Operation Sutton
Date 21–23 May 1982 Location San Carlos Water,Falkland Islands Result British victory
Belligerents
United Kingdom	Argentina
Commanders and leaders
Sandy Woodward Julian Thompson Michael Clapp	Ernesto Horacio Crespo Lt. Esteban
Strength
2 destroyers 6 frigates Amphibious Task Force Sea Harrier CAPs	50–60 fighters 62 ground troops
Casualties and losses
3 killed 1 captured 2 helicopters 1RAF Harrier GR3	6 killed 8 captured

Operation Sutton was the code name for the British landings on the shores ofSan Carlos Water, atAjax Bay andPort San Carlos, nearSan Carlos onEast Falkland.

During the night,3 Commando Brigade along with attached units of theParachute Regiment were landed from the linerSS Canberra and theLPDHMS Fearless. There was very limited enemy resistance on the ground.

TheArgentine Army force on site was a section from the25th Infantry Regiment named Combat Team Güemes (Spanish:Equipo de Combate Güemes), or ECGüemes, located at Fanning Head.^[1] After the British fleet was spotted at 02:50, ECGüemes opened fire with81mm mortars and two105mm recoilless rifles. The British warships replied with naval gunfire, and a 25-manSBS team also returned fire. During the firefight, two British helicopters, aSea King and aGazelle, passed overhead, and the Argentine troops fired at them with machine guns. The Gazelle's pilot,Sergeant Andrew Evans - RM, was hit and fatally injured, but he managed to crash-land the aircraft into the sea. Evans and the other crewman, Sergeant Edward Candlish, were thrown out of the aircraft. Argentine troops shot at them for about 15 minutes as they struggled in the water, ignoring orders from their commanding officer to ceasefire. When the firing ceased, Candlish managed to drag Evans to shore, where he died. Minutes later, a second British Gazelle helicopter, following the same route as the first, was hit bysmall arms fire from the Argentine platoon and shot down, killing the crew, Lt. Ken Francis and L/Cpl. Pat Giffin.^[2]

The Argentinians eventually retreated from Fanning Head, abandoning their communications equipment. At least eight members of another Argentinian platoon who fled the scene were left behind and captured by the British.

Argentine commandos of the601 Commando Company shot down a GR.3 Harrier on a reconnaissance mission onPort Howard with aBlowpipe missile. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Glover, bailed out, breaking his arm and collar bone in the process. He was taken prisoner by Argentine soldiers shortly afterward, and flown to a military hospital inComodoro Rivadavia, Argentina. Six Argentine pilots were killed during the operation.^[3][4]

The invasion, part of the overallOperation Corporate, sparked a strong reply from theArgentine Air Force andArgentine Naval Aviation and led to theBattle of San Carlos.^[5]

• Ruiz Moreno (h), Isidoro J. (2016) [1986].Comandos en acción (in Spanish) (2nd ed.). Buenos Aires: Claridad.ISBN 978-950-620-312-2.

• Conflicts in 1982
• Military operations of the Falklands War
• British Army in the Falklands War
• Army Air Corps (United Kingdom)
• Battles in 1982
• May 1982 in South America
• Amphibious operations involving the United Kingdom

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2015
• CS1 Spanish-language sources (es)