, from the Marine Corps. In 1982, at the age of 22, he was a Midshipman and served as Forward Observer for Battery BRAVO and later as Battery Officer of the 1st Field Artillery Battalion (BIAC), based at Puerto Belgrano Naval Base, Buenos Aires. Miguel will tell us about his experiences and how they arrived on the islands on April 19th. The battery, with its six 105mm Oto Melara howitzers, was positioned on Felton Stream, near Pony Pass, covering the positions of the 5th Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 5) on Mount Tumbledown. Between June 11th and 14th, the gunners fired 680 rounds. In total, they fired more than 1,300 rounds during the entire campaign. Two conscripts from the Class of '62, Justo Silverio Falcón and Oscar Edgardo Mansilla, fell in combat. The artillery pieces also suffered: two were rendered inoperable due to intensive use, two were hit by enemy fire, and the remaining two fought until they ran out of ammunition. At 0900 hours on June 14, Battery Bravo withdrew to Sapper Hill. There they held out on the last defensive line of the 5th Marine Infantry Battalion (BIM 5). At 1400 hours, a ceasefire was ordered. Midshipman Miguel Ángel Máscolo was awarded the "Argentine Nation Medal for Valor in Combat." I hope you enjoy it!